Team Tidebound Returns to Dota 2 with Veteran Roster After 10-Month Hiatus
The Chinese organization has reformed with four players from its 2025 International roster and a new offlaner.
Team Tidebound has returned to competitive Dota 2 after a 10-month hiatus, with Ning “xiao8” Zhang coaching its roster for the 2026-2027 season.
The organization announced the lineup on its official Weibo account.
The roster brings back four players from Tidebound’s The International 2025 roster: carry Xuanang “Shiro” Guo, mid laner Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang, position 4 support Hao “plAnet” Lin and position 5 support Yiping “y`” Zhang.
Veteran offlaner Haiyang “Yang” Zhou completes the five-player team.
Where have the players been competing?
NothingToSay and xiao8 last competed under the banner of Xtreme Gaming.
Xiao8 left the team prior to TI 2026, while NothingToSay was released by the organisation in early September after they failed to make it out of the Group Stage of TI 2026.
Shiro and y' last played for Vici Gaming and became free agents when the team was disbanded immediately after their loss in the Elimination Stage of TI 2026.
Planet last played for Team Resilience, having left the team in late August after they also lost in the Elimination Stage of TI 2026.
Finally, Yang last played for Team Refuser, which missed out on a spot in TI 2026 after finishing fourth in the tournament's Chinese regional qualifier.
Why is this roster significant?
The new Tidebound lineup reunites four players from the organization’s previous International roster while adding an offlaner from another team in the Chinese scene.
The organization had been inactive since December 2025, which followed a 7th-8th place finish for the team at The International (TI) 2025.
The return is among the latest developments in the ongoing post-TI 2026 roster shuffle.
Tidebound's new roster notably came together following roster shuffles and disbandment of other Chinese teams.
What is the context of this return?
The roster combines its four returning players with Yang in the offlane, while xiao8 takes the coaching role.
Tidebound’s announcement marks its return to competition following the 10-month break.
The return is the latest major development in the ongoing post-TI 2026 roster shuffle.
What happens next for Team Tidebound?
The roster’s return puts Tidebound back in the competition as teams rebuild for the 2026-2027 season.
Its next appearances will establish when the lineup makes its competitive debut.
