B8 is back at it again with another roster shuffle. Founded in 2020, B8 has consistently outperformed itself and even held the record for the longest losing streak.
After B8’s roster disbands, it’s any player’s game to join the likes of Danil “Dendi” Ishutin in DPC (2021-22).
Coach or Player?
B8 and perpetual roster shuffles
As B8 looks into setting up their new line-up, there’s only one goal in mind, which is the International 11 (TI11) regional qualifiers for Eastern Europe. B8 has been absurdly bad throughout the season and even failed to qualify for the Division 2 of DPC EEU Tour 3. Don’t get us started on the various third-party tournaments, in which B8 participated because it was mostly lost.
It is certainly the right call to revamp their roster now because they still have time for a full-blown bootcamp. Twenty-two players once called B8 their team, which is yet another commendable feat for one team to accomplish.
The stakes are high for B8 this time around if they intend on qualifying for TI11. Not to mention that many teams and players participating in DPC EEU Tour 3 are out of the question since DPC will likely by any team’s best chance of qualifying for TI11.
B8 Potential Roster and Players
Nevertheless, there is quite a selection of players for B8 to consider. For instance:
VANSKOR
Ivan “VANSKOR” Skorokhod, formerly from Nemiga Gaming, has a long history in competitive Dota 2 since the year 2013. VANSKOR is a seasoned support player and captain. While there’s no denying that the veteran hasn’t been too well-off in recent years, the hard support role in B8 could use an old-school player such as VANSKOR.
Velheor
Another support player worth considering is Fedor “velheor” Rusikhin, who has been doing phenomenally. As a position 4 support, velheor has formerly played for various powerhouses, namely Natus Vincere, Team Empire, Team Spirit, and most recently EXTREMUM. What makes Velheor’s support playstyle stands out is that he specializes in heroes which don’t require heavy investment in items. Being able to pose a threat as early as the laning phase is great, but this has its limitations. Notably, it doesn’t scale well into the late game phase, so B8 has to work around ending the series quickly.
Limitless
Offlaner, are crucial roles in a team, hoping to provide as much space and resources for the other two carries. Yaroslav “Limitless” Parshin is arguably among the most established offlane players B8 could find in the current market. On a different note, it’s a shame that Limitless left HellRaisers after the team lost at seventh place in DPC EEU Tour 2 Playoffs. Since they were facing Team Spirit, the TI10 Champions in their elimination match.
Anyhow, B8 could really invest in recruiting Limitless because of how important it will be in redefining B8’s overall playstyle.
Who will be B8’s carry duo?
Well, for starters, Dendi’s position in the upcoming active roster is still a mystery since they teased about it. If so, we will likely see Dendi at his signature mid-laner role. However, Dendi has fallen off the charts among the top mid players in Eastern Europe, let alone the international scene. Thus, it might actually be reasonable for Dendi to retire from the active roster, but perhaps pursue the coach role.
As for the hard carry role, there are many options for B8 since there’s been a recent surge of young blood in the EEU scene. Many powerhouses have also opted to recruit new players by evaluating their pub matches and unique playstyle instead of experience alone. After all, the hard carry player often defines how a team should play around.
Perhaps we might even see B8 pick up a completely unfamiliar player, who will be debuting as a B8 player. In hindsight, roster shuffles have become synonymous with B8, which is a tell-tale sign of a crippling issue in B8. Roster shuffles are fine, but it has to last longer than a single DPC Tour.
