Newbee was one of the best teams of last season, but has struggled to really show it of late. The new tournament format and the new ranking system, in theory, provides enough of a sample size that fans and players will know who the best teams in the world are during the season. The Song "Sccc" Chun-led team just didn’t seem to have that mystique anymore and while it was performing well enough to pick up a third- or fourth-place finish here and there...it was a far cry from the team that savaged the upper bracket at The International in August.

Well, that changed at the Perfect World Masters. In a generally excellent performance, Newbee worked its way through to the grand finals in impressive fashion, and swept Vici Gaming to take the championship as a result.

It wasn’t necessarily an easy sweep, granted. VG was competitive throughout the series, running neck-and-neck with Newbee for much of Game One, and mounting a bit of a rally after falling behind in Game Two. Ultimately, though, VG was only able to slow Newbee’s momentum, but not stop it, and when Game Three came, the fates conspired to give the eventual champs the clean sweep. A Hail Mary Roshan bash on a charging Lu "Fenrir" Chao Spirit Breaker outside the pit sparked a messy team fight that ultimately cost VG the game, and the series.

The first-place finish gives Newbee their first big win of the season, and a much-needed injection of Qualifying Points in the Dota Pro Circuit. While there is still work to be done, there are plenty of opportunities to completely take over in the coming months.

Chinese Dota is Here to Stay

The International 2017 saw Chinese teams run roughshod over the field (with the sole exception of eventual winners Team Liquid). Four of the tournament’s top six teams hailed from the region, and all of them looked poised to take the top prize at some point during the event.

When the new season kicked off, however, it felt like a market correction was underway. Western Dota 2 surged out of the gate and Mineski rose up as the new kings of SEA. That saw a number of seemingly elite teams pushed to the back of the line, and struggle mightily in the first few Minor and Major events.

Well, the Perfect World Masters showed that Chinese Dota is still here, and it’s not going anywhere.

In addition to the all-China grand finals, LGD.Forever Young took third place after an impressive run through the lower bracket. Even LGD Gaming, who finished last place, looked very solid during the group stages, splitting three of their four series.

This doesn’t shake up the DPC standings in any serious way, but it’s a much-needed show of force from the deepest region in Dota 2. Expect that momentum to continue into December.

A New Challenger Approaches?

There were plenty of storylines worth discussing at the Perfect World Masters but by far the most interesting (and possibly most surprising) was the sudden rise of Team Kinguin.

The Pride of Poland has been turning heads of late with strong performances in a number of qualifiers. The PWM, however, was the first taste of the team in actual tournament action and while it was easy to poopoo their chances going in, it’s hard to find anything to complain about coming out.

Kinguin shocked many by taking first place in a stacked Group B, splitting or winning each series against remarkably stuff competition. While that hot streak wasn’t sustainable, it went on to post a solid performance in the playoffs, defeating Vega Squadron while staying competitive against compLexity Gaming and Newbee.

It’s too early to declare Kinguin a heavyweight contender at this point, but it’s safe to say that a new challenger is here, and here to stay. Expect to see more of them in the future.

Dota Pro Circuit Standings Following Perfect World Masters

The DPC standings weren’t shaken up too heavily by the Perfect World Masters, but this was obviously a big event for the grand finalists, Vici Gaming and Newbee.

The first-place finish for Newbee allows cements its spot as a top-four team, with its top players each having 345 QP on the season. Short of a fringe contender taking first-place in a Major event, Newbee’s spot is secure for a good while.

Vici Gaming, meanwhile, is starting to establish itself as an upper-level team. While it started off the season in ugly fashion, it now has fairly strong footing in the standings following second-place finishes at both the Dota PIT Minor and Perfect World Masters. The VG lineup certainly has the feel of an elite-level team. The standings suggests that they’re living up to that potential.

Of course, the DreamLeague Major kicks off next week. That should bring some serious shake-ups to the bottom half of the standings.