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Team Liquid has announced that longtime member Travis “L1NK” Mendoza has been placed on the inactive roster; Aurimas “Dreamas” Zablockis will be replacing L1NK for the remainder of Stage 2: Challengers.
2022 EMEA Stage 2 ChallengersWorld
Fnatic
FunPlus Phoenix
Guild EsportsRoster Update: @L1NKVAL will move to a substitute role for the remainder of Stage 2.
In talking with Travis, we came to the mutual conclusion that this was the right decision for the team. In his place, @Dreamas_ will join the active roster as we complete this Stage of VCT. pic.twitter.com/ps6I5NB8t7
— Team Liquid Valorant (@LiquidValorant) June 3, 2022
L1NK has been part of Team Liquid’s success since 2020. Earning early recognition during his stint on the team known as fish123, L1NK joined Team Liquid and has made multiple international appearances. During the 2021 VCT season, Liquid established itself as one of EMEA’s strongest teams. On the international scene, the European roster placed fourth at Masters 2: Reykjavik, barely missing qualification on Masters 3: Berlin, and earning a top-four finish of Champions 2021, losing against Acend in the semifinals, the eventual champions of the tournament.
Team Liquid and L1NK hoped to continue their strong performance in the 2022 VCT season. During Stage 1: Challengers, the organization finished with a 3-2 record and earned the third seed in Group A. Moving into the playoffs stage, Team Liquid would lose against FunPlus Pheonix and G2 Esports, placing fourth and failing to qualify for Masters 1: Reykjavik.
Due to FunPlus Pheonix being unable to attend Masters 1: Reykjavik, Team Liquid was allowed to compete as the third seed. The team broke all expectations, defeating the likes of KRÜ Esports and Xerxia Esports, earning the first seed in Group B. Team Liquid would move down to the lower bracket after losing to LOUD despite their early solid performance. L1NK and company would place top eight after being upset by Japan’s dark horse ZETA DIVISION.
Dreamas was last seen playing for OG LDN UTD during Stage 1: Challengers. Dreamas and his team managed to qualify for the group stage of Stage 1: Challengers after defeating EXCEL but would fail to make it to the playoffs stage after finishing with a 2-3 record. Dreamas would eventually be replaced by Tautvydas “hype” Paldavicius before Stage 2: Challengers commenced.
Team Liquid has won their first match with Dreamas after defeating Natus Vincere 2-1. They are currently the second-seeded team in Group B with a 3-1 record.
As Team Liquid prepares for their match against M3 Champions next week, they are now:
- Aurimas “Dreamas” Zablockis
- Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen
- Nabil “Nivera” Benrlitom
- Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom
- Dom “soulcas” Sulcas
- Jake “Bacon9” Lloyd (Analyst)