EXTREMUM have returned from a month-long hiatus with a fresh Dota 2 roster, as confirmed by the Russian esports organisation on Sunday.
EXTREMUM were last seen competing in the Dota 2 esports scene in April, when they finished as runners-up at the SIGUL Pro League with a Kazakhstani-Russian squad consisting of Vladislav “BLACKARXANGEL” Ivaschenko, Fedor “velheor” Rusikhin, Abdimalik “Malik” Sajlau, Sergey Alexandrovich “G” Bragin (also known as “God”) and Egor “.Ark” Zhabotinskii.
Shortly after, EXTREMUM quietly benched their entire roster without providing any further information about the move. While none of the players actively searched for a new club following the benching, the team’s former captain, BLACKARXANGEL, joined Khan on loan at the start of June.
EXTREMUM remained quiet about their plans for the future until Sunday, when they unveiled their new Dota2 roster. The team also revealed they had parted ways with one of the five inaugural members, .Ark.
The new EXTREMUM Dota2 team will feature two inaugural members in G and velheor, who will join forces with ex-Nemiga members Maxim “mellojul” Pnyov and Dimitry “Nefrit” Tarasich as well as Russian veteran Vasily “AfterLife” Shishkin.
This marks the first major roster rebuild for EXTREMUM since the team’s establishment in December 2019. They have achieved a handful of solid Tier 3 results in their short history, including a gold medal at the Kyivstar Autumn Cup, silver at SECTOR: MOSTBET DOTA 2 Season 1, a top-three finish at Epic Challenger League Season 1 and the aforementioned second placing at the SIGUL Pro League.
It remains to be seen how the freshened-up roster will perform, but there is no denying EXTREMUM have built a much more competitive team this time out with velheor, G and AfterLife as three veterans in the scene. It is not yet known who will take over as captain, but it’s highly likely that either AfterLife or G will take on the role.
AfterLife started his Dota2 career in September 2013 and has since played for over a dozen teams, including Team Spirit, Vega Squadron, Gambit Esports and Winstrike. G has over 10 years of experience playing Dota esports and has featured for some of the strongest teams in the scene, such as Moscow Five, Darer, LGD.Int, Virtus.pro, Team Empire, Vega Squadron and Team Spirit.
G also appeared at the first five iterations of The International. His best placements came in 2011 with Moscow Five and 2015 with Virtus.pro, finishing in fifth-sixth place on both occasions.
EXTREMUM have yet to unveil what will happen with Abdimalik “Malik” Sajlau, who is currently an inactive member of the team. It’s likely EXTREMUM will either cut him from the team or look to transfer him elsewhere.
Throughout the rebuilding process, EXTREMUM kept ahold of their head coach, Anatoly “boo1k” Ivanov, who will remain with the team as they open a new chapter.