Astini On Nouns: "They doubled the team's salaries but kept mine the same."

Astini On Nouns: "They doubled the team's salaries but kept mine the same."

Eric Oliveira

28 Mar, 2025, 15:20

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Last updated: 28 Mar, 2025, 15:27

Filipe "Astini" Astini is a Brazilian coach who started gaining recognition in professional Dota 2 after reaching the Top 8 at The International with nouns. Recently, he shared insights about his coaching journey and behind-the-scenes details in a conversation with 4nalog and the hosts of one of the biggest Brazilian podcasts today.

Let’s dive into one of the most controversial topics from this conversation and see what stands out. There’s plenty of drama and good stories, and we’ll share all the details with you here.


Why Did He Leave Nouns After Reaching Top 8 at TI?

Many were left wondering why Astini decided to leave nouns right after achieving a Top 8 finish at The International. During the conversation, he shared additional details that clarify his decision. The first issue was the contract renegotiation post-TI.

"I had left nouns. We got Top 8 at The International, and they made an offer to renegotiate everyone's contracts. They doubled the team's salaries but kept mine the same."

Astini and the nouns roster right before The International.
They worked as a team but someone was getting a big share of the budget. - Credit: GameArena

After discovering that he was the only one who didn't receive a raise, someone allowed him to review the team budget. What he found next was even more surprising.

Peter "ppd" Dager was listed as a "volunteer" but was earning three times more than the players. "They opened the budget, and I saw some ppd guy listed as a volunteer, but he was making three times more money than the players."

Astini worked hard and delivered results so, finding out about this wasn’t easy. He didn’t go into further details, but it’s safe to assume he felt it was best to part ways.

A Story That Goes Way Back

This issue runs deeper, and some might remember that ppd had his fair share of drama with South American teams. Years ago, he claimed that playing qualifiers against SA was a waste of time because: "what's the point? you guys are awful at dota."

ppd has a history of running his mouth.
Credit: Reddit (r/Dota2)

Meanwhile, fate has its own way of working things out. Ironically, both Evil Geniuses and North American Dota have collapsed. Since Astini left nouns and moved to Europe, NA has struggled to find any real success.

ppd always finds a way to get himself in drama.
It’s hard to believe that the “best” region has fallen while the “awful” one lives on. - Credit: Liquipedia

Astini has built a name for himself through a unique and inspiring journey. He took nouns to a Top 8 finish at TI and helped Entity become Cloud9, securing a Top 6 finish at TI.

We’ll be releasing more of this interview soon, so check back for more insights. If you want to stay updated on the latest Dota 2 tournaments and news, visit our official website!

Featured Image Source: Strafe e YouTube (@FlowPodcast)

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