Shopify Rebellion, America’s Dota 2 hopefuls, suffered a devastating defeat at The International 2023, marking one of Arteezy’s worst placements in his career. Cr1t- shared insights about the team’s performance, highlighting their struggles throughout the year.
Shopify Rebellion had a decent start to 2023, finishing fourth in the first major. However, their global performance declined after the Lima Major, with a glimmer of hope appearing as they secured second place in DreamLeague S21 just before TI 2023.
In a post-game interview, Cr1t- suggested that their performance in DreamLeague may have negatively impacted their chances at TI, indicating that the team was not functioning as intended.
Cr1t- expressed little surprise at their elimination, stating, “We didn’t do well in the group stage. We put ourselves in a spot where this can happen.”
While there have been instances of lower-bracket Cinderella runs in TI history, Cr1t-‘s comments imply that Shopify Rebellion may have anticipated their early exit from the event.
Their elimination, particularly at the hands of fellow North American team TSM, was a blow to their pride. Not only did it make Shopify Rebellion the first North American Dota 2 team to exit TI 2023, but it also positioned them as the worst-performing among North America’s top three teams, potentially leading to a disbandment as suggested by Ceb.
Ceb, a two-time TI winner, compared Shopify Rebellion to Nigma Galaxy, emphasizing that the core group of players had been together for over four years. Despite their efforts to overcome various challenges, Shopify Rebellion failed to achieve international success.
Even if the players decide to part ways, N0tail believes that Arteezy and Cr1t- may choose to stick together. While the team has expressed their disappointment in letting down their fans, the impact of this result may be felt in the coming months during the roster shuffle season.
Source: DOTESPORTS
