Cover-Credits:
As part of its preparation for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, Chinese Dota 2 organization Team Aster has undergone a major roster overhaul. Du "Monet" Peng, Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan, Lin "Xxs" Jing, and Hu "Kaka" Liangzhi, all of whom are well-established in the scene, have departed from positions one to four. A number of new and emerging faces have replaced them to complete the team’s roster. Aster’s position five player Yu “Siamese.C” Yajun is the only player to have retained his position on the roster. While the future of other departing players is unclear, Monet has already joined Invictus Gaming for the upcoming season.
Team Aster replaces four players to finalize the roster for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 qualifiers
The announcement of the departure of four of Aster's players was quickly followed by another tweet revealing the team's new roster. In addition to the roster, the Chinese organization announced that Xie "Super" Junhao would be the new coach.
The following five players are on Aster's new roster.
Yang “Erika” Shaohan
Xu “Echo” Ziliang
Xiao “ss” Yihu
Pan “Frisk” Yi (also known as “Fade”)
Yu “Siamese.C” Yajun
While the exits of SumaiL, Xxs, and kaka are a fresh development, Monet's departure became apparent a week ago when he left Aster's roster on Valve's Dota 2 Majors Registration Page.
Aster is transitioning from a lineup stacked with some of the finest in the Chinese competitive scene to a group with new blood. Frisk is the lone experienced campaigner among the four newcomers, well known for his time with Vici Gaming from 2018-19. Since then, the player has tried out for different teams, but comparable success has eluded him.
Erika had started to make a name for himself as a carry player in the Chinese scene during his stint with Vici Gaming from 2020 to 2023, but the performances and results suffered in the latter stages of this tenure.
Echo and ss, on the other hand, are relatively unknown players who started their careers in 2019 and have been aiming to climb the Chinese Dota 2 pro ladder. This is their first opportunity to play for a tier one team.
It will now be intriguing to observe how this team shapes up in a region where teams with more renowned names are anticipated to compete. Super’s guidance will be crucial considering he is a veteran of the scene, having previously coached Royal Never Give Up and also enjoyed considerable success as a player.
SumaiL, on the other hand, is likely to return to Europe in search of newer options, while Xxs and kaka's future remains unknown.
