Dota 2: ATF leaves Quest Esports due to contract dispute
ATF's departure from Quest comes as a surprise to many as the star offlaner notably led the team to a surprising fourth place finish at the Bali Major.
Jordanian Dota 2 star offlaner Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf has parted ways with Quest Esports over a contract dispute regarding an extension of his loan to the team from Nigma Galaxy.
Quest announced ATF's departure in a post on their official Twitter account on Saturday (15 July).
Shortly after Quest posted their announcement, ATF explained in a post on his personal Twitter account that he chose to part ways with Quest after the organisation refused to extend his loan from Nigma Galaxy and offered him a contract he did not agree with.
"My loan ended after the [Bali Major] and Quest org [didn't] want to extend the loan for [their] own reasons, they offered me a contract that I don't agree on and they told me to choose between signing the contract or they will get a stand-in," ATF's post read.
"I [chose] not to sign after all. With all respect, the only sad thing [is] that I played with them [in] the MENA qualify and they [chose] to get a stand-in rather than extending the loan or choosing me as a stand-in for Riyadh Masters. Anyway, GL to all players."
ATF also clarified that Nigma Galaxy helped with his attempts to get an extended loan or buyout to Quest, but the contract offered by the latter was "not acceptable" for the player.
Quest also thanked ATF for his time with the team and announced they will be participating in the upcoming Riyadh Masters with a new offlaner.
"We extend our gratitude to Ammar for his invaluable contribution to the team's development. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to resolve the negotiation challenges," said Quest.
Quest later shed more light on the contract dispute, explaining that ATF's loan was due to end after the Bali Major and that they were planning a buyout. However, the team claimed that ATF wanted to renegotiate his contract's terms due to the team's outstanding results in the tournament.
According to Quest, ATF wanted his loan extended until after The International (TI) 2023 in October. The organisation said this was "against our values" and rejected the terms.
"[ATF's] condition to commit fully only if he participated in TI didn't match our team's values. Our team's commitment goes beyond personal and financial gain — it's about the love for the game and shared success. Anyone who joins us must share this vision," said Quest.
ATF leaves Quest after Top 4 finish at Bali Major
ATF joined Quest back in May on loan from Nigma Galaxy. With ATF in the lineup, Quest finished third in the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season's Summer Tour regional league and finished in fourth place at the recently-concluded Bali Major.
ATF also helped the team qualify for the upcoming Riyadh Masters 2023 through the tournament's MENA qualifier.
Prior to being loaned to Quest, ATF had an unsuccessful stint with Nigma Galaxy, finishing sixth and eighth in this season's Winter and Spring Tour regional leagues for Western Europe, respectively.
ATF was known as a pubstar before he started his pro Dota 2 career in earnest in 2021, gaining notoriety for his unorthodox playstyle as the offlaner for tier 2 teams like Creepwave and Chicken Fighters.
ATF burst into the scene in the 2021-2022 DPC season as part of OG's revamped 'young blood' squad. ATF was instrumental in OG becoming one of the best teams in the circuit, helping the team win the ESL One Stockholm Major and ESL One Malaysia 2022.
After a disappointing 7th-8th place finish at TI 2022 in Singapore, ATF parted ways with OG in November of that year before eventually joining Nigma Galaxy.
With his departure from Quest, ATF is currently on Nigma Galaxy's inactive roster. It is unclear if Nigma Galaxy is willing to have ATF return to the active lineup or facilitate his transfer to a new team.
Regardless, ATF is sure to be one of the most sought-after players for the upcoming regional qualifiers for TI 2023 in August.
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