Lu “Somnus” Yao walked away from competitive Dota 2 at the beginning of 2023, but couldn’t resist the temptation and returned to the scene halfway through the year. While many expected Somnus to hover around the Dota Pro Circuit and have fun, the legendary player qualified for The International 2023 and is feeling confident in his abilities prior to the big event.
On stream, Somnus revealed that he feels “more alive” since Azure Ray’s intensive two-month bootcamp, where he successfully overcame his lazy habits.
In addition to connecting deeply with the game and his team, Somnus also took the necessary superstitious actions to increase his chances at TI 2023. Before arriving in Seattle, Somnus dyed his hair gray-blue, considering it his lucky color for the year.
Gray-blue tones are also featured on AR’s logo, and Somnus appreciated how the team still made it to TI despite running into many problems throughout the season. TI12 has a blue theme too, meaning all uniforms that Somnus will get to wear at TI 2023 will complement his unique hair color.
Coming into the event, Somnus said he wouldn’t be so upset to achieve second place again, a running curse for top Chinese players and teams. He humorously mentioned that he would seek advice from Xu “fy” Linsen or Wang “Ame” Chunyu on how to cope if he were to place second again at TI.
The second-place curse of the Chinese Dota 2 scene corresponded to OG’s epic two-time TI-winning era in 2018 and 2019. During that time, Somnus played in PSG.LGD alongside fy and Ame. The group was considered to be favorites in both events but placed second and third, respectively, and ultimately dissolved.
Fans nicknamed the players of 2018-2019 PSG.LGD the “Uncrowned Kings of Dota 2,” and a couple of them will now return for another chance at glory at TI 2023.
