Team Yandex has signed Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf as their new offlaner, a direct consequence of Team Falcons shutting down their Dota 2 project in September 2026. The move sets off a clear chain of events: Falcons' exit frees ATF, and Team Yandex seizes the opportunity to upgrade a roster that already finished third at The International 2026.
The departing offlaner, Dmitry "DM" Dorokhin, has not been released but moved to the inactive roster. He was part of building Yandex from the organisation's debut in professional Dota 2 in June 2025 to a position as one of the season's strongest teams — with three Tier 1 tournament victories and six additional top-three finishes during the 2025–26 season.
Falcons' withdrawal marks the end of a team that played 799 matches with the same five-man roster and won over 65 percent of them. The highlight was their victory at The International 2025, but at TI 2026 the team was eliminated in seventh-eighth place following losses to Nigma Galaxy and Team Liquid. The organisation's subsequent decision to shut the project down entirely sends a clear signal that Falcons no longer prioritises Dota 2.
For Team Yandex, the addition of ATF means the roster now features two players with TI championship experience: ATF lifted the Aegis with Falcons in 2025, while support player Saksa lifted the trophy with Tundra Esports in 2022. The remaining three spots — watson, CHIRA_JUNIOR, and Malady — remain unchanged.
The new roster will not have a long settling-in period. PGL Wallachia Season 9 begins as early as 19 September 2026, and the tournament is classified as Tier 2. Yandex must quickly figure out how ATF's resource-heavy and aggressive playstyle can be integrated into a team where watson and CHIRA_JUNIOR already serve as primary farming priorities. That is precisely the balance the upcoming matches will put to the test.