Dated February 10, 2023, Fnatic’s Twitter posted their intent on departing the Dota 2 competitive scene. Fnatic as an organization has been competing in SEA for over 8 years. It came as a shock to many fans as a high-profile organization leaves the scene. This comes after a lackluster performance in the Division 1 league, where they went 1-6.
In a statement linked to the tweet, the organization thanks its fans for all the support over the years. They also are keeping the squad until the end of their run in the BTS Pro Series. After the BTS tournament, the org commits to assisting the players to find new teams. Another reason they would step away is the sustainability of the players.
Fnatic as an organization has teams in many titles like LoL, CS: GO, Valorant, FIFA, and more. While most of the organization’s esports squads are based in Europe, with the exceptions of R6 in Japan, and Dota 2 in SEA. The cumulative subpar results from Fnatic’s Dota team resulted in this shocking exit.
Starting as a European team, it rose to prominence after the Heroes of Neworth team switched. This team was composed of Fly, n0tail, Trixi, H4nni1, and Era and would represent the organization in TI3 and TI4. After this roster, Fnatic transferred its Dota division to the SEA region.
Fnatic in SEA
Patrik “cArn” Sättermon, Fnatic’s Chief Gaming Officer, flew to Malaysia to expand Fnatic in the SEA region. The goal of making a Dota squad started with an all-Malaysian team. With players like Ohaiyo, Mushi, and kYxY, they began shaky, picking up more runners-up spots than wins.
The team would get their mojo next year with the acquisition of Djardel “DJ” Mampusti. DJ proved to be instrumental to Fnatic’s success, as they posted 5th-6th in both Majors, and reached 4th in TI6.
2016 would be the peak of their TI run, as they posted middling results after that. Performances that get them TI would turn out with low placement, which isn’t enough to keep the team afloat. Even good placements in Majors, Minors, and lower-tier events, do not make up either.
Fnatic will compete in BTS Pro Series, and release their roster afterward. They will compete and disband this roster of players:
- Kim Villafuerte “Gabbi” Santos
- Armel Paul “Armel” Tabios
- Damien “kpii” Chok
- Djardel “DJ” Mampusti
- Jaunuel “Jaunuel” Arcilla
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