Veteran player, kaka returns to competitive Dota 2 after 5 months, joining RNG in the China region.
The concentrated China region sees a huge roster change right after the conclusion of Tour 2 DPC. Royal Never Give Up (RNG) announces the addition of Hu "kaka" Liangzhi who will replace Chong “FelixCiaoBa” Wei Lun.
In a Weibo post, RNG reveals their new position 4 player, kaka, who is one of the biggest free agents in the space.
kaka is a long-time Dota 2 pro known for his successful run with Newbee at TI7 and his most recent team, Invictus Gaming. He led IG to win the Singapore Major in 2021 and came to TI10 as one of the favorites. After his TI10 run ended, in which IG placed a respectable 4th, kaka took a break from competitive Dota 2. After 5 months, kaka makes his return and steps into the star-studded roster of RNG.
As we welcome Kaka to RNG, we also bid farewell to Malaysian player, FelixCiaoBa. He was a long-time RNG player from 2020 but his run with the Chinese organization ends today. After parting ways with RNG, FelixCiaoBa reveals that he is currently scouting for a new team.
Royal Never Give Up's lineup after the roster change is as follows:
- Zhong "圣子华炼" (GodKing) Liushuai
- Lu "Somnus丶M" Yao
- Yang "Chalice" Shenyi
- Hu "kaka" Liangzhi
- Yap "xNova" Jian Wei
Kaka and RNG is set to attend the Stockholm Major
RNG had a pretty topsy-turvy journey throughout the DPC so far. Three of RNG's players are former Elephant and also former PSG.LGD members: Somnus丶M, Chalice, and xNova. After TI10, they were picked up by RNG. In Tour 1, RNG placed 3rd in Division I and 2nd at the Regional Finals. Tour 2 saw RNG fall short of the previous season, almost missing the slot for the Stockholm Major. However, their tiebreaker opponent, Vici Gaming decided to forfeit due to one of its players not being able to play. The player was also a substitute for the team which made it not possible for VG to replace him as it is against the rules.
RNG made it to the Top 4 of the China region, barely securing the ticket to the next Dota 2 Major. With kaka's credibility, a lot of expectations will fall onto the new RNG roster. The team will have roughly 2 weeks to settle down before the Stockholm Major approaches.
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