Somnus Seemingly Announces His Retirement From Pro-Dota 2 After TI11 Exit

One of the most popular Chinese players in Dota 2 history, Lu "Somnus" Yao aka Maybe has seemingly announced that he is retiring from professional play after his team Royal Never Give Up (RNG) exited The International 2022 (TI11). The player has posted a cryptic message on his Weibo account that indicates that he is hanging up his playing gloves for good.

Somnus has been competing in competitive Dota 2 since 2013 and has multiple Major wins as well as Top 3 finishes in TIs throughout his competitive career. He has played in some of China’s biggest Dota 2 organizations which include ViCi Gaming, Elephant, PSG.LGD and Royal Never Give Up.

“Somnus Out,” says the Chinese legend after Royal Never Give Up Exits TI11

Following a heartbreaking 1 hour 47 minute loss, Somnus took to Weibo to express his feelings. “My youth is destined to have regrets and hard feelings, right? Thank you all for your concern and encouragement. My youth is over,” he said and added “Somnus Out,” indicating that he is retiring from competitive play.

The player had a fantastic run in the Dota 2 Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021/22 season, qualifying directly for TI11 with some impressive performances in the Chinese DPC League. The team was performing splendidly in the group stages of TI11 before disaster struck, leading to four out of five RNG players being hospitalized.

But despite the hardships, Somnus and the rest of RNG played their hearts and eventually ended their journey at TI11 with a heartbreaking loss against Entity. They exited with a Top 16 finish.

According to Liquipedia, Somnus has earned over $3.2 Million USD in prize winnings throughout his Dota 2 career. His best moments came with PSG.LGD with whom he won the MDL Changsha Major and Epicenter XL before securing a runner-up finish at The International 8 and a Top 3 finish at The International 9.