Cover image source: @Team Liquid
Lee ‘Heen’ Seung Gon has been announced as the new coach for TNC Predators. The Korean former pro turned coach, is one of the most accomplished coaches in the Dota scene and will be in charge of TNC’s performances in the last stretch of this DPC season in the run-up to TI9.
Heen was one of the key pieces that allowed Team Liquid to lift the Aegis at TI7 and coached the side for more than two and half years before he left the org in November of 2018. He was also a former pro, having played at TI5 with MVP Hot6. After a 4 month hiatus, Heen will return to coaching as he takes on a new challenge with the TNC Predators.
TNC have had a major dip in form, ever since the first Major of the season, where they placed 5th/6th in Kuala Lumpur. They have failed to qualify for a single DPC event since then, and even at the recently concluded ESL One Mumbai, they finished in 4th place behind Na’Vi, Mineski and Keen Gaming.
Their TI9 spot looks to be in jeopardy at the moment with Mineski piping them in the previous two Major qualifiers. While TNC are still in the top 12 of the DPC ranking, the Paris Major will most likely see them drop out of the list as quite a few teams who are below them are playing at the event. This leaves TNC with only 1 real shot at securing a TI9 invite - qualifying and placing well at the last major of the season, EPICENTER.
Heen is a well-revered coach in the Dota 2 scene, and he certainly brings a lot to the table with his years of experience. But it remains to be seen what sort of impact he can have with TNC over the next few months.