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One of the Greatest Captains in the History of Dota Is Back

ppd, the former EG captain and TI 5 champion, is making a comeback with Sadboys, a new team with... Radu M. | 6. December 2020

ppd, the former EG captain and TI 5 champion, is making a comeback with Sadboys, a new team with an old name and a great roster.

How Good is ppd?

To answer the question, it’s not enough to look at distant results such as the trophy he obtained at The International 2015. Because as we both know, the history of Dota is full of people who achieved great results and then vanished, returning later only to discover that they were no longer the legends they once were. But in ppd’s case I think it’s safe to assume that even though he hasn’t played professionally since the end of April, his skills are still formidable. And by skills I don’t mean mechanical skills, because he’s never been known as an amazing support player. Rather, I’m referring to his understanding of the game and the depth of his knowledge of heroes, strategies, tactics and everything in between.

ppd’s versatility and prowess have been tested before. In 2017, after serving as Evil Geniuses’ CEO for one year, Peter returned with OpTic Gaming and finished 7th – 8th at The International that season, earning more than $1.2 million in tournaments. And unlike EG’s roster, OpTic’s was far less experienced. Although, looking back, it’s easy to see why they managed to do so much with so “little”. Just look at their players: Quinn (CC&C), 33, zai, Pajkatt, and ppd.

Sadboys

The team that ppd has joined is called Sadboys. you probably know this name from the good old days that preceded his years with Evil Geniuses. The roster is made up of the following players:

  • Fear
  • dnm
  • Moo
  • Sneyking
  • ppd

Everyone knows Fear and it’s clear that he has vast knowledge. But it’s hard to regard him as a strong player these days, simply because he’s pushing 33 (years, not the player), and we haven’t seen him do much over the past several years. However, under ppd’s leadership there’s a good chance that he will find his desire to win again. If he can dedicate enough time to practice, I’m sure he’ll do just fine.

Two other players that are worth mentioning here are Moo and Sneyking. Moo is a TI finalist and Sneyking has been around for ages. The latter of these two may not as accomplished as the first, but he finished 9th – 12th at The International 2019 and was a Major finalist with VGJ.Storm in 2018.

At this point, dnm is an unknown quantity.

ppd’s Chances at BTS Pro Series Season 4

BTS Pro Series features 3 strong teams: 4 Zoomers, beastcoast and Thunder Predator. With enough training, Sadboys can probably defeat all of them. The big NA teams will not take part in this tournament, which leaves a lot of room for Sadboys to experiment and succeed. Given ppd’s level, if this roster works well as a unit we’ll probably see them in the Grand Final.

 

Photo credit: Valve