The ATF drama and why Quest Esports are in trouble

We’ve recently learned that Quest Esports and Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf have parted ways. This is very strange given how successful the team has been after he joined in May.

Quest went from being just another WEU team to finishing Tour 3 in 3^rd place, qualifying for Riyadh Masters, and getting a 4^th place at the Bali Major. Anyone who thinks that ATF wasn’t instrumental in all this success doesn’t understand how Dota 2 works.

ATF is an offlaner and his role is one of the most impactful in the current meta. How he plays the game matters just as much as how his midlaner plays it. When we see teams competing, it’s hard to tell from the outside which players have the biggest impact. But we do feel it immediately after someone leaves.

We all remember what happened to Team Secret after the departure of Michal “Nisha” Jankowski. Secret finished The International 2022 in 2^nd place and then got relegated to Division II of WEU. That’s how much his departure meant for the team’s success.

Captains can give their players a vision and a set of strategies. But their plans are only as good as the individuals who need to implement them. In Dota 2, you rarely get to do things exactly as you planned. There’s a constant need to improvise, make hard choices and figure out what needs to be done next to win the game.

#3 to be honest nigma did help with everything loan/buyout but quest contract is not acceptable for me

— Ammar Alassaf (@AmmarAlassaf6) July 15, 2023

The drama

Initially, everyone thought that Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi might have had a bad moment and was behind ATF’s removal. But that wasn’t the case at all. Everyone defended him and he took the time to explain the situation himself.

On the other hand, Quest’s management claimed that their contract, despite being perfectly reasonable, was refused by ATF. The player himself denies this and says that the contract he was offered was terrible, which is why he didn’t sign it.

With Riyadh Masters 2023 and potentially The International 2023 quickly approaching, both ATF and Quest Esports would have gained a tremendous amount from agreeing to continue their collaboration. But something clearly angered both sides.

We rarely see organizations let go of high-caliber players because of silly misunderstandings when millions of dollars are at stake. Now, with ATF gone, it’s doubtful that Quest Esports will continue to be the formidable team they were quickly turning into.

Header: OG, Valve Corporation