An embattled, multi-national Dota side is now home to an International challneger as the scene’s roster carousel continues in earnest.
Dominik “Black” Reitmeier, former carry player for Chinese team Vici Gaming, is the latest addition to a Team Tinker lineup that has seen multiple iterations since an unsuccessful December. Reitmeier brings a career win rate of 56 percent over 777 professional games to a team in dire need of an answer.
Reitmeier counts himself among a small fraternity of players whose prolific talent have earned spots on prominent Eastern sides. With that high win rate on 17 different heroes with 10 games or more, the German seemed like a natural fit for Vici Gaming.
Unfortunately, a second-place finish to budding rivals Evil Geniuses at the Dota 2 Asia Championships caused Vici Gaming to reconsider its lineup with The International only six months away.
Reitmeier’s subsequent dismissal opened a whirlwind of negotiations in the West as teams vied for the carry’s services. Sources close to the player confirmed no less than four different teams spoke with Reitmeier before Team Tinker received the nod.
For Tinker, the news comes not a moment too soon. With the departure of Zheng “PatSoul” Yukai to Void Boys and Jesse “Jerax” Vainikka to Korean side MVP Phoenix, Tinker’s lineup looked to be in dire straits before Reitmeier’s announcement. Even with the high-profile acquisition, Tinker will have much to do before momentum its in their favor once again.
