Cover-Credits:
Teams have begun announcing their finalized rosters for the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2022-23, with the roster lock just around the corner. Alliance is the latest European organization to disclose its new roster, which features a fascinating blend of ex-goonsquad members and players relocated from Southeast Asia (SEA). As the offlaner and captain, Gustav "s4" Magnusson returns, while Ng "ChYuan" Kee Chyuan and Remus "ponlo" Goh join as the midlaner and position four respectively. In addition to being the co-founder of Alliance, Jonathan "Loda" Berg will serve as Team Director.
Alliance recruits goonsquad’s players and two SEA players to round out its DPC 2022-23 roster
“This upcoming season we are headed for our favorite combo - East meets West. With two new fierce SEA recruits joining a solid Swedish foundation as we stay close to our roots. We are extremely proud to introduce our new roster,” Alliance said in its blog post.
Alliance’s final roster for the DPC 2022-23:
Charlie "aQua" Arat (also known as "CharlieDota")
Ng "ChYuan" Kee Chyuan
Gustav "s4" Magnusson
Remus "ponlo" Goh
Simon "Handsken" Haag
Leon “Arthur” Lee Wei Yip (Team Principal)
“Gustav will spend the last of his competitive years with us and later on the transition to our performance team to carry on Alliance’s legacy,” Alliance wrote, suggesting that this will be s4's last season as a professional Dota 2 player.
Despite playing for Alliance many times in the past, including a TI win in 2013, s4 rejoins after playing with Handsken last in 2020-21. In regional events during the DPC 2021, the team was a force to be reckoned with, but could not match that performance in international events, which resulted in s4's departure after TI10.
Even though Handsken stayed and assumed the role of captain, he too departed in early January 2022 after a dismal performance in the DPC. Since February 2022, Handsken, s4, and aQua have been playing in goonsquad, and they now move together to Alliance.
As a surprise addition to the trio, ChYuan and Ponlo join the trio. As Alliance explained in its blog, recruiting players from SEA was a natural step forward since they treat Dota 2 as "a religion" and a tribute to their "deeply passionate fans."
Alliance will begin its journey in Division 2 of the first regional league of the DPC 2022-23. As a result of the fusion of two regions, S4 said fans can expect some "fun Dota". In spite of the low expectations from fans, his goal is to change that in the coming year and go far.
Edit note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Alliance won TI in 2023. It has since been rectified.
