Dendi’s new Dota team: everything we know about B8

After a long hiatus away from the servers, Danil "Dendi" Ishutin has announced that he’ll be returning to the world of competitive Dota with a brand new team called B8. Though details are scarce, fans and foes alike will have something to look forward to as a legendary player looks to enter the arena again.

What is Dendi's new team?

In a Twitter announcement, Dendi posted a teaser video which revealed the name of his new organization: B8. Though little is known so far about the specific players or competitive plans of the team, excitement is already high about the prospect.

The announcement video titled "The Golden Years" goes for a light-hearted tone with a grey-wigged Dendi listening to classical music alongside his Na'Vi memorabilia, his grandson joining him for breakfast. They go fishing and reminisce about "the golden years" of The International. He fishes out "the bait" and readies himself for a comeback. Details about the Dota team were confirmed on February 6.

The full roster of B8 reads as follows (from position 1 to 5):

• pio65
• Dendi
• Ghostik
• KingR
• LeBron

B8’s first competitive outing will be the ESL One Los Angeles 2020 European Open Qualifiers with a chance to compete in the biggest circuit of events in the Dota 2 scene. We are delighted to announce our own partnership with B8 and are looking forward to seeing their performances on the servers.

Who is Dendi?

Danil "Dendi" Ishutin is a legendary Dota 2 player who was a pivotal part of the early days of competitive Dota 2. His Na'Vi side was among the world's finest between 2011 and 2013, winning the inaugural TI and finishing in second place at TI2 and TI3 as well. Though the team has fallen off after that, Dendi still made it to every single TI until 2017, and he was eventually benched after almost eight years wearing the yellow-and-black jersey. Known as one of the best mid laner of his era, Dendi's uique playstyle and creative skill and item builds made it a force to be reckoned with in the servers, and it's clear his competitive edge hasn't left him despite a downturn in results with Na'Vi. It remains to be seen whether B8 is the next big thing or... just a bait.

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