Azure Ray brought the Chinese Dota 2 scene back to its glory days, but that came alongside roster instability and one of the most hectic shuffle seasons in the region. In the last three months, AR had to change 60 percent of its roster twice, now bringing back retired legends.
Faith_bian and Ori have been in Dota 2 retirement since 2022. The two players return to competitive play under AR’s flag, but the position four spot in the team remains open. Ori will pick up the ropes in the mid lane, while Faith_bian will handle the offlane.
Azure Ray’s comprehensive roster shuffle had its competitors call for ESL Kuala Lumpur DQ, but the team went on to win the tournament, a statement of its power. However, shortly after the event, AR semi-disbanded as three players left the team to play with Ame in Xtreme Gaming. Though Xm, Xxs, and XinQ had joined the team for just one tournament, many expected the team would stick around after lifting a trophy together.
AR’s ability to assemble competitive rosters right after losing one has been impressive, but there’s one problem that awaits AR in the future. AR’s management owns two Dota 2 teams, the other one being Xtreme Gaming. Per Valve’s rulebook, two organizations that are owned by the same entity aren’t allowed to compete in an event together.
Valve took a step back from Dota 2’s competitive calendar this year, so AR and Xtreme might be able to participate in non-Valve events together. Attending The International together might not be a possibility, though, and it’ll be a reality that either Xtreme or AR players will have to face toward the end of 2024. For the time being, the teams will need to worry about the BetBoom Gacha and DreamLeague qualifiers.
