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One of Dota 2's veterans has made a surprising comeback at the start of the 2024 competitive season, although a couple of tournaments later. Ludwig "zai" Wåhlberg has officially returned to pro Dota 2 but not as a player. zai will be taking up the general manager position at Tundra Esports Dota 2 for this season, as officially announced by the organization on 23rd February.
Tundra Esports posted a 20-minute video featuring zai and Dota 2 personality Jake "SirActionSlacks" Kanner on its socials.
zai Returns To Pro Dota 2, Now GM of Tundra Esports
If you have been following the Dota 2 pro scene, you would recall that it was almost four months back when zai officially left Team Liquid after its exit from The International 2023 (TI12). He then announced an indefinite break from Dota 2.
As a result, Tundra Esports' announcement took the community by surprise and was welcomed by zai's fans. Tundra wrote on Twitter, "zaiJ is back 🚨 zaiJ is back 🚨 zaiJ is back 🚨 zaiJ is back 🚨. Let us welcome @zai_2002 to Tundra Esports as the new General Manager right in time for DreamLeague to start!"
In the interview, SirActionSlacks sat down with zai to talk about his latest move in his career and his return to the pro scene but in a different capacity. Tundra Esports said, "Join us as SirActionSlacks delves into Zai's journey from being a top-tier Dota player to stepping into the realm of team management. Get insights into Zai's vision for Tundra Esports, his strategies for the team, and his thoughts on the future of the competitive Dota scene without DPC."
In the interview, zai spoke about his passion and desire to be involved in Dota 2 and how this manager role was a new challenge for him. He added, "To be honest, coming back as a player or a coach, I didn't really have too much interest in. But coming in with this slightly different job description and responsibility... it's kind of challenging for me as well."
zai also said that he would not be in the limelight as before and that he would be working behind-the-scenes a lot.
Tundra Esports will be seen in action during the upcoming DreamLeague Season 22 tournament. This online tournament features a mighty prize pool of $1,000,000 and a total of 18,500 EPT points up for grabs.
The group stage is divided into two parts and the first group stage will take place from 25th February to 28th February. Meanwhile, the second phase will take place between 1st March and 7th March. The playoffs of the tournament will be held on 9th and 10th March.
