SoNNeikO returns to Natus Vincere for TI10 qualifiers

William Davis Published 29/05/2021

No matter how many times he leaves, Natus Vincere can’t stay away from Akbar “SoNNeikO” Butaev for long.

On May 25, Na’Vi’s Dota 2 squad emptied out AS Monaco Gambit’s roster for SoNNeikO and Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko. This is the fifth time SoNNeikO has joined Na`Vi. The move comes after a disappointing sixth-place finish in the ESL CIS Dota Pro Circuit League’s upper division. The transfer was finalized ahead of WePlay AniMajor and will allow him to compete for Na’Vi in The International 10 Eastern Europe qualifiers.

SoNNeikO is one of the most experienced captains in Eastern Europe. He first joined Na`Vi as a temporary player in 2015 before the squad was let go after failing to qualify for the Boston Major. He rejoined four days later. SoNNeikO’s captaining prowess is highly valued by Na`Vi, as he’s left the team four times in the past. Career highlights include Na’Vi’s surprise qualification for The International 2019 and Na’Vi’s strong 2016, which was arguably the team’s best year since dropping Clement “Puppey” Ivanov in 2014. 

SoNNeikO is famous for his incredibly quick and precise camera control. It’s an odd skill to specialize in, but it plays a big role in his mobile defensive style. Even an experienced Dota 2 player can feel bewildered watching his player perspective. 

Natus Vincere made the controversial decision to replace off laner Viktor “GeneRaL” Nigrini with Russian super-star Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev in April. The carry-turned-offlaner is known for taking an active role in his team’s leadership. Considering SoNNeikO’s history as a traditional support captain, it will be interesting to see the team’s strategic development.

Natus Vincere’s DPC performance didn’t earn them a slot at the $500,000 WePlay AniMajor. Instead, the CIS region will have Virtus.pro start in the playoffs, Team Spirit debut in the group stage, and AS Monaco Gambit look to fight through the wildcard stage with two stand-ins. 

Na`Vi will compete against a number of other teams in a closed qualifier for The International 10. The event’s $40,018,195 prize pool is the biggest in esports history. The tournament was scheduled to take place in 2020 but was indefinitely postponed along with the rest of the Dota Pro Circuit. The Dota 2 yearly finale will start on August 5 at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm. 

Read Also

Dota 2

ESIC hand down ruling in EWC Dota match-fixing case: Lifetime ban for coach as DarkMago gets a nickel Michael Hassall South American Dota 2 player Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera will be banned for five years from competitive Dota 2, with his coach Juan "Vintage" Angulo banned permanently, following the results of an The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) investigation. ESIC handed down the findings and rulings from its investigation into match-fixing allegations leveled at members of South American Dota 2 team PlayTime during the Esports World Cup on Sep. 10, in a ...

News

Polystrike Turns a Dota 2 Mod Into a Standalone Tactical Shooter Hannan Mundia After the community-made mod found success within the community, developer and publisher Robin Entertainment has decided to turn Polystrike into a proper standalone game. Community-made mods of games finding success within the respective game’s community is nothing new. However, only a handful of those mods are able to go on and become a standalone game. One of the more recent examples is The Forgotten City, which started as a mod ...

Dota 2

Team Spirit wins TI15 to lift a record third Aegis of Champions Michael Hassall Team Spirit has defeated TEAM VISION in the grand finals of TI15, The International 2025. In a full five-game series on Aug. 23, Spirit pulled out all the stops and narrowly defeated an incredible VISION team in a back-and-forth series in Shanghai, China. With Spirit’s victory, Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk and Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov become the first ever three-time TI champions, and Team Spirit becomes the first ever organization to lift ...

Dota 2

The International 2026 (TI15) Finals Preview and Predictions Michael Hassall The International 2026, TI15, has reached its final day, and just three teams remain in the fight for the Aegis of Champions. With the lower bracket final and Grand Final still to come, everything comes down to one final day of Dota 2 action. The lower bracket finalists will first battle for the right to reach the main event’s final series, while the winner will advance to face the upper-bracket ...

Dota 2

TI15’s opening ceremony weaves a tapestry of emotion for Valve’s storied title Michael Hassall The main stage of The International 2026, TI15, kicked off today with the traditional opening ceremony heralding the start of the biggest celebration of Dota 2 on the calendar. On Aug. 20 fans in Shanghai, China, and at home, were treated to a rousing 11-minute series of performances and video packages, introducing TI15’s main stage show. Here’s how the magic unfolded: The ceremony began with a graphic which quite literally ...

Dota 2

The International 2026 (TI15) Playoffs preview and predictions Michael Hassall The Group Stage of The International 2026, TI15, is in the books and we’ve whittled down 16 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams to just eight finalists. One of these talented lineups will be the ones lifting the Aegis of Champions come Sunday, Aug. 23, but until then, there’s plenty of playoff shenanigans that could go on. Below we’ve put together a preview of the upcoming Playoff Games, along ...

News

The Esports Nations Cup Has Been Postponed to November 2027 Ben Boland The 2026 Esports Nations Cup has been suspended until 2027. The Esports Foundation announced the delay on August 18, citing ongoing regional uncertainty. The inaugural competition was scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, comprising over 100 national teams and featuring 16 different games, including League of Legends. According to the Esports Foundation, this decision follows ongoing developments in the region and consultation with key stakeholders. Moving the event ...