Two parts of the biggest offseason rumor in Dota 2 have now come true as Thunder Awaken announces the departure of its entire record-breaking roster.
After the confirmed departure of both DarkMago and Sacred, who were confirmed to be joining up with beastcoast after the other top-South American roster broke up its own historical roster, TA was left with just three players from its The International 2022 lineup.
Now those remaining players have exited the roster and become free agents, though it is very likely most fans know where they are going at this point.
This TA roster made Dota history at TI11, becoming the first SA lineup to ever finish in the top six with an incredible run that included arguably the greatest game of the entire tournament. But, with that success came options for the players once the post-TI roster shuffle began.
Related: How Thunder Awaken made Dota 2 history for South America
DarkMago and Sacred were the first to leave, followed by head coach Vintage, and now the remaining three players.
According to multiple reports, Evil Geniuses agreed to a deal with the remaining TA roster once TI11 ended and will be signing Pakazs, Matthew, and Pandaboo to pair with former beastcoast players Chris Luck and Wisper. This deal will see EG exploring its options to compete in SA during the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit after releasing its entire roster in one of the biggest shakeups to ever hit the American regions.
With those reports gaining even more credibility following this move, TA has officially announced the departure of its entire roster, thanking them for the historical year and wishing them the best in their next venture.
“When this new project started last year we dreamed of returning to The International and seeking glory, we are happy to have achieved it with you,” TA chief executive Eduardo Ku Bustios said. “We are very happy to share these achievements and we express our best wishes for your next challenges. The sky is the limit.”
And, while losing such a powerful roster is surely demotivating after only just a year together, TA has no plans to leave the Dota scene. Rather, the org is already working to put together another lineup for the 2023 season out of a growing pool of talented players in the region.
Should EG successfully make the move into SA, it will only continue to grow as a Dota 2 region with even more organizations supporting rosters at the highest level.
Published: Nov 7, 2022 08:03 pm