23savage Released By Vici Gaming Before 2021 Dota Pro Circuit

Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon has been released by Vici Gaming just months after signing with the esports team. The 18-year-old player joined VG in September 2020, but travel restrictions and issues with his visa meant 23savage could not even play for the Chinese organization before his recent release.

Shortly before the announcement of 23savage’s release, VG was invited to compete in the China regional league, upper-division, in the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit. 23savage was supposed to be part of the VG roster for 2021, however, issues arose between Teeramahanon and VG, which ultimately lead to the early termination of his contract.

Communication Problems Between Vici and 23savage

In an official statement, Vici Gaming said: “the problems raised by the pandemic as well as communication issues discovered through recent training sessions” were the cause of 23savage’s removal from the team.

Vici Gaming also expressed their best wishes towards 18-year-old Teeramahanon and his future career. The statement continued: “Although we haven’t met in person, we fought towards the same goal. In our next encounter, we may be opponents playing against each other. We hope that 23Savage can find the team that fits himself soon and continues his path to his dream.”

A combination of Teeramahanon’s absence from the team and losing key players to Dota rivals, Elephant, forced VG into a roster re-shuffle late in 2020. VG lost both their carry and offlane players earlier in the season.

In the latter stages of 2020, VG selected a six-man team for the final tournaments of the 2020 season and Yang “Erica” Shaohan was impressive in the carry position. The Chinese organization also experienced success in the final quarter last year as they won the OGA Dota PIT Season 3 title and finished in the top six of several regional competitions. Therefore, it is likely VG will stick with their current roster for the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit.

23savage Faces Uncertain Future Before Dota Pro Circuit Season

Despite joining Vici Gaming in September 2020, 23savage continued to play for Among Us SEA stack for BTS Pro Series Season 3 and Motivate. Trust Gaming for two online tournaments throughout December.

However, Vici’s decision to terminate 23savage’s contract on January 3, 2021, leaves him without a team ahead of the 2021 DPC. The 18-year-old is now a free agent and faces a race against time to find a new team as the first season starts on Monday, January 18.

Savage23 took to social media after his release from Vici Gaming. He said he would share his side of events at a later date. He said: “LFT Pos 1 for an upcoming DPC… I will explain more on what happened and my situation.”

The Dota Pro Circuit format will change from January 2021. Instead of revolving around a batch of major and minor tournaments, teams will play out most of the season in their six regional leagues. Season one major is scheduled between March 25 and April 4 while Season two will conclude between June 2 and June 13, 2021.