The North American organization has found a replacement for Saberlight. After months of inactivity, MinD_ContRoL returns to competitive play.
Welcome to the fold @MinDcontRoLDotA đź’š
A familiar face for many, and one we’re excited to add to the roster. Let the journey begin 🤝 #ArmTheRebels pic.twitter.com/dBLS9e1rCM
— Shopify Rebellion (@ShopifyRebels) May 27, 2024
Earlier this week, Czech offlaner Saberlight announced his departure from the team. He claimed it was a mutual decision between him and his teammates. In a lengthy Twitter post, Saberlight mentioned he had conflicting views with a specific member of the team, and his opinions were often replied to with backlash.
Fans were wondering who would replace such a talented offlaner like Saberlight, and if any potential candidate resided in North or South America. Many thought the organization would continue importing players from the Southeast Asian region, as they’ve done with Yopaj, and recently, skem.
However, Shopify Rebellion made the unexpected announcement of signing TI winner MinD_ContRoL to fill the team’s vacant position. MinD_ContRoL is one of the most experienced players in the scene who has been around the upper echelons of Dota 2 for years, also winning numerous Major titles and The International 2017.
The 29-year-old’s last appearance in the professional scene was in Tundra Esports, where he acted as the team’s offlaner and captain. In this roster, he worked with a fellow TI winner, Topson, and three up-and-coming players from the next generation.
MinD_ContRoL was supposed to be the veteran of the team and was willing to use his knowledge and experience to lead them to victory. However, the team’s carry player, 20-year-old Pure, wanted to become the team’s captain instead of MinD_ContRoL.
The Bulgarian was unhappy with his role being stripped off him but continued to stay quiet and go with the change. However, the team’s coach and manager, MoonMeander and zai, added fuel to the fire. MinD_ContRoL did not want to stand being pushed around and decided to leave the organization.
Since the incident in February, MinD_ContRoL was nowhere to be seen. He had not joined any other lineups and lied low. However, he is returning fresh from his break and relocating to the North American region.
It was a relatively surprising move since MinD_ContRoL had continuously resided in the European region, and he did not know that many players on the Shopify Rebellion squad. However, he had a short stint in OG when he stood in for DM at the ESL One Berlin Major in 2023.
In this event, MinD_ContRoL worked with Kitrak and secured 5-6th place, giving OG its best result in 2023. With Kitrak being a vital member of the current Shopify Rebellion roster, there is a possibility that he was the person connecting MinD_ContRoL to the team.
The Shopify Rebellion team has a lot of work ahead of them. They had recently recruited skem from the Philippines and only played one tournament with him, where they finished last place. Additionally, the qualifiers for The International 2024 have just been announced.
The North American region did not receive any direct invitations and will only offer one slot. Shopify Rebellion must take down their arch nemesis, Nouns, who is fielding their former captain, Fly.
It will be interesting to see what value MinD_ContRoL can bring to this roster. Shopify Rebellion has achieved minimal results since investing in its Dota 2 roster. Will MinD_ContRoL be able to turn everything around?
Header: Shopify Rebellion
