by in
Former Team Unique support Vitaliy “so bad” Oshmankevich has joined Natus Vincere’s Dota2 esports roster on a trial basis, the Ukrainian organisation announced on Friday.
The 24-year-old Belarusian pro arrives at NaVi as a replacement for Semion “CemaTheSlayer” Krivulya, who recently left the team after a two-month stint. CemaTheSlayer joined as a stand-in player at the start of February, when he took over for ex-captain Bakyt “Zayac” Emilzhanov after his infamous move to NaVi’s regional rivals, Virtus.pro.
After helping NaVi win the ESL One Los Angeles 2020 CIS Closed Qualifier, CemaTheSlayer was offered a permanent spot in the team and has since led them through WeSave! Charity Play – EU & CIS, ESL One Los Angeles 2020 – Online: Europe & CIS, WePlay! Pushka League S1: Division 1 and Gamers Without Borders 2020. NaVi’s best result in that stretch was a runner-up at Gamers Without Borders, where they lost to Team Secret in the grand finals.
CemaTheSlayer’s brief stay with NaVi came to an end on Friday, when the organisation revealed that communication issues were the main reason for the reshuffle.
“First, we want to thank Semion [CemaTheSlayer] for his response to the call for help in a difficult situation and for doing it in the best way possible, qualifying with the team for LA Major,” said Aleksey “xaoc” Kucherov, COO of Natus Vincere.
“However, during this period we were unable to set up effective communication in the current roster, which is by far more difficult to do online with no bootcamps. Expectedly, the fans and the club itself wanted great results, so we went ahead and spoke to the team, which led to the decision to make changes in the roster.”
The newest arrival, so bad, launched his Dota2 career in August 2017, when he joined The Brestomans shortly after he celebrated his 21st birthday. Although the Belarusian support entered the competitive esports scene relatively late, he quickly proved his leadership ability and spent four months coaching The Brestomans.
After leaving The Brestomans, so bad played for FCDB Esports, Vega Squadron and Team Unique. His breakthrough came at Vega Squadron, who he helped to third place at The International 2019 CIS Qualifier.
“He [so bad] had proved himself as a good leader in Vega Squadron, participating in the preparations, the drafts, and in coordinating the game,” said Kucherov.
The arrival of so bad comes during NaVi’s experimental period, during which the Ukrainian esports organisation will try out new rosters and strategies. This comes in response to the postponement of The International 10 and the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) ecosystem as a whole.
So bad’s debut appearance with his new team is slated for Monday, May 25, when NaVi will meet with Team Nigma in their opening fixture of ESL One Birmingham 2020 – Online: Europe & CIS.
