Team Liquid’s recent performance at the Lima Major is close to being a triumph, as they already secured a top-three finish with their new roster featuring Nisha. Liquid fans are happy to see their team keep up their form after MATUMBAMAN’s retirement, as Aydin “iNSaNiA” Sarkohi and Ludwig “zai” W?hlberg also reflected on their run so far.
Considering Liquid started the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit on the back of third place at The International 2022, securing the top three in the first Major event of the year speaks volumes for the rest of the year. Team captain and position five player iNSaNiA shared some of the credit with Naruto as they have been winning ever since she started watching the legendary anime.
Zai, on the other hand, was interviewed by host Sean “Snare” Rihlamvu in a post-game interview where he reflected upon the recent changes that Liquid went through after Matu’s departure.
According to the offlaner, Matu was the “driving force” for the Liquid team throughout 2022, a role that he stepped up to fill in for the 2023 Dota 2 season. While Nisha lacked the leadership attributes that Matu brought to the table, Zai rated the mid laner a better player overall and took the opportunity to tease his former teammate with a “fuck Matu.”
Zai also shared more insight regarding how Liquid and himself came to terms with increasing his overall responsibilities to fill Matu’s gap. Despite being quite young at the age of 25, Zai has been competing at the highest level since 2013, making him a veteran at this point. The offlaner believed it was time for him to take on more responsibilities and help out his team with his vast experience. Coach William “Blitz” Lee also supported the decision, and it looks to be working out just fine.
At the time of writing, Liquid are waiting to face their upper bracket finals opponents, Gaimin Gladiators. The European showdown will decide who gets to the Grand Finals, which will take place on March 5.
