nouns disband Dota 2 roster after surprise run at TI 2023

The International 2023 breakout team was definitely nouns, but the North American roster has already announced a disband.

The International 2023 was full of storylines but North American fans likely consider the success of nouns to be the most exciting one. The third-ranked team in the North American DPC managed to earn a top-eight finish thanks to a surprise upset over reigning champion Tundra Esports.

However, just weeks following the big win, the squad has announced its intention to split up.

Why did nouns disband so quickly?

The statement was revealed on November 5, 2023, through nouns’ official social media channels. The post was brief, simply thanking the players for the time and expressing an interest in sponsoring a new team for 2024.

Its worth noting that the nouns DAO immediately clarified that the decision was made by the team, not the sponsor. The five players themselves chose to disband.

This is doubly surprising considering nouns stellar performance at The International 2023, where the team took home $80,467 from an eighth-place finish.

The players could be cooking up something huge for the 2024 season.

After nouns disband, where will the players go?

Based on the strange disband timing and the recent success of Quinn Callahan, nouns’ former roster could look for new competitive opportunities abroad.

This theory is most practical for Rodrigo “Lelis” Santos and Héctor “K1” Rodríguez, who are from Brazil and Peru respectively. It’s possible that they would move back to South America to complete in that region’s circuit. The two previously played for SA teams with K1 leaving the region just this year.

As for the rest of the squad, there’s a decent chance that they either reform a full North American stack or leave for greener pastures. Mid Nicolas “Gunnar” Lopez has an X-factor as a popular streamer and content creator while David “Moo” Hull has raised eyebrows with an unusual but effective hero pool.

It’s hard to imagine Luke “Yamsun” Wang leaving North America given his history, but it’s also on the table. 

The most likely outcome is the team splintering off into different stacks with two or three staying as the core of a new team. Given nouns’ stated interest in a 2024 team, they could wind up playing in the same jerseys.