It really speaks volumes when one of the most prominent North American players claims that the region’s pubs are terrible. In a revealing critique, Tal “Fly” Aizik, a prominent figure in the North American Dota 2 scene, has shed light on the deteriorating state of the region’s ranked matches, aka NA pubs.
NA pubs are just a graveyard in Dota 2
His observations, made during a post-match interview at the Elite League, state that there is a stark decline in the quality of players in pub games.
Tal “Fly” Aizik (Image credit: Nouns Esports)
Fly’s characterizations of North American servers as a “graveyard” reflect not only a personal lament but also a broader consensus among high Immortal-rank players. He pointed out the trend of NA players migrating out of the region, including his teammates, who now overwhelmingly prefer Western European servers over their North American counterparts.
According to Fly, this is primarily due to the superior match quality found in Europe, leaving behind a cesspool filled largely by South American players. Even for SA players, the only reason why they play in the NA server is due to high ping when connecting to European servers which goes up to 200 ms. Hence, their only option is the NA server, further altering the competitive makeup of the region.
Rampant Griefing and Toxicity
The issues plaguing North American Dota 2 extend beyond simple preferences for server location. The player base has been vocal on the Dota 2 Reddit forum, about the rampant griefing, toxicity, and a general decline in good behavior.
High Immortal-rank players frequently recount experiences of griefing behavior, from trash-talking to deliberate in-game sabotage such as feeding down mid lane and destroying items. These factors contribute significantly to an environment perceived as negative to both competitive play and overall player enjoyment.
Other Dota 2 players who moved out of NA
Arguably the most successful NA player to migrate out of the North America region not just to play pubs but also professionally, is Gaimin Gladiators‘ Quinn “Quinn” Callahan.
Quinn has long been a prodigy in NA Dota but didn’t really make major accomplishments back then. Yet, when he moved to Gaimin, he won three consecutive Majors and even a first runner-up place at the International 2023 last year.
Then, there’s Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen, Fly’s former teammate during their time in Evil Geniuses and Shopify Rebellion. The player now plays for Team Falcons and has already won multiple championships for the new MENA team. Meanwhile, many pro teams also plan bootcamps and scrims outside of NA region. Typically, when there is a major tournament in another country, teams would travel earlier to the venue to train with other tournament participants too.
Nouns Dota 2 (Image credit: Nouns Esports)
In summary, the critique offered by Fly paints a picture of a once-thriving competitive scene now in decline, impacted by a combination of negative player behavior and migration. This situation prompts us to reflect on the future of North American Dota 2 as the only factor keeping the region relevant is the International Championships were historically held in the USA, but even that has moved to Copenhagen this year.
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This article was originally published here
