Like many multiplayer games, Dota 2 is a teamwork-oriented game, where the esports scene calls for flawless synergy among teammates. Teams that win the Internationals (TI) often don’t have the most notable players in the world. Instead, the power of friendship seemingly worked for most former champs, such as Alliance in TI3, Wings Gaming in TI6, and Team Spirit in TI10.
However, we aren’t talking about any of that fame and glory this time. Hereby lies the five worst Dota 2 roster acquisitions in 2021, period.
Syed “SumaiL” Hassan
Featuring a top-notch prodigy like SumaiL, a TI Champion, on the list of worst Dota 2 roster acquisition might sound absurd. However, SumaiL’s career hasn’t been the same ever since he left his first Dota 2 team, Evil Geniuses.
After serving and immortalizing EG as a Dota 2 Champion for five years, SumaiL finally decided to part ways. Initially, SumaiL joined his brother’s team, the Quincy Crew, but it didn’t take three weeks before Quincy Crew realized they weren’t compatible with SumaiL.
In fact, SumaiL wasn’t compatible with any team besides EG. He went on to become a free agent several times, occasionally trying out with other new teams. Unfortunately, he was met with blunder after blunder. The word about SumaiL being a free agent caught wind even in China, where Chinese powerhouses were even considering having him on the team despite the language barrier.
Eventually, team OG announced they were up for having SumaiL on the roster, alongside Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng and Martin “Saksa” Sazdov. However, even the two-time champion couldn’t adapt to his ludicrous playstyle.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t all bad news for SumaiL as Team Secret became the latest team for SumaiL at the DPC2021-22.
Team Elephant
China needed a candidate strong enough to bring home the Aegis of Champions after failing for three consecutive years. Team Elephant rose to that calling by bringing five seasoned veterans and prodigies under its roof. Namely, there were Xu “fy” Linsen, Lu “Somnus丶M” Yao, Zhang “Paparazi灬” Chengjun, Zhou “Yang” Haiyang, and Xie “Super” Junhao.
Top that portfolio of world-class players with a legendary coach, Bai “rOtK” Fan, and it’s difficult to doubt Elephant’s potential. In fact, Elephant started out as a decent team, managing to overwhelm opponents and break new records in game stats.
Yet, when it came to the Dota Pro Circuit 2021 (DPC2021), Elephant failed to deliver. They missed both majors but managed to earn a spot in TI10, only to fall out at the sixteenth place. If there’s one takeaway after Elephant’s disband is that one man’s fantasy team is not another championship-winning team.
After all was said and done, team Elephant only lasted approximately one year, and put no notable achievements under their belt.
23savage and Vici Gaming
Many Southeast Asian fans hailed Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon as SEA’s finest prodigies in 2019. The player started with his first high-profile team, Fnatic, which showcased his skills more than just your average pubstomper.
In late 2020, Vici Gaming like many Chinese powerhouses is more open to bringing in overseas players to fit their line-up. What initially started as an exciting opportunity for 23savage eventually turned sour in mere months. 23savage flew to China to join his team but returned to SEA just three months after. During that time, the DPC2021 had already begun, leaving 23savage essentially jobless.
While the dire situation that 23savage had, eventually led to him joining T1 and becoming a top seed in TI10, 23savage probably won’t forget his memorable experience playing for VG.
Dendi and B8
Danil “Dendi” Ishutin is the face of Dota 2 for years, and the fans love him. Yet, B8, a team he founded himself? Well, not so much.
B8 entered the Eastern European scene with high hopes and a bandwagon of Dendi fans. However, a line-up with Dendi never really played out well ever since its debut. Even so, B8 still plays in the DPC2021-22 today, albeit still at its worst shape possible. B8 has undergone countless roster shuffles and even held the record for most consecutive losses by a team in Dota 2 history, 24 losses to be exact. While fans have always bashed B8’s poor performance, Dendi never seems to give up on his team.
Thanks to @v1lat for asking the question…
You may have heard of the legendary 28 wins in a row by @newbeecn in 2016 but did you know that @B8esportsGG now has the record for the most game losses in a row (24)?
They topple such legends as FTDC and MUFChttps://t.co/qsujUnTtqM
— Ben Steenhuisen (@Noxville) May 5, 2020
Even when B8 placed last in DPC2021 Lower Division bracket, and would be demoted to open qualifiers. Dendi still insists on keeping his dream team relevant by signing team XactJlepbI, even if he doesn’t get to be on the active roster.
The team registration fiasco never really paid off, considering Dendi’s ownership of B8 was put at stake too. Because B8 even after the massive overhaul, still plays poorly and is in the running for last place at DPC2021-22 again.
Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao
EternaLEnVy is a pro player with a diverse career after playing Dota 2 professionally for almost a decade. Yet, every North American team that EternaLEnVy joins, somehow performs worse and often didn’t take months before EE sees himself out.
Now, EternaLEnVy is by no means a bad player, considering he did reach 10,000 MMR in March 2021. However, his experience and knowledge as a pro player never pay off for any teams hoping to have him as the veteran player. At some point, EE became the poster child of team disbands in NA region.
Sure, the fans bash EE excessively for his frequent team hopping, which not only affects his career but destroys the teams’ outooks. However, if there’s one aspect to praise EE about, is his persistence in the esport he loves. Despite the countless mishaps and presumably bad blood he caused in NA teams, EE never stopped playing Dota 2.
This sums up the five worst Dota 2 roster acquisitions in 2021. Fortunately, life moves on for most featured players on the list, and you might want to keep an eye on rising stars in Dota 2 betting for a change. Otherwise, check out our early draft of next season’s roster shuffles that mind end up on this list a year from today.
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