BuLba Talks About Shopify Rebellion Teammates Sticking Together

Prior to the commencement of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2023, Shopify Rebellion entered into competitive Dota 2 with the recruitment of the former Evil Geniuses lineup, with Tal "Fly" Aizik leading and Kanishka "BuLba" Sosale taking on the coaching role. As a result, this group of players, who had spent considerable time playing alongside each other, embarked on yet another ride together, and this partnership continues to the present day. During a recent interview with escorenews, BuLba spoke about why they continue to stick and have not changed teams in a long time. According to BuLba, the relationship has seen more ups than downs, and they rely on one another and are good friends.

BuLba explains why his teammates continue to play together

Since they have been playing together for years now, BuLba was asked if he had ever thought of coaching a team and how Shopify's players have been so committed to each other, which is not very common in competitive Dota 2.

In the course of their journey, BuLba recounted how they have been able to achieve a decent deal of success, which has enabled them to believe in one another.

“For the first 3-4 years, from about 2018 to 2021, we were very stable. We were always on top with different players, be it SumaiL, Abed, iceiceice, RAMZES, or s4. We didn't win any Majors, but we managed to go very far. Like Team Liquid this year, it's constantly in the top 2, top 3. That showed us that even our minimum level is high. We always had good results, and I think because of that, we trusted and believed in each other.”

While the offlaner has mostly changed from season to season, BuLba, Fly, Abed "Abed" Yusop, and Artour "Arteezy" Babaev have been playing together for four years, the bulk of which has been with Evil Geniuses. Jonáš "SabeRLight-" Volek has been acting as the offlaner in the DPC 2023.

BuLba added that the players enjoy a camaraderie, which keeps them going even when times are tough, as was evident last year.

“Our core really enjoys being together, we're all good friends. We have occasional arguments and stuff, but at the end of the day, we're still really close to each other. I think both of those factors have helped. Last year was definitely a test because our lineup didn't spend it that well, with the worst results ever. This year we started off really well, but after the patch came out things aren't going the way we expected.”

[translations via DeepL Translate]

Shopify had a strong start to the year, finishing fourth in the Lima Major 2023 and third at the DreamLeague Season 19. However, as mentioned by BuLba, results have plummeted in patch 7.33, with the squad finishing 9th-12th in the Berlin Major, 11th-12th at DreamLeague Season 20, and 9th-12th at the Bali Major.

BuLba emphasized, however, that the team has consistently had good results over the years and will need to maintain them.

Shopify now heads to the Riyadh Masters 2023, where a huge $15,000,000 USD prize pool awaits. The squad has already been invited straight to the group stage, giving it a headstart in the quest for the largest share of the prize money.