Artour ‘Arteezy’ Babaev has announced he is stepping down from Shopify Rebellion following a lacklustre performance over the last few months. The team isn’t doing too badly, but Arteezy has stressed that he feels he’s not fulfilling his role adequately and must step back. His performance has been compared to a similar setting he secured with EG, where he was solid online but not so good when it came to LAN-based competitions.
For some players, the difference is massive.
Moving On
Now that he has stepped back, Arteezy will be replaced by Pakazs. In a statement published online, Arteezy explained why he’d made this difficult decision:
Following the conclusion of TI 2023, I was enthusiastic about creating and developing a new roster with Shopify’s unwavering support. However, as time progressed, it became evident that I was not adequately prepared for the challenges of leading a new team and establishing its culture. My efforts progressively diminshed, and I contributed to the team’s decline and eventual demise.
(Thanks to Strafe for sharing the quote)
He explained that he’s been considering returning to Europe. Since 2016, Arteezy has represented North American teams – Evil Geniuses and Shopify Rebellion – and only had a brief stint in Europe with Team Secret midway through 2016.
Arteezy is one of the wealthiest players in the Dota 2 scene having racked up almost $3 million in winnings since breaking into the landscape just over a decade ago. However, despite his talents, some of the biggest achievements in the Dota 2 space have remained out of reach. He has appeared in every round of The International since 2014 but the best finish he’s ever secured is 3rd place.
He has assured fans that this doesn’t mean he’s disappearing from Dota – he’ll remain a streamer and will stay plugged into the community going forward, regardless of what happens next.
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