Arteezy didn’t make a comeback this time, but he also revived the 2011 Evil Geniuses. Check out this story!
It’s another The International without Artour “Arteezy” Babaev, as he didn’t join a stack for the 2025 qualifiers. The 28-year-old player has been streaming non-stop since retiring from competitive play. His last stable team was Shopify Rebellion, one of the few organizations still sponsoring a North American Dota 2 roster.
With Shopify Rebellion, RTZ planned to keep his legacy alive after a long journey with Evil Geniuses. But the team didn’t find success, and Arteezy moved to inactive status to make space for the Peruvian carry, Enzo “Timado” Gianolli.
Despite leaving amidst a heated controversy where his ex-teammate Jonas “SabeRLight-” Volek implied Arteezy was the reason for his own departure, Arteezy stayed silent, focusing on streaming without giving a date for a comeback.
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The team Arteezy almost joined for The International 2025 qualifiers
Even if he only plays Dota 2 on stream, we’ve all seen he’s still got the spark. The now full-time streamer nearly came out of retirement with a star-studded roster, including some active players. In fact, the team would’ve looked almost identical to the old 2011 Evil Geniuses lineup:
- Artour “Arteezy” Babaev – Hard Carry
- Abed “Abed” Yusop – Midlane
- Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev – Offlane
- TBD
- Tal “Fly” Aizik – Hard Support
“Abed decided to join fcking MOUZ, like a dogsh*t,” Arteezy angrily said on stream. He also ranted about Fly joining AVULUS, though he didn’t care as much since Fly never confirmed. RAMZES666, on the other hand, didn’t join a team either—he’s been streaming the qualifiers too.
With this squad, Arteezy had a real shot at qualifying for The International 2025, which could’ve marked a brief end to his retirement. The North American region continues to struggle, with the Closed Qualifiers packed with mixed-region stacks and rosters full of unfamiliar names.
Only two strong teams—Shopify Rebellion and Wildcard—made it to the Finals. Arteezy mentioned on stream that he had plans to hang out with his former coach, Bulba, after he qualified. But he was left shocked: it was Wildcard who won the North American TI 2025 qualifiers.
Arteezy hasn’t revealed any plans to attend The International 2025 in person. Sadly, it looks like fans will be missing their “boy” for another year. If the legendary player changes his mind and decides to go, we’ll let you know right here. Stay updated in our Dota 2 section!
