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I never had to think about it before getting into #Dota2 #eSport , but how do fans usually reconcile with roster changes for teams not tied to a specific city/region/country like most eSport teams? What makes such a team’s identity if not their players?
#dota2 #esport
Richard Degenne
Richard Degenne  
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It depends what sort of roster change we are talking about. It's rare for an organization to replace all five players at once. Most roster changes are usually one or two players at a time, so the identity of the team is mostly left intact.
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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Thank you for the reply! For mostly historical reasons I've been following the tribulations of FATA (Adrian Trinks) through his various teams (mousesports, Sigma, Cloud9, Team Liquid, Team Secret, Ninjas in Pajamas, Alliance, mudgolems/Tundra, Quincy Crew/Soniqs) and I've never been able to really enjoy supporting the teams that he left.

This was especially clear to me this year's International that Tundra Esports anticlimactically won without him last month. I had been cheering on this team for as long as he was around, and then suddenly I didn't feel like it as much, even though it was objectively a minor roster change.

On the other hand, my favorite matches to watch from the same competition were the couple Team Liquid won against Thunder Awaken and then Team Aster in the Lower Bracket, and yet I'm not a particular fan of any of their players.
Richard Degenne
Richard Degenne  
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I can definitely understand being supporters of specific players rather than squads or organizations.

And to be honest, I like this way more than the way traditional sports do it, where you basically *have* to support the local team no matter what.
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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Indeed, but then as I experienced it this year it becomes emotionally more complex as you track several players with their own separate careers. In particular, merchandizing is still mostly geared towards organizations.
Martin K.
Martin K.  
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@richarddegenne I feel 100% the same about FATA. Like the guy, like his playstyle (mid Meka master back in the day). And thus liked Tundra - the team he shaped. The second they kicked him, I was much more reluctant in cheering for them.
On the other hand, I do feel kind of partisan towards orgs like Nigma or Liquid, just because I cheered for some of their lineups for so long - and it just stuck even through later lineups. Then again, unifying factor: Kuro.
@Richard Degenne
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@Martin K. Now that you are mentioning him, I do like KuroKy in general, and thus all the squads he's been on as well. I'm more guarded against Puppey and N0tail for some reason, and in my mind they've been the villains in the tournaments I've been watching. Especially in this OG roster with the cocky Ammar the F, it's been enjoyable for me to see them stumble. 😈
@Martin K.
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