T1 have surprised everyone with their pick-up of former OG carries ana and Topson to help them get through the brutal TI11 qualifiers.
Southeast Asian (SEA) powerhouse T1 shocked everyone last week when they dropped two of their star players from their roster. They parted ways with midlaner Karl "Karl" Baldovino as well as carry player Kim "Gabbi" Santos. The organization made the decision after a disappointing season in which they failed to qualify for the Arlington Major. They also didn't gain enough DPC points to directly qualify for TI11.
However, in a last-minute effort to make it to The International, T1 welcomes the two hottest free agents in town: Anathan "ana" Pham and Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen.
T1 grab some old faces
T1's decision to depart with Karl and Gabbi caused a bit of controversy. This was made especially more interesting when you consider they had kicked another star player Nuengnara "23savage" Teeramahanon in order to pick up Gabbi earlier in the season. Now, however, the team needs something to change for TI11 qualifiers.
The team has just announced that they will be playing with two new players, ana and Topson. Important to note is that ana is listed as a part of the official roster, while Topson is listed as just a stand-in. This could mean that the team is looking for another player in the meantime while Topson holds them over for qualifiers or even into TI.
The full T1 roster that will compete at TI11 qualifiers are:
- Anathan "ana" Pham
- Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen
- Carlo "Kuku" Palad
- Kenny "Xepher" Deo
- Matthew "Whitemon" Filemon
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What have the boys been up to?
The two OG legends have each had different paths after announcing their leave from OG. Ana, who has retired from the competitive scene more than once, has been making the rounds as a stand-in. This past month, he stood in for Team Liquid at the Riyadh Masters. Just this past week, ana stood in for RNG at the Stockholm Major. It seems that ana can't seem to get away from competitive Dota after all.
Topson on the other hand, has been on a competitive hiatus since last year's TI. The player took time off to spend with his family. In addition, Topson has been streaming much more on Twitch. Though in this instance, he still has been playing Dota 2. Funnily enough, many of his games have been in the SEA region. This might explain why he is now standing in for a SEA team.
Topson and ana have of course played together for a long time. They even had hilarious moments in SEA pubs together when both of them were off the competitive scene. It's unclear however, if their styles will mesh with the rest of T1. Only time will tell.
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