Solo to compete for 322 years, legendary Dota captain returns to lead HellRaisers

It’s been a complicated year for the Eastern European Dota 2 region since the DPC action was paused due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. With multiple teams having to relocate, HellRaisers (HR) found itself competing for playoff spots and also in a relegation battle.

Though HR got knocked down to the second division, it bounced back to division one. And now, the organization is looking to capitalize on the opportunity with a new roster led by Alexey “Solo” Berezin.

Solo will be accompanied by Nikita “Daxak” Kuzmin, Gleb “depressed kid” Zyryanov, and Vladislav “Antares” Kertman, the org announced today. While bringing in four new players to the roster, HR decided to keep Matvey “MieRo`” Vasyunin in its ranks, an opportunity for the youngster to hone his skills under the leadership of one of the most successful captains in EEU.

While this looks like another powerful EEU stack, the roster also highlights Solo’s willpower to continue playing competitively. At 32 years old, Solo won many LAN events, including majors, between 2015 and 2018. Considering his career almost finished before even starting due to the 322 incident, his consistency becomes even more admirable.

Solo is coming off a rather heated season with NAVI, while Daxak moves onto the HR roster after an impressive stint with BetBoom Team, attending The International 2022. They’ll form the experienced pillar of HR who will have youngsters like depressed kid and Antares depend on them.

Given Solo and Daxak’s experience, HR seems to have a decent formula on paper that can flourish with the right chemistry. Solo’s leadership skills might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but when it’s combined with the right players, it can open the way for Major wins—and his Liquipedia page is a statement of that.