This week in Dota: Two Dota legends retire, teams struggle due to COVID-19

April 25, 2020 Zena Magto

 

So much is going on this week. While the BTS Pro Series continue their playoffs round, WePlay! Pushka League also begins the group stage matches, all with well-acclaimed teams from Europe, Americas, CIS, and Southeast Asia. Although the coronavirus pandemic has impacted teams and events in some ways, esports has continued to show its resilience.

Here’s a quick review of what happened this week in Dota.

Dota legends ppd and Universe retire

Veteran player Peter “ppd” Dager and Saahil “Universe” Aurora announced their retirement from the competitive scene just four days after. We can remember that Universe was released from the Ninjas in Pyjamas roster last April 7 because of the prevailing COVID-19 situation and the shift to more regionalized events.

Both will be remembered dearly by the community, and some well-known names have also expressed well wishes for both TI5 champs.

Gambit Esports drops WePlay! Pushka

The difficulties of playing at home have surely affected the performance of some teams. Gambit Esports can attest to this, as they decide to take a break from the competition because of obstacles preventing the team from gathering in a bootcamp.

Before the pandemic, Gambit Esports was ranking well in tournaments, Placing 2nd in ESL One Hamburg 2019, 4th in WePlay! Bukovel Minor 2020 and 3rd in StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor Season 3.

… and FURIA’s Dota line up is now looking for other organizations

Coach Filipe Astini revealed via TwitLonger that the roster has been released by FURIA Esports, citing that the team experienced difficulties in the recent tournaments because of internet conditions and the absence of their own team house. He expressed that the team was playing with shared bootcamps and improvised facilities while waiting for the promised team house. The pandemic also may have been a factor in the issue.

The players will stick together under Midas Club while looking for sponsors and organizations. In the meantime, the stack will take a break until the end of the pandemic.

Ceb and W1sh stand-in for Topson and MidOne in the WePlay! Pushka League

Sébastien “Ceb” Debs and Irakli “W1sh-” Peranidze will stand-in for Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen and Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng as the later players are unavailable during the duration of the league.

The pandemic has barred both players from participating in some big events such as the ESL One Los Angeles 2020 Online and the WeSave! Charity Play.

Tags: , , , , ,