With his new Chinese superteam now locked and loaded, position one Lu “Somnus” Yao had just two pieces of the puzzle left to fit—what will they call themselves, and who could coach such an esteemed and accomplished Dota 2 squad?
Both answers became a lot clearer on May 9, with CN Dota In A Nutshell confirming the legendary Zhang “LaNm” Zhicheng would join the PSG.LGD core at Azure Ray, which is the new name for the project slated to bring Chinese Dota back into the light after what has been a disappointing year for the titanic region.
May 8’s squad announcement shocked the Dota world, given Somnus was thought to have retired after RNG’s run in Singapore at The International 2022 last October.
As if Azure Ray couldn’t be any more experienced with the likes of Somnus, Chalice, and fy on the server, LanM’s addition as team coach adds a further decade and a half of Dota 2 talent to the glittering squad. Xtreme Gaming released LanM as coach following the squad’s top 10 exit at ESL One Berlin Major on May 2.
Related: SumaiL joins Team Aster after ‘eye-opening experience’ in Berlin
The famous support player has been a constant figure at the helm of Chinese Dota since the esport’s beginning. He was present at the first iteration of TI with EHOME in 2011, before going on to play nine times at The International across numerous organizations, including Team DK, Vici Gaming, and Royal Never Give Up.
Hanging up the mouse after an early exit at TI 2021 with Team Aster, LanM moved to coaching, seeing Aster through a top-four finish in Singapore, before joining Xtreme Gaming for Berlin in 2023.
CN Dota In A Nutshell’s May 9 report also suggested Azure Ray’s star-studded core would go without a salary in the interim. This may be an indication the team’s future is not set in stone past this year’s TI in Seattle and is dependent on Azure Ray’s qualification for and performance at the pinnacle tournament in October.
