The Dota 2 roster market has refused to settle since The International 2025 ended in September 2025. Per EGW.News, HEROIC announced on January 15, 2026 that Davai Lama had left its main roster after roughly four months — the latest in a chain of dated moves, including Fly's departure from Virtus.pro on September 21, 2025, that left few elite rosters intact heading into the spring tour window.
Academia Hagi is an independent online publication covering competitive gaming — not a broadcaster, streamer, or event organizer — and this roundup sticks to official announcements and named reporting.
Which big names actually moved after TI 2025?
The post-TI15 reshuffle, tracked by EscoreNews and GosuGamers, moved stars and role players alike. Fly — Tal Aizik, the two-time-Major-winning captain — left Virtus.pro on September 21, 2025, per the organization's announcement. Nisha, one of the scene's premier midlaners, took a break from competition, while Abed, Q and Jabz went open for transfer, per the trackers' compiled announcements. Team shake-ups were not limited to one region: AVULUS released its 2025-26 roster outright, per the organization's announcement, putting Smiling Knight, lorenof and SabeRLight- on the market at once.
What is HEROIC's situation in 2026?
HEROIC has become the shuffle's cautionary tale. Per the club's own 'Changing Lanes' announcement, it rebuilt around Yuma and Adrian 'Wisper' Dobles, moved Wisper to midlane on trial, returned Cedric 'Davai Lama' Deckmyn to the offlane, and added Thiago 'Thiolicor' de Oliveira Cordeiro as soft support. The experiment lasted months: per GosuGamers, Davai Lama was benched after the team failed to qualify for DreamLeague Season 28, and per EGW.News, HEROIC confirmed his departure from the main roster on January 15, 2026. A rebuild that began with role swaps ended with the organization back on the market for an offlaner before the spring circuit warmed up.
Who is still rumored rather than confirmed?
Plenty — and the line matters. Skiter was reported to be staying while Oli, SunBhie and Palos left as free agents, per the compiled reporting, and Topson's return to competitive play with a new organization circulated widely in the trackers. Those were sourced reports rather than final announcements at the time they ran, and this piece treats them accordingly: a rumor with a name attached, not a fact.
Why does the unsettled market matter for the spring tour?
Because Dota's competitive year punishes late chemistry. Valve's tour system concentrates qualification into tight windows, and a roster still moving pieces in January — as HEROIC's was — burns the winter tour learning curves instead of earning points. The teams that locked early post-TI have spent two tours compounding; the ones still shopping in the spring window are effectively conceding a circuit segment. That asymmetry, more than any single transfer, is the real story of the 2026 shuffle: the market never closed, and the standings are already charging interest.
For more context, read Team Spirit cuts chopper and zweih as the CS2 winter shuffle begins.
For more context, read cs2 summer transfer window 2026.
For more context, read valorant roster changes 2026.