The post-TI roster shuffle period is a time when the dream rosters of 2023 gather. In addition to the free agency market, it’s also one of the better times for organizations to dip their toes into the competitive Dota 2 world, Tier One Entertainment just did that by acquiring RSG’s division one slot in the SEA DPC.
Blacklist International’s CEO, Tryke Gutierrez, confirmed the acquisition on Twitter, but the organization’s 2023 roster remains a mystery for now.
Dota 2 will mark the Blacklist’s first expansion outside of the mobile esports scene, where the organization has a successful track record. Considering the number of available free agents in the SEA region after T1’s disbandment, Blacklist will have quite a few options to fill out their roster before the season kicks off.
The fact that the organization could secure a division one slot from RSG already makes them one of the primary recruiters in the region since many top players will want to avoid the hassle of going through the open qualifiers.
RSG released its Dota 2 roster back on Oct. 15 after a rather okay DPC year as a latecomer to the scene. The team clawed its way out of the second division in April and placed fourth in the last DPC tour in division one. Given the timeline of RSG’s return to competitive Dota 2, the organization might have been after the pre-TI publicity that most soothe after. In RSG’s case, the organization picked up a rapidly developing roster and made it to division one while performing well in regional tournaments.
With TI out of the way, RSG may have decided not to commit financially to the scene from the beginning since they can still pick up a team later in the year.
