Dota 2 roster changes: Chinese teams have changed their rosters for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023
Author: Hawk Live LLC
Last updated:
The qualifiers for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 have concluded, and fans expected that the rosters of the teams would stabilize. Viewers anticipated that the teams would compete with their current lineups without changes, as was the case in the previous season.
However, two Chinese teams decided to make sudden roster changes despite receiving invitations to the first major tournament after The International 2023. 
Azure Ray and 
LGD Gaming surprised fans by significantly altering their rosters, with some even perceiving it as a violation of tournament rules.
Azure Ray
The most significant event before the start of ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 is the roster change of Azure Ray. Players Lou "Somnus丶M" Yao, Xu "fy" Linsen, and Yang "Chalice" Shenyi departed from the team, previously announcing that they wanted to take a break from Dota 2. Immediately afterward, the club announced their new roster. Liekkas will join them as the new coach, XinQ joined from XG, Xxs is now part of their lineup, and Xm also joined the team.
Azure Ray's Roster:
Lou "lou" Zheng
Go "Xm" Hunchen
Lin "Xxs" Jin
Zhao "XinQ" Ziyu
Jiang "天命" An
Team Spirit even referred to replacing three players just before the start of ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 as a violation of tournament rules. The team's manager even stated that he expects Azure Ray to be officially disqualified. However, there has been no response from ESL yet, so it's entirely possible that the Chinese team might escape without any penalties.
LGD Gaming
The second Chinese team, LGD Gaming, also received an invitation to ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 and unexpectedly made two changes to its roster. This did not cause as much sensation since they managed to complete two transfers, which does not violate the rules of major tournaments.
LGD Gaming's Roster:
Guo "shiro" Xuanyan
Zhou "Emo" Yi
Li "niu" Kongbo
Sun "Pyw" Jiahan
Zhang "y'" Lipin
It is entirely possible that such unexpected roster changes will push other clubs to adopt this practice, becoming a common occurrence in this season. Valve has canceled the DPC, meaning that players and clubs have almost complete freedom regarding transfers throughout the entire season.
