Aurora Gaming reveal new Eastern European Dota 2 roster

Image: Aurora Gaming

Former Team Spirit players Mira and TORONTOTOKYO will be leading Aurora Gaming's new Dota 2 roster.

Serbian esports organisation Aurora Gaming has completed a major overhaul of its Dota 2 roster, transitioning from a Southeast Asian roster to a fully Eastern European (EEU) lineup. The new roster features a mix of notable players, including two The International (TI) champions.

Aurora Gaming’s Dota 2 roster:

The announcement marks a new chapter for the relatively new organisation. Aurora initially entered the competitive Dota 2 scene in March 2022 with a Southeast Asian roster that included prominent players like Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon, Armel Paul “Armel” Tabios, and Abed Azel “Abed” Yusop. Despite their potential, the team struggled with underwhelming results and faced frequent roster changes, leading to the disbandment of the lineup on 5 February this year.

However, Aurora is back with a new direction, completely overhauling its roster to form a full EEU lineup. This new squad sees the reunion of three former BetBoom Team players in Nightfall, kiyotaka, and TORONTOTOKYO. Additionally, former Team Spirit player and TI champion Mira makes his return after a six-month hiatus, having left Spirit to rejoin former teammate TORONTOTOKYO in Aurora.

Finally, Aurora brought in panto, who last played for Chimera Esports. Though panto is a relatively fresh face in this star-studded lineup, he has already proven his credibility with strong recent performances. Notably, he is still competing with Chimera Esports in the ongoing DreamLeague Season 25, where the team has reached the Top 4.

TORONTOTOKYO switches to position 3

One of the most significant changes within Aurora's new roster is TORONTOTOKYO's shift to the offlane role. While it may come as a surprise, it's not entirely unexpected given the Russian player's history of adapting to new roles. Having previously won TI 2021 as the mid laner Spirit and later transitioning to the position 5 support role with BetBoom, TORONTOTOKYO now takes on the challenge of playing position 3 for Aurora.

This move also means that TORONTOTOKYO will be laning alongside his former Spirit teammate, Mira. With both players having won TI together in 2021, we can expect strong synergy between them as they reunite in this new season.

Aurora will debut its new roster at PGL Wallachia Season 3, starting on 3 March. This tournament will pit Aurora with powerhouses like Tundra Esports and Team Spirit. The team also has another tournament ahead, FISSURE Universe: Episode 4, set to begin on 22 March.