According to the post on the team’s Weibo, this was a decision made by the entire staff and club.
While TI10 is still a ways away, Dota 2 action has not taken a backseat. The top dogs of the Chinese region have spent the past couple of months competing in the i-League 2021. The Group Stage began back April this year, lasting until end May. Just last week, from 21st to 25th July, saw the remaining teams face off in the Playoffs. Out of all the Chinese Titans, it was Team Aster that took home the Grand Prize of ¥600,000 (approx $92,500USD).
Aster proceeded to donate all of that prize-money towards the disaster relief efforts in the flood-stricken Henan province in China. Prior to their win, the team had already donated ¥200,000, and announced their intention to donate the entirety of their i-League winnings as well. This was published in a post on the team's Weibo page, on 22nd July 2021.
"The relentless torrent cannot extinguish the will to survive, it's natural disasters that righteousness in the world is all the more evident, and the flood relief has incited us to help."
The post goes on to explain that the decision was made alongside all of the club's staff members, and the entirety of it's Dota 2 division.
What's Going on in Henan?
The Henan province in China has been affected by severe flooding since 17th July 2021. This was the result of a period of prolonged heavy rainfall. In the capital of the province Zhengzhou, record-breaking maximum rainfall of 201.9mm was observed in just an hour.
At the time of this article's publishing, at least 73 people have died, with at least 5 missing. Over 800,000 people have been evacuated, with 1.1 million relocated, and 9.3 million people total affected.
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Aster's Almost Flawless Run in the i-League
After a disappointing performance at the WePlay AniMajor, many fans were questioning if Aster really was the Chinese top dog. The Zhang "LaNm" Zhicheng led squad put those qualms to rest after a dominant run in the i-League. After finishing 4th place from the Group Stage, they had secured themselves an Upper Bracket seed. From there, they dropped only a single game to AniMajor champions PSG.LGD.
In the Grand Finals, they handily took out Vici Gaming 3-0, to become the i-League champions.
Team Aster had also previously donated ¥200,000 (approx $30,000USD) to the Wuhan Charity Federation in early 2020, to help with the coronavirus outbreak.
Despite the team's poor showing at the Major, they have earned more than enough DPC points during the Regional Leagues, and have qualified for TI10.
Before that though, Aster will be taking part in the OGA Dota PIT Season 5: China, that is set to take place from August 7th to 16th. The tournament features a $150,000 prize-pool and features almost every high-profile Chinese team.
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