Dota 2 Roster Shuffle 2026: Where My Five Favourite Players Stand

I follow players, not teams. So every year the Dota 2 roster shuffle is less about who signed whom and more about where my five favourites ended up: GH, SumaiL, No[o]ne, Nisha and Satanic. This year, one of them retired and then didn’t, one is taking a break, one has gone quiet, and two just lost a TI grand final in five games. Here is where each of them stands in October 2026, and how I feel about it.

If you missed the backstory, my 10 years of Dota 2 piece explains why these five, and our TI 2026 grand final report has how the event ended.

SumaiL: the retirement that lasted a month

On August 21, after Nigma Galaxy went out of TI 2026 in the top six, SumaiL said the event was probably his last. It sounded final. Then on September 19, LGD revealed a new roster with SumaiL on it, alongside Sneyking, Davai Lama, Thiolicor and Wits.

My honest reaction is both: happy and sceptical. A retirement that reverses in four weeks is good news and a fair question at the same time.

Nisha: a break, not an ending

Team Liquid parted ways with Nisha on September 28, and he is taking a break from competitive play. Liquid have already moved on: Malr1ne, the former Falcons mid, joined them on October 15.

He did great, and no matter what, I will be his fan. Nobody has said how long the break will be.

GH: no news, and that is fine

GH played position 4 for Nigma Galaxy at TI 2026, with KuroKy coaching. Most of that Nigma core has since regrouped as Conventus Stellarum, with KuroKy still coaching and OmaR, Ghost, lorenof, DM and panto in the lineup. GH is not on it, and there has been no announcement of where he is headed.

GH is the GOAT. Whatever he is doing right now, I wish him the best.

No[o]ne and Satanic: TI runners-up, waiting

No[o]ne at mid and Satanic on carry took TEAM VISION all the way to the TI 2026 grand final, and lost it 3-2 to Team Spirit. That is the closest any of my five came to an Aegis this year. Puppey coaches that roster, with Noticed, 9Class and Dukalis alongside them.

As of October 19, there has been no announced change to that lineup. The detail worth watching is Satanic: his spot at TEAM VISION was a loan from Team Spirit, so where he plays next season is not entirely up to him or to VISION.

Team Spirit without Collapse

The champions changed too. On September 21, three weeks after their third Aegis, Team Spirit announced that offlaner Collapse and coach Miposhka are taking breaks. Batyuk, who already stood in for Collapse earlier in the year, takes the offlane, and Illidan joins as coach. Yatoro, the other three-time winner, is not part of the change.

I hope Team Spirit does not collapse with Collapse.

On paper it is a real loss. Collapse was at the centre of the fight that won game five in Shanghai, and he and Yatoro are the first players with three Aegis.

The rest of the Dota 2 roster shuffle

Outside my five, it was a busy off-season:

• Falcons left Dota on September 7, after almost three years. Their players scattered: Malr1ne to Liquid, ATF to Team Yandex, Skiter to Aurora and Sneyking to LGD.
• Cr1t retired after Falcons went out of TI, and later said he is switching to streaming and will not play in 2026-2027.
• Virtus.pro disbanded their international roster on August 24, after missing TI.
• Topson went back to OG on September 23.
• Liquid rebuilt, with Wisper at offlane and Malr1ne at mid.

Our take

The Dota 2 roster shuffle is usually about teams getting stronger. For someone who follows players, this one was about people: SumaiL deciding he was not done, Nisha stepping back after a TI run with Liquid, and GH going quiet. Two of my five are still where they were in August, one is somewhere new, and two are waiting.

For the record, here is where I stand: both happy and sceptical on SumaiL, a fan of Nisha no matter what, best wishes to GH, the GOAT, and a hope that Team Spirit does not collapse with Collapse.

New to the game? Start with our Dota 2 beginner guide, then the best heroes for beginners and what to buy first.

Which player’s move surprised you most this off-season? Tell us in the comments.

Sources: GosuGamers roster shuffle tracker, GosuGamers (Team Spirit), rdy.gg, Dot Esports, rdy.gg (Conventus Stellarum), Liquipedia. Rosters as of October 19, 2026. Dota 2 is developed by Valve.