Natus Vincere (NAVI) have officially announced the signing of the PuckChamp roster, marking the organisation’s return to professional Dota 2 after moving their previous roster to inactive status in October 2024. According to NAVI, assembling a competitive team in the current environment has been challenging, but PuckChamp’s victory in the Eastern European closed qualifiers for ESL One Bangkok 2024 showcased the team’s potential.
The roster consists of:
- Indji "Shad" Lub (Netherlands)
- Sukhbat "sanctity-" Otgondavaa (Mongolia)
- Miroslav "BOOM" Bičan (Czech Republic)
- Vitaliy "QBFY" Ivanov (Ukraine)
- Oleh "Kaori" Medvedok (Ukraine)
- Vitaliy "Sword_Art" Petkin (coach, Ukraine)
Notably, three members of this roster, including coach Sword_Art, have previously represented NAVI.
ESL One Bangkok 2024, scheduled to take place from 9–15 December in Thailand, will be the first major test for the renewed roster. The tournament will feature 12 top teams competing for a $1 million prize pool.
Meanwhile, Aurora Gaming player Arman "Malady" Orazbayev shared insights into what he considers the biggest mistake of his career during the Mirror Image #2 podcast:
"When we played for HellRaisers, we had a strong lineup: Watson, re1bl, MieRo, Gilgir, and me. But after the team disbanded, I refused to keep playing with Watson because I wasn’t impressed by his performance in the qualifiers. In the end, he became one of the best players, and I lost the chance to be part of that journey. I was young and wanted to explore other opportunities, but now I realise it was a mistake."
Malady and Watson played together in HellRaisers from late 2021 to 2022. After parting ways, their careers took vastly different paths: Malady participated in only two major tournaments, while Watson attended 11 top-tier events, including two The Internationals and two Riyadh Masters, representing teams such as Entity, Cloud9, and Gaimin Gladiators.
The signing of PuckChamp under NAVI’s banner and Malady’s candid reflections highlight how decisions in esports can shape a player’s career. With a fresh roster and renewed ambitions, NAVI aim to reclaim their former glory on the international stage.