Cover-Credits:
Sebastien "Ceb" Debs, a two-time The Internationa (TI) champion and a linchpin of OG’s Dota 2 roster over the years, has retired from competitive Dota 2. As part of the retirement video that OG shared, Ceb shared that his decision was influenced by an absence of an all-in mindset. While he believed he was able to sustain it until TI10, it was not possible afterward. He stated that he had already made up his mind to step down before TI10’s regional qualifiers in July 2021. Ceb last played for OG at TI10 where the team finished 7th-8th. Following the event, he had tweeted that TI10 was his last tournament.
Ceb steps away from pro Dota 2
“After many years of hard work and dedication, @Ceb is stepping down from competing at the highest level,” OG wrote on its Twitter handle.
“The win-or-die mindset, which has driven the entirety of my career… I don’t have it in me anymore. I never commit to a team or to people unless I know I’m ready to give every drop of energy and every second of my time into it,” Ceb explained as one of the reasons for his decision to walk away from competitive Dota 2.
Another reason Ceb mentioned is that he kept competing because of the team chemistry he enjoyed at OG that made the increasing number of sacrifices in his life worthwhile. “There was one thing that kept me going for sure that was the chemistry that I had with my teammates. That feeling of blind trust, of having this magic happen was worth all of it because that is something I have learned to know how precious it is and how rare it is and how much it takes to build it.”
“As long as I could taste it, it kept me going. When I realized that this thing was not as strong with this roster, maybe it showed me how it probably was time to look at the sacrifices and decide whether or not they are worth it,” noted Ceb.
OG's blog on its website also included a quote from Ceb that cited his health as another reason for the decision. “Now even my body is getting hurt by it. And I have to listen to my own body. As much as I’ve given to this game, I can’t do it anymore.”
Nine days before TI10, the player had undergone an emergency eye surgery.
While Ceb knew he was going to retire before TI10's regional qualifiers, he did not tell his teammates since he wanted everything to continue normally.
Ceb has already retired from competitive Dota 2 once, in Jan 2020. However, he had returned six months later. According to him, the difference between then and now was that he still had the drive then, but he did not feel he was competing well, while now what's missing is the drive. Ceb is uncertain about his future plans. As the founder of the OG, he is likely to remain involved in some capacity. Furthermore, he thanked all those who had supported him throughout his journey and stated that OG Dota 2 would remain.
Having won multiple Major titles as a coach for OG and back-to-back TI titles as an offlane player, Ceb ends his stellar career in Dota 2. According to Esports Earnings, Ceb is the fourth richest Dota 2 player in the world with estimated earnings of $5,773,812 USD at the time of writing this article.
OG’s Dota 2 roster now consists of the following players:
TBD
Topias Miikka "Topson" Taavitsainen
TBD
TBD
Johan "N0tail" Sundstein
On whether N0tail and Topson would continue to compete for OG, there is also a cloud of uncertainty. There have been rumors that the team will welcome a brand new lineup, but nothing is known with certainty as of yet. With the roster lock deadline just three days away, OG's Dota 2 roster will be revealed very soon.
