Neslyn A. June 28, 2019
After its early exit from the Epicenter Major, Fnatic has announced huge roster changes for the upcoming International 2019 event.
Fnatic had a roster shakeup just a few weeks before the big event. It may seem that it’s too late for the team to make such changes, but it’s a risk Fnatic is willing to take.
Noa “MP” Pyo departs from the team leaving the carry position vacant. Meanwhile, support player Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong will step up to fill the new vacancy.
Coach Kim “DuBu” Doo-young will return to the active playing roster as the new captain and support of the team.
MP was part of the post-TI8 roster for Fnatic. Since the start of the 2018-2019 Dota Pro Circuit, he has carried the team to its current footing in the DPC rankings.
Fnatic was the first Southeast Asian team to qualify for The International 2019. The team showcased decent results through the year’s DPC rankings. However, these results went downhill after a strong third-place finish at DreamLeague Season 11.
The 2100 points garnered from the tournament secured Fnatic the direct invite for The International, but Fnatic’s performance in the last two major tournaments played was underwhelming.
The team was quickly eliminated in the first round of the lower bracket from each tournament. Currently, Fnatic ranks seventh in the Dota Pro Circuit Rankings.
The organization explained the reason behind its roster change in a lengthy blog post. Several issues were raised that caused the team’s underperformance, such as problems obtaining visas and passport renewals, failures to adjust to an evolving meta, and a general lack of preparation.
“With lackluster results towards the end, issues with our playstyle have surfaced and after a lengthy discussion with everyone, we feel that we needed a fresh change in our cores' synergy,” Fnatic team manager Eric Khor said.
Fnatic also revealed that not everyone from the team was comfortable with each other’s playstyle. A decision not to add any more new players was finalized after consideration of all available options.
MP will still receive a portion of Fnatic’s prize winnings from The International 2019, which will take place in August.