After losing nearly the full team following their championship win at ESL One KL, Azure Ray's new lineup looks fearsome.
Ten days after they claimed the ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 trophy with a thrilling reverse sweep over Gaimin Gladiators, Azure Ray star players, and the coach left the team to join Xtreme Gaming. As shocking as that might have seemed to many, the shuffle is reported to have started even before the event began in Malaysia.
It was disappointing nonetheless, since it was the first Chinese title at a LAN in over a year.
But announced on their Weibo Account, the new lineup is looking to be fire with veteran players and retired stars coming together under the guidance of Zhang 'LaNm' Zhicheng.
Zhang "Faith_bian" Ruida will return to the competitive scene with a new moniker “Bach” and assume the offlane position.
"After friendly negotiation, on the premise of fully respecting the wishes of the players themselves, player Zhang Ruida (ID: changed from the previous Faith_Bian to Bach) will officially return from now on, join the AzureRay team and take up the third position.
Zhang Ruida has entered the Dota2 professional arena since 2014. His talent is outstanding and his playing style is steady. He has played for many well-known domestic teams. He became famous as a teenager and won the TI6 champion and TI10 runner-up in Dota2, the highest competition. In addition, he also won the 2021 DOTAPIT Season 5 China, the 2021 DOTAPIT Invitational, the 2021 AniMajor, the 2022 Riyadh Masters, the 2021 ESL ONE Fall and the 2022 Arlington Major runner-up. I still vaguely remember the cry that resounded through the sky in 2016. Along the way, the supreme glory of his body cannot be separated from his outstanding talent and hard work. He is the god wing that protects the country.
During the time he left the professional arena, he had the life he yearned for and started his own career at the same time. In the first few rounds of communication, Bach was very difficult to choose. On the one hand, he loved the arena, and on the other hand, he had stabilized his life. He is understandably conflicted in the knowledge that the club may be working with other clubs. But in the end, he was moved by the enthusiasm and sincerity of everyone in the club, hoping to help each other achieve success and work together in the DOTA arena.
Perhaps everyone will still question, be paced and exert pressure, but I urge everyone to believe that this talented young man who has paid so much for CN DOTA will live up to expectations and bring all fans the best performance!
Once again, welcome Bach's return, the eternal wing of our hearts!"
Faith/Bach retired after TI1. He is regarded as one of the greatest offlane players to have ever graced the game and definitely one of the most successful in his role. In his eight-year career, he took home the most coveted Dota 2 trophy, the Aegis of Champions, in 2016 with Wings Gaming and was one game away from repeating the feat at TI10 with PSG.LGD.
Meanwhile Xu "fy" Linsen rejoins the team with Zeng "Ori" Jiaoyang rounding out the roster.
Moving into the new year, February brings around BetBoom Dacha Dubai, a $1,000,000 LAN event in Dubai from February 4-16th. The open qualifiers begin right after the new year. In addition, the EPT will resume in February with DreamLeague Season 22, followed by an ESL One LAN tournament hosted in Birmingham in the second part of April.
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Azure Ray Roster
Azure Ray
Zhen “lou” LouJiaoyang “Ori” ZengZhang “Faith_Bian” RuidaXu “fy” LinsenJiang “天命” An
