Ferrari 430 leaves IG after 5-year run

Luo “Ferrari_430” Feichi has left Invictus Gaming earlier today, after more than 5 years with the organization. The former TI champion missed his first International event this year. IG and Ferrari have not provided clarification regarding their status and future plans as of yet.

Teams have until September 4th to release players from their current rosters in preparation for the upcoming season. New players can then be added between September 4th-18th. The rosters will become locked on September 18th, at 12:00AM PDT.

Ferrari 430 leaves IG

Luo “Ferrari_430” Feichi started his professional Dota 2 career with Invictus Gaming on August 2nd, 2011. Earlier today, after five years with the organization, “The Pianist” has left the team.

Ferrari is considered one of the best mid players in the world. Nicknamed “The Pianist”, his fingers move with speed and grace across the keyboard, commanding spells in a beautifully orchestrated manner. He is revered as one of the best Invoker players, thanks to the way he manages to manipulate the complexity of the hero’s spell combinations.

Ferrari 430 leaves IG Ferrari 430 leaves IG Ferrari 430 leaves IG

Ferrari 430 leaves IG Ferrari 430 leaves IG Ferrari 430 leaves IG

Many Dota 2 enthusiasts were hoping for Ferrari 430 and Invictus Gaming to create a turn-up for the books and push through to Seattle for The International 6. However, the Chinese qualifiers appeared to have been set out right from the Round Robin stage, with little to no surprises. IG failed to perform to their full potential and Invictus Gaming was the only former TI title-holder to be missing the event. Absent from The International for the first time, Ferrari 430 was left on the sidelines.

Now that Ferrari has parted ways with Invictus Gaming, Na’Vi’s Danil “Dendi” Ishutin remains the only professional Dota 2 player who hasn’t changed teams since the first International, in 2011.

Ferrari 430 leaves IG Ferrari 430 leaves IG Ferrari 430 leaves IG

Ferrari 430 leaves IG Ferrari 430 leaves IG Ferrari 430 leaves IG

Invictus Gaming

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Invictus Gaming was founded in 2011 by Wang Sicong, the son of the richest man in China. The organization brought in incredibly talented members from the very beginning: Wong “Chuan” Hock Chuan, Luo “Ferrari_430” Feichi and Zeng “Faith” Hongda.

In its infancy stage, the team’s appearance at the first International was less spectacular and Invictus Gaming would make the necessary adjustments to aid in their continued growth.

The team was invited to The International 2 – a monumental milestone, as they were able to emerge victorious and claim the coveted Aegis of Champions.

Stability would grant the team continued success and steady gains in championship titles in various premier and major tournaments during 2012. Unsurprisingly, they received another invitation to The International 2013. With high hopes and expectations, the same roster approached their next milestone but failed to climb higher than a commendable 5th place.

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Wong “ChuaN” Hock Chuan © DotaBlast

Ferrari 430 leaves IG Ferrari 430 leaves IG Ferrari 430 leaves IG

Unsatisfied with the results, Invictus Gaming tried to recalibrate their Dota 2 squad: some players left the organization in search of new adventures, while others would continue to work hard to better themselves from within.

Soon enough, IG’s presence became strong and domineering once again. They grabbed championship titles in Red Bull ECL 2013, WPC 2014 and ESL One Frankfurt 2014, and placed second in the G-League and fourth at StarLadder StarSeries Season IX.

After another disappointing result at The International 4, where they came in 7th, the team shuffled once more, searching for the proper mix befitting of their stature.

In March 2015, Zeng “Faith” Hongda returned and Zhilei “Burning” Xu also officially joined the Invictus Gaming roster.

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Xu “BurNIng” Zhilei © DotaBlast

Ferrari 430 leaves IG Ferrari 430 leaves IG Ferrari 430 leaves IG

The team went on to seize first place at the Major All Stars and came in second at StarLadder StarSeries XII. They climbed on the second step of the podium in Red Bull Battle Grounds and managed to land some other commendable placements in other premier tournaments such as The Summit 3, i-League Season 3, ESL One Frankfurt 2015, and MarsTV Dota 2 League.

After a disappointing 12th place finish at The International 5, the team was once again subject to roster changes. They did place 4th at ESL One New York afterwards, but their ease didn’t last long and the team started to falter.

They were forced to withdraw from The Frankfurt Major due to complications in obtaining required travel documents for Su “super” Peng. The team did not have a substitute registered at that time, therefore falling out of compliance with the roster lock rules implemented by Valve.

Then, in a very surprising move, Wong “ChuaN” Hock transferred to Newbee and was replaced by Liu “XDD” Silong.

The changes in the roster did not help Invictus Gaming tremendously. They were not directly invited to the Shanghai Major and were forced to participate in the Regional Chinese qualifiers. Falling short there, with a 5th-6th place finish, they missed the second Valve-sponsored event of the 2015-2016 season.

Invictus Gaming roster underwent a complete overhaul, on March 19th, 2016. Luo “Ferrari_430” Feichi was the only member of the main squad to stay on team. He was joined by four of former IG.Vitality players: Zhao “qd” Shungeng, Ye “BoBoKa” Zhibiao, Lin “Xxs” Jing, and Chen “Rong” Jingwu.

The team failed to qualify for the Manila Major and under-performed in the TI6 Chinese Qualifiers. Invictus Gaming was the only former TI title-holder to be missing The International 6.

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