Fnatic takes out their only competition in the SEA Region

The Fnatic Dota 2 team just signed Marc Polo Luis “Raven” Fausto to their roster. The player left GeekFam a week after beating Fnatic at the ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League. The young Filipino prodigy is now set to defend Fnatic’s colors, but more importantly the move has just eliminated FNC’s only real competition in the region.

© Fnatic Dota 2

If you can beat them, join them?

Following GeekFam’s overwhelming victory, the Fnatic Dota 2 team started re-evaluating their roster despite securing four championship titles earlier this year. From the DOTA Summit 12 to the ESL One Birmingham 2020, the former Fnatic line-up has certainly lived up to Fnatic’s reputation as the glorious champion of the SEA region and the top candidate in Dota 2 betting in the region.

Fnatic officially announced their roster change on July 28th. Alongside the new addition to the roster,  the upsetting departure of the rising star, 23savage.

Needless to say, the talk of the town has quickly shifted towards why Raven leaves GeekFam despite the recent success, and two consecutive tournament trophies? After months of dedicated training, it’s undoubtedly a shame to let GeekFam fall into shambles.

Raven’s move is understandable considering the financial security the Fnatic organization offers. After all, the tier-2 pro scene has always been a harsh battlefield for passionate pro players to earn a sustainable living. Consistent salary is a luxury for professional Esports teams, usually only offered by large Esports teams and powerhouses.

Amateur teams however, have to rely solely on tournament winnings for the most part. Therefore, it’s probably a no-brainer decision on Raven’s part. Furthermore, Fnatic is led by four other seasoned veterans, who have definitely proven their worth at the highest level of professional Dota 2.

A rookie’s downfall as consequence

Frankly, it’s an understatement to call Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon, a rookie. At the age of only 18, 23savage has achieved greater heights than most older players in the scene. After barely missing the TI9 SEA qualifiers, he was eventually recruited to be Fnatic’s youngest member after the International 2019. His aggressive playstyle as a hard carry player makes him such a threat during late game team fights.

Mostly known for his Morphling and Anti-Mage, 23savage would ambush enemy supports before teamfights were set up. This resulted in clear numerical advantage to start the fight on many ocassions. However, it didn’t take long before Fnatic’s frequent rivals such as GeekFam and TNC Predator to exploit 23savage’s careless attitude. His aggressiveness somehow turned into a double-edged sword as he got caught out after diving into his opponents for a quick kill.

Although the kick on 23savage felt awful, fans can rest assured that it wouldn’t be long before he finds a worthy team. Besides being a member of the 10,000 MMR club, 23savage is by no means a mere rookie. Perhaps calling him the “rookie of the year” might be a more accurate depiction of his reputation.

Uncertainty in GeekFam’s future

Meanwhile, the situation at GeekFam seems dreadful. They they just lost a key player in their roster and are currently set to re-build only six months after their last acquisition Matthew “Whitemon” Filemon.  It takes months, even years to build a polished synergy in a squad of talented players. Thus, the question once again is: “Who will be GeekFam’s new carry player?”.

Fnatic’s Dota 2 position is now cemented within the SEA region. They couldn’t beat GeekFam in a matchup for almost 3 months. Yet, they could definitely give them a beating by poaching.

With TNC Predator under-performing this season, and  GeekFam dealt with, Fnatic just secured themselves complete domination over this region until the end of the season. Maybe GeekFam can now recruit 23savage to cause a complete switcharoo, and beat Fnatic back with their own stick.

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