After leaving Evil Geniuses Dota 2 team just three months ago, Saahil “UNiVeRsE” Arora and Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg will be returning to the roster for the International 6.
The move is hardly surprising, considering that EG’s previous offlaner Kanishka “BuLba” Sosale left the team on June 9, following a last-place finish at the Manila Major. It was also rumored that Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling would not be part of the roster after the team’s disastrous performance in Manila. With the addition of UNiVeRsE and zai, Aui_2000 has been dropped from the roster, as their addition leaves little room for the Canadian carry.
This is not the first time Aui_2000 has been released from Evil Geniuses. After contributing to the team’s victorious run at the International 5, Ling was removed just six days after winning the $18 million event. His initial removal was predicated on the fact that he, allegedly, wasn’t efficient with his in-game communication. This time around the reason undoubtedly leans more towards his own lacklustre performances with the roster.
Being removed from an organization twice within the span of year is almost unheard of. Something Evil Geniuses’ own statement specifically mentions:
“Kurtis is a great player and a great person, and he deserves better than to be removed from the same organization twice within a year. That’s not how we like to do things around here, and it’s not something we’re at all proud of or take lightly. After discussing the situation with him extensively, we’ve come to a good resolution that will compensate him appropriately for the lost time and opportunities that this situation takes from him. It’s about as happy an ending as you could hope for in a bad situation. We’re parting ways on good terms, and we wish him the best.”
Aside from the obvious implications this roster swap may have on the team’s performance, this move may very well affect EG’s presence at the International 6. Due to the roster locks put in place by Valve, any tampering with a roster following the deadline results in an automatic forfeit of any direct invitation.
The team themselves acknowledge this in their statement, and are willing to participate in the tournament’s open qualifiers which are set to start on June 18.
Published: Jun 13, 2016 12:31 pm