AVULUS has officially parted ways with its Dota 2 roster after a difficult season that never quite lived up to expectations. Despite showing flashes of potential and qualifying for major events, the squad struggled to deliver results on the big stage, leading to the decision to disband.

Today we part ways with our Dota 2 roster.
This season had its ups and downs, and it’s time for change.

Respect to everyone who played under the AVULUS tag and left their mark.
Respect to everyone who supported us.

This is just the beginning — see you soon.@smlngknight @Xibbe… pic.twitter.com/evTrJpLw6h

— AVULUS (@teamavulus) August 27, 2025

A Season of Ups and Downs

The 2025 campaign began with optimism, as AVULUS managed to secure slots at S-Tier tournaments like ESL One Raleigh, DreamLeague, and PGL Wallachia. These opportunities gave the roster a chance to compete against some of the best Dota 2 teams in the world. Unfortunately, results didn’t follow. The team often exited early, finishing in bottom places across both LANs and online events.

Avulus DOTA 2 Recent Results | Image via Liquipedia.net

Even in smaller competitions, AVULUS couldn’t find much consistency. The mix of experienced veterans and rising talents was promising on paper, but it never clicked enough to take down even weaker opponents.

The Roster Says Goodbye

In its official announcement, AVULUS confirmed that the organisation will no longer be working with its current Dota 2 lineup. The players released include:

• Andreas “Xibbe” Ragnemalm
• Athanasios “dEsire” Kartsabas
• Akbar “SoNNeikO” Butaev
• Tal “Fly” Aizik
• Magomed “Mag” Mirzaev
• Stormstormer
• Ekkio
• Mo13ei

Two names will remain within the organisation: Aliaksei “Smiling Knight” Svirydau and Vitaliy “Worick” Brezgin. Whether they stay on for the next iteration of the roster remains to be seen.

The Tier 1.5 Struggle

AVULUS’ struggles echo a bigger issue within the Dota 2 ecosystem often called the “Tier 1.5 problem.” Teams like AVULUS are strong enough to make it through qualifiers but usually can’t keep up against Tier 1 powerhouses. The result is a frustrating cycle of qualifying, underperforming, and eventually burning out.

It’s not just AVULUS. Earlier this year, Shopify Rebellion also disbanded its Dota 2 roster after failing to break through, despite having significant financial support and high-profile players.

Looking Ahead

While the current project has come to an end, AVULUS made it clear this isn’t a permanent exit from the Dota 2 scene. The team confirmed its intention to return next season with a refreshed lineup, likely taking advantage of the post-TI shuffle when roster moves and free-agent signings are at their peak.

“Respect to everyone who played under the AVULUS tag and left their mark. Respect to everyone who supported us. This is just the beginning — see you soon,” the organisation wrote on social media.

For now, fans will have to wait and see how AVULUS approaches its rebuild. But one thing’s certain: the organisation isn’t giving up on Dota 2 just yet.

The post AVULUS Disbands Dota 2 Roster but Promises Return Next Season appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Following his release of Over & Over alongside Njomza on Selected, Dark Heart now makes his debut on Sonny Fodera’s Solotoko with soaring new single Fly.

With his recent release on Selected amassing over 5M streams alone, Dark Heart is set to skyrocket even further with his Solotoko release that will continue  to add to an impressive 75M global streams combined.

The alias of David Thomas, Dark Heart is a former Hollywood agent who left the film industry to transform his passion into a dedicated music career whilst having fun along the way. He has now landed anthems on the likes of Virgin, Spinnin’, DGTLBEATS, Circus and more whilst finding fans in The Chainsmokers, Marshmello, Tiësto, Steve Aoki, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and many others.

Having also collaborated with Jonas Blue on his Blue album along with being snapped up for remixes by the likes of Bazzi, Seeb, GASHI, DJ Snake and producing for legendary grime artists Dizzee Rascal and Ocean Wisdom, Dark Heart is already earning credible tastemaker status amongst his peers.

Now bringing his house music flair to Solotoko, Dark Heart gets set to release new single Fly. Boasting precision kicks, driving bass and wigged-out vocals, Fly is packed with party potential as a club focused, hypnotic tech house cut built with peak-time dancefloors in mind.

Dark Heart – Fly is out now via Solotoko.

The post DARK HEART – Fly appeared first on Shane the Gamer.