‘You don’t need to be a degenerate’: Ceb fires back at Puppey’s opinion on getting good at Dota 2

After keeping his streak of attending every instance of Dota 2’s The International to date alive, Team Secret captain Clement “Puppey” Ivanov said being a degenerate is essential to thriving.

“You need to be a degenerate to win this game,” he told escorenews, referring to the fact he’s gone all-in this year. ”You need to be unhealthy, practically. You’re not going to win against people who are unhealthy. It’s hard to phrase. People who are healthy, a lot of the time, they are not the best Dota 2 players.”

But, OG legend Sébastien “Ceb” Debs, who has experienced the ultimate Dota 2 success with back-to-back TI victories in his twilight years, respectfully disagreed.

“Puppey has and will always have my eternal respect, but you surely do not need to be a degenerate or 18 years old to be the best at this game. Actually, quite the opposite,” he said. “Don’t get fooled, or it will actually bury any chance you ever had to make it.”

Instead, he believes the key takeaway from Puppey’s comments is people need to play a lot to succeed, which is a sentiment he wholeheartedly agrees with. “[That’s the] only truth I see.”

The pro Dota 2 scene is at an interesting place where young talent is thriving, but members of the old guard, like Puppey and even Ceb when he stands in, still have an important place. Experience, wisdom, and looking after yourself can go a long way in Dota 2—at least, that’s what Ceb believes, and he thinks it has played a role in Puppey’s success this year as much as anything else.