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Ahead of the final 2022 Dota Pro Circuit tour, CIS Rejects have added three new players to their roster. These players will join Gleb “depressed kid” Zyryanov, who was recently brought back, alongside Pavel “9pasha” Khvastunov.
One of the new players joining the team is former AS Monaco Gambit player Aleksandr “Immersion” Khmelevskoi. Owing to poor performances by the team in the past months, AS Monaco Gambit was disbanded on May 2.
Immersion, who was released by the AS Monaco partnered esports organization will be coming to the Rejects with years of experience. Amongst the signings, Immersion is the biggest name with approximate total earnings of $122,048.
The other two players added to the roster are Nikita “Munkushi~” Chepurnykh from Trident Clan and the Ukrainian Evgeny “Heaven” Ponomarev from Nemiga Gaming.
Munkushi is a 19-year-old Russian who will be looking to take his chance on the big stage under the tutelage of head coach Sergei “G” Bragin.
Heaven has been playing in Eastern Europe’s Division II and the Tier Three scene for the past two years. He will now compete in Eastern Europe’s Division I regional league, a major leap from what he is used to.
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The return of 9pasha has come as a bit of a surprise to many, having made known his intentions to pause competing and go on an extended break last month. Mid laner Depressed Kid’s return to the Rejects was pegged to be the lead story for the announcement of the new roster, but 9pasha’s comeback steals the headline.
Some have concluded that 9pasha’s decision to go on an extended break away from competing could be linked to his dislike for the previous roster. His return has been insinuated to suggest he is confident and comfortable with the new roster.
With Roman “RAMZES” Kushnarev, the Russian/Armenian Vladimir “RodjER” Nikogosian, and Artsiom “Fng” Barshak all departed from CIS Rejects, there exists some doubt as to whether or not the new roster can compete against teams like Virtus.pro, Team Spirit and BetBoom Team. The new roster will be required to fill in the shoes of these top players, which might be a tall order.
The next update from the organization might come in form of a total rebrand of the franchise. That could include a name change away from CIS Rejects, or possibly a partnership or sponsorship announcement. While there were no additional details attached to the new roster release, the franchise teased a different announcement.
