Update: This roster are now out of contract as of November 1st 2022 and are looking for a new team. Into the Breach have reiterated their commitment to Dota 2:
Original article:
UK esports organisation Into the Breach have signed a new Dota 2 team including a rising UK support player Matthew ‘Ari’ Walker.
They’ve brought on board the Chicken Fighters roster, which features Russian carry Roman ‘Otaker’ Aliullov, Czech Republic mid-laner Ondřej ‘Supream’ Štarha, Swedish off-laner Andreas ‘Xibbe’ Ragnemalm and Ukrainian hard support player Ivan ‘Kidaro’ Bondarev, as well as the UK’s Ari.
Another Swedish Dota 2 talent, Linus ‘Isola’ Svensson, is on board as team manager.
The news comes just over a week after Into the Breach parted ways with their previous Dota 2 roster, which featured UK players Adzantick and Tanner among others.
The org thanked the outgoing roster for their work, with that team recently placing fifth in the DPC WEU 2021/2022 Tour 2: Division II.
Into the Breach first signed their outgoing Dota 2 roster in April 2021.
Esports News UK caught up with Into The Breach founder Sam Cook, who said the plan is to gain promotion to the top division of the European Dota Pro Circuit (DPC).
“After playing with the same core duo for three seasons, we’re hoping this mix up will enable us to break into Division 1, or at the very least top three.
“We’d like to especially highlight Ari, who has only played Dota as recently as 2019 and has already reached 10k MMR. He was also rank 1 in HON before switching. One to watch and a real talent, especially of interest to us as he’s from the UK.”
Sam Cook, Into the Breach
“The squad is rounded out super nicely with very experienced teammates (Supreme, Xibbe) and other upcoming, exciting prospects like Otaker and Kidaro. “It’s likely the strongest roster we’ve fielded in Dota and we’re stoked to see what it can achieve.”
Ari added: “I am proud to represent a UK organisation, and not just any organisation, but Into The Breach. I will do my best to carry the team and represent the UK Dota community.”
Related article: Into the Breach win Beyond Spring Invitational, a first-of-its-kind CSGO event in the UK & Ireland Circuit
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
