Fnatic has announced the addition of two new players - Armel Paul "Armel" Tabios and Jaunuel "Jaunuel" Arcilla - to its Dota 2 roster. For the past few weeks, rumors have surfaced regarding these two players joining Fnatic, and now Fnatic has confirmed them through its social media accounts, stating that Armel and Jaunuel will be playing as position two and position five respectively. Armel and Jaunuel replace Ng "ChYuan" Kee Chyuan and Yang "Deth" Wu, who recently parted ways with the team. Anucha "Jabz" Jirawong, who previously played as the position four player for Fnatic, will now play as the offlaner while Djardel Jicko B. "DJ" Mampusti switches to the position four role.
Fnatic rounds out its Dota 2 roster with Armel and Jaunuel
“Signing Armel and Jaunuel is a massive boost to our Dota team. They are two of the best talents not only in the Philippines but in Southeast Asia in general and the thought of working with them is just truly exciting,” wrote Fnatic in a blog post.
The updated Fnatic Dota 2 lineup:
Armel Paul "Armel" Tabios
Marc Polo Luis "Raven" Fausto
Anucha "Jabz" Jirawong (captain)
Djardel Jicko B. "DJ" Mampusti
Jaunuel "Jaunuel" Arcilla
Lee "SunBhie" Jeong-jae
Armel and Jaunuel join Fnatic after spending considerable time with their previous teams, TNC Predator and OB.Neon. Armel joined TNC Predator in early 2018 and left in Sept 2021 when the entire roster was released. Jaunuel was a member of OB.Neon from early 2020 until today when he departed from the team. Armel's best finish with TNC Predator was first place at the MDL Chengdu Major in 2019, while Jaunuel's best finish with OB.Neon came at the Singapore Major 2021 where the team placed 5th-6th.
Fnatic, meanwhile, has reorganized its roster around DJ and Jabz, while Raven remains as the carry. DJ has, however, moved to his classic position four role, a change that many in the community considered necessary to maximize the player’s potential in recent months. Jabz, who has the talent to play multiple roles, has been entrusted to perform the duties of an offlaner and a captain.
The Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021 was a tumultuous season for Fnatic with roster changes and performance drops. Even though the team managed to qualify for The International 10 (TI10) via the regional qualifier, its performance at Dota 2's biggest event remained unimpressive, finishing 9th-12th.
With hopes of a turnaround in DPC 2021-22, Fnatic has, like most times, formulated a lineup that includes most players with high reputations and track records. As a group, however, what they accomplish remains to be seen. Fnatic's new roster will officially debut at the Southeast Asian Winter Tour of the DPC 2021-22 which begins on 1st Dec 2021.
