It’s been more than a month since The International 10 (TI10) concluded. Everyone remembers how Team Spirit took the Aegis home after a nail-biting 3-2 victory against PSG.LGD. A new champion was finally crowned.
As per usual, overwhelming fervor immediately followed. TI10’s Grand Final went to garner over 2.1 million viewers across all platforms – making it the most viewed Dota 2 event ever!
Now, everyone’s preparing for the next season – Dota Pro Circuit 2022. The Dota 2 community is virtually bombarded with news of roster changes or surprising dropouts everyday. About eight teams came out with news on November 20 alone.
Whatever the case, we got your backs. Here are some of the major Southeast Asia-related (SEA) changes announced so far.
Teams (TI11’s Version)
Starting with T1 – who had a top 8 finish with their TI debut – is confirmed to be sticking together for the next season. T1 (the organisation) announced that they re-signed all five members and coach Park “March” Tae-won on October 30.
So fans will be delighted to see captain Carlo “Kuku” Palad and the gang fighting again.
In comparison, Fnatic – the only other SEA team that qualified – had more radical changes post-TI10. Despite a strong start with Team Undying, their performance in TI10 left much to be desired. They headed to the airport with a tie for 9th – 12th place – losing to inevitable champs Team Spirit.
Just days after TI10, they said goodbye to Ng Kee “ChuYuan” ChuYuan and Yang “Deth” Wu Heng on October 21. As of November 23, both have yet to find new teams.
However, on November 19, the rest of the team – like Marc Polo “Raven” Luis Fausto and captain Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong – had their contracts extended.
That was followed with the one-two punch of new members – Jaunuel “Jaunuel” Arcilla and Armel “Armel” Paul Tabios. On November 20, Fnatic confirmed the rumours of them joining Fnatic – that were circulating since October – by revealing their full roster line-up for 2022.
Wait, there’s Singapore representation?
Bringing it closer to the Little Red Dot, Singaporean Dota 2 players made waves in this roster change. Daryl Koh “iceiceice” Pei Xiang – of Evil Geniuses fame – changed teams in one day. This was led by some hilarious tweets and exchanges on iceiceice’s end. On November 18, Team Secret revealed that they employed him onto the team.
In other noteworthy news, relatively unknown Remus “ponlo” Goh Zhi Xian is heading for an international debut with North American team Quincy Crew. On November 5, they showcased their latest full roster – with ponlo taking Position 5.
It’s always great to see more SEA players – like ponlo – break into the Dota 2 stage. Hopefully, he won’t be the last. TI11 is gearing up to be a fantastic edition so far. And to think, not every team has their roster settled yet! Let’s see what curveballs the future throws!
