Cover-Credits:
Support player Aydin "Insania" Sarkohi has led Team Liquid since joining in late 2019. He revealed during a recent interview that he no longer held the captaincy responsibilities. As Insania mentioned to the Spanish talent at ESL One Birmingham 2024, the team's offlaner Neta "33" Shapira has been serving as the captain since he joined the team after coming over from Tundra Esports in late 2023. As Insania described, much of the strategy development is carried out by 33 and coach William "Blitz" Lee after appropriate input has been sought out from the team.
Insania reveals 33 has been leading Team Liquid since November 2023
When asked how Insania formulates strategy discussions as captain of Liquid, he clarified that the role has now been taken over by 33, adding insights about the approach to framing plans.
“Actually nowadays, Neta (33) - he is our new captain. So, he is doing a lot of that work. But our philosophy as a team is very much that everybody contributes to the strategy of the team. Our coach and 33 try to take everyone’s input and put it together.”
33 was added to Liquid in November 2023 to replace Ludwig "zai" Wåhlberg, who had then announced his retirement from competitive Dota 2. Similar to 33, zai was also heavily involved in leading and strategizing drafts, alongside Blitz, utilizing his experience as one of the most decorated players on the squad at the time.
In 33's case, this is not his first foray into the leading role. Even though the offlaner's career has not seen a lot of captaincy stints, he has played a vital role in defining the meta and setting a playstyle for his teams. Even among other teams and players, he has matured into someone well-known for his top notch game mechanics and meta understanding.
Liquid has done quite well since he joined the team, except for DreamLeague Season 22, where it finished in 13th-14th place. The other four tier one events have all produced top four finishes, and the only thing that remains elusive, like last year, is a tournament victory.
Liquid is currently competing at ESL One Birmingham 2024 and is up to a strong start with five victories in eight games. It leads Group A at the end of the second day and faces BetBoom Team in the final series.
