Cover-Credits:
Amid teams around the world already warming up with their new Dota 2 rosters, Azure Ray just released its revamped lineup for the upcoming competitive season. The star-studded trio of Lu "Somnus" Yao, Yang "Chalice" Shenyi, and Xu "fy" Linsen have all left the organization which cited personal wishes as one of the reasons. Taking their positions, an ‘X’ trio has become part of the team, comprising Guo "Xm" Hongcheng, Zhao "XinQ" Zixing, and Lin "Xxs" Jing, all of whom bring ample experience and considerable skill. It's noteworthy that Xm has joined the organization without taking a salary. In addition, Wang "Liekkas" Yutian has joined as the new coach with Zhang "LaNm" Zhicheng moving out.
Azure Ray undergoes major Dota 2 lineup overhaul ahead of ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023
As a result of their contributions, Azure Ray wrote a long post on Weibo thanking Somnus, Chalice, fy, and coach LaMm for helping the team achieve such success in a short time period.
After getting together in just May 2023, the team went on to qualify for the Bali Major 2023, finishing 7th-8th, and then qualify for The International 12 (TI12), finishing fourth, which was a huge accomplishment. Azure mentioned that there were doubts about the team’s performance initially but they defied all odds to perform well.
With the departure of the three, as well as LaNm, Azure Ray's new lineup consists of the following members.
Lou “Lou” Zhen
Guo “Xm” Hongcheng
Lin “Xxs” Jing
Zhao “XinQ” Zixing
Jiang “tiān mìng” An
Wang "Liekkas" Yutian (coach)
Liekkas is a 31 year old player turned coach who last coached Xtreme Gaming in 2022. Meanwhile, Xm and XinQ join from Xtreme Gaming. They had joined the team late in the 2023 competitive season with the objective of qualifying for TI12, however, they were unable to propel the squad as it fell to Azure in the grand final of the Chinese qualifier.
Xxs, on the other hand, joins the team following a three year stint with Team Aster. He was an important part of Aster's ups and downs over the years, but he left with the majority of the roster after the team failed to qualify for TI12 this year.
As Azure Ray pointed out, Xm has decided not to take a salary and will join as a free player. The reason for the same is currently unknown.
This revamped Azure Ray roster will compete at the upcoming ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 since the organization received a direct invite. The tournament begins on 11th Dec 2023.
