Unlike many other esports, roster changes are a common occurrence in Dota 2, though for a Peruvian staple in the South American scene, it’s a clear sign of internal issues. Hokori has had quite the DPC season, rising to a close runner-up spot to relegation from Division 1. They are once again at it with the roster swaps. This time around they dropped two and gained two.
Hokori picking up Thiago “Thiolicor” Cordeiro again was a very surprising move after presumably kicking him last month. Yelsthin “elmisho” Hurtado replaced Thiolicor during the DPC SA Tour 3 and left after their eight-place finish. Answering why they decided to put Thiolicor back on the active line-up, it might just be that they are prepping for the International 11 (TI11) qualifiers.
The International 11 kicks off in October with qualifiers expected to occur a month or longer before the actual event. In other words, there really isn’t much leg room for any team hoping to attempt one last chance at qualifying for TI11. Hence, bringing back Thiolicor’s synergy with the team was a well-made decision.
Before TI11, comes the ESL One Malaysia 2022, which features a massive prize pool despite being a third-party tournament. Hokori will play the SA qualifiers versus many regional rivals, such as Thunder Awaken, Beastcoast and Infamous.
These are opponents, which have from time to time surprised the competition with their phenomenal display of strength during majors. For instance, Thunder Awaken and Beastcoast secured fifth and sixth place respectively at Stockholm Major. It was a massive feat for SA teams as they became a mainstay among the top ranks in majors, which brings us to how Hokori plans on disrupting its peers.
Alongside Thiolicor, Edward “Lumière” Valencia joins Hokori, who has a long history of participation in multiple SA teams, and is also a former player of Hokori. And as it turns out, it was all along Hokori’s plan to recruit its founding players.
João “4nalog” Giannini is the team’s latest addition too before the two ‘new’ joiners, but also had a history with Hokori. As such, Hokori’s mass shuffle was merely a regathering of its founding members.
The DPC SA Tour 3 puts Hokori out of Division 1 after they lost at eighth place. Considering the recent rise of SA candidates, such as beastcoast and Thunder Awaken, Hokori’s state is unacceptable if they are aiming for TI11.
DPC seasons aside, TI11 is still a plausible dream. Hence, Hokori is trying to recruit its founding members. Yet, it wasn’t like Hokori was ever in their prime since all they accomplished was staying afloat in Division 1. At least, until the recent DPC SA Tour 2, when Hokori almost secured tickets to the Stockholm Major. The 2nd-3rd tiebreaker versus beastcoast was a close one, where they truly gave beastcoast a run for their money, but ultimately wasn’t enough.
In the end, these roster changes might be exactly what the Hokori team needs as they’ll be playing with some of their founding members. If they are able to turn things around in the following weeks, there is a slim possibility we get to see them play at ESL One Malaysia 2022, which is occurring in late August.
