After The International 10 (TI10) wrapped up in the middle of October 2021, teams had just over a month to finalize their new rosters for the next season of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC). Due to the shorter time frame, as opposed to previous years where teams were given a few months to decide their options, changes within teams came about quite rapidly this time around. Moreover, a shuffle of this magnitude came after quite some time, and many of the changes were quite fascinating. However, there are a number of Dota 2 players like Aliwi "w33" Omar who, for reasons largely unknown, did not end up on any of the teams. Here is a look at the most popular ones from this category who have not been seen in action in the first half of the DPC 2021-22 Tour 1.
Top Dota 2 players not playing in the DPC 2021-22 Tour 1
W33
In the weeks leading up to the start of the DPC 2021-22, w33, who had largely been inactive from all sorts of Dota 2 teams since April 2021, was widely rumored to return to a Division 1 team. He had started playing a lot of pubs after TI10 concluded, therefore this rumor seemed quite plausible.
The roster lock date for the DPC 2021-22 arrived, but the two-time TI finalist was not a part of any of the teams.
W33 is still a part of Nigma Galaxy's inactive roster since April 2021. Nigma Galaxy, however, has not used him as a substitute even when it needed one in the first few series of the DPC Western Europe, the team instead opted to play with coach Roman "rmN-" Paley.
Division 1 of the WEU region is where w33 has spent most of his competitive Dota 2 career lately. This division contains some of the best midlaners in the scene right now. As such, it will be a difficult challenge for him to make a return to this region unless he chooses to stop competing voluntarily.
Saksa
Martin "Saksa" Sazdov established himself as one of the most dependable position four players during his 20-month stint with OG. Following TI10, Johan "N0tail" Sundstein, Topias Miikka "Topson" Taavitsainen, and Sébastien "Ceb" Debs decided that it was time for them to either take a break or retire. In the process, the two other members, Saksa and Syed Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan, also departed, and while SumaiL joined Team Secret, Saksa remained without a team for the DPC 2021-22.
Like w33, Saksa was rumored to be joining a Division 1 team. But as it turned out, that did not prove to be the case and the player continues to play pubs.
In the official OG announcement, Saksa and SumaiL were said to have left to pursue new opportunities, yet during one of his livestreams after leaving OG, Saksa revealed that he did not leave OG. The reason for this change is still unknown.
Sccc
Song "Sccc" Chun, a Chinese player who has a large fan following among Western audiences, continues to be away from competitive Dota 2 and in the process has kept himself away for quite an extended period of time. SCCC played no competitive games in 2021, having last competed for EHOME in December 2020.
Throughout 2021, the midlaner, who has also played as a carry, has taken a different approach by streaming a great deal on Huya, the Chinese livestreaming platform. Sccc plays a lot of pubs and is one of the most-watched livestreams in China. The player has also been providing his insight in the form of analysis and commentary, as he was invited to contribute as a guest commentator during the previous Chinese DPC season.
After the player left EHOME, the organization stated it “respected” the player’s “wishes and personal development needs.” This, coupled with the fact that Sccc is a big success in livestreaming, could potentially keep him away from competitive Dota 2 even longer.
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Save-
In 2021, Vitalie "Save-" Melnic, the youngest player on the list, quickly built a name for himself. Initially on trial with Virtus.pro in 2020, Save- went on to become its captain and led a team of talented young players.
In the two regional leagues at the DPC 2021, the team destroyed one opponent after another and did not drop a single series out of the 28 games it played. While the team's performance at the LAN Majors took a hit due to the absence of a coach and pressure issues, it did however perform well at TI10 with a fifth-sixth finish.
Although the future looked bright for a group as young as this team, it decided to undergo changes. As a result of the team facing internal issues, Save- was moved to the inactive roster, while Egor "Nightfall" Grigorenko joined Evil Geniuses.
Save- now livestreams on Twitch and, like many of his former Virtus.pro teammates, plays a lot of pubs daily. Save- is only at the beginning of his professional career and considering his potential both as a captain and as a position four player, he is expected to make a return fairly soon.
Dota 2 has also seen some of the finest players voluntarily step away from the competitive scene recently. Among them are Ceb, who has retired, while Topson and N0tail have taken breaks. Jacky "EternaLEnVy" Mao is another notable participant, who stated that he too would be taking a break after TI10, as he believed that he was not playing as well as he would like to.
In the DPC 2021-22, Xu "fy" Linsen, one of the most beloved Dota 2 players internationally, is not a part of any team. After his exit from Elephant, his post on Weibo indicated that he was taking a break since he mentioned that he would rest for a while to help his body recover.
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