Nikobaby retires from pro scene

Dota 2 star Nikolay “Nikobaby” Nikolov confirms his departure from the Dota 2 scene at the age of 25, two weeks after Alliance disbanded its team in pursuit of yet another revamp.

The former Alliance player, Nikobaby has revealed his intent to retire from the professional Dota 2 scene during a Twitch live stream on October 10. Less than two weeks ago, Alliance disbanded its entire Dota 2 team after their disastrous performances at International 2022 Western Europe Qualifiers, capping up the worst DPC season in the organization’s history.

“I’m not going to continue being a pro, one hundred percent.”

During the stream, Nikobaby said he will focus more on streaming and start his own Dota 2 podcast as his next move. He went on to say that he will invite Jonathan “Loda” Berg,  CEO of Alliance, in the first episode, implying that there is no animosity between them despite everything that has happened at the organization.

“My plan is to stream for now and do a podcast.”

The rise and fall of Nikobaby

Nikolay “Nikobaby” Nikolov made his name back in 2019 under one of Southeast Asia’s biggest esports organization Mineski. The Bulgarian Dota 2 player made it to the Internationals with Mineski under the guidance of 2018 Dota 2 Asia Championships winner Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung. Nikobaby returned to the European region where he was acquired by Alliance after putting on a noteworthy performance at the TI9, assisting his team in securing 9th – 12th place.

Nikobaby and Alliance had a fantastic year in 2021, securing decent finishes in both seasons of the regional leagues in Western Europe. Unfortunately, Nikobaby and Alliance’s fortunes took a turn for the worse when the TI10 arrived. After a disappointing 13th-16th finish at The International 10 (TI10), the team went on and won the Dream League Season 12. However, Alliance rebuilt its roster twice in order to perform better at TI11 but things went only worse for the squad. Nikobaby and his squad finished 1-6 and was relegated to Division II in the Winter Tour regional league for Western Europe during the 2021–2022 DPC season. 

As they destroyed Division II teams and rapidly climbed back up to Division I, Nikobaby and Alliance appeared more impressive throughout the Spring Tour. The team’s comeback, unfortunately, was short-lived as they went 0-7 and couldn’t even defeat a single during the Summer Tour. Janne “Gorgc” Stefanovski’s Team Bald Reborn dealt Nikobab his final career-ending blow at the TI11 regional qualifiers, eliminating Alliance from contention for a berth at the year’s biggest event.

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