Puppey pops up on NAVI’s roster for Dota 2 qualifier, fueling reunion rumors

Are NAVI back in 2024?

Puppey in a photoshoot at TI11.
Photo via Valve

Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, one of Team Secret’s founding members, has been with the organization since its inception. But in a recent post on FaceIt, Puppey’s former team, NAVI, showcased him as an active roster member, leading to speculation about the player’s future.

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In a recent Reddit post, Puppey appeared on NAVI’s active roster page, which led to a discussion on forum sites. Puppey’s Team Secret roster has seen numerous reshuffles throughout the last decade, but if there was one mainstay on the team, it was Captain Puppey himself.

FaceIt roster page showcasing five players on the Na'Vi Dota 2 team
An updated Na’Vi roster page. Screenshot by Dot Esports via FACEIT.com

Since Puppey could not play TI13, the idea that he could be playing for his old TI3 team surprised some players, while others were hyped by this possibility.

The current NAVI roster is composed of Artem “Yuragi” Golubiev, Sukhbat “sanctity-” Otgondavaa, Dmytro “Nefrit” Tarasych, Bakyt “W_Zayac” Emilzhanov, and Arman “Malady” Orazbayev. If Puppey could potentially replace anyone, it would be Malady, their position five player, since Puppey has been a position five mainstay for over a decade.

NAVI’s roster page on FaceIt supports that claim since Puppey seems to be playing as their position five for now. Whether this position is permanent or temporary is unknown since neither NAVI nor Team Secret has released an official confirmation.

Puppey’s future in the pro Dota 2 scene is currently uncertain, and it remains to be seen whether this move will lead to a career resurgence for the player and NAVI as a whole. We will keep you updated as we learn more about the situation.

Update, Sept. 23 at 4:58pm: Team Secret has confirmed Puppey is standing in for NAVI while it locks in its roster for the run home this year. “Team Secret is coming back and as we put the finishing touches on our roster, El Presidente is going to warm up with some old friends!” the organization said on X/Twitter.

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Image of Anish Nair
Anish Nair
Freelance gaming writer for Dot Esports. An avid gamer of 25 years with a soft spot for RPGs and strategy games. Esports writer for 2 years and a watcher for 12 years. Aspiring author. Dad to a host of animals. Usually found trying to climb ranks in Dota 2, plundering the seas in Sea of Thieves, hunting large monsters in Monster Hunter World, or mining rare minerals in Deep Rock Galactic.
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Image of Nicholas Taifalos
Nicholas Taifalos
Weekend editor for Dot Esports. Nick, better known as Taffy, began his esports career in commentary, switching to journalism with a focus on Oceanic esports, particularly Counter-Strike and Dota. Email: nicholas@dotesports.com