The Fighting PandaS have finally found themselves a sponsor.
Croatian esports organization CR4ZY has announced its acquisition of the Fighting PandaS roster. The organization revealed the news in a post on its official website.
“We are very excited to share that CR4ZY will be competing in Dota 2 esports going into the future, after picking up a team known as Fighting PandaS…The team acquisition also means that for the first time in the organization’s history we will be present in North America, as most of our new players are from that region. As we promised, we are just getting started,” CR4ZY said.
The inaugural CR4ZY Dota 2 roster is comprised of the following players:
- Oliver “skiter” Lepko
- Jonathan Bryle “Bryle” Santos De Guia
- Maurice “KheZu”Gutmann
- Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling
- David “MoonMeander” Tan
CR4ZY was previously known as Valiance & Co., rebranding in 2019. The organization is best known for its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team, which has remained competitive near the top of a crowded European regional scene. CR4ZY recently transferred its CSGO roster to c0ntact Gaming, but signed a new roster a month later.
Adding Fighting PandaS comes less than two days before the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor Season 3.
DPC changes after The International 2020 attracting organizations like CR4ZY
Dota 2 is set to undergo a major shakeup after The International 2020. Valve recently announced that minors will be eliminated from the calendar entirely, and there will now be just three majors during the season instead of five.
Filling in those gaps in the calendars will be regional leagues. Established pro players have been torn on whether this change is a good thing for the pro scene, there are some signs that esports organizations are feeling positive about the changes.
Valve hosted a clandestine meeting with top esports executives about the move to get their input on leagues in Dota 2 following The International 2020. Though details are scarce when it comes to the general response, there have been some signals of positivity in the form of outside esports organizations signing new teams.
CR4ZY is the latest example of this, but the biggest is Cloud9.
Though Cloud9 has a long history in Dota 2, the organization is going all-in on its return to the space with the signing of a star-studded new roster that includes former Fighting PandaS players Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao and Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu.
CR4ZY’s journey to The International 2020 is starting with the signing of Fighting PandaS, and the organization will be hoping the team can navigate its way through the event without issue. If CR4ZY makes its Dota 2 debut with a first-place finish at the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor Season 3, it earns a spot in the ESL One Los Angeles Major a week later.
