LGD Gaming have answered the post-TI roster shuffle with the most eye-catching signing of the offseason so far. The Chinese organisation has added two Aegis winners, midlaner Syed Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan and support Wu “Sneyking” Jingjun, to a completely rebuilt Dota 2 lineup that makes its debut at PGL Wallachia Season 9 in Bucharest, the first tier-one event since The International 2026 in Shanghai.
A five-man rebuild around one survivor
Only one player remains from the roster LGD fielded at TI 2026: Brazilian soft support Thiago “Thiolicor” de Oliveira Cordeiro. Around him, the org has assembled a genuinely international squad. Peruvian carry Máximo “Wits” Orozco Alza arrives from PlayTime, Belgian offlaner Cedric “Davai” Deckmyn comes over from Nigma Galaxy, SumaiL takes the midlane and Sneyking slots in as hard support and, almost certainly, as the voice calling the shots. Kanishka “BuLba” Sosale, one of the most experienced coaches in the North American and European scene, is on the bench.
The lineup was first spotted on the tournament’s team list rather than through a splashy announcement, which fits LGD’s situation. The previous roster’s contracts ran out after TI15, and the organisation had already been forced into an emergency change before Shanghai when Santiago “TaiLung” Agüero Gustavo was banned over a competitive-integrity case, with two-time TI winner Topson stepping in as a stand-in for the event. The Topson chapter is now closed and SumaiL inherits the midlane.
SumaiL’s retirement talk lasted about four weeks
The 27-year-old Pakistani star is the youngest TI champion in history and one of the most decorated mid players the game has produced. His summer ended with a top-six finish alongside Nigma Galaxy in Shanghai, where a 1-2 defeat to BoomBoys in the lower-bracket quarterfinals stopped a run that had looked capable of reaching the top three. In the post-match interview SumaiL sounded like a man weighing up his future and openly floated the idea that TI 2026 might be his last event.
That thought evidently did not survive contact with a serious offer. LGD get a midlaner still capable of taking over games, and SumaiL gets to keep playing next to Davai, his offlane partner from the Nigma TI run. For bettors, that continuity matters: a mid-off duo that already has months of communication behind it is one of the few known quantities in an otherwise brand-new team.
Sneyking lands after the Falcons exit
Sneyking’s move is the other headline. The 31-year-old American captain spent close to three years with Team Falcons, lifting the Aegis with them at TI 2025 after already winning TI 2022 with Tundra Esports. Falcons then walked away from Dota 2 entirely after Shanghai following a strategic review, scattering one of the strongest rosters of the past two seasons across the scene. ATF has since joined Team Yandex, skiter has moved to Aurora Gaming, Cr1t- is taking an indefinite break, and midlaner Malr1ne is the last of the group still without a confirmed home.
Several of those former teammates will be in Bucharest too, meaning Sneyking could meet his old side’s core within days of switching jerseys.
Straight into the deep end
PGL Wallachia Season 9 runs from September 19 to 27 with 16 teams and a $1 million prize pool, and LGD open against Yakult Brothers. There is no soft landing for a roster that has essentially never played an official match together. The talent is undeniable, but early-tournament coordination is where new lineups typically leak maps, and anyone looking at Dota 2 odds for the group stage should treat LGD as a high-variance pick rather than a favourite until the first few series show how quickly BuLba’s system takes hold.
What LGD have bought, ultimately, is a ceiling. Two players who know how to win The International, a coach who has turned around rosters before, and a young carry with everything to prove. Whether that translates into results in Romania or only later in the 2026-27 season is the question Bucharest will start to answer this week.
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