It’s unexpected for us, but Team Liquid knew the whole time: This is why their offlaner left to build a new team with Tundra Esports.
When The International (TI) is over, the roster shuffle season begins, and we' are're used to major changes. However, there's one team that tends to stay safe: the winning team. Except when you're Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling playing for Evil Geniuses, of course. Neta "33" Shapira left Team Liquid for Tundra after winning the Aegis of Champions. Was this a kick or a mutual agreement? Keep reading to find out!
Despite the surprise for many Dota 2 fans, Team Liquid's coach, William "Blitz" Lee revealed they were expecting this decision. In his own words: "Shortly after Riyadh, Neta let us know that he had interest in forming his own team with his own people. As we all know, 33's first TI win happened with Tundra Esports back in 2022.
That's why he's not coming back alone. The player left Team Liquid for Tundra Esports knowing his brother in arms, Martin "Saksa" Sazdov, was also returning. Saksa was inactive for almost a year, but made a comeback as a stand-in for Tundra on TI13. His sudden return helped the organization secure a top 3 finish, despite not playing together before.
Who is Team Liquid's new offlane player after 33's sudden move to Tundra?
As noted, 33's decision wasn't a surprise for Team Liquid, who had a name in the files ready for this situation. After all, they played together before and found good chemistry with him. From now on, the TI-winning team will be playing alongside Jonáš "SabeRLight-" Volek. Together, they achieved a top 3 placement at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, which also led to the funny Insania-bashing-Bulba moment.
This was teased so many times that it shouldn't be a surprise for the community. SabeRLight- isn't registered as a stand-in, but a full-time player. On this, Blitz commented: "With the addition of SabeRLight-, our roster is complete. For those wondering, miCKe will be drafting and captaining. We will cook, don’t worry. Just give us a little time in the kitchen."
Related articles
What's next for Team Liquid and Tundra?
While Team Liquid has already signed a full roster, Tundra Esports' future is still a mystery. After the retirement of Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen, and Ivan "Pure" Moskalenko leaving with Roman "RAMZES666" Kushnarev, there's a lot of room for 33 to build another team.
On the other hand, time is an issue. The next Tier 1 tournament, PGL Wallachia S2, is right around the corner, starting on Oct. 4. And just after that, on Oct. 19, BB Dacha Belgrade 2024 kicks off. Tundra is listed as a participant for the first event, while the second tournament still has an invitation slot that could be available for them.
Read more
That's all for now! We will keep our eyes open for Tundra Esports' next big team built by 33 following his time with Team Liquid. Stay tuned for more roster shuffles and the latest Dota 2 news on esports.gg!
