Team Yandex have signed Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf as their new offlaner, adding one of Dota 2’s most prominent position-three players to a roster that finished third at The International 2026.
The 20-year-old Jordanian replaces Dmitry “DM” Dorokhin, who has been moved to the inactive roster. ATF joins as a free agent following Team Falcons’ withdrawal from competitive Dota 2 earlier in September.
Yandex will debut its revamped lineup at PGL Wallachia Season 9, which begins on September 19.
ATF lands new team after Falcons departure
ATF became available when Team Falcons ended its Dota 2 project after almost three years with the same five-player core.
That roster had become one of the most successful lineups of the post-DPC era, playing 799 games together and winning more than 65% of them.
Its biggest achievement came at The International 2025, where Falcons defeated Xtreme Gaming 3-2 in the Grand Final and lifted the Aegis.
- ATF won The International 2025 with Team Falcons
- Falcons ended their Dota 2 project after TI 2026
- ATF subsequently became available as a free agent
- Team Yandex have now signed him to replace DM
Falcons’ final TI campaign ended much earlier. The defending champions finished seventh-eighth at TI 2026 after losses to Nigma Galaxy and Team Liquid.
ATF now moves directly from one title-winning project into a Team Yandex roster that was already among the strongest teams of the 2025-26 season.
DM moves to the inactive roster
The signing means DM loses his place despite being part of Yandex’s rapid rise.
Team Yandex entered professional Dota 2 only in June 2025 but quickly established itself near the top of the international scene.
With DM in the offlane, the team won three Tier 1 tournaments and recorded six additional top-three finishes during the season.
Their biggest result came at The International 2026.
Yandex recovered from a difficult start to reach the Lower Bracket Final, where eventual champions Team Spirit ended their run.
| Position | Team Yandex player |
|---|---|
| Carry | watson |
| Mid | CHIRA_JUNIOR |
| Offlane | ATF |
| Soft Support | Saksa |
| Hard Support | Malady |
DM has not left the organization completely and remains listed on the inactive roster.
Yandex now field two TI champions
ATF’s arrival gives Team Yandex another player with experience winning Dota’s biggest tournament.
Saksa won The International 2022 with Tundra Esports, while ATF became a champion with Falcons in 2025.
That experience could become particularly valuable when Yandex return to high-pressure LAN playoffs.
The team already proved at TI 2026 that it could contend for an Aegis. Adding an offlaner with ATF’s aggressive style creates the possibility of pushing the roster further without restructuring the rest of its successful core.
- Saksa won TI 2022 with Tundra Esports
- ATF won TI 2025 with Team Falcons
- Team Yandex finished third at TI 2026
- The other four starting players remain unchanged
Yandex are therefore opting for one targeted adjustment rather than a complete post-TI rebuild.
ATF brings a very different offlane style
ATF has developed a reputation as one of the most aggressive offlaners in modern Dota 2.
His hero pool and approach often allow teams to treat position three as another major damage source rather than relying exclusively on conventional initiation and utility.
That style was central to Falcons’ success.
Playing alongside skiter, Malr1ne, Cr1t- and Sneyking, ATF helped Falcons collect 11 trophies during their time together, including seven Tier 1 championships.
How Team Yandex adapt around him will be one of the key questions surrounding the move.
watson and CHIRA_JUNIOR already represent significant farming priorities, so integrating another player capable of demanding resources may require changes to the team’s economy and draft philosophy.
PGL Wallachia Season 9 provides immediate test
Yandex will not have much time to experiment privately.
Their first tournament with ATF begins on September 19 at PGL Wallachia Season 9, the opening major Tier 1 event of the new competitive season.
That gives the lineup only a short transition period before facing international opposition.
The tournament should offer an early indication of whether ATF can fit naturally into Yandex’s existing structure or whether the team will need more time to redistribute roles and resources.
It will also be the first opportunity to judge how much Yandex have changed despite retaining four members of their TI roster.
Assessment
ATF joining Team Yandex is one of the most significant moves of the post-TI roster shuffle.
Yandex were already a legitimate title contender before making the change. A third-place finish at The International and multiple Tier 1 victories provide strong evidence that the existing system worked.
Replacing DM therefore carries both upside and risk.
ATF brings championship experience, exceptional individual impact and an aggressive style capable of changing how opponents prepare for Yandex. At the same time, the team needs to integrate him without disrupting the balance that produced its strongest season yet.
The first answers will arrive almost immediately at PGL Wallachia Season 9.
For ATF, the move also ensures there will be no extended break after Falcons’ exit. Less than two weeks after his former organization left Dota 2, he is already part of another roster with realistic ambitions of challenging for the Aegis.
