Dota 2’s The International 2023 is over, and Team Liquid kicked off the roster shuffle season in the Western European region, as the veteran offlaner Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg confirmed his departure from the team.
Zai initially hinted at the possibility of taking a break during Liquid’s exit interview at TI 2023, and the player officially verified his plans on Instagram today.
“TI and the season are over” Zai captioned his post. “Taking an indefinite break going forward, so see ya.”
In the comments section, Zai was welcomed to the “retirement beach” by legendary player Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka. With Zai stepping down from his active duties at Liquid, the team is on the hunt for a new player for its offlane spot.
While Liquid hasn’t announced its new player, the team’s coach William “Blitz” Lee revealed that Liquid’s newest member was “more or less” decided.
The Dota 2 world has been trying to figure out who can replace Zai and the rumor mills have been spinning toward Kim “Gabbi” Santos who has been in Europe since July, playing for Entity. In his short stint in the region, Gabbi helped Entity qualify for TI 2023 and make it out of the groups.
Despite not winning a single title in 2023, Liquid was one of the top-earning teams, securing $3.2 million, second only to Team Spirit. Gaimin Gladiators, who won three majors, two DreamLeague series, and another third-party tournament, followed closely behind. Liquid also managed a respectable top-six finish at TI 2023, but this achievement wasn’t enough to talk Zai out of his retirement decision.
During Liquid’s TI 2023 run, Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, Zai’s former captain at Team Secret, revealed that Zai had planned this break since 2022 due to stress. Puppey mentioned Zai’s responsibilities at Liquid had increased after Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen’s departure, while others on the team had “much less responsibility.”
