BetBoom Team announced a rebuilt Dota 2 roster on 14 September 2026, confirming three changes across two posts that morning: swedenstrong joins at position four, long-time captain Save- moves from support to the mid lane, and former BetBoom player TORONTOTOKYO returns to the organisation as coach. The changes follow the previous day's announcements that midlaner gpk had gone inactive and coach boolk was taking a leave of several months.
The roster post went up on the team's Telegram channel at 11:00 UTC on 14 September, two hours after a separate announcement confirming Save-'s move to mid. BetBoom publish in Russian; quotations below are translated from the original posts.
BetBoom's new Dota 2 roster
Liquipedia lists five active players following the announcement:
- Kiritych — Ilya Ulyanov, position one, with the club since 30 September 2025
- Save- — Vitalie Melnic, position two and captain, at BetBoom since 8 December 2022
- MieRo` — Matvey Vasyunin, position three, since 11 January 2024
- swedenstrong — Georgii Zainalabidov, position four, joined 14 September 2026
- Kataomi` — Vladislav Semenov, position five, since 27 September 2024
BetBoom named Alexander "TORONTOTOKYO" Khertek as coach in the same 14 September roster post. Save- keeps the captaincy in his new role.
Only one player is new. Neither of the other two changes brings in an unfamiliar face: Save- moves from position four to position two, and the new coach is a former BetBoom player.
Why Save- moved to mid
The mid slot opened on 13 September, when BetBoom confirmed that Danil "gpk" Skutin was going inactive. In a statement posted to the team's channel, gpk said the break would "most likely" run until the New Year, describing himself as a little tired mentally and physically after two long seasons and setting out plans to sort out his health, stream some games and come back to competitive Dota with fresh energy.
He was direct about what the break is not. "I'm not retiring! Not a chance," he wrote. It is the same distinction Cr1t- drew five days earlier when he announced an indefinite break rather than a retirement: two veteran players inside a week stepping back without closing the door.
BetBoom said Save- had "long wanted to try himself in this role" and that the organisation was ready to back him. Save- has played at BetBoom since December 2022, spending that time as a support and captain, and Liquipedia had him at position four until this week.
TORONTOTOKYO returns as coach
On 13 September, two hours after the gpk post, BetBoom published a statement from Anatoly "boolk" Ivanov saying he would sit out the next several months to spend time with family, citing important events he could not miss. He added that he would keep doing some of his work online, but the team would spend the near term without him.
For TORONTOTOKYO the move is a return and a change of job. He joined BetBoom on 8 December 2022 as part of the same roster announcement that brought in Save-, gpk and coach boolk, played position five, went inactive on 21 September 2024 and formally left the organisation on 28 February 2025. BetBoom called him "our legend" in the announcement and said he is "starting a new chapter of his career" — his first listed role as a coach rather than a player.
BetBoom's coaching announcement does not call the appointment permanent or interim, and boolk framed his own absence as a defined break rather than an exit.
Who is swedenstrong
The nickname is misleading. swedenstrong is Georgii Zainalabidov, a Russian player born on 16 April 2003, not a Swedish signing. BetBoom referred to him by the Russian diminutive "Zhora" in the announcement and said the tryouts were finished.
He is not a newcomer. Liquipedia lists him as a support who has also captained, with Hoodwink, Io and Treant Protector as his signature heroes, and logs spells at Natus Vincere, PuckChamp, Level UP and 1w Team, with whom he played The International 2024, before a short stint at Enjoy this summer. Alongside that sits a run of ladder milestones posted to his own Telegram channel: 12,000 MMR on 11 October 2023, 13,000 on 17 July 2024 and 15,000 on 11 January 2025.
Where this sits in the post-TI shuffle
BetBoom go into the new season with a full five and a named coach. The weeks since The International 2026 have mostly produced subtractions: Team Falcons left Dota 2 entirely, OG released Yopaj, Raven and TIMS, and Team Liquid parted with offlaner Ace on 13 September, leaving position three open there.
BetBoom's announcements began the same day as Liquid's and finished the next. Set against Liquid's, BetBoom's is the clearer statement of intent: a captain trying a new position, a fifth player signed and a coach already named.
FAQ
Who is on BetBoom's Dota 2 roster? Kiritych at position one, Save- at position two and captain, MieRo` at position three, swedenstrong at position four and Kataomi` at position five, with TORONTOTOKYO as coach.
Is swedenstrong Swedish? No. Despite the nickname, Georgii "swedenstrong" Zainalabidov is a Russian player, born 16 April 2003.
Has gpk retired from Dota 2? No. BetBoom moved him to inactive on 13 September 2026 and he said the break will most likely last until the New Year, stating plainly that he is not ending his career.
Why did BetBoom change coach? Anatoly "boolk" Ivanov announced on 13 September 2026 that he would skip the next several months to be with family. TORONTOTOKYO joined as coach the following day. BetBoom did not describe the appointment as interim or permanent.
What position did Save- play before? Support. He had been at BetBoom since 8 December 2022 and was listed at position four before moving to mid on 14 September 2026.
Sources: BetBoom Team's official Telegram announcements of 13 and 14 September 2026, and Liquipedia's BetBoom Team, swedenstrong and TORONTOTOKYO pages, retrieved 15 September 2026.
