Epic League Divison 2 takes hit after 5men suddenly disbands

Fariha Bhatti Published 20/11/2020

After nearly 5 months of playing together, Dota 2 team 5men has officially disbanded. The announcement was made by Epic Esports Entertainment, the organizer behind EPIC League and the Epicenter event series, in a Twitter post. Former team captain Rasmus “Misery” Filipsen commented on the decision:

The 5MEN has gone their seperate ways. Thanks to all the people who supported us through our run. I am not going anywhere though, still looking to compete and i will start streaming a bit the coming months. :)
— Rasmus Filipsen (@MiSeRyDOTA) November 18, 2020

At the time of the disbandment, the team was competing in the EPIC League Division 2. Due to the circumstances, 5men will be given default losses for every game in Division 2. 5men’s lineup at the time of disbandment included the following players:

Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard
Rasmus “Chessie” Blomdin
Andreas Per “Xibbe” Ragnemalm
Rasmus “MISERY” Filipsen
Johan “pieliedie” Åström

The team’s former mid-laner Rasmus Johan “Chessie” Blomdin shed a bit more light on the situation:

“5men is no more, the motivation in the team was really low and I am honestly impressed with the results we had despite lack of practice. Thanks to the team for the run! I am excited for the future and will be looking for a new team to sink my teeth into,” Chessie said.

The stack was initially formed by former members of OG.Seed and Cloud9, and looked like a serious threat early on in its existence. In its short life, 5men qualified for the OMEGA League Immortal division and defeated the likes of Natus Vincere and Alliance during the tournament’s group stage. The team’s form plummeted shortly after, as the lineup looked outmatched against Europe’s premier teams. The team failed to qualify for the primary EPIC League tournament, and was relegated to the second division.

The group’s disbandment was met with some criticism due to it happening so early into the tournament. 5men qualifying for EPIC League’s lower division came at the expense of active teams such as Team Unique and HellRaisers. Those teams hypothetically could have taken their spot had 5men made this decision before the event started.

It is currently unknown where the former 5men players will be continuing their respective careers, but all five players are active veterans who will likely look to stick around in the scene.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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