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Satanic takes the top spot in European Dota 2 Leaderboards
2024 promises to be an exciting one for Dota 2 fans. A MENA team has clinched the top spot in a tier 1 tournament, marking a significant milestone. In Western Europe, there is a three-way power struggle going on in the Dota 2 leaderboards.
The coveted title of the top-ranked player in the region is currently under threat. Alimzhan "Watson" Islambekov, who held the title, has already been dethroned twice in the last two months.
His latest defeat came from a 17-year-old Eastern European prodigy, Alan "Satanic" Galliamov, who successfully dethroned him to take the top spot in the European Dota 2 leaderboard.
Credits: Twitter.@EntityDota
Galliamov has been rapidly climbing the Dota 2 rank ladder over the past two years. When he successfully pushed past the top 50 rank in Europe last, the young prodigy garnered attention from many veterans.
Image Source: Screen Capture of Dota 2 Leaderboards from Valve.
Watson held Europe’s throne for the entire year in 2023. Back then, he also had a smurf, which was ranked second in Europe. Thus, the player was uncontested for nearly an entire year.
Valve’s Magic
In late 2023, Valve banned smurf accounts in Dota 2. The action caused a major shift in the game's ranked leaderboard. It affected players like Alimzhan, who no longer had the option of using alternate accounts. While some professional players faced difficulties queuing for rank matches without their smurf accounts, some saw this as an opportunity to prove their skills and challenge the throne.
The First Contender for the Throne
Credits: Twitter/ @GaiminGladiator
As mentioned above, Satanic is not the first player to de-throne Watson from his top spot. In the middle of January 2024, Gaimin Gladiators’ midlaner, Quinn “Quinn” Callahan, successfully dethroned him for the first time.
Image Source: Screen Capture of Valve's Dota2 Leaderboards.
Back then, the achievement made waves in the Dota 2 community. Quinn became the first North American Dota 2 player to take the top spot in the European Dota 2 leaderboard.
Unfortunately, his achievement did not last long. After 48 hours, Entity’s safelaner retook the spot from the esports player of the year nominee.
The Prodigy’s Journey
Although Satanic was a rising talent in pubs, he only started making a name for himself in the professional Dota 2 scene last month when he joined Yellow Submarine.
The Eastern European team can be considered the talent factory for their region’s Dota 2 scene. The current two-time TI champions, Team Spirit’s roster, once also played under Yellow Submarine’s banter before becoming a legend themselves.
With Yellow Submarine, Satanic even managed to draw blood from Team Spirit during their encounter at ESL One Birmingham Qualifiers. However, Spirit quickly recovered and knocked their opponents to the lower bracket.
What the Future Holds
Credits: Valve
Valve’s affirmative stance against smurfs is starting to yield results. By enforcing a rule that players can only have a single account, the top spots on the Dota 2 leaderboards are now more accessible to players willing to give it a shot. Winning or losing streak will now have a clear effect on the placement on the leaderboards, and Satanic’s latest achievement is proof of it.
Featured Image Source: Facebook.@ Diorite
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