Sébastien “Ceb” Debs might have taken a step back from actually playing professionally, but his inspiring words have been benefitting more than just his Dota 2 teammates.
After OG defeated Evil Geniuses 2-1 in the lower bracket final of the CS:GO BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 regular season yesterday, which secured OG’s ticket to Moscow, James Banks caught up with OG’s in-game leader Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen.
Related: All teams qualified for BLAST Spring 2020 Finals
After discussing the series against EG, Banks asked Aleksib “how much has Ceb been involved in helping with [OG’s] mentality between these games” since Ceb was present at the arena during the matches and engaged with OG during downtime.
Aleksib had nothing but kind words for Ceb’s influence on the team, saying that the Dota 2 player helped them “a lot, honestly.”
OG’s in-game leader continued to heap praise on Ceb. “I respect him because the way he talks, the way he can motivate people is just unreal,” Aleksib said. “I’ve never, never ever met a person like him.” This prompted Banks to proclaim that it was “big words” coming from Aleksib.
Ceb has long been known as one of the brightest minds in Dota 2, but what cemented him as a legend was his record-breaking stint as a player that saw OG win two Internationals in a row.
The Frenchman previously served as OG’s coach from 2016 to 2018. An unexpected player shortage that stemmed from the departure of then longtime OG captain Tal “Fly” Alzik and Gustav “s4” Magnusson caused the team to scramble for players.
Despite Ceb’s two-year absence from the competitive scene, OG took no prisoners en route to two Aegises of the Immortal, marking the first time a team had successfully won two TIs and defended their championship.
Related: OG’s fairy tale sequel and other storylines fulfilled at The International 2019
Valve’s recent “True Sight” documentaries for the 2018 and 2019 TI finals have shed more light onto Ceb’s motivating leadership style. The former OG coach showed that while he remained a beast on the mouse and keyboard, he was also the mental backbone of the team. He constantly encouraged every player on his team, from the rookie to the captain, keeping them collected even in the most pressurizing of situations.
OG might have started a new chapter in both Dota 2 and CS:GO, but even with Ceb taking a backseat from playing, the Frenchman’s inspiring impact on both rosters bodes well for the organization’s future.
