Malr1ne joins Liquid as Nisha steps away from Dota 2

Priya Venkatesh
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Table of Contents
  1. Malr1ne completes Liquid’s roster changes
  2. A new lineup after a mixed season
  3. PARI Universe is the first test
Anonymous esports player at a glowing Dota 2 workstation during a team roster transition

Team Liquid have signed former Team Falcons mid laner Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak for the 2026-2027 Dota 2 season, replacing Michał “Nisha” Jankowski after he stepped away from competition.

Malr1ne completes Liquid’s roster changes

GosuGamers reported the signing on 15 October. Nisha took a break from competitive play in late September, leaving Liquid to fill a key position ahead of the new season. The organisation had previously brought in Adrian “Wisper” Cespedes Dobles as its offlaner, replacing Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard.

Malr1ne became a free agent in early September after Falcons announced they were leaving competitive Dota 2. He joins Liquid as a The International 2025 champion, with the GosuGamers report also crediting him with eight other Tier 1 tournament victories.

Liquid’s earlier mid-lane uncertainty followed Nisha’s decision to take a break. The Malr1ne signing now completes the team’s reported roster for the upcoming campaign.

A new lineup after a mixed season

Liquid’s listed roster for 2026-2027 consists of Micke “miCKe” Vu, Malr1ne, Wisper, Samuel “Boxi” Svahn and Erik “tOfu” Engel, with William “BlitZ” Lee as coach. The report does not assign role labels to each player beyond identifying Malr1ne as the mid laner and Wisper as the offlaner.

The rebuild follows a season of contrasting results. Liquid won BLAST Slam VI in February and 1win Essence II in early August, but ended its campaign with a fifth-sixth-place finish at The International 2026.

The Wisper-for-Ace change was the first reported move in Liquid’s reshaping of the lineup. The signing adds another change after Nisha’s break, while continuing the wider post-TI 2026 roster shuffle. GosuGamers described Malr1ne as one of the few players in the scene capable of matching Nisha’s impact; that is the report’s assessment, rather than a measured comparison.

Liquid’s offlane change bringing in Wisper preceded the final adjustment at mid. Together, the moves leave the organisation with a reshaped five-player lineup for the new season.

PARI Universe is the first test

Liquid are scheduled to debut the completed roster at PARI Universe, an online Tier 1 tournament running from 22 October to 1 November. The event will be the lineup’s first competition together with Malr1ne in the mid lane.

Priya Venkatesh

Journalist
Priya Venkatesh has been following the money in esports since before brand deals were considered legitimate marketing. She got pulled into the scene through competitive fighting games and eventually found herself more interested in the contracts and partnerships behind the tournaments than the matches themselves. These days she focuses on how brands navigate esports sponsorships, where the smart money is going, and which deals are actually built to last versus the ones that look good in a press release.
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