Team SMG signs Pieliedie but stays silent on the ninjaboogie controversy

Before the start of the DPC Summer Season, Team SMG made one final change, signing support player Johan “pieliedie” Aström. While the team finalized its roster for the forthcoming regional league, they have remained silent about Michael “ninjaboogie” Ross Jr.’s dismissal.

As a final roster move before regional league play, SMG signed veteran player pieliedie to the role of support. The Swedish professional is a seasoned Dota2 player who has been competing in the professional Dota scene since 2012. He was a member of multiple Tier-1 teams, including Cloud9, Fnatic, Team Secret, Newbee, and the most recent, Team BALD Reborn, which he left in November 2021.

Despite achieving several milestones in his career, he had his most successful years with Team Secret, winning The Frankfurt Major in 2015 and The Shanghai Major in 2016. For the first time since 2018, pieliedie will be competing in Southeast Asia, following multiple seasons in the North American and European regions.

ninjaboogie’s departure

SMG announced the departure of Michael “ninjaboogie” Ross Jr.’s on May 20, which came off unusual to fans. Later on, ninjaboogie revealed the reason behind his departure, claiming he was dismissed because he requested a slight extension of his time off before reaching the team’s boot camp for practice.

He wanted to spend time with his mother, who had been hospitalized after having a stroke. As she was in the late stages of cancer, she passed away just before the roster change was announced. Of course, fans and the esports community found ninjaboogie’s dismissal highly unfair.

SMG remains silent

Yeik Nai “MidOne” Zheng was allegedly in contact with ninjaboogie prior to his dismissal, asking for his decision on return to the bootcamp. Ninjaboogie also stated that the team conducted a discussion without him and that if he had known their teammates’ viewpoints, he would have voluntarily stepped down from the roster.

Fans from all over the world showed their support and love for ninjaboogie as soon as he shared the reason for his dismissal. SMG, on the other hand, has faced a barrage of criticism on the internet as esports fans demand an explanation.

The organization’s social media accounts are flooded with criticism, and its roster move has sparked debate, with notable names like Jack “CouRage” Dunlop voicing their displeasure with the decision. While the Dota 2 community seems to be a little up in arms about the decision, SMG still hasn’t responded to the controversy.

Header: ESL