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Team Liquid are making a comeback in Dota 2, having signed a new roster and been invited to ESL One Hamburg.
They’ve been named them the fifth team to receive a direct invite to the Dota 2 event, arguably the first large-scale Dota 2 event since the International 2019 season, where we witnessed some major roster turnovers.
This seems like a perfect opportunity for Liquid to test their new line-up (featuring Samuel “Boxi” Svahn, Michael “miCKe” Vu, Maximilian “qojqva” Bröcker, Tommy “Taiga,” and Aydin “iNSaNiA” Sarkohi) against some of the best teams in the world.
A day after they officially signed the ex-Alliance roster, to fill the void that Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi and the rest of his squad left, they were chosen by ESL to compete in Hamburg.
Invites have also been received by TNC Predator, Virtus Pro, Ninjas in Pyjamas, as well as Vici Gaming. Even though ESL is carefully picking teams and preparing for the event at this stage, spectators may already feel a rush, similar to that of playing games on a site of an online casino.
All the teams revealed so far participated at TI9, and besides Vici, each of them have changed at least one of their teammates during the last month. The most drastic change occurred in Liquid, since their previous players decided to leave by themselves, resulting in a search for an entirely new roster.
The ex-Alliance team, with Aydin “iNSaNiA” Sarkohi as the leader, showed promise last season, so getting to sign with another level-one organisation was a logical move.
They played together for Alliance for around two years, but Boxi, iNSaNiA, miCKe and Taiga all began their careers in Heroes of Newerth. Also, MiCKe and iNSaNiA became some of the top-earning gamers that have played in HoN.
What to expect at ESL One Hamburg 2019
While there are plenty of well-known teams taking part, Vici Gaming are the only one that has played together for a more extended period. This gives Liquid a solid chance to climb up to the top, as Virtus Pro and TNC have a lot of practice ahead of them.
Gambit Esports, with their revitalized roster, are looking powerful. This is also true for Geek Fam who proved to be a strong challenger in Southeast Asia during this season, with Kim “DuBu” Doo-young and Carlo “Kuku” Palad as reinforcements.
Teams that made qualification through regional tournaments include Vikin.gg, a new team with Vladimir “Chappie” Kuzmenko as the captain, Fighting Pepegas, who boast Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao as the leader, and Invictus Gaming.
With ESL One Hamburg, the off-season of Dota 2 will be coming to an end. This will be the first non-DPC event in a new season and a prologue for the events coming later.
With two teams left to be announced in the weeks to come, and the quality competitors we’re see already, ESL is promising a lot of action and excitement. Matches will begin on October 25th.
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