esports
Team Liquid announces they've signed Jimmy “DeMoN” Ho to their Dota 2 team.
Jimmy “DeMoN” Ho is teamless no longer. The Dota 2 pro took a spot with the Team Liquid squad this week.
“I would like to thank Team Liquid for giving me this opportunity to play under such a prestigious organization,” said DeMoN in a statement posted on Team Liquid’s website. “This team has been in a slump for the past few months now and I hope I'll be able to lift their spirits high and rebuild the confidence they need as a team. BuLba and myself go way back and have lots of chemistry together and I want to build that same relationship within the whole team.”
Rising From The Ashes
Indeed, Team Liquid's Dota team has been suffering through some tough times, with some high-profile strife within the team and major reshuffling happening, including the recent departure of Brian “FLUFF” Lee. However, they may have taken a step toward getting back to competitive form as they announced the addition of DeMoN.
TL owner Victor "Nazgul" Goossens explained that it was DeMoN's commitment to competitive play and to Liquid that convinced him to bring DeMoN aboard: "DeMoN was on the verge of accepting a stable casting opportunity when we were looking for a trial of our fifth player...Despite the uncertainty of a trial versus the stability of casting he declined the casting job and committed to the trial in a big way. A move like that inspires confidence and with it comes the belief that we can turn this around. As far as I'm concerned he needs this team and we need him."
Mercenary No More?
Sam "BuLba" Sosale, who often plays the mid lane for TL added that the addition of DeMoN would help both the team’s play and atmosphere.
“He has done a great job standing in for us the past few weeks and his playstyle has brought out a lot of #aggression I felt we lacked the past few months. I hope to prove ourselves as a team in the upcoming months and show that we have what it takes to contend among the top,” he said.
DeMoN has played on 11 different professional Dota teams – including multiple stints on Evil Geniuses -- during his seven-year gaming career. He was invited to play with Cloud 9’s Dota 2 team at a tournament held at South by Southwest Gaming Expo in Austin, Texas last month. With very little practice with the team, Cloud 9 and DeMoN fought their way into the Grand Finals against his former team Evil Geniuses.
Afterwards DeMoN told Red Bull eSports it had been the best he’d played in a long time.
“I was a much more successful player in three months than the two years with EG when I put everything into the game,” he told Red Bull eSports. “That’s why there’s nothing that will stop me from reaching the top once more.”
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