Fnatic is set to sign Damien “kpii” Sau-jing and Kim “Gabbi” Santos to complete its Dota 2 roster for the DPC 2023 season, according to a source that spoke to ONE Esports.
The two Southeast Asian free agents could end up replacing Marc “Raven” Fausto and Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong, the team’s former carry and offlaner who were recently released after The International 2022.
Gabbi and kpii could reunite with their former TNC Predator teammate, Armel “Armel” Tabios, alongside Filipino standouts Djardel “DJ” Mampusti and Jaunuel “Jaunuel” Arcilla.
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Gabbi and kpii could be Fnatic’s newest members
After finishing in 13th-16th place at TI11, Fnatic is now making some changes to its Dota 2 roster, parting ways with Jabz and Lee “SunBhie” Jeong-jae on November 4. A week later, they said goodbye to their carry player, Raven.
Gabbi will likely take over the carry position for the team, while kpii could continue to play the offlane position as he did before he was released by Talon Esports. However, he could also be coaching the team, having previously tweeted that he’s open to it even if it’s a “long shot.”
The two newcomers would be joining Fnatic at a pivotal moment in their careers. During their time playing under the TNC Predator banner, they won back-to-back tournaments and lifted the ESL One Hamburg 2019 and MDL Chengdu Major trophies in 2019.
However, the two have struggled to achieve similar success since their time with TNC Predator. Instead, Gabbi and kpii spent much of the past two years bouncing around different Southeast Asian Dota 2 squads.
Fnatic’s Dota 2 roster
- Kim “Gabbi” Santos
- Armel “Armel” Tabios
- Damien “kpii” Sau-jing
- Djardel “DJ” Mampusti
- Jaunuel “Jaunuel” Arcilla
Fnatic could be looking to recapture the same success the two SEA stars enjoyed with TNC Predator during their heyday. However, the duo will have to pull together and produce better results compared to their DPC 2022 runs, if they hope to stay ahead of the competition.
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