AS Monaco Gambit slapped with four-event ban after D2CL ragequit

AS Monaco Gambit will not be invited to the next four Dota 2 Champions League events after dropping out in the middle of the latest event's group stage.

AS Monaco Gambit has been struck with a four-event invite ban from Dota 2 Champions League after dropping out halfway through its group stage. The move comes after an extremely poor performance in the current season’s round-robin stage. This decision points to the tumultuous state of Eastern European Dota 2. The region only has two representatives at The International 10, tied for the fewest with Southeast Asia. 

Gambit had a 2-18 games record heading into the final week of the group stage. It’s unclear if the decision to withdraw was made by players or by Gambit staff, though it was may have been a mutual decision. An apology to fans was quickly published on social media. The Dota 2 Championship League will continue to run with all of AS Monaco Gambit’s past and future games marked as forfeits. It’s worth noting that, even with such an abysmal scoreline, Gambit would still have qualified for the lower bracket of playoffs.

AS Monaco Gambit will not be directly invited to any of the next four D2CL events. Under the current seasonal pace, that could mean no Gambit invites until 2023. The team could theoretically earn a rightful spot at upcoming D2CL events through the open qualifier, but this season had just a single slot.

The Dota 2 Champions League is one of the longest-running Dota 2 competitive events in Eastern Europe. Epic Esports Events hosted the first circuit in mid-2014. The final season was held in late 2018 but the name was revived for 2021. A D2CL Season 3 is already planned for later in 2021.

Is Eastern Europe a strong region in Dota 2?

The Eastern European Dota 2 scene is in a rough state heading into TI10. Virtus.pro was the only team to directly qualify through the Dota Pro Circuit season. Team Spirit looked strong during its championship qualifier run partially because expected favorites Natus Vincere and Gambit fumbled badly. Natus Vincere announced that its Dota 2 squad would become inactive soon afterward. Considering AS Monaco Gambit’s terrible performance right after missing TI10, this team might be due for some roster swaps of its own.