With The International 10 over, we’ve officially entered the roster shuffle stage. This means that different Dota 2 teams worldwide are going to make decisions on what will happen with their members. It’s in preparation for the upcoming season and of course, the next TI.
In Southeast Asia, Fnatic has already made its move with the release of Ng “ChYuan” Kee Chyuan and Yang “Deth” Wu Heng. The shuffle is expected considering the way they exited TI10. They ended the tournament in 9th–12th place. While it’s better than their performance in TI9, they could have done better. Then again, it was Team Spirit that eliminated them.
In a Facebook post, Fnatic revealed that the two players were instrumental in the campaign for TI10. Despite being an unproven team, they managed to secure a spot for TI through the SEA qualifiers. Fnatic went on to say that while it’s not always easy to let go of players, there’s a need to determine where the team is headed.
The South America Shuffle
In South America, the shuffle happened a bit earlier. As a quick recap, three teams from the region were able to qualify. Two of them were promptly eliminated after the Group Stage. The third one was eliminated in the first round of the Lower Bracket in the Main Event.
Thunder Predator, which didn’t win a single game in the group stage, had the entire roster leave the organization. That was even before TI10 ended. In a Twitter post, it was revealed that this was actually an agreement the roster had. Fortunately for the fans, the organization has already signed up a new roster.
SG Esports also did the same and released the entire roster. On Twitter as well, it seems that it was the decision of the players to leave. SG revealed that they are currently in negotiations for a new roster and would announce the new lineup soon.
North America
There’s also some movement in North America though, for now, it’s been limited to coaches. Leaving as coaches are Maurice “KheZu” Gutmann for Quincy Crew and Kim “Febby” Yong-min for Team Undying.
Which team do you think is joining the roster shuffle next?
