Will Puppey Retire from Dota 2 if He Fails to Qualify to TI11?

This has been a heartbreaking season for veteran Dota 2 fans and teams. Some of the game’s most famous players, such as Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi, have failed to qualify for The International 11.

Right now, we’re in the middle of the Last Chance Qualifier but the tournament is still full of great teams. With only two TI spots remaining, most of them will inevitably miss the boat as well.

One of the strongest teams in the race is Team Secret. Based on everything we’ve seen so far, their odds of qualifying are quite high. But that doesn’t mean they can’t fail, especially when competitors like Xtreme Gaming, Team Liquid, and Virtus.pro are also in the race.

Puppey’s History at The International

Clement “Puppey” Ivanov is one of the five legendary players who won the first edition of The International with Natus Vincere. Because of that, he’s almost as famous as his former teammate, Danil “Dendi” Ishutin.

Puppey has participated in every single edition of The International, finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – 6th, 7th – 8th, and sometimes worse. A TI without him was unthinkable at the start of this season, especially given the fact that Secret finished TI10 in 3rd place.

But after a series of poor results, Puppey’s team did not manage to finish the Dota Pro Circuit in the top 12, and then got crushed by Entity (0-3) in the Grand Final of the WEU Regional Qualifier for the tournament.

That’s how we got here, with Team Secret having to get a top-2 result in the Last Chance Qualifier. They will undoubtedly secure an upper bracket spot for the playoffs, but whether they’ll be able to reach their major goal or not remains to be seen.

Retiring From Dota 2

In esports, most players are retired by the age of 30. Puppey will be 33 in March next year. Some people wonder how much longer can he play at the highest competitive level.

Given the complexity of Dota 2, staying up to date with the meta and the latest patches can be quite challenging. For a 16-year-old with nothing else on his mind, it may not seem like a problem. But for an adult with a family, the challenge is a daunting one.

What makes matters worse is the fact that Valve doesn’t do much for Dota 2’s professional teams these days. Apart from The International, there is very little money to be made in this game. Of course, that could change next year, but it’s unlikely.

Many believe that even if he does qualify for TI11, Puppey will retire from the game. Others, such as Sebastien “Ceb” Debs and Johan “N0tail” Sundstein have already ended their careers last year, and they’re several years younger than him.

Right now, Puppey is one of the oldest Dota 2 professional players who are still active. It’s obvious that he enjoys playing the game, but for how much longer?

Header: Valve Corporation