After subpar results at the Riyadh Masters and failing to qualify for TI13, Azure Ray is undergoing a significant overhaul, removing three players and the coach before the Clavision Snow Ruyi Invitational.
Azure Ray exited the Riyadh Masters 2024 with a 1-9 overall game score in the Play-in Stage. Following their failure to qualify for The International 2024 (TI13), the organization decided to restructure.
The news of a shuffle isn't surprising to fans. "It's too embarrassing," Azure Ray posted on their Weibo page after being eliminated from the Riyadh Masters 2024. "We can’t continue to lose far away from home," the organization noted, announcing a period of restructuring.
Azure Ray brought Zhang "Faith_bian" Ruida back from retirement, and he is one of the two players who will remain. Zhen “lou” Lou will continue with the team – at least for now.
Despite performing well in their region, Azure Ray struggled on the international stage. Their only top 4 finishes this year were at BetBoom Dacha Dubai, where they finished fourth, and Elite League Season 1, where they finished third, both in May.
Despite their underwhelming performance, the team received a direct invite to the $500,000 Snow Ruyi LAN event, which will take place at the end of the month in the Chinese Olympic village Taizicheng. A total of 12 teams will compete from July 28 to August 4.
However, fans shouldn't get too excited about any lineup they bring – regardless of the results. The International 2024 is still two months away, and nothing is for sure until the infamous Post-TI shuffle.