Alisa Posted August 7 Alisa Posted August 7 🎮 The Roster Move That Looked Terrible but Actually Worked 💯 Imagine kicking a player who helped you win The International just a few months before the next TI. Sounds like a great way to destroy a legendary roster. That’s basically what Team Liquid did in 2019. MATUMBAMAN had been with Liquid for almost four years. He was part of the roster that lifted the Aegis at TI7, and the lineup had become one of the most recognizable teams in Dota 2. Then Liquid benched him and brought in w33. The timing made the move even crazier: EPICENTER was days away and The International was right around the corner. Fans questioned why a team with that much history and chemistry would make such a huge change so late in the season. Then the new roster started playing. Liquid reached the EPICENTER Major final almost immediately and, a few months later, went all the way to the TI9 Grand Final, eventually finishing second behind OG. Did the move make Liquid a better team in the long run? That debate can still start a war among Dota fans. But as a short-term gamble before TI9? It worked much better than almost anyone expected. What’s another roster move that looked completely wrong , but the results eventually shut everyone up? 👇 Link to comment https://invision.prod.aws.1winforum.com/topic/1778-%E2%80%8B-%F0%9F%8E%AE-the-roster-move-that-looked-terrible-but-actually-worked-%E2%80%8B/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaitu Posted August 7 Chaitu Posted August 7 Spirit bringing in donk looked like a huge gamble at first Link to comment https://invision.prod.aws.1winforum.com/topic/1778-%E2%80%8B-%F0%9F%8E%AE-the-roster-move-that-looked-terrible-but-actually-worked-%E2%80%8B/#findComment-15187 Share on other sites More sharing options...
COOL PERSON Posted August 7 COOL PERSON Posted August 7 13 minutes ago, Chaitu said: Spirit bringing in donk looked like a huge gamble at first and now it’s one of the best roster moves in recent CS history 😄 Link to comment https://invision.prod.aws.1winforum.com/topic/1778-%E2%80%8B-%F0%9F%8E%AE-the-roster-move-that-looked-terrible-but-actually-worked-%E2%80%8B/#findComment-15188 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maris_Bosco Posted August 7 Maris_Bosco Posted August 7 I remember people doubting the w33 move back then too Link to comment https://invision.prod.aws.1winforum.com/topic/1778-%E2%80%8B-%F0%9F%8E%AE-the-roster-move-that-looked-terrible-but-actually-worked-%E2%80%8B/#findComment-15189 Share on other sites More sharing options...
omar Posted August 7 omar Posted August 7 Liquid proved everyone wrong for a while Link to comment https://invision.prod.aws.1winforum.com/topic/1778-%E2%80%8B-%F0%9F%8E%AE-the-roster-move-that-looked-terrible-but-actually-worked-%E2%80%8B/#findComment-15191 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulabali Posted August 7 Gulabali Posted August 7 ropz joining Vitality is another great example Link to comment https://invision.prod.aws.1winforum.com/topic/1778-%E2%80%8B-%F0%9F%8E%AE-the-roster-move-that-looked-terrible-but-actually-worked-%E2%80%8B/#findComment-15192 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hasnain Posted August 7 Hasnain Posted August 7 1 hour ago, Gulabali said: ropz joining Vitality is another great example A lot of people questioned the fit, then they started winning everything 😂 Link to comment https://invision.prod.aws.1winforum.com/topic/1778-%E2%80%8B-%F0%9F%8E%AE-the-roster-move-that-looked-terrible-but-actually-worked-%E2%80%8B/#findComment-15193 Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinLegend Posted August 16 SpinLegend Posted August 16 On 8/7/2026 at 4:50 PM, Hasnain said: A lot of people questioned the fit, then they started winning everything 😂 💯 lol Link to comment https://invision.prod.aws.1winforum.com/topic/1778-%E2%80%8B-%F0%9F%8E%AE-the-roster-move-that-looked-terrible-but-actually-worked-%E2%80%8B/#findComment-15453 Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.Silva Posted August 16 V.Silva Posted August 16 On 8/7/2026 at 1:48 PM, Chaitu said: Spirit bringing in donk looked like a huge gamble at first For me it was obvious ngl 🤷♂️ Link to comment https://invision.prod.aws.1winforum.com/topic/1778-%E2%80%8B-%F0%9F%8E%AE-the-roster-move-that-looked-terrible-but-actually-worked-%E2%80%8B/#findComment-15454 Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky_pants Posted August 16 lucky_pants Posted August 16 44 minutes ago, V.Silva said: For me it was obvious ngl 🤷♂️ Ofc ofc now every is like this… Link to comment https://invision.prod.aws.1winforum.com/topic/1778-%E2%80%8B-%F0%9F%8E%AE-the-roster-move-that-looked-terrible-but-actually-worked-%E2%80%8B/#findComment-15457 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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