SMART Omega Esports picked up former TNC offlaner and The International veteran Sam “Sam_H” Hidalgo to reinforce their upcoming campaign in the Season Two of the Dota Pro Circuit-Southeast Asia upper division.
Also joining the squad is the returning Mark “Shanks” Redira, who was part of the previous Omega roster that was replaced by the Adroit Esports core prior to the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit season.
The Smart-backed squad made the announcement on its Facebook page, Wednesday.
“First I’d like to say that we’re very sad that we have to change the roster again. It’s very quick and very sudden, we don’t even have any idea how are we going to fill that slots but we’re also blessed that we still have talents around the country just like Sam_H and Shanks that are willing to trust Omega to give them another future career in esports,” said Omega Esports Chief Operating Officer Patrick Cruz.
“We are very positive that these boys will definitely do everything they can to reach the DPC Majors for next season.”
Sam_H, who last played for T1, is the perfect replacement for Jun “Bok” Kanehara—who bolted to TNC together with support Marvin “Boomy” Rushton—as he boasts a truckload of experience having appeared in three of the last four The International tournaments.
Meanwhile, Shanks, a 10K MMR support, last played for Indian squad Reckoning Esports where he teamed up with former Omega teammates Linuel “Teehee” Abanto and Benhur “Benhur” Lawis.
Sam_H and Shanks will be joining forces with midlaner Mc Nicholson “Mac” Villanueva, support Bryle “cml” Alvizo, and carry Justin “Tino” Grimaldo in a bid to snag a Major slot in the upper division.
Omega Esports, who finished the lower division of Season One at the second spot, will join SEA powerhouse Fnatic, Neon Esports, T1, TNC Predator, Boom Esports, Execration, and LilGun in the upper division that has a total of 1150 DPC points up for grabs.
Season Two will open on Tuesday, April 13.