Team Yandex signs ATF as new offlaner, DM moves to bench
The Russian Dota 2 organization upgrades its offlane position just months after a third-place finish at The International 2026
Team Yandex has signed Jordanian offlaner Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf, sending current offlaner Dmitry “DM” Dorokhin to the bench. The move reshapes one of the most successful Dota 2 rosters of 2026, just weeks after the post-TI shuffle window opened.
For DM, the timing stings. He joined Team Yandex on May 24, 2026, after a string of stand-in performances impressive enough to earn a permanent contract. Now, roughly three months later, he’s watching from the sideline.
A roster move that’s been brewing for weeks
Rumors about ATF’s arrival first surfaced around August 25-26, with multiple esports insiders flagging the negotiation as highly likely. The speculation intensified after The International 2026 in Shanghai, where post-tournament roster shuffles are as predictable as death and taxes.
ATF was previously associated with Team Falcons, where he had been at the center of roster speculation following TI.
What DM leaves behind
DM’s tenure with Team Yandex, while brief, was productive by any reasonable standard. After initially standing in for the squad, his performances were strong enough that the organization brought him on full-time in late May.
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Team Yandex claimed the PGL Wallachia Season 7 title earlier in 2026, the organization’s first major LAN championship. DM played a key role in that victory, establishing himself as a reliable presence in the offlane.
Then came The International 2026 in Shanghai, where Team Yandex secured a third-place finish. That result earned the squad more than $258,000 in prize money.
Team Yandex’s trajectory and the ATF bet
The organization entered the competitive scene by acquiring the Cyber Goose roster back in June 2025. Since then, the team has been on a steady upward climb, claiming a LAN title at PGL Wallachia Season 7 and a top-three finish at TI.
As of mid-September 2026, no official confirmation from Team Yandex has emerged regarding the roster change, though multiple insider sources have reported it as highly likely.