After the conclusion of each year’s International, Valve allows a period of time for the professional teams to change their line-ups. Here we take a look at the shuffles made by some of the more prolific outfits and what it could mean for the forthcoming Dota 2 season.
The Changes:
- TI7 winners Team Liquid haven’t adjusted their team at all. This is sensible as their current roster is clearly working well for them.
- One of their former players, FATA-, has found a new place in Team Secret though. Alongside Ace, the two will be replacing MP and KheZu in preparation for the upcoming DreamLeague and ESL One Hamburg events. FATA- is considered one of the best Solomid players in Europe, with an impressive professional record, and his introduction should make Secret more of a force to be reckoned with.
- LGD, one of the top four teams at TI7, have bid farewell to eLeVeN after his contract expired. His position will be filled by Chinese gamer fy, and although his competitive history is formidable – with a 4th place finish at TI5 and 1st places in StarLadder, the Summit 2 and i-League S1 – the position of Offlaner is relatively new to him. His ability to adapt to his new role may well determine the fortunes of the team, particularly in the short term.
- Chinese team Invictus have lost one of their key players, BurNIng, as he takes time off to spend with his family. Losing one of the most experienced and capable carries in the competitive scene is a heavy hit, leaving his replacement with some big shoes to fill. GazEoD will be taking on this task, daunting though it may be. An experienced player with a respectable track record, it seems the group may suffer a little due to the loss of the B-god.
- Surprisingly, Virtus.pro have announced that their roster will be staying exactly as it is. This statement was made before TI7 had even begun, showing the team’s commitment to retaining their players. This is quite rare for a CIS outfit as the region has developed a reputation of teams making frequent roster changes. Keeping the same line-up has its advantages though as a more long-standing arrangement tends towards better teamwork and co-ordination.
- In contrast, Evil Geniuses have undergone some restructuring, although it is not quite as drastic as some of the other teams. Veteran team member Fear will be returning to the team’s ranks as captain, as well as Support. He has spent a year or so assuming the role of coach, leading the team to the International, where they finished a disappointing 9-12th. He will be taking the role of Swedish player Zai. Both players are highly capable, but Fear’s experience as a leader might give them an extra edge in professional play this year.
- Speaking of Zai, he has joined former EG captain and CEO Peter “ppd” Dager’s new team, The Dire. Pajkatt, CC&C and MiSeRy will be playing alongside Zai and ppd in a mixed American-European roster. It promises to be a strong outfit, particularly with ppd having won TI5 and Zai finishing 3rd at both TI4 and TI6. It’s difficult to say how well they’ll perform, but it’s certainly worth keeping an eye on them.
- Following their disappointing 13-16th place performance at TI7, American stalwarts Cloud9 have announced that they have disbanded their Dota 2 team. EternaLEnVy and pieliedie have since joined Fnatic’s new roster, hoping to boost an organisation that finished rock bottom at TI7. Xcalibur is the third player to join, with QO, Febby, and Ahjit all moving on. With the pick of the litter from Cloud9 and the interesting addition of primarily solo-player Xcalibur, it’ll be very interesting to see how the team fares.
Conclusion
Many of Dota 2’s pro teams have undergone significant changes in the aftermath of TI7 and these adjustments will determine how well they will do in the coming months. A number of more successful sides have not made any changes at all, whilst a few have completely disbanded, with a handful of new teams replacing them.
This is a very interesting time for competitive Dota 2, but success is often about how well a team performs together rather than the star names it contains. It will be therefore fascinating to see who can gel and who cannot as we enter a number of key tournaments in the autumn months.
