Whitemon Explains Why T1 Chose to Stick Together for the DPC 2021-22

In the wake of The International 10 (TI10) roster shuffle, most global top-tier teams had several significant changes made to their rosters. Only a few teams in each region decided to maintain their rosters, and in Southeast Asia (SEA) it was only T1 from Division 1 who chose to do so. Matthew "Whitemon" Filemon, T1's position five player, explained why the team decided to remain together in a recent interview with Beyond the Summit (BTS). According to Whitemon, the players are not at odds but have bonded really well, eliminating the need for any roster changes.

Whitemon on T1’s chemistry, the lessons learned from TI10, and goals for the upcoming season

The way teams often function in Dota 2 is where anything less than a first place finish at TI’s, coupled with a number of other factors, tends to result in quite a few roster changes.

Although T1 did not win TI10, it performed well throughout the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021, and in the end, it was one of the few teams that decided to stick together. Whitemon acknowledged that his team is still capable of improving, but he believes their chemistry is enough to not warrant a change in the lineup.

“I think for us, we don’t have problems at all so we just stuck together and I still think we can improve as a team together. I think our chemistry is really good so we don’t need to shuffle it (the roster).

Upon being asked about what exactly the team needed to improve based on its experience at TI10, Whitemon mentioned their movement and hero pool as two crucial areas.

However, T1 is still seen by many as the top contender in the DPC 2021-22 after achieving the best results in South East Asia during the previous season. Still, Whitemon mentioned that it is important for the team to remain focused and aim for the top place in Tour 1 of the ongoing season. “I think we are gonna try hard in this DPC. I think our target is to be going to the Major. Maybe top 1.”

In T1's quest to finish in the top spot and qualify for the Major, Whitemon believes that two teams are going to pose the biggest challenges. “I think the biggest threats are Fnatic and BOOM because they are quite strong teams and if you see their results, BOOM kept winning the online tournaments.”

Fnatic has so far failed to deliver a performance that matches its potential, losing two out of three series while BOOM Esports is on a roll, winning both of their two series. There is currently no schedule available for T1's series against Fnatic and BOOM Esports in the DPC SEA 2021-22: Division 1: Tour 1.

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