Team Aster’s Captain Leaves the Team Amidst Rumors of Disbandment

On 22nd February, Team Aster’s captain Yu “皮球” Yajun took to Weibo to announce that he is no longer a part of Team Aster amidst the recent rumors of Team Aster’s disbandment. His departure has added further fuel to the speculations. Team Aster went through a complete roster overhaul last November but the team has not found much success in the professional scene. Team Aster failed to qualify for BetBoom Dacha 2024 Dubai, DreamLeague Season 22, and also ESL One Birmingham 2024.

Team Aster Parts Ways with Its Captain

“The sky’s the limit, thanks to Aster Club and Boss Xiaofei for two years of nurturing. Thanks. (Looking for a team, no contract),” wrote Team Aster’s former captain on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. This sudden exit from the team has only added further to the recent rumors of Team Aster’s disbandment. 

Team Aster tried its hands at the BetBoom Dacha 2024 Dubai qualifiers, DreamLeague Season 22 qualifiers, and ESL One Birmingham 2024 Dubai qualifiers but was knocked out in the lower bracket quarter-finals of all three qualifiers by Talon Esports, G2.iG, and Azure Ray respectively.

After Team Aster’s leave from the team, the roster notably has only four players remaining, they are as follows:

• Yang “Erika” Shaohan

• Xu “Echo” Ziliang

• Xiao “生死” Yihu

• Pan “Frisk” Yi

• TBD

It is speculated that Team Aster which is co-owned by Chinese Dota 2 legend Xu “BurNIng” Zhilei might release its Dota 2 roster and officially exit the Dota 2 landscape altogether after the disastrous start it has had this competitive year. The highlight of Team Aster’s run in the Dota 2 landscape was when it secured 4th place at The International 2022. Team Aster was also the runner-up for the ESL One Malaysia 2022.

Readers should note that these are mere speculations and rumors that surface time and again in the Dota 2 community. There has been no official announcement from the organization regarding this matter at the time of writing. However, should the rumors hold true, it could mean that along with Team Aster, its other three teams Aster.Aries, Supernova, and Aster.Aquarius could also dissolve. The other three teams of Team Aster have also failed to find any success and have not been active as of late.