Team Tidebound part ways with Faith_bian and coach bLink

Team Tidebound have appointed two new players and coach for their 2025/2026 season campaign.

Chinese Dota 2 powerhouse Team Tidebound have announced a massive roster shake-up, parting ways with legendary offlaner Zhang “Bach” Ruida (also known as Faith_bian) and unveiling their new lineup for the 2025/2026 season. The announcement also confirms the departure of midlaner Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang, who has officially joined Xtreme Gaming.

The new roster introduces Ziliang “Echo” Xu as the team’s new midlaner. Kongbo “Niu” Li, who had spent the past few months as the team’s assistant coach, now assumes the role of offlaner. Meanwhile, veteran player Zheng Zheng “Yao” Yao has been appointed as Tidebound’s new head coach, replacing Zhou “bLink” Yang.

Team Tidebound’s 2025/2026 roster:

Team Tidebound rebuild despite a remarkable season

Team Tidebound was one of the best-performing teams last season, despite being formed only in January of this year. The squad not only dominated the Chinese region but also delivered impressive international results.

Their achievements included a 4th-place finish at PGL Wallachia Season 4, a Top 6 finish at BLAST Slam III, and a Top 8 finish at PGL Wallachia Season 3. With impressive and consistent results, Tidebound were given a direct invite to The International-being the only Chinese team to earn so among seven other top performing teams.

At TI, Tidebound delivered a dominant performance in the Group Stage, dropping only a single series against fellow Chinese contenders and eventual finalists, Xtreme Gaming. However, their strong performance didn’t last. Tidebound drastically crumbled in the Playoffs, suffering back-to-back losses and ultimately bowed out in 7th–8th place.

Following the anticlimactic end to their TI campaign, Tidebound have opted for significant roster changes to embark on the new season run.

Niu, Echo, and Yao join Team Tidebound

Tidebound’s decision to part ways with TI champion Faith_bian came as a surprise. It marks one of the rare occasions where he has separated from y’, his long-time teammate whom he won TI with in 2016.

While Faith_bian’s departure shocked fans, NothingToSay’s exit was anticipated. The Malaysian midlaner had already been announced as part of Xtreme Gaming’s new roster three weeks ago, replacing Hongcheng “Xm” Guo in the lineup.

Tidebound's new members, Niu and Echo, previously played for LGD Gaming during the 2023–2024 season. During that time, Niu secured 3rd place at TI 2023 and a Top 6 finish at the Bali Major. Despite a brief inactivity as a player, Niu remains one of the best offlaners in the region. Echo, meanwhile, has been active across the Chinese Dota 2 scene, notably competing in multiple DPC (Dota Pro Circuit) seasons under teams such as CDEC Gaming and EHOME, though he has yet to achieve any major success.

Rounding up the roster changes on Team Tidebound is the signing of a new coach. TI 2016 champion bLink have left the coaching seat in Team Tidebound, replaced by another iconic player of the region, Yao.

Yao has prolific accomplishments in early Dota 2 history, finding success at various different Internationals. He placed 3rd at TI 2012, Top 6 at TI 2014, 3rd at TI 2015, and 4th at TI 2017. Yao last played for Team Root in 2019, with brief appearances on casual stacks in 2024. He had coached for LGD Gaming in 2019 and EHOME from 2020-2021. His signing with Team Tidebound marks his return to the coaching seat after four years.