Cover-Credits:
In the aftermath of The International 11 (TI11), OG made a single roster change as Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf left the team. It came about due to the team's need to bring an offlaner with a different playstyle and as a result Virtus.pro's Dmitry "DM" Dorokhin was selected. In a recent podcast with Oleksii "STORM" Tumanov, Team Spirit's Dota 2 manager Dmitry "Korb3n" Belov revealed OG had also considered Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov and Jonáš "SabeRLight-" Volek for the position three role. However, DM was chosen as the final candidate, which Korb3n thought was a great option since he is from Eastern Europe (EEU), like OG's captain Mikhail "Misha" Agatov.
Collapse and SabeRLighT- were considered for the offlaner position by OG
ATF was moved to the inactive roster not long after TI11, suggesting OG would hire a new offlaner. The team released the player who then went on to join Nigma Galaxy. Following this, a few days later, DM was announced as the new offlaner
By the time DM's announcement came about, there had already been rumors swirling around the same, but Korb3n revealed that he wasn't the only candidate being considered. Additionally, Collapse from Korb3n's team and SaberRLight, who recently joined Shopify Rebellion with the former Evil Geniuses roster, were options.
“SabeRLighT- and Collapse are two options to replace ATF, besides DM. OG, by the way, also invited Collapse. SabeRLighT- had two offers at once, from Shopify Rebellion and OG. I don't know if OG turned them down or not, but DM is a great option. Considering that their captain and coach are from CIS and can communicate in Russian.”
[transcription via cybersports.ru, translation via DeepL Translate]
Korb3n didn't mention much about OG wanting to recruit Collapse. It would not be a surprise if Spirit turned down OG's move given his record over the past two years and the pivotal role he played during Spirit's significant tournament wins.
Meanwhile, according to TSM's newly appointed head coach, David "MoonMeander" Tan, SabeRLighT- was deciding whether to stay at TSM or join Shopify Rebellion. The player had another lucrative option in OG, as mentioned by Korb3n, but he decided to join Shopify Rebellion in the end.
OG considered all three players because their playstyle is much more on the traditional side than ATF, and that was what the team really wanted after releasing ATF.
It will be interesting to see how OG performs with the playstyle that DM brings to the fore. Meanwhile, ATF has decided not to limit himself by role and play as the carry for Nigma. In January 2023, the two teams will participate in the Western Europe (WEU) Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2023 Winter Tour.
