zai

From Liquipedia Dota 2 Wiki
[e][h]Tundra EsportsTundra Esports zai
Player Information
Name:
Ludwig Eric Wåhlberg
Nationality:
Born:
August 5, 1997 (age 27)
Region:
Europe Europe
Years Active (Player):
2013 - 2023
Current Role:
Alternate IDs:
mmbzai
Approx. Total Winnings:
$4,277,064
Signature Hero:
Enigma Batrider Dark Seer
Links
History
Heroes of Newerth:
2011-??-?? — 201?-??-??
2012-02-22 — 2012-??-??
2012-??-?? — 2012-??-??
Decerto (Sub.)
2012-??-?? — 2012-??-??
2012-09-05 — 2013-??-??
2013-??-?? — 2013-06-24
2013-07-16 — 2013-10-25
Dota 2:
2013-??-?? — 2013-11-22
2013-11-22 — 2013-12-23
2014-01-31 — 2014-02-21SadBoys
2014-02-21 — 2015-01-06Evil Geniuses
2015-01-06 — 2015-08-30Team Secret
2015-08-30 — 2016-05-24Evil Geniuses(Sub)
2016-05-24 — 2016-06-13Kaipi
2016-06-13 — 2016-08-27Evil Geniuses
2016-09-15 — 2017-08-30Evil Geniuses
2017-09-05 — 2017-09-26The Dire
2017-09-26 — 2018-09-05OpTic Gaming
2018-09-11 — 2021-11-03Team Secret
2021-11-03 — 2023-11-01Team Liquid
2024-02-23 — PresentTundra Esports(GM.)
Upcoming Matches
No Upcoming Matches

Upcoming Tournaments
No upcoming tournaments

Ludwig "zai" Wåhlberg (born August 5, 1997) is a Swedish player who is currently the general manager of Tundra Esports.

Biography[edit]

Despite his very young age, zai made a name for himself in Heroes of Newerth, playing on teams such as Trademark eSports and Team USA, and winning DreamHoN 2012 at the age of 14. In 2013 he transitioned to Dota 2 alongside fellow HoN pros Ensoe, Tralfamadore and, most importantly ppd, with whom he found quick success with team Stay Free and later Super Strong Dinosaurs. In late January 2014, he transferred to the support role and joined ppd, Arteezy and EG players Fear and UNiVeRsE in team S A D B O Y S, which would mark the start of his breakthrough in the Dota 2 scene. As S A D B O Y S went 16-2 in games in their twenty days of playing together, the team caught the attention of Evil Geniuses. On the 21st of February 2014, S A D B O Y S and zai were picked up by Evil Geniuses.[1]

On 6th January 2015 it was announced that zai had left EG to join Team Secret and he'd be switching back to the offlane role.[2][3]

After Team Secret's 7th-8th finish at The International 5, zai left the team to complete his high school education.[4] When the substitute player slot was introduced by Valve along with the Major system zai became the official substitute of EG.[5] Players are permitted to be registered to more than one team (but are only allowed to accept one invite to a Major tournament)[6], and zai utilised this to join Kaipi after completing his studies, whilst still remaining the official substitute for EG.[7]

On 12th of June 2016 it was announced that zai would be rejoining EG along with UNiVeRsE,[8] mere weeks before The International 2016. Despite having to go through the Open and Closed Qualifiers, the team managed to qualify for TI and reach 3rd place.

Zai remained at EG for another year as part of a new lineup with his friend Arteezy, led by Danish captain Cr1t-. Despite a strong start to the season, the team was unable to keep up the strong performances culminating in a disappointingly early finish at The International 2017. Following TI7, zai chose to leave EG to form a new team with his former captain, PPD. This team would soon be picked up by OpTic Gaming.

At OpTic, zai would switch back to the offlane. However, the team was unable to achieve any meaningful success. In December 2017, zai switched back to being roaming support, with 33 replacing him in the offlane, and performances markedly improved. Despite a decent season and a top eight finish at The International 2018, zai decided to depart OpTic and return to Team Secret, where he would once again play in the offlane.

Following another third place finish at The International 2021, after over three years at Secret, zai departed from Team Secret to join Team Liquid. [9][10]

Trivia[edit]

Statistics[edit]

Stats acquired from datdota as of 2023/04/15.

Achievements[edit]

DatePlaceTierTournamentTeamResultPrize
2023-07-302ndTier 1Riyadh Masters 2023Riyadh Masters 2023
Team LiquidTeam Liquid
1 : 3
Team SpiritTeam Spirit
$2,500,000
2022-10-303rdTier 1The International 2022The International 2022
Team LiquidTeam Liquid
1 : 2
Team SecretTeam Secret
$1,703,810
2021-10-173rdTier 1The International 2021The International 2021
Team SecretTeam Secret
1 : 2
Team SpiritTeam Spirit
$3,601,600
2020-09-061stTier 1OMEGA League: Europe Immortal DivisionOMEGA League: Europe Immortal DivisionOMEGA League: Europe Immortal Division
Team SecretTeam Secret
3 : 0
OGOG
$200,000
2020-01-261stTier 1DreamLeague Season 13DreamLeague Season 13
Team SecretTeam Secret
3 : 2
Evil GeniusesEvil Geniuses
$300,000
2019-08-244thTier 1The International 2019The International 2019
Team SecretTeam Secret
0 : 2
Team LiquidTeam Liquid
$2,059,804
2019-05-121stTier 1MDL Disneyland® Paris MajorMDL Disneyland® Paris Major
Team SecretTeam Secret
3 : 1
Team LiquidTeam Liquid
$350,000
2019-01-271stTier 1The Chongqing MajorThe Chongqing Major
Team SecretTeam Secret
3 : 1
Virtus.proVirtus.pro
$350,000
2016-08-133rdTier 1The International 2016The International 2016
Evil GeniusesEvil Geniuses
1 : 2
Digital ChaosDigital Chaos
$2,180,898
2014-07-213rdTier 1The International 2014The International 2014
Evil GeniusesEvil Geniuses
1 : 2
Vici GamingVici Gaming
$1,037,778
Extended list of results

Awards[edit]

DateTierTournamentAwardTeamPrize
2023
2023-07-30Tier 1Riyadh Masters 2023Riyadh Masters 2023MVP (3rd Place)
Team LiquidTeam Liquid
$2,500
2019
2019-02-24Tier 2ESL One Katowice 2019ESL One Katowice 2019Mercedes-Benz MVP
Team SecretTeam Secret
-

Additional Content[edit]

Interviews[edit]

  • 2024
  • 2023
  • 2022
  • 2021
  • 2020
  • 2019
  • 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • 2014
  • Show All

Miscellaneous[edit]

2024

Spotlights[edit]

  • 2024
  • 2023
  • 2022
  • 2017
  • Show All

Highlights[edit]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Evil Geniuses Welcome New Dota 2 Team
  2. ↑ Team Secret January 6th Roster Change
  3. ↑ Other EG Players Speak Out on Transfer Drama
  4. ↑ [1]
  5. ↑ [2]
  6. ↑ [3]
  7. ↑ [4]
  8. ↑ [5]
  9. ↑ [6]
  10. ↑ [7]
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