Dota 2: Dendi Has Left Na’Vi

It’s official – the Ukrainian Dota 2 superstar, Danil “Dendi” Ishutin, has left Na’Vi.

But where will he go now? What does the future hold for Dendi? Speculate with us below as we bring you all the important details.

The Long Goodbye

You could be forgiven for thinking that Dendi had left Na’Vi some years ago. His last major tournament game with the team was in late 2018. Since then he has not been included in Na’Vi’s first team roster.

Image courtesy of Na’Vi

Due to contractual obligations, Dendi has been forced to stay with Na’Vi. His request for early release from that contract was granted, however, and Dendi is now a free agent.

Na’Vi has paid tribute to the Ukrainian on their website with a heartfelt message from the CEO. In addition, they shared a list of Dendi’s greatest Dota 2 achievements and a link to a short movie about the man himself.

While Dendi hasn’t publicly commented, he has shared several of Na’Vi’s tweets, including this one, complete with a dashing headshot.

Now that Dendi has left Na’Vi, what does the future hold?

A Bright New Tomorrow

While it really isn’t possible for a player with as prominent a history as Dendi to fade into obscurity, he certainly hasn’t been on the front page of many Dota 2 news outlets recently. All that could be about to change, however.

Image courtesy of Na’Vi

While he is currently enrolled with Russian Dota 2 team The Pango, now that Dendi has left Na’Vi he is finally a free agent again. This means that professional teams may find themselves competing to offer him a place on their roster. Had this happened just a few weeks earlier Dendi may have been favorably caught up in the Forward Gaming/Newbee roster shuffle.

Events might still conspire to make this happen. From what The Game Haus understands, Newbee has only acquired the former Forward Gaming talent on a temporary basis. Presumably, this is to see them through TI. How events with that roster will pan out once TI has concluded is anybody’s guess. Perhaps they will be in need of some Ukrainian talent on their team?

As it stands, however, Dendi will almost certainly not be attending TI19 in his capacity as a player. Especially seeing as his current team, The Pango, finished 9-16th in the TI19 CIS Open Qualifier. For the time being, however, we can look forward to seeing Dendi at TI as an analyst.

Final Thoughts: Dendi Has Left Na’Vi

Fans of his energetic and charismatic playstyle can rejoice at the news that Dendi is now a free agent. Were we an organization that dabbles in betting we would put decent money on Dendi being on a starting roster before the next major tournament. But what do we know?

Are you excited by the prospect of Dendi returning to mainstream Dota? What’s your favorite Dendi play? Join the discussion in the comments below and check out our esports section for all your Dota 2 news.

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