Banner image: Ubisoft/Kirill B.
As first reported by The Clutch and ESPN Esports Brasil, and independently verified by SiegeGG, Team Liquid is set to replace Thiago "xS3xyCake" Reis and João "HSnamuringa" Deam with Team oNe academy player Gabriel "AsK" Santos and Black Dragons player Pablo "resetz" Oliveira.
It is unclear if the outgoing duo will be joining other teams for Stage 3 and beyond at this point.
The moves follow a second-place finish at SI 2021 and a semifinal loss at the Mexico Major to eventual champion Team oNe. They also mark the first changes in the roster since Muringa's signing in May 2019.
ESPN also reported that Liquid had attempted to sign Team oNe star Karl "Alem4o" Zarth, but the player had opted to stay with his Mexico Major title-winning squad.
"After [both SI 2021 and the Mexico Major], we had an internal meeting and reached an agreement between the players and the organization that we would keep the roster as-is, so after that we shut down any offers," said Alem4o in response to a SiegeGG query.
S3xyCake at the Six Invitational 2021. (Photo: Ubisoft/Joao Ferreira)
Muringa had finished Stage 2 of the BR6 with a 0.91 SiegeGG Rating, primarily on Sledge and Smoke, before securing a 0.89 Rating on Buck and Smoke at the Mexico Major. S3xyCake, meanwhile, had secured a 0.98 Rating on Hibana and Echo and a 0.99 Rating on Hibana and Melusi at the same events.
For comparison, resetz had finished Stage 2 of the BR6 with a 1.07 Rating, largely playing Sledge and Mute.
Meanwhile, AsK had played for the Team oNe academy team -- Golden Kids -- in the Copa do Brasil in Stages 1 and 2, securing a match MVP nod in the latter with an overall rating of 1.06 on Maverick and Smoke. Additionally, he had also participated in three Liga Six tournaments.
Team Liquid has been seen as a team with huge potential, with consistent chart-topping performances from Luccas "Paluh" Molina and André "nesk" Oliveira.
As such, the SI 2021 finalist team will be hoping that its gamble to shake up its roster will pay off and net it its first international title since the OGA PIT Minor in 2019.