The casters and analysts for the PGL Arlington Major have been announced, but some fans aren’t happy with the lineup.
Tournament organizer PGL has announced the talent for the Dota 2 Arlington Major. The list includes many iconic casters including Gabriel “Lyrical” Cruz and David “GoDz” Parker. Many newer talents are getting their time to shine at the year’s second-most important Dota 2 event. However, the lack of some recognized names has some fans concerned about the event.
The official list from PGL includes many popular figures in the Dota 2 community. Here are all the casters, analysts, desk hosts, observers, and content creators heading to Texas.
- Nikki “Sajedene” Elise
- Natalie “NatTea” Mahoney
- James Banks
- Jake “SirActionSlacks” Kanner
- Andrew “Jenkins” Jenkins
- David “GoDz” Parker
- Admir “lizZard” Salkanović
- Dominik “Lacoste” Stipić
- Alexandra “Sheepsticked” Roberts
- Trent “TrentPax” MacKenzie
- Shannon “SUNSfan” Scotten
- Gabriel “Lyrical” Cruz
- Gareth “Gareth” Bateson
- Dominik “Black^” Reitmeier
- Lachlan “Ares” Williams
- John “johnxfire” Nathan Fernandez
- Matt “Danog” Joyce
- Benjamin “Bkop” Kopilow
- Mike “MLPDotA” Le Phoenix
- Rikard ‘skrff’ Holm Melin
- Johan “Weppas” Westberg
- PTP
- Steven “Eosin” Cheng
The casters at the Arlington Major are a good mix of established voices with some newer faces. It will be Bkop’s second major commentary gig and his debut in the analyst role. Danog will commentate a Dota 2 major in-person for the first time, and this appears to be the first event for mysterious observer PTP.
Dota 2 fan decry absence of some casters at Arlington Major
While many fans congratulated casters and talent for reaching the Arlington Major, some Dota 2 personalities are notably missing from this list.
The most notable absence is Austin “Cap” Walsh, a frequent face of both majors and the regular Dota Pro Circuit season. He previously commentated and analyzed at ESL One Stockholm and The International 10, so it’s a surprise not to see him. Cap did not confirm if he turned down the opportunity or if it was never offered to him. Instead, he posted on social media to congratulate the casters chosen for the Arlington Major.
Other notable abscences include Avery “SVG” Silverman, who casted throughout the 2021/2022 DPC seasons and ESL One Stockholm. DPC casting duo Kevin “Purge” Godec and Michelle “Moxxi” Songwill also not appear in Texas. None of these personalities have commented on their absence.
Dota 2 casters can miss events for many reasons. It’s possible that the casters turned down an offer, allowing others to take their place. PGL may want to cycle through talent to prevent viewers from seeing the same faces every event. Fans often theorize that personal disputes affect caster lineups, though if there is any bad blood, no one knows except PGL.
