Every time The International ends, some teams are put to rest and new ones are formed. Organizations also determine whether they will stay in the #Dota2 environment in addition to changing their rosters, and #PolarisEsports appears to have made this decision, at least temporarily.

Meanwhile, the inevitable has happened for another organization, as #T1 has now confirmed that their Dota 2 lineup has been dissolved after The International 2022 and in front of a likely withdrawal from the professional scene.

Polaris Esports Situation

The Dota 2 team that included John #Natsumi Vargas, Mc #Lelouch Villanueva, Nikko #Force Bilocura, Marvin #Xavius Rushton, and Nico #eyyou Barcelon has been parted ways with by Polaris Esports, the company said today. Polaris Esports posted on Twitter, “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the team and players’ mutual separation. “Even if they are not with us, we wish our brothers the best.”

Polaris Esports was eliminated from the tournament after earning a berth in the top bracket of the TI11 Last Chance Qualifiers thanks to an upset victory over Wildcard Gaming in the opening round.

However, the team’s abrupt departure from TI11 didn’t appear to have weakened their resolve, as former Polaris players went on to win the Asia Pacific Predator League 2022 and pocket $75,000 as a collective team. The competition included well-known SEA players like TNC Predator and Excecration, and Polaris’ nearly faultless performance demonstrated their resilient post-TI attitude.

The former-Polaris team may elect to stay together given that they recently won a tournament together two days previous to hearing this news. As a result, they have two options: either they search for a new organization wanting to add a Dota 2 team, or they begin the upcoming DPC season without a squad.

The majority of companies like supporting teams around important tournaments in the realm of Dota 2 esports. This enables them to ensure brand exposure, and the majority of contracts typically end after The International each year. Although it may seem unfit for the scene, this practice has been widespread in the Dota 2 community since the game’s inception.

The End of Team1

Following the resignation of head coach March and captain Kuku on October 24—the latter’s contract having expired—it took little under a month for the decision to be made public.

This was nearly a given given Kuku’s departure and the announcements made by his former Geek Fam comrades Whitemon and Xepher that their contracts with the company had ended. Although there was still room for discussion, it appears that T1 management has chosen to abandon the core that helped the company achieve its first Dota victory after carefully assessing its choices.

This indicates that ana is once again a free agent after a brief spell with the squad, joining the ex-Geek Fam trio. His performance with T1 over the course of two months was not quite up to the level that some fans had anticipated seeing from the two-time TI winner. But if he wants to keep competing, he is now free to look into other options.

When Topson joined the team before to the TI11 regional qualification, he was officially acting as a stand-in for his old OG colleague. Although his contract has now reverted to OG’s inactive roster, he will likely be free to sign with another team for the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit unless OG intends to add him in some way to its current squad.

As the addition of Whitemon, Xepher, and Kuku during the 2021 DPC season propelled the organization to the top of Southeast Asia, this does officially signal the end of T1’s first genuine “period” in Dota. That trio won the ESL One Summer 2021 championship and eventually placed in the top seven at TI10 with a diverse composition of frontline players.

Unfortunately, the team’s attempt to change things up as a result of a sluggish season in a location with few resources didn’t work out. The organization may be trying to move on from the game as reports have indicated that Bleed eSports may be obtaining T1’s spot in SEA’s Division I for the upcoming DPC season. Missing out on TI11 was simply too much of a loss.