On October 20th, a match of Dota 2’s world championship, The International 2022 (TI11), attracted the attention of a massive number of Chinese Dota fans. They were rooting for the Chinese team RNG, facing Entity from the Western European region at the knockout stage.
The match ended up lasting a spectacular 107 minutes, breaking the record for the longest match at the knockout stage in the Dota 2 International.
RNG was fighting an uphill battle all the way. In the end, Entity had a huge advantage and gathered around the base for a final push. At this dire moment, Lu “Somnus” Yao, the mid-laner and core member of RNG, channeled his anger and frustration into a heroic charge into the enemy team.
In the closing moments of the match, Somnus rushed into the enemy team in a desperate attempt
Somnus is a special player for Chinese Dota fans. The 26-year-old veteran was a symbol of esports talent in their Dota memories. He started his esports career at the age of 16 as a high school student. During the Dota 1 period, he was the top-ranked player on the most prominent ladder in 2012, famous for dominating the competition with his fierce and swift playstyle. Many fans of the game believed that he was destined to be a world champion.
And Somnus proved that the expectations were not misplaced. From TI5 to TI11, Somnus participated in seven TI Internationals and entered the Finals three times.
However, he never won a championship.
August 2018 was the closest Somnus came when his team (LGD) had a 2:1 lead in the Grand Finals, only to lose in two match point rounds against their old nemesis OG.
In the Finals of TI8, OG defeated LGD in a 3-2 match
TI11 may well have been the last chance to realize his dream. Somnus has expressed his desire for a TI11 championship on many occasions. It was not just in the words he said. His game looked composed; he was ready to fulfill his promise and finally realize his dream.
With Somnus, RNG's journey at TI11 had an amazing start, with nine wins and only one loss in the Group Stage.
But again, fate has played a cruel joke on Somnus, four of the five RNG players contracted COVID and were forced to forfeit the Group Stage match against the Chinese team LGD, and a long losing streak followed that.
In the end, the most promising team just a few weeks ago had to fight against COVID symptoms and the other teams. Struggling to get into the elimination and were eventually stopped at the round of 16. The team is obviously not in the best of form, but they still kept fighting for a jaw-dropping 107 minutes.
RNG xNova with four bear toys before the TI11 match against Entity
Shortly after the match, RNG’s veteran Somnus posted on Weibo, hinting about his retirement.
“My youth is bound to have regrets. Thank you for all your care and encouragement. This chapter of my life is now finally behind me. Somnus Out,” he said.
Somnus posted on Weibo, implying he is retiring.
Facing Somnus’ farewell words, fans were heartbroken, saying their memories of Dota and their youth had ended pitifully.
A fan commented on Weibo, showing their sorrow and pain.
After being defeated by Entity in a Dota 2 ranking match in the evening, Somnus met three players from LGD, including another prominent star and his former teammate Ame.
At that time, Ame and LGD’s players were still in the fight for the TI Title. During the match, Somnus encouraged Ame to "Keep going”, to which Ame responded immediately with a crying emoji.
A screenshot of the ranking match where Somnus came face-to-face with former teammate Ame