Can Ceb improve OG’s chances at Riyadh Masters 2023?

Sebastien “Ceb” Debs is one of the most famous players in the history of Dota 2. So far, he’s one of the few who won The International twice, and that level of achievement comes naturally brings people fame and respect. But is he the same player he was five years ago?

It’s been a long time since Ceb’s Dota 2 triumphs and the game has changed a lot since then. Ceb himself got a reality check this season, when he tried to come back to playing professionally and succeed with Old G.

The team failed to qualify for WEU’s Division II in Tour 1 and then struggled to stay in this division in the next tours. Many expected Old G to easily win their division and start playing alongside OG in Division I. But the team’s results were far from great.

Despite having some of the best players in the history of the game, Old G struggled against tier-2 WEU opponents. That’s a clear proof that Dota 2 is an evolving game. If you don’t evolve with it, you no longer understand what’s happening and fail even against opponents you should be beating with ease.

Get ready for 8 HOURS OF DOTA#RiyadhMasters pic.twitter.com/Nvj089qKJ0

— OG (@OGesports) July 18, 2023

OG’s chances at Riyadh Masters 2023

OG will enter Riyadh Masters in the play-in stage. Their group will be tough, but perhaps not as tough as it could have been. Very recently, Quest Esports have announced that Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf was removed from the team because of various misunderstandings between himself and the organization.

This last-minute roster change will make Quest much weaker. Combined with the fact that group B also features Team Secret, Xtreme Gaming, beastcoast, and 9Pandas, we might see OG finishing in the top two. But even if they don’t they still have a good chance of qualifying for the group stage.

No doubt, Ceb’s input will be extremely valuable during the matches. He has more experience than the rest of the crew combined and even if he doesn’t do very well individually, which is unlikely, he can resort to being a good captain.

The role he will play is important but not essential to a team’s success. The position 4 player doesn’t do as much these days as he used to. The role is not a demanding one, which means that Ceb will have ample time to think about the bigger picture and hopefully lead his team to many victories.

Header: OG