Mousesports picks up Team Tinker

Team Tinker has new uniforms and logos just in time for the TI5 qualifiers. The North-American team was picked up by Mousesports, a well-known eSports organization, with a 8-year history in the Dota scene.

Introducing the new faces of mousesports – welcome home, Tinker. Full Press release on http://t.co/Ri5j2LKVs4 pic.twitter.com/TFAikNt9Ga

— mousesports (@mousesports) May 8, 2015

The team will continue to operate with their team manager Phillip Aram and their coach Mario Arturo Gomez Jr and live in their recently set up team house in Toronto, Canada. Team Tinker members Dominik “Black^” Reitmeier and Max “qojqva” Bröcker were previously part of Mousesports. Black^ was on the team during TI2 and TI3, while qojqva attended TI3 with the Mousesports organization.

Team Tinker’s manager, Phillip Aram, shared some thoughts on the team’s transition to Mousesports on the organization’s blog:

From day one GGA had faith in the team to find the right mix of players and also to help us to find the right permanent organization to call home. (…) We have long been discussing and anticipating coming under the mouz banner. The process for these deals can be long and uncertain especially when you are still searching for the right player mix.

According to Aram, Mousesports has started to support Team Tinker since the beginning of 2015, months before the negotiations were finalized:

Since the new year mouz have been an integral part of our increased success. Everything we’ve needed to make this team possible they have stepped up to provide. From the food we eat at the house to the hordes of EpicGear options sent to us to choose from to the stacks of top-of-the-line BenQ monitors, it has been an overwhelming show of support.

Mousesports CEO, Cengiz Tüylü, hints that the agreement between the organization he represents and Team Tinker might have been reached during the StarLadder 12 LAN finals held at Dreamhack Bucharest:

I have been fortunate enough to meet all the Tinker players as well as their team manager Phillip and their Coach Mario at DreamHack Bucharest and I’m not only impressed by their attitude towards gaming, but I’m also sure, that we can reach out for higher goals together.

Although the main goal will be a direct qualification spot for TI5, the team will compete in as many events as possible during the upcoming months. In addition, most players will start to stream their playing sessions on Twitch.TV in the near future.

Mousesports can’t seem to kick the “roster-picking” habit

Mousesports (often abbreviated “mouz”) is a German multi-gaming organization originally founded in 2002, as a Counter-Strike team. The organization’s DotA team was established in 2007, and managed to become one of the most successful teams in Europe during the following two years. Mousesports switched to Dota 2 in 2011, when they picked up a roster including Weh Sing “Singsing” Yuen, Visar “twiSta” Zymberi, and eventually Alaan “Sexybamboe” Faraj.

The organization is known for picking up rosters that participate in The International every year, but commonly end up disbanding in the following months.

Mousesports TI2 roster (last in their group with only two wins)

Theeban “1437” Siva
Wehsing “SingSing” Yuen
Alaan “SexyBamboe” Faraj
Dominik “Black^” Reitmeier
Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi

Mousesports competed in the TI2 West Qualifiers and ended up losing to mTw. However, they struck gold and were able to qualify in the end, after Malaysian team MUFC ran into last minute issues and were forced to withdraw. The news came way too late for team member Alexandru “ComeWithMe” Crăciunescu, who failed to secure his visa. KuroKy filled in for him, during The International 2012.

Mousesports TI3 roster (second to last in their group with only four wins)

Troels “Synderen” Nielsen
Adraian “FATA-“ Trinks
Pascal “paS” Lohmeier
Dominik “Black^” Reitmeier
Max “qojqva” Bröcker

Mousesports TI4 roster (11th-12th place)

Per Anders “Pajkatt” Olsson Lille
Adraian “FATA-“ Trinks
Arif “MSS” Anwar
Rasmus “MiSeRy” Filipsen
Pascal “paS” Lohmeier

Mousesports TI5 roster (Team Tinker lineup)

Dominik “Black^” Reitmeier
Max “qojqva” Bröcker
Sam “BuLba” Sosale
Peter “Waytosexy” Nguyen
Johan “pieliedie” Åström

Team Tinker has been invited to participate in the TI5 Americas Qualifiers, taking place between May 25-28th.

There will be a total of 40 teams in the Regional Qualifiers, 36 invited, 4 qualified through Regional Open Qualifiers. Each of the four regional qualifiers (Americas, China, Europe, Southeast Asia) will feature 9 invited teams. In an utterly unprecedented move, Open Qualifiers for all regions will be held. The winners the four Open Qualifiers will earn the 10th Qualifier spot of each of the four Regional Qualifiers. Registrations are now open.