Steven R. June 28, 2019
A fan favorite Dota 2 team has made a surprise return to the game.
Ahead of The International 2019 qualifiers, Greek esports organization Ad Finem has returned to Dota 2 and reunited much of its original roster. The news was announced on Twitter.
Ad Finem was one of the breakout stars of Dota 2 in 2016. Long a middling team that competed mostly in smaller European tournaments, the squad shocked the esports world by upending the likes of Team Secret and Team Liquid to qualify for the Boston Major.
That was a big win on its own, but the team exceeded all expectations by making a surprise run to the grand finals of the event. They ultimately landed in second place after falling to OG, but established themselves along the way as a legitimate force in the game and won the hearts of fans with crafty plays and over-the-top reactions on camera.
The players split from Ad Finem in the months that followed and signed on with Mousesports, but they never again reached a height close to that Boston Major performance. They were among the first teams eliminated from the Kiev Major and struggled to qualify for prominent tournaments from there. The Greek roster disbanded in late 2017.
The players have since periodically popped up in a number of other organizations, but earlier this year former Ad Finem players Dimitris "ThuG" Plivouris, Kharis "SkyLark" Zafeiriou, and Giorgos "SsaSpartan" Giannakopoulos began competing in European qualifiers for tournaments under the name SexyAsF. Omar "Madara" Dabasas soon followed and the four of them rebranded as Ad Finem.
The only player unaccounted for is Verros "Maybe Next Time" Apostolos. The former roamer and support player was last seen playing for Vega Squadron’s now defunct European team and has not competed in a pro game since February. Replacing him is a newcomer in Sakis "EmptY" Kartsabas.
With Team Secret, Team Liquid, OG, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Alliance all set to compete at The International 2019, the team has a real shot to punch a ticket to the event through the European qualifiers. It has not yet been announced where Ad Finem’s qualifier run will begin.
The open qualifiers begin on July 3, with the closed qualifiers following on July 8.