Dota 2: Gabbi to stand in for Regional Finals as T1 loan 23savage to MG.Trust

After some mixed results in the 2021-2022 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Winter Tour, T1 are shaking up their Southeast Asian Dota 2 roster.

The team announced on Tuesday (8 February) that they moved Thai carry player Nuengnara "23savage" Teeramahanon to their inactive roster and loaned him to Motivate.Trust Gaming (MG.Trust) while listing former Talon Esports carry Kim "Gabbi" Villafuerte as a stand-in for the upcoming Winter Tour Regional Finals.

T1's roster moves come after a third place finish behind BOOM Esports and Fnatic in Division I of the Southeast Asian regional league.

The team was notably in a three-way tie with Fnatic and Team SMG for second to fourth place but were upset by Fnatic in the tiebreakers to get forced to a third place finish.

23savage joined T1 in March last year, helping the team take first place in Season 2 of the 2021 DPC's Southeast Asian regional league and finishing the subsequent WePlay AniMajor in third place. T1 also managed to secure an upper bracket berth in The International 10's Main Event but ended up bowing out in 7th-8th place.

23savage will now be playing for a MG.Trust squad that will start the 2021-2022 DPC Spring Tour in Division II after they finished the Winter Tour in seventh place and were thus relegated.

23savage is expected to replace Lao carry Souliya "JaCkky" Khoomphetsavong and turn MG.Trust into an all-Thai squad once again, though the team have yet to formally announce any roster changes.

Meanwhile, Gabbi joins T1 as a stand-in after a lackluster showing with Talon Esports in Division II. Despite a stacked roster that included Gabbi, Tal "Fly" Aizik, and Damien "kpii" Chok, Talon struggled mightily and only managed a 5th place finish in their division. Both Gabbi and Fly left the organisation last month.

T1 will be playing with Gabbi in the Southeast Asian Regional Finals alongside BOOM Esports, Fnatic, and Team SMG.

The tournament will be held from 11 to 13 February and will see the four participating squads fight for their cut of the US$100,000 prize pool and all-important DPC points.

Dota 2 developer Valve Software will be holding the Regional Finals online as a replacement for the canceled Winter Major.

T1 Dota 2 roster:

1. Kim "Gabbi" Villafuerte

2. Karl "Karl" Baldovino

3. Carlo "Kuku" Palad

4. Kenny "Xepher" Deo

5. Matthew "Whitemon" Filemon

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