When Dendi formed his own team, B8, three years ago, the Dota 2 legend had certainly passed his prime, but fans had high hopes for the TI winner, longing for him to return to the top. Sadly for them, that wasn’t the case.
In the DPC 2021: Season One CIS Lower Division, they finished last with one win and six losses. They fared slightly better in the DPC 2021: Season Two Eastern Europe Lower Division, finishing sixth with three wins and four losses, but then bottomed out again in the DPC EEU 2021/2022 Tour One: Division Two, finishing last with zero wins.
That wasn’t their lowest point, either. They failed to qualify for the DPC EEU 2021/2022 Tour Three. Then, after controversially moving to North America to compete in the DPC NA 2023 Tour One: Division One, they finished last again.
Through it all, they’ve never managed to score a single DPC Point, or even appear anywhere in the DPC Rankings. That finally changed in the DPC NA 2023 Tour Two: Division One.
B8 ended the split with three wins and four losses after an intense tiebreaker series to determine fourth to sixth, nabbing fifth, along with 40 DPC Points to boot.
It might not seem like much in the grand scheme of things. It puts them in 32nd on the ladder so far, and they’re still more than 400 DPC Points off a TI qualification spot. But for a start-up Dota 2 organization that’s struggled to put any on the board for several years, it means there’s finally been some progress.
It’s not something you’ll hear them brag about—not even Dendi, who is known for his optimism. Still, after roster shuffles and poor results, it’s a welcome change and could be a sign B8 still has a place in the upper echelons of the competitive scene.
Now let’s just hope it’s not as long a wait for their next DPC points.
Published: Apr 4, 2023 10:11 pm