The Dota 2 environment may be completely upended since what was once speculation has apparently become fact. For the first time in its illustrious history with the game, Evil Geniuses is prepared to release their complete Dota 2 lineup and relocate outside of North America.
According to independent journalist Kenny Utama, EG will eventually let go of its unmovable core of Arteezy and Cr1t- in order to relocate to South America for the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit.
What is actually going on?
The team will reportedly sign the new Thunder Awaken lineup, which basically swaps two players with beastcoast in one of SA's biggest roster transfers in years. The whole 2022 roster for EG will be announced, including coach BuLba. Pakazs, Matthew, Pandaboo, Chris Luck, and Wisper are said to be on that cast.
Darkmago and Sacred are apparently going to Beastcoast, and Wisper and Chris Luck will join the TA roster as part of that team's own rebuild, thus exchanging key players from the two top SA teams.
Additionally, if the entire TA squad quits TA to sign with EG, another organization will have to sign a different roster, providing more of SA's up-and-coming talent a chance to shine with a powerful organization supporting them going into the following season.
The International 2022 and the preceding season as a whole look to have been the last trials that EG's administration was ready to put any iteration of the lineup it has held since November 2016 to. The squad was able to remain stable going into the group stage of TI11 thanks to the return of Fly after less than a year without the iconic leader, but the flameout still occurred following an 0-4 double elimination in the playoffs.
In the event that this occurs, five elite players from EG will be made available for other teams to sign. Abed might relocate back to Southeast Asia, Fly is a seasoned captain who can support stable teams, and Nightfall is rumored to be establishing a new stack in Europe with Pure and Save-. Arteezy and Ct1t- haven't been on the market since 2016.
According to Utama, roster changes for TA began almost immediately after the team ended its SA-record-breaking fifth-place run at TI11. Before hiring orgs for the upcoming DPC season, this included purchasing Chris Luck and Wisper from Beastcoast.
In contrast to TA's offer to keep the team's main players and rumored proposals from Alliance, Nigma, and Cloud9—the latter of which made an offer despite not having participated in Dota since 2020—EG apparently won the auction and verbally agreed with the team earlier today.
What’s next for Evil Geniuses?
In place of the NA DPC for the 2023 season, EG wants to keep that roster located in South Africa. But if it wants to immediately fight for a spot at the season's first Major, it must still buy a spot in the higher bracket of the SA DPC.
There is no word on whether the squad would be willing to compete in the lower bracket of SA's regional league or if EG would transfer the team to NA in the event that an upper bracket spot wasn't available or if other issues arose. In any case, this will be the largest domino to fall for NA's offseason, and it will mold the whole region for the 2023 DPC.
