Staff Yandex introduced on 17 September that it has signed Ammar “ATF” Assaf as its new offlaner, changing Dmitry “DM” Dorokhin, who has been moved to the inactive roster.
ATF joins as a free agent following Staff Falcons’ exit from aggressive Dota 2 earlier this month. He was a key determine within the Falcons lineup that performed 799 video games collectively as a five-man unit, essentially the most of any roster within the recreation’s historical past, successful 523 of these matches for a 65.46% win price. ATF is the second former Falcons participant to land with a brand new organisation for the reason that shutdown, following Oliver “Skiter” Lepko’s transfer to Aurora Gaming.
A Second TI Champion on the Books
ATF’s arrival offers Yandex two The Worldwide champions on its books, pairing the TI 2025 winner with TI 2022 champion Martin “Saksa” Sazdov. The confirmed 2026-2027 roster now reads:
- Alimzhan “Watson” Islambekov
- Ilya “CHIRA_JUNIOR” Chirtsov
- Ammar “ATF” Assaf
- Martin “Saksa” Sazdov
- Arman “Illness” Orazbayev
Constructing on a Third-Place TI 2026 End
Yandex entered the Dota 2 scene in June 2025 and rapidly grew into one in all its strongest groups, successful three Tier 1 tournaments and ending within the prime three at six others throughout the 2025-2026 season, based on GosuGamers. At TI 2026, the facet recovered from a gradual group stage to succeed in the highest three, falling to eventual champions Staff Spirit within the lower-bracket remaining — a run that continues a broader pattern of roster churn lined in Esports Insider’s recent Dota 2 recap and pre-International roster coverage.
What’s Subsequent?
Yandex is about to debut its new-look lineup at PGL Wallachia Season 9, the primary Tier 1 event of the 2026-2027 season, which begins on 19 September. ATF himself acknowledged the change in feedback reported by cyber.sports.ru, confirming he’ll play beneath the Yandex banner on the occasion.
