Former Newbee Captain xiao8 teams up with four new players

After announcing his temporary retirement, Zhang “xiao8” Ning is returning with a new team. Flanked by four new players, this return is not meant to dominate the competitive scene or prove that he can be the best in the world. Rather, xiao8 wants to help usher in a new generation of players. Here’s a screenshot of his Weibo post:

And here’s an English translation from Tiffany “Babyoling” Lim:

Just to let everyone understand why I’m forming an online team.

I’d like to help those who wish to embark on this path of competitive gaming, I’ll look for 4 new players and form an online team with them, participate in online competitions, play more party games; pass on some of my in-game and tournament-related experiences, including lessons in responsibilities & professionalism in a competitive player.

For now I will not enter the competitive scene, but if they (the new players) are adequate or outstanding, I’ll recommend them to pro teams, or aid them in looking for sponsors.

The reason why I’m doing this is purely because I love this career, and this game. I too went through the process from being a normal new player to a professional player, and it’s really tough & difficult. So I hope I can become a guide to the aspiring competitive players. I won’t make money out of this for personal reasons either, even if there were sponsors I won’t take a cent of it; the rest can divide it up amongst themselves, since I already took 5 million RMB anyway. I just hope that people will remember me and thank me in the future.”

Although there have been newer players from teams such as Dream Time (DT), Speed Gaming, and Orenda, it doesn’t hurt to have even more players coming in right now. Making it in the Dota 2 scene as a new player on a new team can be very challenging and overwhelming, but a veteran like xiao8 can definitely help push them in the right direction.

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(via Facebook, image source)