Danil Ishutin (Ukrainian: Данило Ішутін; born December 30, 1989), also known as Dendi, is a Ukrainian professional Dota 2 player. He is most famous for playing with the team Natus Vincere (Na'Vi) during the 2010s. He was part of the team that won The International 2011. In 2018, he left Na'Vi and started his own Dota 2 team called B8 in 2020.

Early years

Dendi was born in Lviv, Ukraine, on December 30, 1989. His mother, a musician, encouraged him to play the piano and do acrobatics and dance. The first computer in his home belonged to his brother, who did not let him use it for a long time. He discovered the gaming world through the games Quake and Doom. Later, he began playing Warcraft III at local computer clubs. His deep interest in computer games was influenced by his father's death from cancer. He graduated from the Ukrainian Academy of Printing in 2011.

Career

In 2006, Dendi began playing DotA professionally with the team WG. He was part of the Ukrainian squad that placed third in the MYM Prime Nations tournament that same year. A few months later, WG reached the grand final of the highly respected MYM Prime Defending tournament. When Kingsurf.international joined WG the following year, Dendi became a full-time member of Ks.int. In late 2008, he joined DTS during its early development but returned to Ks.int in March 2009. Three months later, he rejoined DTS and helped them achieve second place at ESWC 2010. By the end of 2010, Dendi reached one of his most significant career milestones by finishing third in the highly competitive WDC 2010 tournament. At the end of 2010, Dendi joined Natus Vincere (Na'Vi), along with ArtStyle.

Dendi started his Dota 2 career with the Ukrainian team Na'Vi. He quickly gained recognition after winning The International 2011. In the years that followed, Na'Vi won multiple tournaments, including finishing as runners-up at The International 2012. At The International 2013, Na'Vi became the only team to reach the grand finals of the prestigious tournament for three consecutive years, ultimately losing to Alliance 3-2 in the grand finals.

Dendi was one of three Dota 2 players included in the 2014 documentary Free to Play, which highlighted his journey and performance at The International 2011.

At The International 2017, Dendi participated in two live one-on-one matches against an OpenAI machine-learned bot, losing both. In September 2018, Dendi was removed from Na'Vi's active roster and officially released from his contract a year later. In January 2020, Dendi announced the creation of his own organization, B8.