1. Home
  2. /

    News
  3. /

    Arteezy's Tough Break: Dota 2 Icon Misses The International After a Decade
Arteezy's Tough Break: Dota 2 Icon Misses The International After a Decade
Arteezy. Source: trilliondollarbooty.tumblr.com

Arteezy's Tough Break: Dota 2 Icon Misses The International After a Decade

For the first time in his storied career, Shopify Rebellion’s star carry player, Arteezy, will not be competing in Dota 2’s The International (TI). After a decade of continuous appearances, Arteezy and his team failed to secure a spot through the North American qualifiers. The downturn started showing signs after the Riyadh Masters qualifiers, culminating in this significant career low point for Arteezy.

Historically, the North American qualifiers have been a relatively smooth passage for Shopify Rebellion (SR) into major Dota 2 tournaments. However, the landscape shifted dramatically in June. Under the leadership of Arteezy's former teammate Fly, the team nouns showed consistent improvement, whereas SR struggled to maintain a stable roster.

A moment of reflection: Arteezy leans back in his chair with his arms crossed behind his head.

It's clear that it's no longer easy for Arteezy. Photo via Valve.

For avid followers of the competitive scene, the trajectory of nouns in their journey to TI2024 mirrored their performance in the Riyadh qualifiers. In both instances, SR triumphed over nouns in the upper bracket finals, only for nouns to make a comeback from the lower bracket and eliminate SR in the grand finals. While nouns had shown vulnerability in Riyadh, they displayed formidable resilience this time, decisively defeating SR three to zero in the finals.

During these decisive grand final matches, Arteezy and his team struggled to compete as Nouns’ standout players, Yuma and Copy, dominated the games. This disappointing performance has led many fans to scrutinize Arteezy’s leadership and in-game decision-making, especially as his former teammates, now on opposing teams, secured their places in TI2024.

The challenges for SR were exacerbated by the recent departure of their key offlaner, SaberLight. In his farewell message, SaberLight pointed to communication problems and a toxic team environment, particularly singling out a “key member.” Many fans speculate this was a direct reference to Arteezy, further tarnishing his reputation and fueling the narrative of internal turmoil within the team.

With the setbacks at the Riyadh Masters and the shattered dreams of TI, Arteezy now faces a critical juncture in his career. Despite ongoing roster shuffles, the unwavering support from multiple organizations for Coach Bulba and Arteezy has backfired dramatically. Shopify Rebellion must now undertake a significant overhaul, addressing fundamental issues and potentially rethinking its leadership framework. The future of SR in the Dota 2 competitive scene is in question, with fans doubting the sustainability of their high player salaries following a year of lackluster performance.

Even other competitors have critiqued SR’s approach. Nouns' COO, the former TI winner Peterpandam, questioned the validity of SR’s heavy financial investments in light of their disappointing results.

Although Arteezy has accumulated over $2.5 million in prize money throughout his career, he has never secured a first-place finish at TI. Additionally, he hasn’t claimed victory at a tier-one event since 2017, while his former teammates like Cr1t and Fly have found success outside of North America.

Get the latest news to your inbox.

Subscribe to the newsletter

We value your privacy and promise not to distribute your email to third parties.