Neta “33” Shapira Leaves Team Liquid After DOTA 2 TI13 Win

As the TI13 dust settles, another unexpected departure shakes things up in the world of DOTA 2 esports. Neta “33” Shapira seems to be parting ways with Team Liquid.

Like many other teams, Team Liquid has had a lot of development since the day they started. The latest chapter to their story is their recent The International 2024 (TI13) win, where they have just lifted the Aegis of Champions on September 15. However, at the current peak where they stand, their team’s captain, 33, may just be leaving it all behind to pursue another path or a new mountain to climb.

A Shocking Announcement

The announcement, initially made through an X (formerly Twitter) post, came after Team Liquid got crowned as the champions of TI13 against their nemesis Gaimin Gladiators. Their team’s official account (@TeamLiquid) disclosed 33’s departure on September 26, but the post got deleted shortly after it was made, leaving many questions unanswered. Fans are also left to speculate possible reasons as to why the current champions’ captain and offlaner would want to quit while they’re ahead, and immediately after making history with the team.

Who is Neta “33” Shapira?

Neta Shapira, better known for his IGN “33”, is an Israeli professional player for the game Dota 2. He played with many different esports team in the past and achieved great feats such as:

• Being the first professional player to lift the Aegis twice playing for two different teams—The International 2022 with Tundra Esports and The International 2024 with Team Liquid.
• The first Israeli professional player to win The International—that being the TI11 held in 2022 at Singapore.

He joined Team Liquid in November 2023 and took on the mantle as the captain even though he is their newest member. He performed well and led the team with his excellent mechanical and micromanagement skills when playing as their offlaner.

The Reason For The Sudden Departure

As of now, the real reason why the freshly crowned champions, Team Liquid, would have to part ways with their In-game Captain Neta “33” Shapira is still unclear. The team’s X account hasn’t made any further announcements yet after the sudden and now deleted tweet regarding the matter.

That doesn’t stop fans and some professional players from adding in on their speculations regarding the possible reason for this unexpected roster change so soon after winning the year’s TI.

Here are some rumors and speculations made both by fans and professional players:

• A former player of Tundra Esports, Roman “RAMZESS666” Kushnarev, hinted on his livestream that 33 would be going back to his former team Tundra Esports due to the team only having one member left, that being Matthew “Whitemon” Filemon. This leak however, has yet to be confirmed by both Team Liquid and Tundra Esports or 33 himself.
• Some fans speculated that 33 could be planning to hang his jersey and retire from the world of professional gaming, but this is one of the least likely reasons.
• Another speculation is that 33 could be aiming for something higher, and might be trying to achieve the record of being the first player to lift three Aegises by playing for three different teams.

As much theory as these are, we still have no clue for the real reason behind Team Liquid’s deleted tweet, nor do we know what the former captain Neta “33” Shapira’s intentions are.

What Will Become of Team Liquid now?

Being left with an empty seat, Team Liquid’s starting line-up is still one player short—quite a big void to fill since the member they lost is their captain. There is a juicy rumor going around the Dota 2 community as to who might be up to take in the role 33 left behind.

Jonas “SabeRLight” Voletek posted on twitter a video of him taking a shower and fans speculated that it might be him making a funny hint that he is about to join Team Liquid. This might not be too far from the truth, as SabeRLight has already stood in for 33 in Team Liquid at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, where they finished third. Yet, just like the mystery around 33 leaving the team, this rumor is yet to be solidified.

Conclusion

After being part of Team Liquid for almost a year now, the game captain 33 may or may not be closing one chapter to open a new one. Despite him having difficulties at the start of the year’s professional leagues, he managed to pull through and contributed so much for the team—eventually leading Team Liquid to best their kryptonite, Gaimin Gladiators, with a strong 3-0 score and getting their hands on the highly-coveted Aegis of TI13.

With what limited information we are provided as of now, we are still far from getting clarity at the current conditions surrounding Team Liquid and the Israeli pro-player, 33. The whole Dota 2 community have their eyes on the team that took the spotlight and are eagerly awaiting further news regarding the matter of a captain who paved the way to victory leaving at the top.