I have decided to leave Shopify Rebellion's DOTA2 roster.
Since The International 2023, I was excited to actively participate in the formation of Shopify Rebellion's new roster. However, over time, it became clear that I was not prepared for the challenge of leading a new team and establishing a team culture. I gradually became negative, my efforts dwindled, and ultimately this led to the team's decline and 'demise'.
Personally, competing without familiar teammates and friends made me consider temporarily ending my career. As a short-term plan, I intend to continue streaming on Twitch, playing DOTA2, and actively engaging with the community and Shopify Rebellion.
While my long-term plans are still being formulated, I have been considering the possibility of moving to Europe and continuing to compete in DOTA2. I will stay in contact with Shopify Rebellion to seek support for future decisions.
I want to express my gratitude to Shopify Rebellion. Their mission and culture of fostering championship teams resonated with the feelings I had when I first joined Evil Geniuses following MLB Columbus in early 2014. Shopify Rebellion's passion for their work makes them one of the best teams in the industry.
Additionally, I would like to especially thank Jeremy. Our initial conversation reminded me of my first encounter with Alex Garfield.
Goodbye
Artour Babaev"
Since Shopify Rebellion ventured into DOTA2 in December 2022, Arteezy has been playing for this club. The team's main achievements were finishing as runners-up in DreamLeague S21 and securing fourth place at the Lima Major 2023.
However, the team failed to qualify for The International 2024, and thus Arteezy will miss TI for the first time in his career.
