Dragon Gate Team
| Short name | DG |
|---|---|
| Game | League of Legends |
| Founded | 29 November 2018 |
| Folded | 24 April 2019 |
| League | League of Legends Master Series |
| Based in | Hong Kong |
| Parent group | Hong Kong Fish Dive International Culture Media Limited |
Dragon Gate Team was a professional League of Legends team based in Hong Kong and active for one split in 2019. It competed in the League of Legends Master Series (LMS) – then the game's tier-one league in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau – until it was removed for allegedly coercing its players to match-fix.
History
Garena, the organisers of the LMS, announced on 29 November 2018 that Hong Kong Fish Dive International Culture Media Limited had acquired Team Afro's spot in the league and established Dragon Gate Team to replace Team Afro.[1][2] Dragon Gate Team finished last in the 2019 spring split and was scheduled to play a relegation match against Taiwanese team Super Esports on 25 April 2019.[2] However, a day before the match, Garena announced that Dragon Gate Team had been removed and banned from the LMS in light of credible allegations that the team's staff and players had been match-fixing and betting on their own games.[3][4]
Garena stated that it had received reports of possible match-fixing by Dragon Gate Team on 10 April, and sent relevant evidence to Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends and the global organiser of the game's esports leagues, on 17 April.[3] Consequently, Dragon Gate Team's owner Hu Weijie was permanently banned from involvement with a professional or semi-professional League of Legends team, while the team's jungler Liu "JGY" Yang received the same punishment for 18 months and the two coaches Fan Jiangpeng and Li Xinyu for a year.[2][3][4] Super Esports was given Dragon Gate Team's LMS spot[5] but ultimately disqualified for failing to submit documents in time.[6] Dragon Gate Team's management responded to the announcement by threatening to sue Garena, claiming the allegations had been fabricated because its players were in deep gambling debts and Garena favoured Super Esports over Dragon Gate Team.[5][7]
On the same day as Garena's announcement, Dragon Gate Team's top laner Huang "2188" Jin-long made a Facebook post alleging that management had offered bot laner Liu "Soul" Kai 5,000 renminbi per match thrown by him, and had replaced him after he refused. 2188 also claimed that JGY's acceptance of the offer in contrast had negatively impacted his teammate's performances as well; JGY was noted for his unorthodox, overly-aggressive playstyle.[8]
References
- ^ 《英雄聯盟》AFR、M17退出LMS，2019 LMS參賽隊伍公布 [League of Legends: AFR and M17 withdraw from the LMS; 2019 LMS teams have been announced]. 4Gamers (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 29 November 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
- ^ a b c "Dragon Gate Team expulsée de la LMS" [Dragon Gate Team expelled from the LMS]. Against All Authority (in French). 24 April 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
- ^ a b c Oak, Yudae (24 April 2019). "Pro LoL Team, Dragon Gate Team Removed From the LMS Due to Match-Fixing". InvenGlobal. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
- ^ a b 《英雄聯盟》隊伍 DG 被 LMS 永久除名 因涉及場外博弈與以非常規遊戲行為影響比賽內容 [League of Legends team DG has been permanently removed from the LMS due to its involvement in external match-fixing and unconventional gameplay that influenced the outcome of matches]. GNN News (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 26 December 2025.
- ^ a b 《英雄聯盟》DG假賽案，戰隊擬對Garena提告 [League of Legends: DG reportedly suing Garena over match-fixing scandal]. 4Gamers (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 24 April 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
- ^ 【LMS 職業聯賽】2019夏季賽選手名單公佈！ [LMS Professional League: 2019 Summer Split Player Roster Announced!] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 28 May 2019. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
- ^ Huang, Chien-fang (29 April 2019). LoL台港澳區聯盟假賽風波 DG戰隊爆教練、選手涉賭 [LoL Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau League Match-Fixing Scandal: DG Team's Coach and Players Allegedly Involved in Gambling]. Lihpao Daily (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 26 December 2025.
- ^ Patterson, Calum (25 April 2019). "League of Legends pro player, coach and owner banned for match-fixing". Dexerto. Retrieved 26 December 2025.