Renowned Chinese esports player Lu "Somnus" Yao reflected on what it takes to become a professional Dota 2 player.
"When it comes to becoming a professional player, it's a bit complicated. I would say that luck plays a role. First and foremost, you need to have strong individual skills, but you also need to meet experienced teammates who can teach you how to win. Newcomers often have outstanding individual abilities, but their ways of playing can easily lead to defeat. This is unavoidable, which is why luck is something rookies rely on heavily. Why were Chinese teams so strong in the past? Because the generational shift of players never stopped. For instance, I was lucky—when I first joined LGD, I met Xiao8, who helped me reach a new level. After gaining some strength, I could hold my own, and in 2018, we managed to form a new LGD roster."
Previously, several Chinese professional players announced their intention to return to matchmaking on Chinese Dota 2 servers. This includes Somnus, Du "Monet" Peng, Yin "Aq" Rui, Yang "Chalice" Shenyi, and Wang "Ame" Chunyu.