It has been announced that Team Liquid’s Dota 2 carry player miCKe will skip DreamLeague Season 26 for undisclosed reasons. Taking his place is V-Tune, a familiar name to longtime fans of the scene.
miCKe Misses the Final ESL Pro Tour Event of Season 3
DreamLeague Season 26 serves as the last tournament of Season 3 of the ESL Pro Tour. This means the event is particularly important as it acts as the final chance for teams to collect EPT Points, which determine invitations to the highly anticipated Riyadh Masters 2025 tournament.
Fortunately for Team Liquid, they are one of the five teams that have already secured enough points to guarantee qualification, so DreamLeague Season 26 loses a bit of its importance.
Team Liquid also has a bad history with DreamLeague events. They have failed to reach the Playoffs for six consecutive seasons, with their last strong showing being a second place finish at Season 19, which was two years ago.
Though the reason for miCKe’s absence is unknown, it’s safe to assume he deserves some time off. With the Dota 2 season quickly heating up, we’ll be entering a packed schedule for major tournaments like the Riyadh Masters and The International, so now is the perfect moment for a short break.
Who is V-Tune?
V-Tune is a name the scene hasn’t heard much from in recent times, but I’m excited to see his return as Team Liquid’s carry for DreamLeague Season 26. The Ukrainian player has a solid pedigree, having played for well-known teams such as Na’Vi and 9 Pandas.
Unfortunately, his god-like button pressing hasn’t led him to any notable tournament victories. He’s failed to qualify for a single iteration of The International, and his best result was a second place finish at ESL One Germany 2020, where he lost to the same Team Liquid core he is going to stand in for. He was once a rank one player on the European ladder and is known for his mechanical skills, though we haven’t seen them in action for a while.
Still, the 24-year-old is currently standing in for Virtus.Pro at the FISSURE Universe 5 Play-ins, where he led the Russian squad to a flawless 5-0 Group Stage run, and is looking likely to take the team to qualify for the main event.
A Chance for miCKe’s Critics to Test Their Claims?
For the longest time, I’ve seen viewers call miCKe the weak link of the team, a view I definitely disagree with.
While DreamLeague Season 26 might have lost some of its importance given Liquid’s already secured spot at Riyadh Masters 2025, this online event will be a fun test to see how the team will look without their tried and tested carry. It’s also an excellent opportunity for V-Tune to strengthen his portfolio and potentially catch the eye of other teams in the future, given his recent silence in the scene.
https://www.twitter.com/Blitz_DotA/status/1923675091042243037
Will the haters be eating good, or will this event explain why miCKe has been the cornerstone of the Liquid roster for the last four years?
