Parker Removed by paiN Gaming During DreamLeague Season 28

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, David “Parker” Nicho Flores has been removed from paiN Gaming’s active roster during DreamLeague Season 28. The player only competed in two matches, and Aliaksei “Smiling Knight” Svirydau has been announced as his replacement.

Parker’s career has been filled with controversy. Before his departure from paiN Gaming, he had a brief stint with Heroic. Much like the current situation, he reportedly created issues with the entire roster within a two-month span and ultimately left the team in February 2025.

Parker Removed: No Further Details

The organization announced Parker’s removal through its official Twitter profile (@paiNGamingBR). Despite being a significant loss during a high-profile tournament like DreamLeague Season 28, no further details were shared regarding the reasoning behind this decision.

Although Smiling Knight is Belarusian, he previously played with Thunder Awaken between November 2022 and November 2023. During that period, he competed alongside an entirely Peruvian roster and even qualified for The International 2023.

His prior experience on a South American team strongly suggests that Aliaksei has some proficiency in Spanish, as Thunder Awaken’s lineup at the time consisted exclusively of Peruvian players, with him being the sole exception.

Considering that he also has recent experience playing as carry for AVULUS and can communicate with his teammates, paiN’s ability to secure this replacement on such short notice is nothing short of a miracle in terms of problem-solving.

hFn and 4nalog to paiN Gaming?

As expected, Brazilian fans have already begun speculating about potential roster changes. Beyond Parker’s removal, many also claim that Gonzalo “DarkMago” Herrera shows similar tendencies to tilt and leave teams.

If these rumors were ever to materialize, the most common suggestions involve bringing in William “hFn” Anastácio as carry and João Gabriel “4nalog” Giannini Santos as midlaner, adding a Brazilian “seasoning” to this otherwise Peruvian lineup.

For now, what we have is a crisis being managed by paiN Gaming and yet another chapter in Parker’s seemingly endless cycle. It’s hard to believe there’s another player who has managed to sabotage more opportunities to build a successful professional Dota 2 career.

Closing Thoughts

Parker undeniably possesses talent as a carry, but his short temper and disciplinary issues have consistently led to his removal from every team he’s joined so far. This time, it’s paiN Gaming, an organization that only recently returned to Dota 2 after years away from the scene.

While paiN’s long-term plans remain unclear, anyone who follows professional Dota 2 knows that many teams have disbanded rosters over far less. Issues aside, all that remains is to root for paiN Gaming and wait for the results of DreamLeague Season 28’s opening stage.

If you’d like to see the full schedule for the first stage of DreamLeague Season 28 and paiN’s remaining matches, check out our full tournament preview. And if you want to stay up to date on Parker’s situation and all DreamLeague developments going forward, head over to the news section on the Strafe website!

Featured Image Source: taverna.gg