Team Liquid announce shock exit of Dota 2 roster
ValveDOTA 2 squad amid the post-International 2019 roster shuffle.
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At The International 9, Team Liquid finished as runners-up to back-to-back winners OG after falling to a 3-1 defeat in the best-of-five grand finals.
However, with the annual post-TI shuffle well underway, the team which claimed victory at TI 2017 has now confirmed that they will be departing the iconic North American organization and looking at starting something of their own.
Today we announce the departure of our TI winning Dota 2 roster. We are thankful for the titles and memories they made with us, and we wish them the best of luck in the creation of their new team.https://t.co/9RXz47l73C pic.twitter.com/Os4WIrKfh5
— Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) September 13, 2019
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The shock move comes as teams are gearing up for the new Dota Pro Circuit season with roster changes – and some teams completely leaving the scene.
The Team Liquid line-up, consisting of iconic captain Kuro ‘KuroKy’ Salehi Takhasomi, Maroun ‘GH’ Merhej, Ivan ‘MinD_ContRoL’ Ivanov, Amer ‘Miracle’ Al-Barkawi, and newcomer Aliwi ‘w33’ Omar will be splitting off to form a new team of their own – which was confirmed in a Twitter video from KuroKy himself.
With the announcement of @LiquidKuroKy and the team's departure from TL, they wanted to give a message to all the fans that have supported us through their journey. pic.twitter.com/aFvj29zSD9
— Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) September 13, 2019
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Of course, it will be seen as a huge shift for the whole scene to not have Team Liquid in their usual form competing at the highest level across all events. Yet, it wasn’t a huge shock to the organization itself – who were informed about the move in advance.
“When Kuroky told me about their plans in the wake of TI9, I couldn’t help but think about my own journey from professional player to team owner,” said Victor ‘Nazgul’ Goossens. “After four years under the Team Liquid organization, our Dota team has decided to pursue this new dream: To build a team of their own.”
Thank you, good luck, and farewell #TLFam pic.twitter.com/SPmPAmLSMF
— Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) September 13, 2019
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However, Nazgul reaffirmed the organization’s desire to remain in the MOBA title with a new roster. He added: “We first picked up a Dota team in 2012 and we are here to stay. It is hard to predict the future and it is by no means a given that we find the right fit immediately when we look for a roster, but I can definitely say that we love this game and want to be a part of it.”
Just what that new team will be, however, remains to be seen as the post-TI shuffle rolls on – with both players and full line-ups becoming available as the annual shake-up continues.
