by After weeks of speculation and reported signings, Evil Geniuses have finally confirmed the completion of their 2023 Dota 2 roster.
The North American esports franchise have recently announced the signing of an all-star South American roster ahead of the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit season.
The franchise made the announcement via their official Twitter page, describing the roster as the future of Dota 2.
Introducing our new EG Dota 2 roster.@Chris_Dota@dota2_panda@pakazgod@matthewdotaaa@Wisper_dota2
The future of Dota 2 is here and it's ours. #LIVEEVIL #VamosEG https://t.co/y4K9UYY0ZY
— Evil Geniuses (@EvilGeniuses) November 23, 2022
The Evil Geniuses Dota 2 roster will officially include in-game leader Farith “Matthew” Huamancaja in position 4, and Jose “Pandaboo” Hernandez in position 5. In position 3 will be Adrián “Wisper” Céspedes Dobles, alongside Jean Pierre “Chris Luck” Gonzales Salazar and Crhistian “Pakazs” Savina in position 2 and 1, respectively.
Pandaboo, Matthew, and Pakazs are all joining the Evil Geniuses from Thunder Awaken. The franchise is undergoing a rebuild after their record-breaking run at the 2022 The International tournament. The trio will be joined by their coach, Juan “Vintage” Angulo Nicho, who will be leading the team in the 2023 season.
Chris Luck and Wisper, on the other hand, are joining Evil Geniuses from the Peruvian esports franchise, beastcoast. Their exit from the franchise led to the breaking up of one of the longest-standing rosters in competitive Dota history.
While the franchise had a great campaign in the regional scene, winning the DPC SA 2021/2022 Tour 1: Regional Final and finishing in second place in both Tour 2: Division 1 and Tour 3: Division 1, they had a poor showing on the international stage.
They finished seventh-eighth in the tournament after losing to PSG.LDG in the lower-bracket third round. The franchise manager, Vitória “Guashineen” Otero, will also be joining the duo at Evil Geniuses in the same capacity.
The Evil Geniuses’ decision to sign a new all-South American roster was born from their poor performance on the international scene, which led to the franchise’s resolve to leave North America for the first time since 2021 and move to the South American esports scene. The franchise recorded a 9th-12th position in both the 2022 PGL Arlington Major and The International.
The previous roster, which included in-game leader Tal Aizik, Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen, Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko, Abed “Abed” Yusop, and Artour “Arteezy” Babaev, was released on November 15 to explore their options.
However, Fly has confirmed that some of the players on the roster will remain together and compete in the upcoming DPC season under a name representing North America. He shared that they would be utilizing the Division I slot that was being used by EG in the 2022 season and thereafter made vacant by their exit.
Having completed their roster for the 2023 DPC circuit, the Evil Geniuses are yet to acquire a Division I slot for the Winter Tour regional league.
It is certain the franchise will not be looking to feature in the Division II league or compete in open qualifiers. Reports have suggested the franchise will take over SD Esports’ slot in the Division I league.
While there are no confirmations of EG getting the slot, SG Esports had recently announced that the franchise will cease their operations.
However, if EG secures the slot, the franchise will be able to compete for DPC Points and possibly an invite for the first Major of the 2023 pro season.
