u/Dota2ProTips

We don't know if the insider account is entirely accurate or not, one thing is undeniable: Xtreme Gaming's 2026 season ended far below expectations, and questions about what happened behind the scenes are unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

This comes from someone who is in touch with Managers and players from CHN scene.

>"​I'm not an insider, but I have quite a few friends in the scene, including team owners and managers.

The news I got: The reason for XG's sharp slump in form during the second half of the year is none other than the fact that their two best two players, Ame and XXS, both were really unhappy and pessimistic about the team and then started to slacking off. ​And the team owner is mostly to blame for this situation.

​It all started because the owner actually always looked down on Xm who has really good relationship with Ame, considering XM as "bad." Last year's TI runner-up finish boosted the owner's confidence to an all-time high, leading him to believe that this is the best chance for them to win TI. Therefore, at the beginning of the season, he blindly listened to some half-baked fan suggestions, kicked XM, and replaced him with NTS (arguably the better player before this year). At the same time, because XinQ had poor mentality, bad work ethic, and wanted unreasonably long break, they just brought in Fy.

How should I put it? The owner is someone who heavily superstitious about player "star power," believing that only so-called star players can achieve results. Ame was somewhat unhappy because his two buddies got kicked, but because he still high ambition to win TI, he played hard during the first half of the season. As a result, XG's performance in the first half was more than decent, and they successfully secured a direct invite to TI as what they were hoping for. However, Fy had been away from the professional scene for a while, and his performance was clearly not even close to the other position 4s. Xxs, as his offlane partner, felt extremely uncomfortable and unhappy (just think about it, any offlane player would probably break down if their partner was suddenly downgraded from XinQ to oldie Fy...). He had massive internal grievances, and likely expressed his displeasure through numerous explicit and implicit hints throughout the season. But the owner, acting as the boss, handled this issue poorly. Because he cares immensely about saving his own face, once his roster decisions were questioned, he openly and explicitly backed Fy, and even found excuses to criticize Xxs for "behaving like some superstar." Xxs is the type of person who just starts coasting and throwing the moment he gets unhappy (refer to his stint back when he played for IG and Team Aster).

The team atmosphere deteriorated rapidly after that, which was very obviously reflected in their subsequent results. And the final turning point was ESL Birmingtham (finished 3rd, really hot run from lower bracket). In their elimination match, Xiao8 went against the preps and stubbornly drafted Keeper of the Light for NTS, leading to their loss (was heavily criticized by everyone as the losing pick). Then, the owner without discussing with Xiao8, suddenly hired Maps as assisstant coach to seize drafting control, which made Xiao8 felt disrespected and felt like he was being pushed out. After that, the entire team's morale just completely collapsed, and Ame and Xxs was already completely checked out at that point after both can't convince Xiao8 to stay. Therefore, everyone can clearly see that starting from the draft at this TI, XG just went there without any chemistry and dreadful atmopshere, barely trying to win at all, all of them only wanted to go home early, and to put an end to this torment."

let’s be very clear: if TaiLung fixed matches, accepted betting money, or helped someone profit from inside information, then a severe punishment is justified. Dota cannot survive if players, teams, or betting circles can compromise the outcome of professional games. Fans need to believe the match on screen is real. Teams need to believe the opponent is trying to win. Sponsors, organizers, and players all depend on that basic trust.

But the opposite is also true.

If the public never sees what the accusation actually is, then a player can be reputationally destroyed before anyone outside the room understands the case. That is dangerous too.

The smart position here is not “TaiLung is innocent” or “TaiLung is guilty.” We do not know that. The smart position is this: a permanent competitive sanction should come with a clear public explanation of the rule breached, the type of evidence relied on, and the path to appeal or review. That does not mean exposing private messages, bank records, or third-party identities. It means giving the scene enough clarity to separate facts from rumor.

TaiLung’s own statement does not magically clear him.

It explains his side, and some parts—especially throwing the phone—are damaging. But his central request is reasonable: tell him exactly what he is accused of, show the evidence through the proper procedure, and let him respond. In any serious integrity system, that should not be controversial.

TaiLung has denied the allegations and asked for transparency; LGD has confirmed the integrity investigation and PGL ban; the evidence has not been publicly disclosed. Until that changes, nobody should pretend rumors are facts.

Dota needs to protect its matches. But it also needs to protect the credibility of the process used to punish players. If the scene wants to be taken seriously, “trust us” cannot be the final answer. PGL should make public the information on WHY was he banned

From "What happened to PlayTime?” to Games of the Future champions in less than a month. What do you want more?