Last week, Dendi announced he formed a new organization. Now the B8 roster has been revealed. It features some familiar names in the CIS scene and a lesser-known one that is drawing some attention.
Hello guys! We are ready to announce our Dota2 team roster:
Pos 1: Alexandr 'pio65' Zalivako
Pos 2: Danil 'Dendi' Ishutin
Pos 3: Andrey 'Ghostik' Kadyk
Pos 4: Rinat 'KingR' Abdullin
Pos 5: Nikola 'LeBron' PopovićStay tuned and cheer for us!#b8d pic.twitter.com/oKOK5shWsB
— B8 Esports (@B8esportsGG) February 6, 2020
Alexandr “pio65” Zalivako will play in the safe lane. Danil “Dendi” Ishutin will play in the mid lane. Andrey “Ghostik” Kadyk will play in the off lane. Rinat “KingR” Abdullin will play as the position four support. And Nikola “LeBron” Popović will play as the position five support.
Dendi is one of the most known and loved players in the scene. He had a long and decorated career with Natus Vincere, where he won TI 1 and came second in TI 2 and TI 3. He appeared in Free To Play, a documentary about Dota made by Valve in 2014. And he has been the face of Dota ever since. Dendi has also won a whopping five premier tournaments. And he secured a second-place finish at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. His recent performances and results haven’t been amazing. But he’s still one of the best players in the world. And it’s the perfect time to make a comeback.
Ghostik is a staple name in the CIS scene. He is best known for his time with Team Spirit, Team Empire, and The Pango. He broke onto the scene after winning The Uprise Champions Cup Europe 2016. Since then, he has racked up four second-place finishes at decent tournaments and won ROG MASTERS 2017.
KingR is one of the best support players in the CIS region. He played for Team Empire and Gambit Esports. And he has won The Global Grand Masters 2016 and Rivalry Winter Blast 2019.
Lebron joined the Natus Vincere roster in 2018. The team performed well at the GESC: Indonesia Dota2 Minor. After that, they had a bad run and he was removed from the team. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Lebron joined Elements Pro Gaming and won two small tournaments. Then he two more with Aachen City Esports and MR. They weren’t top-tier tournaments. But the victories are a testament to his resilience and skill.
Last but not least, Pio65 is a relatively unknown player. But he has drawn quite a bit of attention since the announcement. He had a good run with Nemiga Gaming. And an even better one with Gentlemen, where he won the Russian eSports Cup 2019.
Expectations aren’t high for the new team. Nobody is expecting them to compete with top-tier teams right out of the gate. But fans, players and organizations are thrilled to have Dendi back in the scene. And with good players around him, who knows what they will accomplish.
The B8 roster will make their debut in the ESL One Los Angeles 2020 CIS Open Qualifiers starting on February 7. If they win, they can become one of two teams to move into the Closed Qualifiers. And then they’ll have a chance to compete against the best teams in the region to qualify for either the major or the minor.
