coL roster changes: Handsken, Limmp and Chessie say their goodbyes

compLexity Gaming have bid farewell to Swedish players Simon “Handsken” Haag, Linus “Limmp” Blomdin and Rasmus “Chessie” Blomdin. coL’s roster for the upcoming season will be built around brothers Kyle “swindlezz” and Zak “Zfreek” Freedman.

Teams have until September 4th to release players from their current rosters. New players can then be added between September 4th-18th.

The rosters will become locked on September 18th, at 12:00AM PDT.

According to compLexity, Simon “Handsken” Haag and Linus “Limmp” Blomdin were released from the roster at their request, in order to pursue competitive opportunities in the European region.

Rasmus “Chessie” Blomdin will be taking a break from competitive play until the second Major, due to some health problems.

Chessie will continue streaming under the compLexity banner during his rehabilitation.

As stated by Handsken, all parties have separated on good terms.

According to coL’s announcement, Kyle “swindlezz” and Zakari “Zfreek” Freedman are currently “in the process of trying out new members”, and the organization’s new Dota 2 lineup will be revealed soon.

Handsken: “We leave on good terms”

Simon “Handsken” Haag © teamliquid.net

I’ve made the heartfelt decision to step down from the current coL.Dota roster to look to pursue other opportunities on my home soil. This was not an easy choice. The guys on the squad and those I worked around are people that I’ve befriended over many years. We leave on good terms and I’m sure we’ll be competing against each other again, like we used to back in the day. Before I say farewell I want to express my gratitude towards compLexity. The time with them has definitely been the most pleasant time I’ve had with an organization during my career as a pro-player. I want to especially thank our “crew” that we’ve had with us through good and bad. Thanks to Kyle ‘Beef’ Bautista, Josh ‘Chef Josh’ Schmidt, and Sören ‘Fantasy’ Vendsahm. You guys are awesome and it wouldn’t have been the same without you! Best of luck to my old teammates in whatever they choose to do!

— Simon “Handsken” Haag

Limmp: “Safe to say it’s the best organisation that I’ve played for”

Linus “Limmp” Blomdin © teamliquid.net

All good things come to an end, and for me it’s time for a change. This experience was something else and I’d like to thank my teammates as well as Beef and Josh for that. I’d also like to thank compLexity for taking such good care of us, safe to say it’s the best organisation that I’ve played for. See you on the flip side.

— Linus “Limmp” Blomdin

Chessie: “I will be staying on board as a streamer for now”

Rasmus “Chessie” Blomdin © Adela Sznajder/ ESL

I want to thank compLexity for taking great care of us during this year, and I will be staying on board as a streamer for now. We attended 10 LAN events this year, and even though I have had great fun during all of it, it has been a stressful time for us all. Unfortunately, I have had some personal health problems unrelated to my previous back issues, and have decided to take a break from competitive gameplay for this first major to focus on getting that under control. Thanks to our fans for the support we’ve had, and I hope you’ll come hang out in my stream!”

— Rasmus “Chessie” Blomdin

coL’s 2015-2016 season: Steady journey, bittersweet epilogue

compLexity Gaming

compLexity Gaming is one of the oldest and most appreciated esports organizations in North America. The organization was founded in 2003 by Jason “1” Lake and has a long record of championship titles in several different games.

After coming in a commendable 11th place at The International 5, compLexity’s Dota 2 division suffered roster changes and announced their finalized lineup just in time to meet the registration deadline for the first Dota 2 Major, bidding welcome to Peter “wayto” Nguyen and Michael “MJW” Nguyen, on September 2nd.

Following a rather lackluster start to the season and their failure to qualify for the Frankfurt Major, the team was subjected to additional changes.

At the end of November 2015, compLexity brought in some familiar faces: the Blomdin brothers, formerly part of the HoN StayGreen lineup. Fellow Swede Simon “Handsken” Haag also joined the mix.

They had a great synergy together – one of the best in the scene – and were seen performing exceptionally well, taking opponents by surprise, every so often.

coL roster changes coL roster changes coL roster changes coL roster changes

Their run at the Shanghai Major was a phenomenal one. The team showed remarkable coordination, leadership, adaptability and individual skill. They fell to Evil Geniuses in the fourth round of the Lower Brackets, placing 5th overall.

Following up shortly after, at the DotaPit LAN, the team reached a noteworthy third-fourth place. They managed to clinch the qualifier spot for the ESL One Manila event where they eventually took 5th-6th place, and went on to claim 4th place at EPICENTER Moscow and 5th-6th at ESL One Frankfurt. The Manila Major was coL’s first direct invite to a Dota 2 Major. Unfortunately, they failed to advance higher than 9th-12th place in the main event.

For most of The International 6 regional qualifiers, coL looked confident, consistent and composed. Had they not dropped a game to FDL during the Round Robin stage, they would have been the first team to qualify for the main event in the Americas region. Unfortunately, they were left with a Wild Card spot and, once in Seattle, they failed to advance to the group stage and main event.

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