The iconic Ukrainian player Danil "Dendi" Ishutin has returned to competitive play and in his home region in time for TI9 qualifiers.
Danil "Dendi" Ishutin hasn't been a stable part of the Dota 2 pro circuit since he parted ways with Na'vi during the post TI shuffle. Then in January, he was recruited by Tigers in the SEA region, where he played with no success until leaving in April. For two months, fans wondered what had become of the player and if he had retired permanently.
The legendary player seems to be giving things the 'old college try' before TI9 qualifiers, joining up with a new squad to represent his home region.
The Pango has revamped their roster after a trying season, keeping only Andrey "Ghostik" Kadyk from their last roster.
In just a few hours the teams will be announced for the closed qualifiers for each region. The other teams will need to be getting ready for the open qualifiers that will start on Wednesday, July 3rd. It is unclear if this iteration of The Pango will see an invite to the closed qualifiers, but seems unlikely.
Valve has not yet announced how many teams per region will be able to qualify for TI9. In the last several years 18 has been the magical number of teams headed for the pinnacle of all Dota 2 events. If that stays the same, with 12 invites being handed out, only six teams - one per region- would end up at TI9 via the qualifiers. The competition will be cut-throat and teams are seeking out any competitive edge.
Vladimir "Chappie" Kuzmenko
Danil "Dendi" Ishutin
Andrey "Ghostik" Kadyk
Danial "yamich" Lazebny
Mihail "Misha" Agatov
