Dota 2’s competitive scene is governed by organizers and Valve to make sure everything runs smoothly and according to the rulebook. Despite all their best efforts though, there have been players trying to break the system, and those who got caught were banished from the lands of competitive Dota 2.
Whether it’s pulling a 322, intentionally throwing games, or account sharing, there have been more than a handful of players who were permanently banned from ever participating in a Valve event.
The main reason why this punishment is so harsh is the developer is involved with all the major Dota 2 tournaments, including The International.
The players listed below can continue playing Dota 2 and even participate in tournaments organized by third parties. But considering they’ll never be welcomed at the highest stage of the competition, most have either retired or continued to enjoy the game casually.
1. Bryan “SmAsH” Siña — Match Fixing, 2016
South American Dota 2 has come a long way over the years. The scene owes its success to the dedication of countless players who continued to hone their skills in every way possible. Bryan “SmAsH” Siña is one of the first prodigies from the SA scene, but his rise was cut short due to a match-fixing scandal.
SmAsH and three of his other teammates were indefinitely banned after they bet against themselves in a third-place match in 2016. This ban came only three days before the roster lock for the 2016 season and was a devastating blow for the Peruvian Dota 2 fans.
2. Ex-Newbee feat. Moogy and Faith — Match Fixing, 2021
From the top of the Dota 2 world, Xu “Moogy” Han and Zeng “Faith” Hongda found themselves in the gutter after match-fixing in 2020 versus Avengerls.
It took a little while for suspicions to get confirmed, and once they did, it was the end of a TI champion and a runner-up’s career. Faith was regarded as one of the best players in the world in 2012 after he lifted the Aegis, and he also placed second in TI7 alongside Moogy.
Given their accomplishments, Moogy and Faith’s ban sent shockwaves throughout the community. If a TI winner could consider match-fixing in a local tournament, what else could be under that rock?
3. VtFaded, Ahjit — Account Sharing and Match Fixing, 2022
Cheng “vtFαded” Jia Hao has been in trouble with the Dota 2 law since 2021. After account sharing, the talented Malaysian was first suspended for the remainder of the 2021 season. During this time, VtFaded was seen as one of the up-and-coming talents in the region as he continued to climb up Dota 2’s ranked ladder.
What suspended him from the scene was another case of account sharing and also match-fixing, which occurred in 2022. VtFaded, Lai “AhJit” Jay, and others were involved in a complicated account-sharing scenario where they logged into the accounts of players from another team to help them make it through the qualifiers for the SEA DPC.
Following the news, VtFaded, Ahjit, and eight more players were permanently banned from all future Valve events.
4. Jimmy “DeMoN” Ho — Misconduct, 2021
Jimmy “DeMoN” Ho had one of the most hectic Dota 2 careers. His competitive journey saw him move to Southeast Asia from North America where he achieved some of the most notable moments in his career.
The past few years have been a downhill battle for DeMoN, however, as he was banned from all future Valve and Beyond the Summit events due to misconduct at previous Dota 2 tournaments.
DeMoN was accused of sexual assault in June 2020. After denying the accusations, DeMoN continued his career and was one game away from qualifying for the NA DPC when he was permanently banned from the organizer, Beyond the Summit.
This case remains as one of the more mysterious permanent bans in Dota 2’s history as DeMoN continues to deny all accusations while looking to clear his name. However, there looks to be solid evidence that proves the allegations, but they were never shared publicly to protect the victims.
5. Kamil “Koma`” Biktimirov — Account Sharing, 2022
The 2023 DPC season was going to Kamil “Koma`” Biktimirov’s year as he was just picked up by Virtus Pro, the most prestigious organization in Eastern Europe.
Before the season began, though, Koma had the bright idea of helping out his friends go through the open qualifiers by using one of their accounts which cost him his career. On Dec. 18, 2022, Valve permanently banned 10 players for account sharing during the open qualifiers for the 2023 DPC season.
The long list featured VP’s carry player, Koma, meaning his Dota 2 career had just ended before it could even really take off.
