BetBoom Team pause Dota 2 project and bench all five players after BLAST Slam and PARI Universe exits

BetBoom Team paused its Dota 2 division on Monday, 2 November 2026, and moved all five active players to the bench. The Russian organisation said its experimental line-up had not delivered after finishing outside the top eight at both BLAST Slam VIII and PARI Universe. CEO Artem "pioneer" Saveliev said the roster "needed radical changes". The club also said the pause is not a goodbye to Dota 2.

Who has been benched

The five benched players are Ilya "Kiritych" Ulyanov, Vitaly "Save-" Melnik, Matvey "MieRo" Vasyunin, Georgy "swedenstrong" Zaynalabidov and Vladislav "Kataomi" Semyonov. Alexander "TORONTOTOKYO" Khertek had returned as coach, and the team was built after The International 2026, where BetBoom finished fourth.

The biggest change was in mid lane. Save-, one of the best position-five supports in recent seasons, moved to mid for the first time and replaced gpk~, who is reported to be taking a break. Analysis by Hotspawn suggested Save- struggled on standard mid heroes and that the switch was the main reason for the slump.

Two early exits in two months

This is the first Tier 1 season since TI, and BetBoom's results were well below its usual level. The team finished 9th–12th at BLAST Slam VIII, the season's first big event (29 September–11 October, $750,000 prize pool). It also missed the top eight at PARI Universe by FISSURE, which ended on 1 November with Team Spirit sweeping Team Yandex 3-0 in the final.

BetBoom had planned to keep this roster together until at least December, with ESSENCE III, BLAST Slam IX and DreamLeague Season 30 on the schedule. The club has not said who will play in those events or when it will return.

The players stay together as 'Do Konca'

The benched players are not splitting up yet. Manager Luka "Lukawa" Nasuashvili told Sports.ru that the group will keep playing as a stack called Do Konca, with one change. The listed five are Kiritych, MieRo, Save-, Kataomi and Gleb "Kiyotaka" Zyryanov, so Kiyotaka appears to have taken swedenstrong's place.

A busy November for team changes

Other teams are reshuffling after the first events of the season too. PT Sports, for example, will use a stand-in roster called Dawn Bulls for DreamLeague Division 2 Series 5 (6–19 November) and BLAST Slam IX (20–29 November). BLAST Slam IX has a $1 million prize pool and is the next big event. DreamLeague Season 30 follows from 2 to 13 December with $750,000 and ESL Pro Tour points at stake. Team Nemesis was the only Southeast Asian team at BLAST Slam VIII. Each of these events gives regional teams another chance against a top field that is still changing.

Key takeaways

• BetBoom Team paused their Dota 2 division on 2 November and benched all five players.
• The team failed to reach the top eight at both BLAST Slam VIII and PARI Universe after finishing fourth at TI 2026.
• Moving Save- from support to mid is widely seen as the main reason for the slump.
• The benched group will keep playing as Do Konca, with Kiyotaka in the line-up.
• BLAST Slam IX (20–29 November) and DreamLeague Season 30 (2–13 December) are next on the calendar.

FAQ

Has BetBoom Team left Dota 2? No. BetBoom says the pause is not a goodbye. It wants time to rethink its approach, but it has not given a timeline for returning.

What is Do Konca? It is the stack the benched BetBoom players formed to keep competing together. The listed line-up is Kiritych, MieRo, Save-, Kataomi and Kiyotaka.

When is BLAST Slam IX? BLAST Slam IX runs from 20 to 29 November 2026 with a $1 million prize pool.

Sources: RG.org, Hotspawn, Sports.ru, GosuGamers, Newsbytes.PH, Esports.ru