Arteezy: Shopify Rebellion 'on the same level or more than Evil Geniuses'
When Evil Geniuses (EG) announced they were disbanding their Dota 2 team and focusing their efforts on South America, many Dota 2 fans were left wondering what would happen to the organization's former lineup, especially their star player, Artour "Arteezy" Babaev.
EG's old captain, Tal "Fly" Aizik, announced in November that his former squad will be sticking together with only minor changes.
Ultimately, four members of the old EG joined Shopify Rebellion in their first foray into the Dota 2 world.
The only change to the team came in the offlane, where Egor "Nightfall" Grigorenko was replaced by Jonáš "SabeRLight-" Volek.
Shopify Rebellion interviewed Arteezy in a Twitch livestream shortly after the team was revealed, where the star carry player said his new team can go to the finals in any tournament.
"I think Internationally, I view this team the same way I viewed the old team in the season with [Daryl "iceiceice" Koh]. Essentially, we were able to be in multiple grand finals, we weren't able to win in the end but I feel the team is on the same level or more as that team," said Arteezy.
"I think [Shopify Rebellion] can definitely make it to a finals, I think we can definitely win them."
Back in 2021, Arteezy managed to place second in two Majors with EG, and he considers his new squad to be at least as good as EG in 2021 or even better.
But while the new lineup hasn't had time to practice yet, Artour said they can compete with the best in the region.
"I'm gonna say we're even with TSM I think. TSM can beat us any day and we can beat TSM any day," said Arteezy.
In the 2021-2022 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season, TSM had the highest placing of any North American team at an international tournament, getting second at the ESL One Stockholm Major. It helps that the new Shopify Rebellion also has TSM's former offlaner to help them out in the 2023 DPC season.
While EG and TSM are both juggernauts in their region, when it comes to facing teams from all over the world, North America suffers. At The International 11 (TI11), TSM was eliminated at the group stage while EG failed to win a single game in the playoffs.
Time will tell how good the old EG squad will be under the Shopify Rebellion banner. They will make their debut in Division I of the North American regional league that begins on 8 January.
With the departure of Soniqs and EG, North America is looking like the most unpredictable region to watch in 2023.
Otomo is a long-time gaming enthusiast and caster. He has been playing games since he was 10 and is the biggest Dota 2 fan.
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