Team Yandex announced on 17 September that it has signed Ammar “ATF” Assaf as its new offlaner, replacing Dmitry “DM” Dorokhin, who has been moved to the inactive roster.
ATF joins as a free agent following Team Falcons’ exit from competitive Dota 2 earlier this month. He was a key figure in the Falcons lineup that played 799 games together as a five-man unit, the most of any roster in the game’s history, winning 523 of those matches for a 65.46% win rate. ATF is the second former Falcons player to land with a new organisation since the shutdown, following Oliver “Skiter” Lepko’s move to Aurora Gaming.
A Second TI Champion on the Books
ATF’s arrival gives Yandex two The International champions on its books, pairing the TI 2025 winner with TI 2022 champion Martin “Saksa” Sazdov. The confirmed 2026-2027 roster now reads:
- Alimzhan “Watson” Islambekov
- Ilya “CHIRA_JUNIOR” Chirtsov
- Ammar “ATF” Assaf
- Martin “Saksa” Sazdov
- Arman “Malady” Orazbayev
Building on a Third-Place TI 2026 Finish
Yandex entered the Dota 2 scene in June 2025 and quickly grew into one of its strongest teams, winning three Tier 1 tournaments and finishing in the top three at six others during the 2025-2026 season, according to GosuGamers. At TI 2026, the side recovered from a slow group stage to reach the top three, falling to eventual champions Team Spirit in the lower-bracket final — a run that continues a broader trend of roster churn covered in Esports Insider’s recent Dota 2 recap and pre-International roster coverage.
What’s Next?
Yandex is set to debut its new-look lineup at PGL Wallachia Season 9, the first Tier 1 tournament of the 2026-2027 season, which begins on 19 September. ATF himself acknowledged the switch in comments reported by cyber.sports.ru, confirming he will play under the Yandex banner at the event.
