On March 31 Alliance kicked two of their players and announced that their replacements will come in the days to follow. Gustav "s4" Magnusson who last played for EG is making a return to the Swedish organization. The fifth and final addition to the squad still remains a mystery.
Alliance have been on the rise lately, ever since the team picked up a brand-new roster in October 2019. With solid top placements over multiple high-level tournaments, many fans were able to finally say - Alliance is back! That’s why it came a bit as a shock when the team suddenly decided to remove two of their players – Adrian “Fata” Trinks and Neta “33” Shapira.
Roster changes in our #Dota2 division - DPC 2020 mid-season updates. https://t.co/6sZwwwQCdJ#LongLiveAlliance pic.twitter.com/O53MWnX297
— Alliance (@theAllianceGG) March 31, 2020
Sadly for Fata and 33 the announcement wasn’t an early April Fool’s joke. The two players performed really well, so kicking them only made sense if Alliance had someone better in mind or someone it held dear. The community was quick to put Gustav "s4" Magnusson as the main suspect. Magnusson played for Alliance during their best years and was part of the squad which won The International 2013. Most recently he played for Evil Geniuses and had some success there, before going on a hiatus in September 2019. Now it seems the Swede is back home amongst his people.
Valkommen hem, Magnusson!SE https://t.co/SkUEcC6YDsWelcome home, @s4dota!#LongLiveAlliance #ALLFAM | @TeamRazer @MonsterGaming pic.twitter.com/hjLsOVdVBh
— Alliance (@theAllianceGG) April 1, 2020
Alliance co-founder and streamer Henrik “AdmiralBulldog” Ahnberg commented:
“I want to welcome s4 back to the team, I can safely say that I’m not the only one who has missed him in Dota these past couple months. We in Alliance have a long history with s4 and many unforgettable moments. I have no doubts that with s4 back that he can bring Alliance to greatness, I am really happy to announce that s4 is back!”
Gustav “s4” Magnusson added:
“Hey, guys! Excited to play some Dota again since it’s been a while for me. Looking forward to make some new friends in the team and show everyone great games. Thank you to Alliance for giving me a shot at this. Sorry to everyone that has been waiting for so long, but also thank you to all that have been patiently waiting for my return.”
The move came as no surprise for many as this year The International will take place in Sweden and Alliance seem to be doing everything possible to be in their very best shape. Will s4 find the synergy in his old new team though? There’s also the question of the fifth and final player which will complete the roster. Some have speculated that it might be Jonathan "Loda" Berg, who’s the co-owner and current coach of Alliance. Loda was also part of the TI-winning squad back in 2013. Since this looks like the most obvious and close to home choice, it might turn out to be someone completely different.
Alliance are already preparing for their first match as a new team which will be the ESL One Los Angeles Online coming April 5. The organization will certainly reveal the fifth player by Sunday, so stay tuned for more Dota 2 news on EarlyGame.
