North American carry player Artour “Arteezy” Babaev has stepped down from Shopify Rebellion. The multi-time Major winner, and one of the most famous NA Dota 2 players in the game announced his departure from the starting roster on the evening of July 23.
In his announcement, Arteezy stated that the departure comes after finding the process of leading a new team more challenging than expected. He continued, explaining that after streaming and talking with friends, he would consider taking a break from the competitive scene.
Image Credit: Artour “Arteezy” Babaev
Arteezy’s tenure with Shopify Rebellion saw the team initially continue the successful legacy of the Evil Geniuses, which Babaev, and long-time teammates Abed “Abed” Yusop, Jonáš “SabeRLight-” Volek, Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen, and Tal “Fly” Aizik, had built.
But after TI in 2023, Abed, Cr1t- and Fly departed the team, with all three going on to find success on separate teams. Arteezy, however, struggled with the remaining roster, parting ways with SabeRLight- earlier this year. The past year, Shopify Rebellion has gone from one of the most dominant teams in North America, to missing out on TI and many of the Majors of 2024.
Arteezy has long been a staple of the NA scene, initially as a prodigy in the game, and later as a talented journeyman, swapping between the dominant super teams of Team Secret and Evil Geniuses. But the star has always fallen just short of the biggest title in Dota 2: Despite winning numerous Majors, Arteezy has never lifted an Aegis.
Image Credit: PGL
What’s next for Arteezy is uncertain. One option is streaming. In November 2023, Babaev signed a potentially lucrative deal with Kick, to stream Dota 2 on the platform.
Arteezy also hinted at a plan to move to Europe for a better chance at high-level competition. If he did so, he’d be following in the footsteps of fellow NA player Quinn Callahan, who moved to Europe with Gaimin Gladiators, and found almost immediate success.
To conclude his letter, Arteezy shouted out the Shopify Rebellion organization, and founder Jeremy Steeves specifically, likening him to Evil Geniuses founder Alex Garfield.
Whatever Arteezy decides, as one of the most popular and followed players in the scene, there’s bound to be a lot of attention.
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