Dota 2 icon Danil “Dendi” Ishutin is back in the lanes with a new team, but they will be competing a long way from home in 2023.
Dendi has announced a new B8 Dota 2 roster to compete in the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit season. The lineup is a mix of up-and-coming players and experienced veterans such as Dendi himself. The team will be competing in North America, which is a drastic change compared to the team’s previous stomping grounds.
The new B8 team was revealed through the team’s official social media channels late on December 8, 2022. The full lineup has already been shared along with the shock announcement of the team’s move to North America.
B8 previously competed in Eastern Europe but was relegated out of the division in the first tour with an 0-7 record. It failed to gain entry to the third tour through the open qualifiers. The International 2022 showed that North America is massively less competitive than Eastern Europe, which probably spurred the transition.
The team has been announced with the following players in order of farm priority:
Dendi himself, who needs no introduction, will once again compete from the middle lane. His fellow core StoneBank previously played carry for DogChamp, another NA DPC stack. Hard support Lodine is more of an up-and-comer, but he previously stacked and pulled for Nemiga, Chillax, and DGG.
Offlaner Funn1k is probably the second-most recognized player on the new team after Dendi himself. The veteran initiator placed second at The International 2013 with Dendi on Natus VIncere and has been a major player on Team Empire, Hellraisers, Team Spirit, and several other EEU teams. Peruvian player MoOz rounds out the roster with experience from Thunder Predator and Lava.
It’s difficult to predict how the new B8 roster will perform, but based on its players’ resumes, it will likely maintain a spot somewhere in the Dota Pro Circuit. The lower division is all but guaranteed, and the constant flux of the region’s upper division could give it a chance to shine. Whether they win or not, the massive legion of Dendi fans will doubtlessly show up in Twitch chat to support the new team.
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