Ori Retires From Competitive Dota 2

The roster shuffle season continues to provide shocking news during the off-season as Team Aster’s Zeng "Ori" Jiaoyang has officially retired from the competitive scene. The announcement came as a surprise to many, seeing how Team Aster managed to achieve a top four finish at The International 2022 (TI11).

Following the conclusion of TI11, there were rumors surrounding the Chinese mid laner suggesting that he wanted to retire from the competitive scene. However, the rumors became a reality following the organization’s announcement.

According to rumors, the Chinese mid lane star was forced to retire from Dota 2 by his parents who had already found a job for him.

Ori steps away from competitive Dota 2 after an illustrious career

“With immediate effect, Aster.Ori (Zeng Jiao Yang) officially has retired. After the end of TI11, the club confirmed after communication, decided to respect the player's will and thank Ori for his contribution to Aster eSports Club.” announced the organization on its Weibo page to the surprise of many within the community.

[Translations via DeepL]

Following the announcement, Ori became the newest player to have recently retired from the competitive scene after Zhang "Faith_bian" Ruida &  Lasse "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen. While there were rumors saying that Ori would retire after TI11, nobody in the community believed the rumors until today.

Zeng "Ori" Jiaoyang started his career in the professional scene in 2017. He started off by playing for DUOBAO for a short period of time, before moving to Vici Gaming where he would cement himself as one of the best mid laners in the world. He was also well-known for his Storm Spirit and Templar Assassin.

While Vici Gaming would end up winning multiple championships including the EPICENTER Major in 2019 & DreamLeague Season 11 to name a few, Ori was unable to win The International (TI) despite having constantly finished in the top six at TI in 2019 and 2021. After TI10 (The International 2021) had concluded, Ori decided to leave Vici Gaming after 4 years of service with the organization.

Ori’s next team turned out to be his last, as he joined Team Aster for the 2021/2022 DPC (Dota Pro Circuit) season.Team Aster performed well during the season, as it constantly earned top three finishes regionally & internationally. However, Ori was yet denied another opportunity at the Aegis of Champions as Team Aster achieved a top four finish at TI11.

Regardless, Ori retires from the competitive scene with an impressive career to his name and over approximately $1.4 million USD in prize winnings throughout his Dota 2 career according to Liquipedia.