Top 10 Roster moves in Dota 2 history

The picture above displays possibly the greatest Dota 2 roster ever assembled, but it was also a roster that achieved nothing during its entire run.

Roster moves in Dota 2 are a complex issue. Sometimes, teams sign world-class players only for the team to implode, while there are also times where teams sign unknown amateur pub stars and go on to win TI. The cover image is the first iteration of Team Secret, which is a perfect example of where it didn't work out.

Notail, Kuroky, S4, Puppey, and Fly were probably the best roster ever on paper. However, they lasted together for only three months before personality clashes broke the team apart. This move proved that getting the best players in the world together doesn't make a team successful.

Teams need to consider a player's temperament, attitude, and skill before signing them. Over the years, several ground-breaking roster moves have changed the landscape of pro-Dota 2.

Disclaimer: This list solely reflects the opinions of the author.

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The Top 10 Roster changes in Dota 2 history

Some honorable mentions go to Fly and S4 joining EG; Funnik and Kuroky joining Na'vi; Misery, W33ha, Moo and Saksa joining Digital Chaos; and Shadow, Faith_bian, Iceice, and Y' joining Wings Gaming.

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#10 - Miracle joins OG/Monkey Business

OG signed Miracle on August 28th, 2015. The team was then known as Monkey Business, and it would rebrand to OG a few months later. The team had Notail, Crit, Fly, and Moonmeander. This version of OG became one of Dota 2's first superteams that worked.

OG won the very first Valve Major, the Frankfurt Major, and went on to win the Manila Major as well. However, the team faltered at The International 6 and was eliminated by tournament minnows TNC in a huge upset. Miracle would go on to become one of the greatest Dota 2 players in the game's history.

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#9 - Arteezy and Zai joins Team Secret

Between 2014 and 2016, Arteezy jumped between Evil Geniuses and Team Secret four times. In January 2015, Arteezy and Zai joined Puppey, Kuroky, and S4 in Team Secret, creating one of the best Dota 2 super-teams ever.

With this line-up, Secret went on to win four back-to-back tournaments leading up to TI5. The line-up would implode after TI5, where it was placed 7th-8th in the tournament after losses to Ehome and Virtus.Pro.

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#8 - Jerax, S4, and Ana joins OG

Jerax, S4, and Ana joined OG on August 31st, 2016. Together with Notail and Fly, 2016-OG was considered to be one of the best Dota 2 teams ever. Ana was a relatively unknown player from Australia, while S4 and Jerax were two of the best players in their respective positions.

The team dominated for a year, winning both Valve Majors of the season convincingly in Kyiv and Boston. However, OG was disappointed at TI, losing to LGD and finishing 7th-8th, causing Ana to leave the team on hiatus.

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#7 - Mushi, Iceiceice, LanM, and MMY join Team DK

Mushi, Iceiceice, LanM, and MMY joined Team DK on 4th September 2013. It was immediately considered the best team in the world. The 5th player on the team was Burning; the legendary carry player dubbed the B-God by the Chinese Dota 2 community.

Team DK won eight tournaments and got top 4 in eight more. However, DK finished 4th at The International 2014, which was considered an underachievement for this team.

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#6 - Rodjer joins Virtus.Pro

Rodjer joined Virtus.Pro on February 1st, 2018. The other players on the team were Ramzes, No-One, 9Pasha, and Solo. With the new position-4, VP instantly improved its results. With Rodjer, VP had one of the best years any Dota 2 team had ever had.

In 2018, VP won a record four Valve Majors and finished in the top 4 of three more. Its only finish outside the top 4 was at The International 8, where it finished 5th-6th. The team's performances would deteriorate for the next year before it was disbanded after a disappointing performance at TI9.

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#5 - Ame and xNova joins PSG.LGD

On January 1st, 2018, Ame and xNova joined LGD Gaming. LGD soon rebranded into PSG.LGD Gaming and became the best Chinese Dota 2 team for nearly two years straight. The team also included Fy, Somnus, and Chalice.

With Ame and xNova, PSG.LGD finished in the top-3 of four consecutive Valve Majors, winning Epicenter XL and MDL Changsha. The team was the favorite to win at both TI8 and TI9, finishing 2nd and 3rd. PSG.LGD remains one of the most consistent teams in Dota 2 history.

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#4 - GH joins Team Liquid

GH joined Liquid at the start of 2017. The rest of the team included Miracle, Matumbaman, Mind Control, and Kuroky. Team Liquid had a slow start with its new line-up finishing 5th-8th at the Kyiv Major 2017.

But soon, Team Liquid established itself as the best team in Europe, winning four tournaments in a short span of time. Liquid went into The International 7 as one of the favorites to win the tournament and created history by winning the tournament after going on the greatest lower bracket run ever.

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#3 - EGM joins No Tidehunter/Alliance

EGM joined No Tidehunter on February 23rd, 2013. EGM completed an all-Swedish line-up that included S4, Admiral Bulldog, Loda, and Akke. Alliance signed them a couple of months after EGM's signing.

With EGM, Alliance went on one of the most dominating runs in Dota 2 history. The team recorded seven tournament victories leading up to The International 3. At TI3, Alliance defeated Navi in an all-time classic grand final to cement its place in Dota 2 history.

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#2 - Sumail and Aui_2000 joins EG

On January 7th, 2015, Sumail and Aui_2000 replaced Arteezy and Zai on Evil Geniuses. Together with Fear, PPD, and Universe, this version of EG became North America's greatest Dota 2 team of all time.

Sumail was an unknown pub star who was unproven in the pro scene. At Dota 2 Asia Championships 2015, Sumail proved his doubters wrong as EG won the tournament. EG went on to win The International 5 as well, which remains North America's only Valve tournament victory to date.

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#1 - Topson, Ana, and Ceb join OG

Just a couple of months before TI8, OG signed unknown pub star Topson, brought back Ana, who had been on hiatus for nearly a year, and turned its coach Ceb into an active player. OG's team also included Notail and Jerax.

At TI8, OG made a Cinderella run, miraculously winning the tournament. TI8 was also Topson's first-ever professional tournament. OG's miracle run didn't end there as it went on to win TI9 a year later with the same team, something that no other team in Dota 2 history has ever done.