AVULUS disbands Dota 2 roster

AVULUS has announced a full roster reset only two months after finalising its lineup for the new season.

European Dota 2 team AVULUS has announced the disbandment of its roster less than two months after finalising it for the 2025/2026 season. The organisation has parted ways with players Aleksey “Smiling Knight” Sviridov, Artem “Lorenof” Melnick, Jonáš “SabeRLighT-” Volek, Masrcel “Ekki” Hołowienko, and Dmitry “Janter” Nikulin.

The news doesn’t come as a major surprise to those closely following the Dota 2 scene. In the crucial early stretch of the season, AVULUS managed to qualify only for DreamLeague Season 27, securing the third and final slot in the competitive run. However, speculation about internal issues surfaced when ESL announced that AVULUS has been replaced by MOUZ for the upcoming tournament, as they were unable to field a roster.

The news led to speculations regarding roster issues in AVULUS, which were shortly confirmed as the team officially revealed a complete reset of its lineup, simultaneously promising a new roster announcement soon.

“Our current Dota 2 roster is officially released. A huge thank you to the players for their efforts. The future is bright—the next chapter of AVULUS is just around the corner. Get ready,” AVULUS posted across its social media.

AVULUS resets roster after a period of struggle

AVULUS is a relatively new name in the competitive Dota 2 scene, having formed in August 2024 under the leadership of veteran Russian captain Akbar “SoNNeikO” Butaev. The team showed immediate promise, qualifying for its first major event, PGL Wallachia Season 2, in its debut season and finishing with a respectable Top 8 placement.

Building on that momentum, AVULUS continued to make its mark in Tier 1 LAN competition, achieving Top 6 at ESL One Bangkok 2024 and Top 8 at ESL One Raleigh 2025. However, the team’s steady rise took a downturn after SoNNeikO's abrupt departure in April 2025. Since then, AVULUS has struggled to regain its earlier form and re-establish itself among the top contenders.

Ahead of the 2025/2026 season, the organisation rebuilt its roster introducing rising talent Artem “Lorenof” Melnick in the mid lane and former Team Liquid offlaner SaberLight, who joined on loan. Despite the promising lineup, the team’s new campaign got off to a rocky start, managing to qualify for only one tournament. The disappointing results have now led to a complete roster reset, as AVULUS releases all its players and signals a new lineup to come.