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Team Aster announce midlaner Ori has suddenly retired

Ori looking at the screen during a game
Team Aster has announced that midlaner Ori has retired from competitive play following the squad's fourth place finish at The International 11. (Photo: Valve Software)

Chinese Dota 2 powerhouse Team Aster announced on Tuesday (8 November) that midlaner Zeng "Ori" Jiaoyang has retired from competitive play, a week after the team placed 4th at The International 11 in Singapore.

Aster made the announcement on its official Weibo account, saying that they "respect the will of the player" regarding his decision to draw the curtains on his career.

The team did not reveal why the 27-year-old Ori suddenly decided to retire.

"After communication and confirmation, the club has decided to respect the will of the player. We thank Ori for his contributions to Team Aster. From now on, there will now be no more 'Scorching Sun' in China," a translation of Aster's statement read.

Ori's retirement comes as a massive surprise following Aster's 4th place finish at The International 11 (TI11), the recently-concluded world championship tournament for Dota 2.

It was the team's best placement in the tournament yet, and they were the only Chinese team to make it to the Finals Weekend after PSG.LGD were sent out of the tournament by Liquid.

Ori is the fourth player to retire after TI11, following fellow Chinese stars Lu "Somnus" Yao and Zhang "Faith_bian" Ruida as well as Finnish legend Lasse "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen.

Faith_bian and MATUMBAMAN had announced before TI11 that they planned on retiring after the tournament's conclusion, unlike the sudden exits for Ori and Somnus.

Ori's career

Ori first began his professional career in 2016, getting his start with a minor team called DUOBAO. However, he is most known for his time as the midlaner for Vici Gaming (VG) from January 2017 to November 2021.

In his time with VG, Ori became one of the best midlaners in China, helping the team win two Major championships at the DreamLeague Season 11 and EPICENTER Major, both in 2019, as well as reach the Top 3 in four other Majors.

Ori also helped VG reach the Top 12 in TI8 as well as the Top 6 in TI9 and TI10.

After spending over four years under the VG banner, Ori moved to Team Aster in November 2021, helping his new squad rise to the top in a very competitive Chinese scene.

Ori helped Aster finish in the Top 3 of the Chinese regional leagues and Regional Finals throughout the 2021-2022 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season, finish third in the PGL Arlington Major, and second in ESL One Malaysia 2022.

Ori's crowning achievement will be his last tournament appearance at TI11, where he earned the highest TI placement for himself and Aster.

With Ori's retirement, Aster will be looking for a replacement for the upcoming 2022 DPC season.

Team Aster roster:

  1. Du "Monet" Peng

  2. N/A

  3. Lin "Xxs" Jing

  4. Ye "BoBoKa" Zhibiao

  5. Yu "皮球" Yajun

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