Captain ppd has moved to stop NIP's slide in Dota 2 with another shake-up of the active roster. In come Lelis and Daxak, while Biver heads through the exit door. Dota 2 fan and Luckbox contributor Riley shares his thoughts on the new NIP lineup

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This roster change should put a bit of smile on the face of the Salt King's fans. It's also a bit of shock, as this is a pretty daring new squad, but now at least there's prospects of promise back with NIP.

Lelis and Daxak add quality

Recruiting CIS carry Daxak is definitely a smart move, as his performance contributed much to one of the best seasons Gambit enjoyed when he was in their roster. Communication might be a hurdle, but Ramzes's time at EG should prove otherwise.

The addition of Lelis is also great. The Brazilian offlaner is talented, has good experience, and has played for multi-national teams before. One doesn't have to look far to confirm this - see Beastcoast eliminate tournament favorites Nigma with him as a stand-in for the Peruvians.

Talent in the ranks

Rookie Tanner warrants his spot in the roster. As inexperienced he is, he's talented enough to shine in dark times previously, so there's that. Getting rid of Biver wasn't unexpected, he never really stood out, but moving Universe to the 4 position is quite surprising.

Ppd always vouched for Universe as one of the best offlaners to ever play the game, but his performance in the role throughout the year hasn't provided much evidence of that fact.

Moving him to a different role that he's never played could potentially be good, as with the crazier and crazier patches changing way the game is being played changing so fast, the trend of players ditching the roles they're known for (Ramzes, Sccc, JT-) has so far proved rewarding.

Major qualification a real challenge

This roster overall is definitely an improvement. The real question is, can they qualify for DPC events? The EU region is really oversaturated, with teams such as Secret, Nigma, Liquid, Alliance, and the new OG. With only give slots maximum available for EU in the upcoming qualifiers, I'm afraid none will be left for NIP.

Picture: StarLadder / Flickr