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It appears that the European Dota 2 pro scene is about to undergo some surprises regarding changes in rosters in the near future. After departing from Team Secret, offlane player Ludwig "Zai" Wåhlberg has now surprisingly announced his move to Team Liquid via a tweet. Team Liquid also tweeted about Zai's inclusion through its official handle, but neither party has yet revealed what role the player will play within the squad. Following a service of over three years, Team Secret had parted ways with Zai.
Zai joins Team Liquid following his departure from Team Secret
“I've joined @TeamLiquid! Thx for kind & nice words,” Zai announced on Twitter in his typical way.
Team Liquid made a tweet shortly after welcoming the player into the team.
Team Liquid's Dota 2 squad now includes the following members:
Michael "miCKe" Vu
Max "qojqva" Bröcker
Samuel "Boxi" Svahn
Tommy "Taiga" Le
Aydin "iNSaNiA" Sarkohi
Ludwig "zai" Wåhlberg
William "Blitz" Lee (coach)
Despite having played in other roles before, Zai had been the offlaner for Team Secret for a long time. After joining the team in Sept 2018, he won The Chongqing Major, MDL Disneyland Paris Major, and DreamLeague Season 13: The Leipzig Major. The International (TI), Dota 2's premier event, saw Team Secret place fourth and third in 2019 and 2021, respectively. In particular, the team was very dominant in the online events in 2020, winning eight tournaments in a row with a score of 3-0 in the final. This performance earned the team the title of 'Esports Team of the Year' at the Esports Awards 2020.
On the other hand, Team Liquid had a topsy turvy year in 2021 and did not qualify for TI10. Zai has not yet been assigned to a team position, and Boxi is currently playing as the team's offlaner. The Team Liquid members have been sticking together for years now, so Zai replacing a member is likely to cause a significant shift in the roster.
Other regions had reportedly been shifting their rosters while Europe remained largely unchanged, but with a couple of unprecedented roster shifts, it seems there are going to be some more surprises in Europe in the coming time. Dota 2 teams are restructuring and preparing themselves for the upcoming Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021-22, which will pave the way for TI11.
You can keep track of all the transfers/roster changes that have taken place since the conclusion of TI10 with AFK Gaming's Post-TI10 Roster Shuffle Tracker.
