Dota 2: Talon Esports disbands Dota 2 roster following dissapointing TI 2023 campaign
Before parting ways with its Dota 2 roster, Talon went through a rollercoaster season that ended with a disappointing 9th-12th place finish at The International 2023.
The Dota 2 offseason roster shuffle is in full swing as Hong Kong-based organisation Talon Esports has disbanded its Dota 2 roster following their disappointing 9th-12th place finish at The International (TI) 2023 in October.
In a statement posted on Monday (6 November), Talon said that "after discussions with the team, we have come to the agreement to mutually part ways to allow other opportunities to be explored."
Nuengnara "23savage" Teeramahanon, Rafli "Mikoto" Rahman, Anucha "Jabz" Jirawong, Worawit "Q" Mekchai, Chan "Oli" Chon Kien, and coach Lee "Sunbhie" Jeong-Jae are now all free agents and expected to command huge interest among teams in Southeast Asia.
Talon's Chief Gaming Officer, Kim Do-hoon, posted on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account that "absurd things" led to the organisation parting ways with its Dota 2 roster.
"Believe me, we tried our best to keep the majority. But sometimes it just doesn’t work when absurd things happen. I believe I will reunite with some of these guys in the future. But until then good luck brothers," said Do-hoon.
"We would like to thank everyone for their contribution to this era of Talon Dota, and wish them the best in their next chapter. They turned our lofty dreams into reality, with qualifying to 2 TIs and top 3 finishes in Lima and Riyadh," added Talon.
Despite the departure of its most successful Dota 2 roster so far, Talon remain committed to competing in the title and are "[looking] forward to a new era" in the next season.
Talon disbands Dota 2 roster after rollercoaster season
Talon's now-former roster came into being last November with the additions of Jabz, Oli, and Sunbhie ahead of the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season, where they rose to become the top team in Southeast Asia and became a solid contender in international tournaments.
Talon was a force to be reckoned with during the Southeast Asian regional leagues, finishing third in the Winter Tour, first in the Spring Tour, and fourth in the Summer Tour.
They also showed a lot of promise against international competition, finishing third in the Lima Major in March, 7th-8th at the ESL One Berlin Major 2023 in May, fourth in DreamLeague Season 20 in June, and third again in Riyadh Masters 2023 in July.
Talon then carried the hopes of Southeast Asia during TI 2023, where they were expected to live up to the promise they showed all season long and make a deep run.
In the Road to The International Group Stage, Talon overcame a 0-4 start in day one to advance to the second phase as the third seed of Group D with a 4-4 record. They then pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament when they defeated three-time Major champions Gaimin Gladiators to secure an upper bracket berth in the Road to The International Playoffs.
However, Talon were quickly knocked down to the lower bracket by Western Europe's Team Liquid and were eliminated by Eastern Europe's BetBoom Team, failing to make it to TI 2023's Main Event and bowed out in 9th-12th place with US$64,456 in consolation.
It was a disappointing end to a rollercoaster of a season for Talon, who have shown flashes of greatness throughout the season but failed to get over the hump when it mattered the most.
The former Talon roster is expected to stay together and play the next season under the banner of a different organisation.
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