Winstrike resets Dota 2 roster before Omega League qualifiers

Steven Rondina Published 22/07/2020

Winstrike Team’s Dota 2 woes continue on with yet another big roster shake-up.

The organization has announced the benchings of Stanislav “чикиряу” Yarosevich, Sergey “[T]SA” Timchenko, and Dmitriy “kickeed” Pilyaev. 

They are set to be replaced by Kamil “agressive child” Biktimirov, Maxim “re1bl” Afanasyev, and Andrey “Dukalis” Kuropatkin. The team also added Danial “yamich” Lazebny on loan from Khan. The sole remaining player from the previous Winsrike roster is Vladislav “DkFogas” Frolov.

With that, the new Winstrike roster looks like: 

1. Kamil “agressive child” Biktimirov
2. Maxim “re1bl” Afanasyev
3. Vladislav “DkFogas” Frolov
4. Danial “yamich” Lazebny
5. Andrey “Dukalis” Kuropatkin

Alongside the new roster is a new coach in Timur “Ahilles” Kulmuhambetov.

Winstrike makes this move after a string of underwhelming results. The organization signed a new Dota 2 roster in February after liquidating its previous lineup in December.

That most recent roster looked solid early in its time together, most notably posting a respectable fourth-place finish in Parimatch League Season 2. Things fell off hard from there as the team posted mediocre results in a number of events, with its worst performance being a winless skid in ESL One Birmingham. 

The first sign that the organization wasn’t feeling good about the roster’s long-term potential came in June when it transferred Nikita “young G” Bochko to Natus Vincere. Rebuilding around DkFogas could pay off for Winstrike, but opportunities may be limited for the team.

Winstrike Team still far behind Virtus.pro and CIS’s best

Winstrike first entered into Dota 2 in 2018 and consistently fielded one of the most experienced and talented CIS rosters in the following months. Its roster included former major winners such as Vladimir “RodjER” Nikogosyan and Ilya “Lil” Ilyuk, as well as a number of other top players.

Following the disbandment of its roster in December, Winstrike opted to head in a different direction. This would see it focus on hiring younger talent rather than top free agents. This current roster follows that plan, bringing together players from lesser-known organizations such as Modus Unity, Team Unique, and Khan.

The new Winstrike roster is set to compete in regional qualifiers to the Omega League.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

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