Azure Ray disbanded despite success at ESL One Kuala Lumpur
The last few months have been a real race against time for the Dota 2 Azure Ray team. The departure of three key players after The International 2023 may have seemed like a big blow, but their replacements not only met the challenge successfully, but also took home a significant trophy from the ESL One Kuala Lumpur tournament.
Xm, Xxs and XinQ, along with teammates Lou and Yftx, showed excellent performances. However, shortly after their triumph, they decided to leave the roster to join Ame in Xtreme Gaming.
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Azure Ray: Rebooting the roster for a new era
The owners of Azure Ray wasted no time and seemed to have been preparing for something special for a long time. At the beginning of December, Ame returned to professional Dota 2 under the Xtreme tag. Immediately teaming up with the team’s fifth position, Dy, the three remaining slots on Azure Ray’s roster remained open until now.
While losing a championship roster so soon after winning may raise questions, Azure Ray’s main goal is clear: surround Ame with the best talent available and begin a new era in its history.
The future of Azure Ray is full of uncertainty
Azure Ray found itself in an unpredictable situation, facing a new crisis in its composition. The problem arose due to Valve’s rules, which prohibit team owners from participating in two major tournaments at the same time. Technically, Azure Ray and Xtreme Gaming cannot simultaneously participate in Valve events, but it is possible to find a way out of this situation.
Valve recently abandoned the “established” Dota Pro Circuit system, opening the door to third-party organizers. If these organizers do not share the values held by the game developers, then perhaps Azure Ray and Xtreme Gaming will be able to participate in all new events.
At the moment, it is unclear who will fill the three open slots in Azure Ray, but Chinese rumors hint at the return of Fy and Faith_Bian. Dota 2 fans are saddened by the team’s demise, but Ame’s return to the competitive scene is causing excitement in his home region. Even though Ame failed to win at TI, his name is already etched forever on the Aegis of Champions in 2023, and perhaps 2024 will be the time when he can repeat this achievement.
