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Arteezy: "SumaiL hasn't changed at all"
Shopify Rebellion took down Team Liquid in a convincing 2-0 fashion on the third day of the PGL Wallachia group stage. It is the first time Shopify has won the matchup in over four years. Their last victory was in DreamLeague Season 13.
After the series concluded, Artour "Arteezy" Babaev shared his thoughts on the strongest team he played against and his reunion with Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan.
Arteezy: "I thought Spirit was very difficult"
While it's been four years and 12 series since Arteezy defeated Liquid last time, he doesn't consider them the scariest team to play against. That honor goes to two-time TI champions Team Spirit.
Discussing Spirit, Artour stated that the Aegis holders could inflict a lot of pressure even when they were overwhelmingly behind in the game.
"I thought Spirit was very difficult, I think there was always a feeling when you played against Spirit at their peak form at TI especially, When you played against them and you're up, you put yourself in a state where you're more, for a lack of a better word, stressed out or like let's say you're 18k gold up but you're kind of not feeling as strong exactly. You constantly think of things they are doing on the map that it's sort of like fake pressure. It's not free like with other teams, if you have 18k lead, you're coasting."
Arteezy's worries about Team Spirit are well-founded. In the last seven times, the two teams have faced off, two were draws, and five were victories for Team Spirit.
Arteezy on SumaiL: "His behavior is the same, his reaction to things is the same"
Shopify Rebellion is one of the teams suffering from visa issues at PGL Wallachia. They had to bring in two stand-ins for the team and one of them is a former teammate of Arteezy.
The reunion between SumaiL and Artour had Dota 2 fans buzzing. The two played together for nearly four years, a big part of their careers.
The duo has worked well so far, Shopify is currently 2-1 and only one victory away from making it to playoffs. Apart from struggling on day one against BetBoom Team (arguably the second-strongest team in Dota 2 right now), Shopify is doing well.
When asked how it feels to play with his old partner, Arteezy stated that for the most part, it's mostly the same.
"It's definitely a blast from the past, he hasn't changed at all since the last time I remember playing with him. Like it's literally the same vibes, his behavior is the same, his reaction to things in the game is the same."
Five years apart will change anyone and despite mostly remaining the same, the TI winning mid laner has improved in one aspect according to Arteezy.
"I think the one thing he's improved is actually he's a lot more vocal and a long time ago he was a lot more "I'm the best, I'm not going to need to talk" all this but now he's a lot more expressive and I think that just comes with age. I didn't realize he said he's 25 today, he's actually quite old, we're all quite old, so it's been really fun."
Shopify Rebellion is one victory away from making it to the playoffs and the top eight at PGL Wallachia. Doing well would get them at least USD $40,000 and a likely invite to season two.
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Featured Image Source: Valve
