Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko aired his grievances towards the DPC format in a personal Tweet. The veteran CIS player is currently without a team after parting ways with Virtus.pro. Subsequently, no organization has approached him prior to the beginning of the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit.

High and dry

The teamless Ukrainian player felt slighted by the DPC regulations leading to his venting on Twitter. No[o]ne's primary concern lies with potentially missing out on The International because of his current predicament. Fans translated the Tweet to make No[o]ne's issues known.

“And so, if I miss the first DPC season, my chances of making the International are almost zero. Sounds fun given the announcement after all of this.” 

DPC regulations leave players in a tough position prior to the beginning of a competitive season. Players with no ongoing discussions with organizations are likely to remain teamless at the start of the season. For instance, No[o]ne had a little over a month to look for a new team.

The DPC qualifiers for some regions opened up as early as January 3, 2021, which only adds to the disadvantage of some layers. Several teams locked in their rosters on  January 1, 2021 but those deals may have been cemented towards the end of December of the previous year.

No[o]ne's concerns also stretch to any team making roster changes once the DPC season starts. A team making changes to their roster in the middle of a DPC runs will suffer a deficit of DPC points. This was Valve's response against organizations dumping players on quick notice. This is a big problem for skilled players that are unlucky enough to find a team in time for the beginning of a DPC season.

There's very little that can turn around the Ukrainian player's current predicament but this whole issue will become a cautionary tale for all pro players of Dota 2.