SumaiL Returns to Competitive Play With Team Liquid

Syed Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan’s five-month hiatus from competitive Dota 2 came to an end on Tuesday, April 27, when he appeared as a stand-in for Team Liquid. Despite the ring-rust, the 22-year-old didn’t disappoint and led his team to a 2-1 victory over Brame.

SumaiL Returns to Competitive Dota 2 with Team Liquid

On Tuesday, April 23, Team Liquid announced their player Samuel “Boxi” Svahn will be taking time away from Dota to spend time with his family. The announcement came out of nowhere, and it left Liquid without a key player.

Despite that, Liquid quickly found a replacement in SumaiL, who has joined the North American organization as a stand-in.

By joining Team Liquid, SumaiL returned to the competitive Dota 2 for the first time in five months. The Pakistani Dota 2 pro was last seen competing with a stack Just Error at EPIC League Season 2 Play-in way back in December 2020.

Just Error, featuring SumaiL, Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev, Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko, Bakyt “Zayac” Emilzhanov, and Alexey “Solo” Berezin, were largely unsuccessful in their competitive endeavors.

After a successful run through the EPIC League Season 2 Closed Qualifiers, Just Error struggled to impress. They finished eighth in the group stage and crashed out of the Play-in stage in fifth-eighth.

After their failed joint venture, the team disbanded. While all other players found a new home, SumaiL decided to take an extended break from competing and wasn’t seen in an official Dota 2 match since.

SumaiL Proves He Still Got It

SumaiL’ first match for Team Liquid took place on Tuesday, April 27, when Liquid clashed with Brame in the upper division of DreamLeague DPC Western Europe. It wasn’t exactly smooth sailing, but they got the job done, largely thanks to SumaiL.

Game one and two were relatively quiet, with not a lot happening. SumaiL looked good in the laning phase and even had a few flashes of greatness.
That allowed Liquid to win the series opener, but they failed to keep the momentum going. Liquid suffered a shock defeat in game two, even though they had a few chances to turn the game around.

It wasn’t until game three of the series when SumaiL stepped up. By getting his hands on his signature pick Puck, SumaiL took charge and proved once more why he is regarded as one of the best Dota 2 players in the world.

With his signature aggressive playstyle and map pressure, SumaiL helped Liquid to a commanding victory. The warmed-up mid laner ended the game with a flawless 15/0/16 record and 21.3k gold net worth.

Team Liquid coach William “Blitz” LeeIn talked about SumaiL’s performances after the game. He gave the 22-year-old high praise and reminded everyone that SumaiL is still without a team.

“Honestly, I’m really surprised if he [SumaiL] doesn’t get another opportunity on a top-tier team,” Blitz said in a post-game interview.

Team Liquid’s Next Test Scheduled For Saturday

With no timetable for Boxi’s return, Team Liquid will continue playing with SumaiL as their mid laner and Max “qojqva” Bröcker in the offlane. Their next match of the tournament is scheduled for Saturday, May 1, when Liquid face off against Hellbear Smashers.

Odds for Team Liquid vs. Hellbear Smashers match

Odds courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook:

Team Liquid -435
Hellbear Smashers +293
Team Liquid -1.5 -116
Hellbear Smashers +1.5 -114
Over 2.50 Maps +134
Under 2.50 Maps -114

The esports bookmakers have Team Liquid priced as massive favorites for their clash with Hellbear Smashers. That isn’t too shocking since they are a stronger team and in better form.

Team Liquid hold a 2-1 record, with wins against Brame (2-1) and Team Nigma (2-1), and a 1-2 loss to Alliance.

Hellbear Smashers, on the other side, have yet to win a single match this tournament. They already lost to Tundra Esports (1-2), Team Secret (1-2), and OG (1-2).

Having dropped three games already, no one expects Hellbear Smashers to win. Having said that, they took maps off OG and Secret, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Will SumaiL help Liquid deliver Hellbear Smashers their first 0-2 loss of the tournament remains to be seen. But as one of the most talented players in the scene, we can be sure Sumail will make his presence known.