Dota 2 roster shuffle tracker: Which players are LFT and which have found one?
The yearly Dota 2 post-The International (TI) roster shuffle is now in full swing.
All across the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), rosters are being dropped, teams are being retooled, and players set out to look for new opportunities with a different squad.
With so much of the Dota 2 competitive scene cantered around TI and its multimillion-dollar prize pools, most teams are formed with the goal of getting to the game's world championship tournament in a bid to claim the Aegis of Champions and the lion's share of the massive prize pool.
But only one team can win TI, with Tundra Esports being crowned as the champions of TI11 this year. With that, the rest of the scene are now scrambling to assemble the best rosters possible to try again next year.
Here are all the biggest moves in the ongoing Dota 2 post-TI roster shuffle you should now about:
Western Europe
While Western Europe was the most dominant region at TI11. Not only did all Western European teams at the tournament finished in the Top 12, the Top 3 all hailed from the region. But even so, Western Europe is not standing pat and will still take part in the roster shuffle.
OG move ATF to "inactive roster"
From a pub star to proving himself as one of the best in the world. We are proud to have been part of his incredible journey!
Our offlaner @AmmarAlassaf6 has been moved to our inactive roster & will be able to explore his options this season.
Thank you for everything, Ammar 🫡 pic.twitter.com/JgxWL06v9C— OG (@OGesports) November 3, 2022
One of the biggest surprises of the roster shuffle so far was OG's decision to move star offlaner Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf to its inactive roster, where he will be able to explore his options for the upcoming season.
ATF's unique playstyle on the offlane was one of the biggest reasons behind the successful year for OG's revamped 'young blood' squad. He will surely be one of the most sought-after recruits in Western Europe.
No changes to Tundra after winning TI11
While TI champions are expected to stay together after winning the Aegis of Champions, teams have been known to make changes even after winning the ultimate prize, just ask Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling.
Luckily for Aui_2000, he won't be kicked from Tundra Esports after coaching the team to the championship of TI11 after midlaner Leon "Nine" Kirilin said in a stream that there will be no changes made to the roster.
Nine added that Tundra may be the only team in Western Europe, and maybe the entire DPC, without changes.
China
With Western Europe reigning supreme, China's dominance over the Dota 2 scene is all but over. Some of the region's biggest stars have now retired, leaving power vacuums that will be difficult to fill. Expect massive upheavals in China as the roster shuffle continues.
Team Aster's Ori retires
Team Aster announced that midlaner Zeng "Ori" Jiaoyang has suddenly retired after helping the team finish in 4th place at TI11. The team did not reveal why the 27-year-old Ori suddenly decided to retire.
With Ori's retirement, Aster will be looking for a replacement for the upcoming season.
Royal Never Give Up's Ghost, xNova are LFT
After bombing out of TI11 in 13th-16th place, Royal Never Give Up (RNG) continues to lose players. Following Lu "Somnus" Yao's decision to retire, the team's Malaysian players Daniel "Ghost" Chan Kok Hong and Yap "xNova" Jian Wei have also left RNG and are LFT (looking for a team).
Oli leaves Invictus Gaming for Talon Esports, JT is LFT
Invictus Gaming (IG) missed out on TI11 after a 4th place finish in the Chinese regional qualifier. With such a disappointing end to their season, changes were expected. Similar to RNG, IG have now parted ways with their two Malaysian players, Jun Wen "JT-" Thiay and Chan "Oli" Chon Kien.
Oli has returned to Southeast Asia and joined Talon Esports while JT is still LFT.
✅ 2023 ROSTER COMPLETE ✅
We are happy to announce Oli as the final piece of our DotA 2 roster. Welcome to the Talon family!#SOARWITHTALON #DotA2 pic.twitter.com/kCIt8dAENf— TALON (@Talon_esports) November 7, 2022
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia looks to be the region with the most player movement in this year's roster shuffle, as almost every major team in the region have already shuffled their rosters. These teams include T1, Team SMG, Talon Esports, Fnatic, and BOOM Esports, among others.
March out of T1; Kuku, Xepher, Whitemon LFT
Thank you, March
Today, we part ways with DOTA2 team’s head coach ‘March’.
Thank you and we wish you all the best in the future. #T1WIN #T1Fighting pic.twitter.com/73q35DvAa8— T1 (@T1) October 24, 2022
After failing to make it out of TI11's Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), T1 seems headed for a full rebuild. Team coach Park "March" Tae-Won has already left while Carlo "Kuku" Palad, Kenny "Xepher" Deo, and Matthew "Whitemon" Filemon are all LFT.
The status of Anathan "ana" Pham and Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen with T1 remains unknown. However, it should be noted that Topson was initially signed as a stand-in and has expressed his desire to return to playing in Western Europe. The former OG midlaner will be another sought-after free agent.
Team SMG part ways with iceiceice
As the competitive year comes to a close, so does one’s journey with each other. Where one door closes, a window elsewhere opens.
Today, we bid farewell to @iceiceice, and wish him all the best in his future endeavours. pic.twitter.com/EiqgIrwJGm— Team SMG (@TeamSMGofficial) October 31, 2022
After Team SMG failed to register in time for TI11's Southeast Asian qualifier, it was practically a foregone conclusion that Singaporean star offlaner Daryl "iceiceice" Koh will be leaving the team.
He formally announced his departure a day after TI11 concluded. It is worth noting that Team SMG tagged the wrong Twitter account in their announcement of iceiceice's departure.
Team SMG is notably attending the Asia-Pacific Predator League 2022 in Tokyo, Japan with former Alliance carry player Nikolay "Nikobaby" Nikolov as a stand-in, with Yeik "MidOne" Nai Zheng moving to the offlane. MidOne has notably played in the offlane before during his stint with OG from 2020 to 2021.
Talon Esports replace kpii, Hyde with Jabz, Oli
🚨 NEW PLAYER ALERT 🚨
We would like to welcome Jabz to the Talon DotA 2 family ahead of the 2023 DotA Pro Circuit.#SOARWITHTALON #DotA2 pic.twitter.com/EDHQI0WvNU— TALON (@Talon_esports) November 4, 2022
After bombing out of TI11 in 17th-18th place and failing to make it to the Main Event, Talon Esports were quick to retool for the upcoming season. The team parted ways with Damien "kpii" Chok and Brizio "Hyde" Budiana on 3 November and replaced them with Anucha "Jabz" Jirawong from Fnatic and Oli from IG.
Talon's complete roster now includes Nuengnara "23savage" Teeramahanon, Rafli "Mikoto" Rahman, Jabz, Worawit "Q" Mekchai, and Oli.
Fnatic part ways with Jabz, SunBhie, and Raven
With Jabz leaving for Talon, Fnatic is also looking to retool as they have also parted ways with coach Lee "SunBhie" Jeong-jae.
Fnatic also parted ways with carry player Marc Polo "Raven" Fausto, saying they "mutually agreed to part ways" after the player's contract ended. Raven is now free to explore his options as a premier carry player in Southeast Asia.
Today we say goodbye to our carry @ravendoto. His contract with Fnatic ended after TI11 and we mutually agreed to part ways, allowing him to explore his options.
Thank you and we wish you all the best, One True Carry. 🖤 🧡 pic.twitter.com/GHR3odR711— FNATIC (@FNATIC) November 11, 2022
BOOM Esports' Jackky, Yopaj, Tims, and skem are all LFT
While BOOM Esports was the most successful Southeast Asian team at TI11, finishing in 9th-12th place, the team is set for an overhaul as four of its players as well as its coach have announced they are looking to head elsewhere.
Souliya "JaCkky" Khoomphetsavong, Erin "Yopaj" Ferrer, Timothy "Tims" Randrup, and Andrei "skem" Ong have all announced they are LFT. Yopaj, Tims, and skem notably outlined they are still under contract with BOOM, which necessitates a buyout for any team looking to sign them.
BOOM's CEO, Gary "Natshuba" Ongko, said in a Twitlonger that he is unsure which players will end up leaving or staying, but expressed that he would like the team to stay.
Geek Fam is back in Dota 2, Blacklist International looking to join
While most other Southeast Asian organisations are busy with the roster shuffle, others are looking to join the fray. After leaving the scene in 2020, Malaysia-based organisation Geek Fam is returning to Dota 2 and revealed they will be fielding a roster for the upcoming season.
Top secret training. Are you ready??? #TheInternationals12 #TheInternationals11 #GeekFamDota2 #OnceaGeekAlwaysaFam #Fam4life pic.twitter.com/GotW66tkFc
— Geek Fam (@TeamGeekFam) November 4, 2022
Meanwhile, Philippines-based organisation Blacklist International is looking to join the scene, according to CEO Tryke Gutierrez. Gutierrez says he hopes to build a "PH redeem team".
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe had an underwhelming showing at TI11. Defending champions Team Spirit was the only team from the region to make it to the Main Event, but even they bombed out in 13th-16th place after falling victim to a massive upset from BOOM Esports. As such, huge changes are expected across the region.
BetBoom roster released
Today we say goodbye and thanks to roster of BetBoom Team 💔💛
We wish boys all the best and believe to see them again fighting on tier-1 scene ✊🏻And maybe - against another BetBoom Team🥺Thank you for being with us! 💪🏻
Official statement of the team 👉🏻https://t.co/Ld3lQoSsbu pic.twitter.com/SWSNHIB0Xt— BetBoom Team (@BetBoomTeam) November 3, 2022
After an abysmal 19th-20th place finish at TI11, BetBoom Team has released its entire roster. The organisation is looking to field a new team for the upcoming season.
Ramzes out of Virtus.Pro
Today we say goodbye to the carry player of our Dota 2 roster – Roman @ramzes Kushnarev. His contract with the club was valid until the end of TI11, and based on the results of the LСQ Stage we came to a mutual decision to cease cooperation.
Details: https://t.co/d1pVyRO5dT pic.twitter.com/wuJjR6ugSL— Virtus.pro (@virtuspro) October 18, 2022
After failing to make it out of the LCQ, Virtus.pro (VP) has parted ways with Roman "RAMZES666" Kushnarev. In an interview with cybersport.ru, offlaner Dmitry "DM" Dorokhin said that he is unsure if VP's roster will still continue with RAMZES' departure.
No[o]ne, Solo out of Na'Vi
Natus Vincere (Na'Vi) is set for an overhaul after also failing to make it out of TI11's LCQ. While there has been no official statement from the team yet, Volodymyr "Noone" Minenko and Aleksey "Solo" Berezin have revealed that they are LFT.
North America
North America continues its downward spiral, as its teams all bombed out of TI11. Both TSM and Soniqs Esports failed to make it to the Main Event while Evil Geniuses (EG) gave its fans a glimmer of hope before giving them the usual serving of disappointment.
Expect some massive upheavals coming out of North America as well.
Soniqs release entire roster
Today, we've released our Dota roster.
Thank you fans for your warm welcome and for supporting the team win or lose. We're grateful for all their hard work and wish them the best in their future endeavors. #SQDOTA pic.twitter.com/6Xc2GueEsW— Soniqs (@SoniqsEsports) November 1, 2022
After only finishing in 17th-18th place, Soniqs Esports has released its entire roster. Some members of the former Quincy Crew squad have seemingly left, as Arif "MSS" Anwar revealed he is LFT while manager Jack "KBBQ" Chen said he is looking for a midlaner and a position 4 player.
South America
While North America continues to fall, South America has only risen further. The region had two representatives in the Top 8 of TI11, with Beastcoast finishing in 7th-8th place while Thunder Awaken became the first South American team to reach the Top 6 of a TI.
Despite those promising results, South America still saw some huge changes in the roster shuffle. With the region's rising standing, there will be new players, teams, and organisations looking to ride the wave.
Beastcoast sign DarkMago and Sacred, part ways with Chris Luck and Wisper
Beastcoast parted ways with longtime members Jean Pierre "Chris Luck" Salazar and Adrián "Wisper" Dobles, signing Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera and Rafael "Sacred" Yonatan from Thunder Awaken as their replacements.
With Chris Luck and Wisper leaving the team, the longest-running roster in Dota 2 history has notably come to an end. Even so, Beastcoast is looking to become even stronger as they reinforced their veteran core with two of South America's biggest rising stars.
Thunder Awaken release entire roster
Despite their historic Top 6 finish at TI11, Thunder Awaken's players will not be sticking together and have looked elsewhere to further their careers.
With DarkMago and Sacred leaving for Beastcoast, Thunder Awaken formally announced the departure of its entire roster. The organisation will continue to compete in Dota 2 and will soon announce its new team for the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, Crhistian "Pakazs" Savina, Farith "Matthew" Puente, and Jose "Pandaboo" Padilla are now in free agency and will be the most sought-after players in South America.
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