Team Liquid announced that Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen is no longer part of its starting roster. This no doubt comes as a surprise to many in the Dota 2 community. MATU has been part of the team going back as far as 2015.
In a statement released on Twitter, Team Liquid said that MATU leaving the team “was a mutual decision and one that we believe is in the best interest of all parties.”
With barely two weeks left until the EPICENTER Major, Liquid said it made this announcement to allow all parties enough time to find and make suitable arrangements.
It should be noted as well that Team Liquid already has a slot in the upcoming The International 2019, and it will likely be up to Valve to make a final decision. Under the rules, if a team replaces a player at any point, they get a 20% point penalty to all points acquired up until the replacement. MATU leaving means that the points obtained by Liquid so far in the DPC Season will be affected.
— Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) June 12, 2019
There has been no other reason given for MATU’s departure. Liquid did say that he has been an integral part of the team, especially over the last three years. MATU’s personality and play has been one of the many reasons for Liquid’s memorable wins. There is no question that MATU has cemented his place with Team Liquid.
Liquid assured fans and the community that they “are preparing a more fitting tribute to MATU’s time on Team Liquid, one that will properly commemorate all that we’ve accomplished as a team.”
With MATUMBAMAN, Liquid’s accomplishment includes winning the EPICENTER 2016, DreamLeague Season 6, China Dota 2 Supermajor, and MDL Macau 2019. Of course, let’s not forget their championship run at The International 2017. Despite dropping to the Lower Bracket, Liquid worked its way up and eventually swept Newbee to get the title.
Reactions on Twitter have mostly leaned toward the sad side, with one user saying that it was the end of an era.
For now Liquid has not announced who will replace MATU, but said that an announcement is to be made closer to the EPICENTER Major.
