AVULUS part ways with Stormstormer and Ekki

AVULUS will have to field two new players as the team gears up for the upcoming ESL One Raleigh 2025.

Western European Dota 2 team AVULUS has announced significant roster changes, parting ways with their mid laner Daniel “Stormstormer” Schoetzau and position 4 support player Masrcel “Ekki” Hołowienko. This shift comes just 16 days before the start of ESL One Raleigh 2025, a major event the team qualified for back in January.

After the announcement, Stormstormer took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his gratitude to the team and explain his decision to step away in search of new opportunities.

“From today on, I am officially [looking for a team] again. [AVULUS] has been a great organization, and I can only speak positively about them. But ultimately, I made the decision that I want to part ways with the team and seek out new opportunities,” Stormstormer said.

The German mid laner previously played for Entity (now disbanded), where his two-year stint yielded Top 6 finishes at two Dota 2 Majors: the Bali Major and the PGL Arlington Major.

Ekki also took to social media to thank the organization, hinting at an announcement coming soon. "Had a really lovely time, change was needed, and stress was getting high, but I have no regrets. Thank you for all the amazing times together. I'll be back with an announcement soon!" Ekki posted.

Despite only starting his competitive career in 2020, Ekki has quickly established himself in the Tier 1 scene, notably playing under Team Secret in early 2024 and serving as assistant coach for both Secret and TSM in 2023.

A rocky road for AVULUS

Despite debuting in one of the toughest regions in competitive Dota 2, AVULUS managed to make an immediate impact. The team qualified for PGL Wallachia Season 2 in their debut performance, defeating renowned teams like OG and Team Secret in the tournament's Western European qualifier. They followed this up with an impressive Top 6 finish at ESL One Bangkok 2024, marking a strong end to the team’s first year.

Unfortunately, AVULUS faced a rough start in 2025, failing to achieve significant success in subsequent events. In the ESL One Raleigh 2025 qualifier, the team placed third, initially missing the coveted qualification slot by just one position. But in an unexpected turn of events, the team ended up earning an invite after NAVI Junior was disqualified for bug abuse during the qualifiers.

With ESL One Raleigh 2025 fast approaching, we can expect AVULUS to announce their new lineup soon. Their current Dota 2 roster stands as follows:

ESL One Raleigh 2025, the first ESL One tournament to be hosted in the USA since 2015, will take place in Raleigh, North Carolina from 7 to 13 April. AVULUS will compete alongside 12 other teams, including powerhouses Team Liquid and Team Spirit.