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Team Yandex Dota 2 Review

In 2025, Yandex, Russia’s largest IT corporation and owner of the most popular domestic online services, added another project. Seeing this well-known name in the Dota 2 tournament bracket came as a surprise to many.

However, everyone saw that Yandex was approaching things wisely: in its first year of existence, their team demonstrated unprecedented growth and came close to breaking into the world’s top ten. MelBet Pick’em has analyzed the reasons for the new team’s rapid rise, looking at its players and tournaments.

Team Yandex History

The Russian Dota 2 team was formed in June 2025, consisting of four players from top Russian rosters, plus one newcomer. For the first few weeks after its formation, the squad played under the Cyber ​​Goose label (the bird remains on the logo to this day).

However, after the team’s affiliation with IT company Yandex was announced, the name was changed to reflect the parent corporation’s name. After several months of play, the lineup underwent several changes, and the following year (2025-2026) saw explosive growth – in just a few months, Yandex Team rose from obscurity to the global top ten, defeating many longtime scene leaders.

Team Yandex Founders

Team Yandex is not an independent project, but rather a part of the Yandex ecosystem, along with its search engine, online store, and online cinema.

The creation of this team was necessary to promote the Yandex.Market marketplace and attract a gaming audience to the company’s products. Years earlier, Yandex had been actively preparing the ground for its entry into the esports world by sponsoring tournaments and developing gaming sections on its portals.

Mikhail “FILIP_FILIPSOV” Turchin, originally from Belarus, has been appointed the general manager of the esports initiative. For advertising, Yandex also enlisted former VP legend Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev as an ambassador.

Team Yandex Initial Roster

The first Team Yandex roster (or rather, Cyber ​​Goose), which played in the summer of 2025, consisted entirely of Russian players:

The core of Team Yandex Dota 2 was formed by former Virtus.Pro players TA2000, Noticed, and, of course, captain Solo – a true Dota legend and veteran. To be precise, Solo himself joined Cyber ​​Goose from 9Pandas, having left VP back in 2020 – but it was there that he earned a reputation as one of the best Russian Dota players.

CHIRA_JUNIOR joined the new team from the Russian 1W team (also the team of the same name as its owner, a Russian bookmaker). But 21-year-old Alexey “prblms” Parshukov was a dark horse: until the summer of 2025, he hadn’t played for any full-fledged esports team, participating only in qualifiers with amateur squads.

Team Yandex Current Roster

The first changes to Yandex Team took place in late summer 2025. It all began with the farewell of Alexey “Solo” Berezin – the 35-year-old legend announced his retirement. Despite his record-breaking career (Alexey is currently the oldest participant at TI), many fans were upset, as his personality had been the main draw for the team.

As of March 2026, Team Yandex’s roster is as follows:

In the fall of 2025, TA2000 (now with Nigma Galaxy) and prblms (with the Russian Yellow Submarine, although he never formally left the team) went inactive. The vacant spots were filled by Kazakhstani esports players: watson and Malady, both former Gaimin Gladiators players.

The coach of the Team Yandex Dota 2 roster has remained unchanged since its inception: Russian Alexander “Accell” Litvinenko, formerly of PSG Quest. Under his leadership, the team raises the bar every season: in 2025, Yandex took silver at BLAST Slam V, losing only to Tundra Esports, and also became DreamLeague Season 27 champions. And in 2026, the team achieved the incredible: beating all the top Dota 2 teams at PGL Wallachia Season 7, defeating Team Liquid in the final, and taking the well-deserved gold.

Team Yandex Tournament Achievements

Despite their still-very-small track, the growth rate of Team Yandex Dota 2 roster remains among the fastest in the scene. In less than a year of existence, they’ve achieved:

At the same time, of course, the team also has its failures – despite a brilliant victory at DreamLeague 27 in 2025, Yandex finished the following 28th season in only 11th-12th place.

Team Yandex Legends

If we evaluate the role of individual players in esports as a whole, veteran Solo and stand-in star Saksa will be vying for the title of Yandex Legend. But the value of Alimzhan “watson” Islambekov, currently the team’s first position player, cannot be overlooked.

It was after the team’s autumn 2025 reshuffle, during which watson was promoted to carry, that Yandex’s fortunes began to soar. The 23-year-old Islambekov is one of the most prolific carries in the scene today, having gained fame with his previous team, Gaimin Gladiators. Today, the team’s play is largely built around him.

Team Yandex Upcoming Tournaments

After an absolute triumph at DL S27 and a disappointing performance at DL S28, Team Yandex will clearly have to set the record straight this spring. DreamLeague Season 29 will take place in May 2026, and TY will clearly be preparing intensively to put their best foot forward.

At the end of the summer, they will face their first major challenge among all tournaments Dota 2: TI 16, where the new Russian team’s position in the “food chain” will become clear.

FAQ

When was Team Yandex founded?

Team Yandex Dota 2 was formed in June 2025, initially under the name “Cyber ​​Goose.” Its affiliation with the Russian corporation Yandex was announced on July 23, 2025, at which time the name was changed.

What is the current Team Yandex Dota 2 roster?

The core of the Team Yandex roster consists of four players, Russian and Kazakh: Alimzhan “watson” Islambekov, Ilya “CHIRA_JUNIOR” Chirtsov, Evgeniy “Noticed” Ignatenko, and Arman “Malady” Orazbayev. Martin “Saksa” Sazdov also plays for the team on a temporary contract.

What is Team Yandex’s position in the global Dota 2 ranking?

After winning PGL Wallachia, Yandex Team set a record, reaching 4th place in the Ensigame ranking in March 2026 and 11th place in the Escorenews ranking.

Who is the captain of Team Yandex?

The current captain of Team Yandex Dota 2 is stand-in player Martin “Saksa” Sazdov, 30, from Macedonia (officially with Tundra Esports, since 2022). He was invited to take over the role immediately after the departure of Alexey “Solo” Berezin.

Who is the coach of Team Yandex?

Team Yandex’s coach is Alexander “Accell” Litvinenko, a bit of a dark horse. He hasn’t worked with top teams before and doesn’t have a rich playing career under his belt. However, his results in taking the team to the top within a year have truly impressed the community.

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