Team Liquid has been a mainstay in the Dota 2 scene since the game was in its open beta phase. After going through many iterations of rosters, Team Liquid seems to have found its groove with its excellent five-man roster of miCKe, Nisha, zai, Boxi, and iNSaNiA. After their star carry player Matumbaman bid farewell to the Dota 2 pro scene post-TI11, the team was left lingering until Nisha joined them towards the end of 2022, completing their roster once more.
Team Liquid’s coach William “Blitz” Lee shared some insights about the team’s performance and where they currently stand in terms of team coordination. In a sit-down discussion with his close friend and fellow Dota 2 caster Austin “Capitalist” Walsh on the Cap & Blitz Podcast, Blitz mentioned that Team Liquid is in the best place they have ever been with the roster looking to be in top form.
Blitz explained that the team’s current roster is much more focused than its previous iteration with players being more vocal and pitching in their own ideas for success. This seems to have worked brilliantly for the team, sitting top of the WEU DPC with a 7-0 series win streak, only dropping single matches in their series.
Blitz also credited Lasse “Matumbaman” Urpalainen for carrying them throughout TI11, but with Michael “miCKe” Vu now moving to the carry role, it leaves room for their star mid laner, Micha “Nisha” Jankowski to shine. Already displaying stellar plays in their WEU series against the top teams in the region, Nisha has become the most beloved mid laner with several pro players and Blitz stating that Nisha is the best mid laner in the game currently.
Since Team Liquid does not have any looming pressure on their heads anymore, Blitz stated that miCKe, who used to get extremely nervous before matches during their TI11 run, now feels much calmer and more confident compared to back then. He also credits Aydin “iNSaNiA” Sarkohi’s captaincy and his maturity as a player for much of the team’s past and recent success, especially being able to let things go and focus on the bigger picture.
Blitz went into detail about the drafting aspect as well, stating that Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg would take a more active approach to drafting, thus helping iNSaNiA through the difficult process. The Cap & Blitz Podcast has more details about how the team works as a well-oiled machine. Most of what Blitz has spoken regarding the current state of Team Liquid can be heard after the 14:40 mark.
