In 2011, foreign League of Legends teams came to China to compete for the first time. Team WE attended as one of three domestic representatives. Following Invictus Gaming’s loss to Counter Logic Gaming at the World Cyber Games earlier that year, IEM Guangzhou would be the world’s first proper introduction to Chinese LoL.

On reflecting on Counter Logic Gaming’s IEM Guangzhou attendance, Steve “Chauster” Chau wrote, “The team still had confidence in [jiji]’s playstyle until IEM Guangzhou when he died three times to Misaya and Jungler and lost the game through laning phase alone. The backlash from the community was a precedent, but the most detrimental effect was team confidence in jiji.”

CLG in particular didn’t see WE coming. They dropped a match in the Group Stage to WE and lost again in the Grand Final. But China’s most celebrated esports organization came prepared.

“We hadn’t played against any of [the foreign teams] before either in scrims or matches,” AD carry Gao “WeiXiao” Xuecheng said about the team’s preparation for the event in an interview feature for 15w.

“We were completely unfamiliar … At that time, it was really hot in Guangzhou, and we didn’t have any money, so we had to walk everywhere … We walked very far to find an internet cafe, and at that cafe, it was also tremendously hot. We just sat there sweating and watching VODs.”

The worst thing you can do is underestimate Team WE.

Though roster iterations have changed over time, Team WE has set a precedence in League of Legends for constantly surprising at international events. From their first appearance and tournament win in Guangzhou to a victory over the leading Korean team at IEM Katowice, WE rarely disappoint.

WE’s victory at Guangzhou became part of a string of victories and near-victories within China, but more importantly, it launched them into international relevance. Over the course of the next year, they underwent several roster changes and joined top EU, NA, Korean, and Southeast Asian teams at major tournaments.

Following a Round of 8 finish against CLG EU at Korea’s 2012 Champions, Team WE made a significant roster change that formed one of the greatest teams in the history of the game.

Yu “Misaya” Jingxi spoke of this period as a time when WE had the sparest accommodations – only three rooms for five players and Coach Ji “Aaron” Xing – but were the most content.

View photos Team WE’s 2011 IEM Guangzhou lineup (15w) More

“We might not eat every day,” Misaya said, “but … all of our hearts and souls were in the game and in the match.”

WE lived in these sparse accommodations for several months because they had a strong connection to the internet and could play against Korean teams. Every time they lost to powerful opponents like Moscow 5 or CLG EU, they would tell each other “We can study them, we can practice.”

The Season 2 World Championship marked WE’s first event since Ming “Clearlove” Kai and Feng “Fzzf” Zhuojun joined the team. Though WE lost out in the quarterfinal, they made impressive strides in a month, had a surprising Blitzcrank-based strategy, and their loss still bears the doubt of an 11 hour pause and remake due to technical difficulties.

WE’s next string of successes quickly overshadowed their let-down at the World Championship. They continued to tear through online and domestic events for the next two months. One of their more notable victories came in an online tournament, Enter the Dragon. In the Grand Final, they played against KT Rolster Arrows and triumphed over a somewhat controversial technical failure.

“Although we got disconnected,” WeiXiao said about WE’s victory at Enter the Dragon, “KTA didn’t have any intention to wait. I thought that it wasn’t very fair to us. It was a disconnection. They could see that we couldn’t move. Then they were never willing to remake the game, so I thought it wasn’t fair. There was nothing we could do, we had to brace ourselves. Then later, we won the match. I remember I got a pentakill.”

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