Bulba praises Arteezy for his help with Shopify Rebellion
Shopify Rebellion dazzled everyone with their performance at DreamLeague Season 22. They went through a roster shuffle for the season, bringing three new faces. Although they struggled during their initial debut tournaments, Shopify Rebellion figured out what works for them.
Shopify Rebellion is an international team consisting of players from different regions.Credits: Twitter.@@ShopifyRebels
The team was in a three-way tie for the first seed in Group B with Xtreme Gaming and Aurora. After their clean opening series in the second group stages against Aurora, SR’s coach, Kanishka "BuLba" Sosale, sat down for an interview to reflect on the team’s journey.
Bulba: "The entire team’s vibe has definitely changed"
Phantom Assassin is hero, relying heavily on RNG.Credits: Valve
Shopify decimated Aurora in both games. In game 1, their safelane Phantom Assasin was the perfect counter for Aurora’s carry Anti Mage. Although the South East Asian titans put up quite a defense in game 2, SR found a way to get through.
After the series, the team’s coach shared his experience on the team’s journey. Bulba commented that the team’s dynamics have changed since adding the three new players. The coach shared his opinion on the team's latest addition, describing them as young and hungry. He mentioned that these players have low egos, making them easy to work with. Additionally, the coach explained his reasoning behind selecting each player, emphasizing their importance in their previous teams.
MC and Kitrak were OG's two standins at ESL One Berlin Major.Credits: Twitter.@OGesports
Moreover, he admitted that Kartik "Kitrak" Rathi’s performance at OG caught his attention, leading the team to sign the player.
“Kitrak I’ve known for a very long time. He has always been an NA Dota player. His real breakout performance was when he played with OG last year at Berlin and DreamLeague.”
In 2023, OG underwent multiple roster changes and had to use stand-ins in some tournaments. Kitrak was one such stand-in who joined OG at the ESL One Berlin Major, where the team finished in 5th-6th place. He later became an official player for OG in DreamLeague Season 21, where the team finished fourth. Based on Bulba's statement, Kitrak's performances made him a suitable candidate for the revamped roster of Shopify Rebellion.
Shopify Rebellion drafting
Arteezy at The International 2022 with Evil Geniuses.Credits: Valve
SR’s playstyle and drafting have quite a change with their newest addition. In his interview, Bulba gave his thoughts on it, giving credit to Artour "Arteezy" Babaev, for his helping hand on the matter. The coach of Shopify Rebellion has much respect for Arteezy on the subject matter. He said:
“Artour has a lot of knowledge about matchups and just Dota in general. It was something we tried doing last year. We always used to kinda talk about it.”
The team’s coach continued to say that everyone gets to share their input for the drafting.
Bulba on the team’s communication
The recent performance of Shopify Rebellion at DreamLeague Season 22 has caught the attention of the Dota 2 community. The team's coach has also disclosed that the team is focusing on improving its synergy. He mentioned that the team struggled at the start of the season as they were still trying to establish their synergy.
“ Everyone was from different cultures. Talking, communicating, sometimes it can get hectic in the games and fixing the communication and stuff that’s something that’s been very important. We’re from different regions, each region have a different way of communicating. In the old team, we were definitely used to a certain way so as three new members come in we have to kind of adjust to that.”
The standings for DreamLeague Season 22 after the end of day 1.The second group stage of DreamLeague Season 22 has just started, and the upcoming match for Shopify Rebellion is up against Gaimin Gladiators. It will conclude on March 7th.
Featured Image Source: Valve
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