Dendi steps in for Team Secret

After an unexpected departure from his former team, the face of Natus Vincere is finally moving on.

Team Secret used a throwback video from the all-star match at The International 2015 to reveal their newest stand-in. The announcement confirmed the presumption of fans that Danil “Dendi” Ishutin will play for them.

A teaser prior to this announcement hyped the community when Team Secret posted that Clement “Puppey” Ivanov was calling for a friend. The community was quick to speculate that this was a reunion for the legendary duo of Dendi and Puppey.

Dendi carried Na’Vi’s brand for seven years and was the first player to participate in six iterations of The International under one organization. Although Na’Vi lost their dominance throughout the years, Dendi remained a Dota 2 icon.

His departure from Na’Vi felt like a goodbye to his active career in professional gaming. However, he clarified that he is not retiring from the scene just yet. Dendi remains a free agent, but fans might first see more of him subbing in for different teams.

For the upcoming Maincast Autumn Brawl tournament, Dendi will stand in as a mid player for Team Secret, temporarily replacing Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng. Although there is no guarantee that Dendi will be a part of Team Secret’s main Dota 2 roster, his fans are still hoping for him to find prominence on the big stage once again.  

The community is not ready to say goodbye to the famed Pudge player, and thanks to Team Secret, they won’t yet have to.