NAVI Dota 2 re-qualifies for DPC Division 1 with PuckChamp roster

Guess who’s back? NaVi is back to DPC Division 1.

The Natus Vincere Dota 2 team needs no introduction, neither do their roster switch tactics and talent acquisition prowess.

We once again see the good ol roster switcheroo being played out over in the EEU region.

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How did NAVI Dota 2 re-qualify for DPC Division 1 ?

Navi has had a rough first Tour of Dota Pro Circuit 2023 (DPC 2023). They lost six out of seven series in the Division 1 DPC 2023, which landed them last place. For the uninitiated, placing bottom two in Division 1 demotes them to Division 2 for the next tour.

To put things into perspective, that’s a big deal for a powerhouse team like NaVi, which has been a staple in Dota 2 Majors and even TI. Playing in Division 2 offers nothing in terms of the participating teams’ chance of qualifying for the International 12 (TI12) since there are no DPC points to be earned.

Even if the team somehow performs well enough in Division 2 of the second tour to get promoted back into Division 1. They would have missed out on excessive DPC points to ever have a shot at securing top twelve in DPC Rankings.

The team was in quite a ditch after their awful performance in the first Tour.

NAVI’s Second Chance at Division 1

NAVI is not letting TI12 be their third consecutive absence as they revamped the entire squad ahead of the next tour. Additionally, they made sure to pick up a winning team of Division 2 solely to stay in Division 1.

PuckChamp is a household name for many Eastern European Dota 2 fans, notably for being very consistent since their debut back in 2021. And even when they fell short in past DPC seasons, they managed to return to the bigger scene of DPC, Division 1. With the signing of PuckChamp’s line-up for their upcoming tour, the former namesake is also disbanding.

NaVi’s history of failed Dota 2 rosters

Although NAVI is ready to play in the next Division 1, they are still have an infamous history of crumbling great rosters after signing them.

The first of such rosters that fell from grace was the 2020 FlyToMoon roster. In their prime, FlyToMoon consistently rivaled EEU opponents, such as Virtus.pro, and won the OMEGA League. They caught Navi’s attention, and immediately got signed for their DPC 2020 run. Yet, it didn’t take five months before NAVI reshuffled their roster and caused the eventual abomination of an initially-balanced roster.

The mix-and-match fiasco continued throughout every season, and at that point, we finally realize that picking up a complete 5-man squad from another well-performing team is NaVi’s most viable decision to stay relevant in competitive Dota.

Now, all eyes will be on the ex-PuckChamp to perform at the upcoming tours and perhaps qualify for TI12. There’s no denying that the EEU region has had many formidable opponents in recent years. Team Spirit and HellRaisers are both in the Lima Major 2023 Playoffs.

We hope that the well-adored PuckChamp roster can still deliver under a cursed different namesake.

NAVI Dota 2 Main Roster (Division 1)

Maksym “shigetsu” Popadynets)
Maksym “mellojul” Pnov
Abdimalik “Malik” Sailau
Danial “Danial” Alibaev
Arman “Malady” Orazbayev

NAVI Junior Roster (Division 2)

Taras “gotthejuice” Linnikov
Ričards “Ri4man” Kalniņš
Yurii “pma” Prots
Tamir “daze” Tokpanov
Stanislav “Riddys” Mitroshkyn

Read next: Dota 2 Lima Major 2023 Playoffs Preview