Tidebound carry the weight of the world | TI14 Team Preview

Team Tidebound have some big shoes to fill for The International 2025 (TI14). The history of the Chinese Dota 2 scene is as rich as they come, but you wouldn’t know that if you’d only been paying attention to them over the last year or two.

The region itself has seen better days in this game, and the extra salt in the wound lies in the fact that a Chinese team was in the International grand finals merely four years ago.

Now, that very same team that carried the banner for China at TI is long gone. LGD Gaming still operates in other esports titles like League of Legends, but the “old guard” organizations are sadly no longer interested in Dota 2. Tidebound’s compatriots in Xtreme Gaming (XG) remain the only ones left in this regard, with the others like Invictus Gaming, Azure Ray and Vici Gaming lying dormant as the Dota world moves on without them.

From the Depths, Tidebound Rises

While XG have managed to hang around tier 1 Dota over the last several months, Tidebound showed everyone that they weren’t content with merely staying afloat this year.

PGL Wallachia Season 4 was their breakout event. They battled hard in shark-infested waters, fending off really good opponents like BetBoom Team and Team Spirit on their way to finishing in fourth place. They followed this up with sixth place at BLAST Slam 3, and it was at this point that I was truly beginning to believe that they might be destined for greater things.

Unfortunately, they weren’t quite able to qualify for the Esports World Cup (EWC), as XG had qualified ahead of them via the Asian Champions League. They then bombed out of PGL Wallachia Season 5, finishing below the top half of the the field. It’s good then that they made up for it just over a month later, Tidebound finally won a LAN at Clavision Masters — and on their home soil, no less.

Light in the Darkness for Eastern Dota 2

It’s therefore easy to see that they are the top dogs in China right now, and the region’s best bet at making a deep run at TI14. Rooting for this squad is just as easy, considering that two out of the five members used to be part of the legendary club Wings Gaming — one of the most revered and beloved teams in Dota 2 history.

It all starts with Zhang “Bach” Ruida, formerly known as Faith_bian. He is without a doubt the big fan favorite in this roster as far as the Western world is concerned, given his mastery of the English language which he is always happy to take advantage of in interviews or when he gets called up as a guest on analysis desks.

In-game, Bach is one of the greatest minds this game has ever seen, and plays the offlane position as well as anyone could ask for. The other one is team captain Zhang “y`” Yiping, who keeps the team stable and focused throughout their matches. As someone who has seen it all through the years, you can bet on y` to get the Tidebound over the finish line.

That covers the former Wings members, but what about the two remaining players? TI12 bronze medalist Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang brings up the solo mid position, and you really couldn’t ask for much more given that he once played for all the marbles on the biggest stage in Dota 2. The youngest member Guo “shiro” Xuanang likewise played with NothingToSay at TI12, so even at his relatively young age, he knows what it’s like to be under the bright lights.

Once More Into The Breach

Relative to the rest of the field at TI14, though, it’s clear that Tidebound are not really among the favorites to bag the Aegis of Champions this year. They are more than good enough to make the top 6 or even the top 4, but with the number of absolute killers out there to contend with, it’s going to take a lot for them to push further than those projections.

Fortunately for them, consistency isn’t something they really need to worry about. There is so much experience on this squad — and there is truly nothing that they haven’t already seen, heard, or felt at the highest level. Instead, their matches at TI14 are more often than not going to come down to whoever is better on that day, or if they just so happen to be completely outclassed by their opponents.

Whatever the case, any result for them within the top half of the field would already be something to celebrate. Anything beyond that would be icing on the cake, though I’m certain that for these guys in particular, they will always be hungry for more. Can they use that as motivation to chase after a title?

Player to Watch & Biggest Challenge

I know I said Bach is the fan favorite, but personally, I think NothingToSay is the real player to look out for on Tidebound. As far as mid laners are concerned, he is up there with the best of them — and if you like flashy, edge-of-your-seat type players from that position, he’s definitely got you covered.

Out-muscling the European teams at TI14 will be a pretty big ask for Tidebound, although they have proven that they’re capable of beating the best of the best this season. They recently beat Tundra Esports at Clavision Masters, showing that they do not fold in the face of opponents that on paper should be better than them.

My Tidebound Ti14 Team Grade

For finally winning a tier 1 LAN and because of the wealth of experience on their roster, one of China’s last hope in Dota 2 gets a B from me. The European clubs are clearly still better than them, but they aren’t so far off that would simply drown in Hamburg.