Cover-Credits:
Former Team Secret stalwart Yazied "YapzOr" Jaradat has been out of competitive Dota 2 action for the last nine months. Initially, YapzOr announced that he was taking a break from the game due to health concerns and was absent from ranked games for a long duration. Over the past few months, he has resumed participating in ranked games, as well as started to livestream and also watches professional games alongside Janne "Gorgc" Stefanovski. YapzOr was recently questioned about his comeback to competitive Dota 2, and he responded by stating that there are no current plans, though playing in "the Saudi qualifier" (likely the Riyadh Masters 2023) might be an option.
YapzOr might not be making a full pro Dota 2 comeback anytime soon
One viewer during YapzOr's Twitch livestream asked about his plans to resume competitive gaming after being away for so long. The player has a massive fan base that eagerly awaits his return. He did not give a very enthusiastic response to the fans, but there may soon be an opportunity for them to watch the player in action.
“No plans anytime soon (for a competitive Dota 2 return) but who knows? I might play the Saudi qualifier (for the Riyadh Masters likely). That’s all I know for now.”
At the time of writing, there has been no official announcement about qualifiers for the Riyadh Masters 2023 that YapzOr is likely referring to. The tournament scheduled from 17th to 30th July, has already caused quite a stir in the Dota 2 and esports communities due to its enormous $15 Million USD prize pool.
The Riyadh Masters 2023 has been announced as the Championship tournament for the inaugural season of the ESL Pro Tour Dota 2. The play-ins stage at the Riyadh Masters 2023 could possibly feature teams from the qualifiers. The qualifier, as such, might be identical to the one held last year for the Riyadh Masters 2022.
It would be interesting to see whether YapzOr decides to compete in the Saudi qualifying and which teams he joins. As a native of Jordan and well-acquainted with players from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, he is sure to easily secure a spot on any team with his impressive reputation and exceptional skills.
YapzOr has been away since July 2022, when it was reported, much to the surprise of many fans, that he would be taking a long hiatus to focus on his health. While he remains on Team Secret's inactive roster, the squad was competing with Baqyt "Zayac" Emiljanov as its position four player until he was recently replaced by Daniyal "yamich" Lazebnyy.
No word has been heard about YapzOr's return to Team Secret, which he's been with since 2017.
