Team Liquid new roster; Miracle- and Bulba join the ranks

Team Liquid new roster has finally been revealed. Kuro “Kuroky” Salehi Takhasomi, Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen and Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Borislavov will now be joined by the first 9k MMR star – Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi and Team Liquid’s former TI3 and TI4 star Kanishka “Sam” “BuLba” Sosale

The Team Liquid new roster has been announced, featuring Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi and Kanishka “Sam” “BuLba” Sosale.

Our core will be joined by two incredible additions, and together we are committed to achieving new goals. I’m thrilled to announce that one of 2016’s breakout stars will be joining Liquid: Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi. In my opinion (and I don’t think I’m saying anything controversial here) he has shown that he is one of the best players in the world, if not the best, and his consistency throughout the year was just as impressive as his peaks. He took the world by storm when he joined OG, and we will take that storm and turn it into a hurricane. Excuse my cheesiness, I’m just excited that’s all.

Our other addition is good ol’ Kanishka ‘Sam’ “BuLba” Sosale. Sam is the Dota player with whom we have the longest history, and a unique one at that. Whenever I’m asked about my favorite Liquid moments, our win against LGD is always a part of that list. Fighting against a Chinese team for a spot in the top eight of The International was momentous for Liquid that year. It was a big milestone for us as an organization, but I don’t think any of our current players will look at a top eight finish the same way we did back then. Several times this year, Sam’s knowledge was vital to our team, and his understanding of Dota is always hugely beneficial. Over the past year, BuLba has learned even more while playing for some of the biggest teams in the scene. That experience is going to be key as we set out on a new journey together.

The new roster will be participating in The Summit 6 qualifiers as their first tournament debut.

Two weeks ago, Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka left Team Liquid after an incredibly successful year and joined up with OG.

The following day, in a very candid and personal explanation, Adrian “FATA-” Trinks revealed that he was taking a break from competitive gaming and had left Team Liquid.

OG during the StarLadder Dota Invitational playoffs © StarLadder

Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi is most known for his 9k MMR and for being instrumental in OG’s recent success, with his exceptional plays.

Miracle- joined Balkan Bears at the beginning of 2015. However, only four months later, he was removed from the team. During the time he was teamless, Amer began gaining recognition, as he climbed the matchmaking rating leaderboards in pub games and eventually became the no. 1 player by MMR in Europe and the world.

Shortly after that, he was invited to join (monkey) Business – a new team formed during the post-TI5 reshuffle, that would later become one of the most stable and successful teams in world.

OG (formerly monkey Business) stunned the world when they climbed from the Lower Brackets to upset Team Secret and take the Frankfurt Major trophy. They since claimed multiple titles and have become the first team to win two Valve tournaments – both at the Frankfurt Major and Manila Major.

BuLba © DotaBlast

Sam “BuLba” Sosale’s career as a professional DotA player began in 2007, under the nickname “BuLba-SaUr”. In September 2011, BuLba put together an all-American team called EZ Style. A few moths later, the squad transitioned to Dota 2 and got picked up by team It’s Gosu, for a brief period of time.

BuLba was brought to the public eye in 2012, when he was transferred by Evil Geniuses, where he joined Dominik “Lacoste” Stipic, Jacob “Maelk” Toft-Andersen, Saahil “UNiVeRsE” Arora, and Amel “PlaymatE” Barudzija. The team struggled throughout 2012, much as it remained in the higher tier of competitive Dota 2. Following a disappointing run at The International 2012, where EG finished 9th/12th, BuLba left the team.

Transitorily a part of Dignitas, BuLba was taken up by Team Liquid, in December 2012. In his almost two years on the squad, he put to the test a series of different roles (solo-mid, offlane, carry) and became well-known for his signature Tinker and Invoker. As part of Team Liquid, BuLba attended The International 2013 (finishing 7th/8th) and The International 2014 (placing 9th/10th), as well as numerous other major tournaments.

On August 29, 2014, during the post-TI4 shuffle, BuLba was released by Liquid and joined WehSing “SingSing” Yuen, Per Anders Olsson “Pajkatt” Lille, Max “qojqva” Bröcker, and Jerry “EGM” Lundkvist in Team Tinker. After a series of roster changes, the team was picked up by Mousesports, only to be dropped after failing to qualify for The International 5. Sam “BuLba” Sosale was EG’s coach at TI5.

Following TI5, Bulba was part of the original Digital Chaos roster that was created. He was a member of the team until March 2016 when Team Secret initiated an unexpected reshuffle that wrecked havoc on Evil Geniuses and Digital Chaos. Re-joining Evil Geniuses, his stay with the organization was short lived and transferred to Team Secret mid season for TI6 – taking 13-16th place at the event.

Team Liquid

Team Liquid during the EPICENTER Moscow LAN © EPICENTER

5Jungz

In the post-TI5 shuffle, a new team appeared on the horizon demanding attention. The team spearheaded by Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi featured a mix of veteran players and some lesser known talents.

5Jungz walked away with their first victory only two weeks after formation, when they defeated Golden Boys, 2:0, in the Alienware Summer’s End Cup Grand Finals, leaving viewers with a positive impression for the future of the squad.

Since then, 5Jungz has qualified for the Nanyang Championship, after taking down Vega Squadron, 3:2, in the European qualifiers’ finals, taking the one regional spot allocated.

Team Liquid

One day prior to the start of the Frankfurt Dota Major Regional Qualifiers, Team Liquid was picked up the successful European team 5Jungz. The team has been directly invited to participate in the Regional Qualifiers.

When Team Liquid seized second place at the Shanghai Major after taking down Alliance, MVP.Phoenix and Evil Geniuses, they also captured the favor and seal of approval from tournament organizers and fans around the world. Since the Shanghai Major, they were directly invited to participate in ESL One Manila, ESL One Frankfurt 2016 and assumed the place of EHOME when the Chinese team’s invite to EPICENTER Moscow was revoked due to roster changes.

On April 24th, Team Liquid went undefeated into the ESL One Manila Grand Finals, but ended up dropping three games, along with the championship title, to Wings Gaming.

EPICENTER Moscow would be their shining moment. After two consecutive second place finishes at premier events, the European mix seized their first premier championship title when they edged out Newbee, 3:2, in an intense and dramatic series.

Once again, the European team provided some standout performances and breathtaking matches at the Manila Major, only days ago. After an almost perfect run through the lower brackets, Team Liquid was bested by OG in the Grand Finals, 3:1. Liquid ended up taking another second place position in a Dota 2 Major and then third place at The Summit 5.

They had since taken a 3rd-4th place finish at ESL One Frankfurt 2016 and a surprising 7-8th place finish at TI6 after being considered one of the favorites.

New Team Liquid roster:

Kuro “Kuroky” Salehi Takhasomi
Amer “Miracle-“ Al-Barkawi
Sam “BuLba” Sosale
Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen
Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Borislavov