One of Dota 2’s hottest prospects, Héctor “K1” Rodríguez, has hit the open market following his official release from Beastcoast on Sunday, June 25. The long-coming move has happened just days out from the start of the Bali Major and may have a significant impact on Beastcoast’s invite spot for The International in Oct. 2023.
K1 has been warming the bench since late May when Beastcoast announced he would be taking a temporary mental health break from competition, with David “Parker” Nicho Flores stepping into the carry role in the interim.
With K1, Beastcoast rose to prominence ahead of The International in Singapore in Oct. 2022, where the team defied expectations to finish in the top eight.
Entering 2023, Beastcoast continued to make waves in their home region of South America, standing head and shoulders above their peers in the Dota Pro Circuit Division I season, and managed to stay undefeated in both seasons to begin the calendar year.
However, K1 and Beastcoast failed to convert these performances into significant runs at both the Lima and Berlin Majors, failing to reach the final eight in both cases. Parker would take the reins in the midst of Tour Three, seeing out a second-placed finish and securing Beastcoast’s ticket to the Bali Major.
However, while Parker has been more than serviceable since replacing K1, the Bali Major will be his first international event since attending TI11’s last-chance qualifier with Infamous. In a group with the likes of Shopify Rebellion, Team Aster, Team Liquid, and the ever-consistent Tundra, Parker will have limited time to get accustomed to tier-one competition.
Related: The Dota 2 squads set to contest the Bali Major in June 2023
As for K1, following Beastcoast’s official departure tweet, the Peruvian announced his intention to return to competitive play—and won’t limit himself to competing in South America. Unconfirmed rumors suggest K1 is looking to find a playing position in Europe, but given South America will receive two qualifier spots for TI, it may make sense for him to remain in his home region at least until Dota’s big dance at the end of this year.
K1’s departure means Beastcoast will lose 20 percent of their DPC points, dropping them to 11th overall, according to Liquipedia. The top 12 receive direct invites to The International, but given the gap to teams below them, it would take a disaster in Indonesia and other results to see the squad miss the free invite.
Should they just fall short, however, many will undoubtedly question the decision to give up the 200 DPC points given just how essential it is for a team to qualify for TI in the Dota 2 competitive landscape.
The Bali Major is set to begin this week, on Thursday, June 29.
