Title image courtesy of ESL
Abysmal results at ESL One Birmingham and roster changes for Shopify Rebellion illustrate the state of NA Dota.
Qualifying for and performing at events are two different things, and Shopify Rebellion is a perfect example of how NA Dota is not holding up on an international level.
The North American-based team took a (more than) disappointing 11-12th place finish at ESL One Birmingham. In case you forgot, only 12 teams were competing in Birmingham. That means Shopify was tied for last place, among the first to be eliminated in the group stage.
It was their second event of the 2023-24 season. At DreamLeague Season 22 they at least fared slightly better with a 7th place result - landing in the middle.
Clearly, there are some issues and the organization is on the move to address them before they potentially miss out on obtaining a slot at The International 2024.
In the first, of possibly more, changes the team bids farewell to Thiago "Thiolicor" Cordeiro.
Five months ago SR caught their fans by surprise with their roster announcement. The Canadian organization kept two players from the previous season, Arteezy and Jonáš "SabeRLight-" Volek along with coach Kanishka "BuLba" Sosale, and brought aboard unproven players from South America, Southeast Asia, and North America to form a truly multi-regional line-up for 2024.
Thiolicor is an SA veteran, with nearly a decade spent in the region. He played for all major organizations in South America, but despite having vast experience on the tournament stage, he has yet to land a historical win. Joining SR marked his debut in the NA region.
There is no information on where Thiolicor will go next, who will assume his role in the Shopify lineup or if more changes will come, but the team is expected to compete at PGL Wallachia Season 1 set to begin next Friday, May 10th.
Shopify Rebellion current roster
Artour “Arteezy” Babaev
Erin Jasper “Yopaj” Ferrer
Jonáš “SabeRLighT-” Volek
Kartik “Kitrak” Rathi
