Elephant Parts Ways With Its Entire Roster and Puts Dota 2 Division on Inactive Status
Cover-Credits:
Elephant confirmed that it has disbanded its Dota 2 team after rumors of the same had been circulating for some time now. In a post on Weibo, the organization said that while the contracts of Zhang "Eurus" Chengjun and coach Bai "rOtK" Fan had expired, three other players' contracts were terminated. The lease agreement for the final member Xie "Super" Junhao, who was on loan from Royal Never Give Up, expired and he returned to Royal Never Give Up. Elephant, which fields teams in other esports titles, has also made its Dota 2 division inactive as a part of this change.
Elephant disbands Dota 2 lineup leading most players and their coach to become free agents
Elephant revealed in its Weibo post that after a good deal of discussions they had decided to dissolve their Dota 2 roster.
Elephant’s disbanded Dota 2 lineup:
Zhang "Eurus" Chengjun
Lu "Somnus丶M" Yao
Zhou "Yang" Haiyang
Xu "fy" Linsen
Xie "Super" Junhao
Bai "rOtK" Fan
The contracts of rOtk and Eurus have expired; however, Yang, Somnus丶M, and fy's contracts have been terminated. According to the organization, the termination was free of charge so that the players could move on to new opportunities without any burdens. With the exception of super, who returns to Royal Never Give Up, all other members are now free agents.
The organization added that it tried its best and provided the best financial backing to the players, but the team was unable to live up to the expectations that it had developed, therefore the organization chose to move forward with the decision of disbanding.
It is also important to note that some players are still stuck in Romania, nearly a month after The International 10’s (TI10) conclusion. Elephant, despite parting ways with them, will remain focused on their safe return to China.
Elephant's Dota 2 team dissolves after a difficult year filled with contractual and performance issues. In putting the roster together last year, there were troubles with contacts and finances, but they were eventually resolved. Elephant seemed ready to make some waves, but after a couple of decent performances in Chinese tournaments, the team displayed a lackluster showcasing during the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021. It failed to qualify for both Majors, finishing fifth in both regional leagues. In the end, Elephant made it to The International 10 via the regional qualifier, but there it had a disappointing performance yet again leading to a 13th-16th place finish.
There is no word on whether Elephant will field a new Dota 2 roster in the upcoming regional league. Several rumors have surfaced about the five players joining new teams, but nothing has been confirmed so far. Since the roster lock date for the first league is 21st Nov 2021, the prospects for these veterans will need to move swiftly.
