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Beastcoast, considered to be one of the strongest teams from South America (SA), alongside Evil Geniuses, has had a disappointing run in the recently concluded Dreamleague Season 20. As we head into the Bali Major 2023, beastcoast made a surprising announcement, revealing that it has mutually decided to part ways with its carry player, Héctor "K1" Rodríguez.
While the team’s performance at Dreamleague Season 20 was sub-par, the team still qualified for the Bali Major 2023 which starts soon, making the announcement come as a surprise. Additionally, with K1 leaving the team, beastcoast lose out on valuable DPC points, which means it will require a higher placement at Bali Major 2023 to qualify for The International 12 through DPC points.
K1 has recently had some mental health concerns which prevented him from playing at Dreamleague Season 20, where he was replaced by David "Parker" Nicho Flores. While it was not announced how long he will be on break, beastcoast did mention that Parker will fill in for K1 for the “rest of the season”.
End of an Era: K1 and beastcoast parts ways
In the announcement on Twitter, beastcoast highlights that while the decision was difficult, it was a ‘mutual’ decision to part ways with K1, hinting that both parties wanted to go their separate ways.
Even though K1 did go on a mental health break which led up to his departure from the team, it seems that the player is ready to play in the professional scene once again, as he recently posted that he is looking for a team on his Twitter.
Losing K1 may have a significant impact on the team, as he is considered to be one of the best carry players in the world and has garnered praise from many other professional players in the scene. The announcement may indicate that K1 needed more time off from professional Dota 2 to continue his mental health break, however, there have been no announcements relating the two.
Impact on Beastcoast's Road to The International
K1 Hector's departure from Beastcoast inevitably impacts the team's standing in the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) rankings and its journey toward TI12. As one of the strongest teams in the SA region, Beastcoast had earned a high 1000 DPC points prior to this change. However, with K1 Hector's departure, the team’s tally will be reduced to 800 DPC points after the 20% reduction of removing a player.
While the team is still 11th on the rankings and has a good chance to qualify for TI12, there are situations where the team may be overtaken by others after the Bali Major 2023 if it does not have a decent placement.
Beastcoast bids farewell to K1 Hector, a player who has been an integral part of its roster and the South American Dota 2 scene. As the team ventures into the Bali Major 2023 and looks to secure its place at The International, Parker, the listed replacement for K1, must step up to help the team secure a high placement at the Bali Major 2023. The South American region eagerly watches as Beastcoast strives to rebuild and reinforce its position as a force to be reckoned with in the international Dota 2 scene.
