CEO Natus Vincere Yevhen Zolotarov shared some information regarding new Dota 2 roster. Two months ago the entire roster went inactive. Newborn team:

  • Sonneiko - captain
  • Crystallize - carry
  • Magical - mid
  • Blizzy - offlane
  • ? - TBA

The whole interview text:

Basically, we considered three options: the first one was to build a team around a captain. The second was to acquire separate players who mesh well together and can share leadership responsibilities, and also, in the process, we had a third option of signing an active roster. I'll talk about each option starting with forming a roster from individual players, it's like a "make your own team" puzzle, we discarded it first, because it's too risky. There's no guarantee the players would have good chemistry, similar attitude towards Dota and life, and be able to coexist. Which is important since a Dota team might live together for up to 2-3 weeks a month, they are like a family to each other. Right now, we can't afford to take those kinds of risks.

Regarding the already existing roster, we had considered such an option, we discussed it actively. We were in constructive talks with VGJ.Storm, but this option turned out to have a lot of pitfalls mostly concerning logistics. Since most of their players live in the US and their new coach lives in Canada. So in our situation with the season starting in the middle of September, there were certain doubts as to which Regional Qualifiers they'd be able to play in, if it'd be possible to switch regions as there were no explicit rules regarding this in the DPC regulations. So the future was uncertain regarding the region choice. Also, the team wanted to make sure they'd keep their manager. This may seem like a small detail, but for me, it's very important, because this way and with this structure, I'd have no control over them. The team would be kind of left on their own.

Considering all those things, we decided to build a team around a strong leader and captain. I won't make you wait, this person is Akbar Sonneiko Butaev, you all know him well. He's the guy with unquestionable talent and leadership qualities. Considering the unsatisfactory results of the NAVI Dota 2 roster over the last three years, the bright spots were when Akbar was part of the team. Regarding the roster itself, it's currently 80% complete. Apart from Akbar as position 5, Vlad Crystallize stays on the team, he will continue playing the carry role. Our mid laner is going to be a young and yet relatively unknown high MMR player - Magical. Regarding offlane, we have agreed a deal for the transfer of Blizzy from Vega Squadron. At the moment, the position 4 support remains vacant. We are going to test out different players, and once we find the final candidate, or there's any news as to who will be joining the guys at the bootcamp on September 10, we'll be sure to announce it.

As for the guys who didn't make the roster and the staff who works with the team, I'll comment on each of them starting with the coach. We had a contract with XBOCT until August, obviously, it has expired. We agreed to meet after TI and discuss the possibility of prolongation. During the recent conversation, it became apparent that XBOCT's interests have slightly changed, and he won't be able to fully commit to the job of team coach, so we won't continue to work together in the coach-club context. However, this doesn't mean we will not cooperate in some other ways. Sanya is a legend and an integral part of NAVI, and we'll surely keep our good relations moving forward. Regarding the new coach, we're willing to consider candidates for the position. Anyone who might be interested in trying out as NAVI coach, feel free to contact the manager - Igor Caff. The sole condition is that this person must either be a current or former pro player. Again, given that it is Igor you need to message regarding the coach's position, it's probably clear that he will be remaining as team manager. From an administrative point of view, I'm totally satisfied with his work. All players who have worked with Igor know that he's a very comfortable and a pleasant person to work with, and is always on top of things. He does his job 100%. As for our analyst, Dima. I'm completely satisfied with his work, too. Some might make jokes about how I can be satisfied considering the results. The thing is, it wasn't about what information he provided, but rather how that information was absorbed and used eventually. There have been a lot of issues with that, but he's done an immense amount of work. Of course, I absolutely want Dima to stay with the team, however, his physical and emotional exhaustion is taking a toll. He's still deciding if he's ready for another season of such a challenge.

Speaking of the players who didn't make it into the roster. Formally, all of them still have active contracts with NAVI. But in fact, their situations are very different. There's Velheor who has been on the team for a couple of months and is still on a trial period; and there's Dendi who is basically a whole era in the history of the club, which he has dedicated 7 years to, and for many, he's directly associated with the brand. So regarding their future and help in finding a team, we'll be taking an individual approach: someone might become a free agent, while some will be provided help in transferring to another team. 

In conclusion, I want to say that this has been an incredibly difficult decision to make for both the organization and me personally, and I want to ask the fans and the community as a whole to support the team and new players. Especially considering that they're young guys and having to deal with the unnecessary pressure from the public won't do them any good now. We'll keep you updated as more information regarding the roster and coaching staff becomes available.

Love y'all! Cheer for NAVI.