Aurora Benches Armel

The midlaner for Southeast Asian (SEA) Dota 2 team Aurora, Armel "Armel" Tabios, has been moved to the inactive roster. The announcement was made through Aurora's social media networks. This update comes days after the team performed in DreamLeague Season 22 with Artem "lorenof" Melnick as its stand-in midlaner. At that time, it was announced that Armel would be unable to play the event due to personal commitments and it was subsequently revealed that the player had become a father. In light of Aurora's intermittent patches of top-tier performances during DreamLeague Season 22, lorenof is likely to be the team's new midlaner, although the replacement has not yet been announced.

Aurora moves Armel to the inactive roster ahead of Elite League

“Armel will be moved to the benched position. Thank you for all the games and emotions you gave us dad Armel,” Aurora announced on Twitter.

Following Armel's move to the inactive lineup, Aurora's Dota 2 roster now includes the following players.

1. TBD

2. Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon

3. Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong

4. Worawit “Q” Mekchai

5. Chan “Oli” Chon Kien

Armel has been with Aurora since the organization signed the Dota 2 roster in November 2023. He was a member of Secret at the time, but he parted ways with it to join this group of former Talon Esports players.

The team, as the premier team in Southeast Asia last year, hasn't had the best start to the 2024 competitive season, failing to qualify for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 and ESL One Birmingham 2024, while qualifying for DreamLeague Season 22 following a tough series. During BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024, the team was among the poorest performers, concluding the event in the 9th-12th position.

However, Aurora had one of the strongest starts at DreamLeague Season 22 with lorenof as the stand-in, taking the Dota 2 community by storm with exemplary performances.

Surprisingly, there was a 180-degree flip in the second stage of DreamLeague Season 22, when the team flopped and was eliminated despite several tight series. The biggest positive from the event was undoubtedly how well it performed early, with lorenof showing the ability to lead from the midlane. He not only won lanes but also continued to be a match winner with 23savage.

This makes his joining Aurora imperative. On the other hand, Armel's future plans on whether he will take an extended break to spend more time with his family remains to be seen. Aurora is set to compete in Elite League from 31st March 2024. The team received a direct invite to the event’s swiss stage.