Sweden’s most veteran Dota 2 player has set himself up for a steep challenge.
After removing three players on Aug. 18, Alliance will now continue on without Adrian “Era” Kryeziu and Axel “Pablo” Källman, the last remnants of its old roster, in preparation for the next tournament season. The removal of the two players has paved the way for Alliance owner and Dota 2 veteran Jonathan “Loda” Berg to return to the roster—he will be repeating his role as the team’s captain moving forward.
The 29-year-old captain began an extended break on June 9, which was brought on by burnout, according to Loda. Unfortunately, the roster change was not enough to change the team’s lack of success, as Alliance were unable to qualify for The International 7.
With Loda being the center of the new roster, the veteran carry player could potentially switch his trademark position in order to accommodate the team’s new players. The captain is also approaching the recruiting process in a different way from previous iterations, according to Loda himself:
“I have been away for some time, so for now I will just grind Dota. Alliance was and should be a team that WANTS to play with eachother more than being a team solely made to win. Alliance is being part of a family.”
Regardless of Loda’s ambitions, the allure and star power of the Alliance brand has certainly waned over the past two years. Having also gone through a majority of Sweden’s established Dota 2 talent pool in that time, it remains to be seen if the roster will consist of international talent.
