A familiar face is returning to the side he helped win an International championship.
Zeng “Faith” Hongda revealed in his stream chat this morning that he will return to Invictus Gaming‘s Dota squad. The move, combined with photos of legendary Chinese carry Xu “Burning” Zhilei apparently moving into the team’s house, suggest that a new Eastern threat is taking shape as the International season begins in earnest.
Zeng’s three-year career with the side featured a 63 percent win rate and an average KDA of 3.0 in the support position, peaking in an International victory over Natus Vincere in 2012. Even when Invictus Gaming’s performance dipped in 2014, Zeng’s play remained consistent until his departure in August of last year.
Still, many question remain over whether Zeng and even Xu will perform as advertised after their extensive careers. Zeng’s time in the support seat has already eclipsed four years while Xu’s résumé stretches back as far as 2008.
Regardless, the Invictus Gaming’s roster-redoubling comes at a time when China appears open for the taking. With Wang “Rabbit” Zhang proven to be a liability for Newbee and Dominik “Black” Reitmeier’s departure from Vici Gaming, few know who will hold the Eastern crown after the dust settles.
