While the newly-minted Shopify Rebellion is largely made up of the former Evil Geniuses roster, team captain Tal “Fly” Aizik has talked up newcomer to the group Jonáš “SabeRLight-” Volek, calling him exactly who the Dota 2 team needed.
“[SabeRLight] is a natural offlaner, and this is something I wanted for this year. I wanted somebody who’s a natural offlaner, I didn’t want to transition anymore carries or whatever to different roles. I didn’t want to go that route,” Fly said in the latest episode of his “Fly and the Other Guy” podcast.
After spending four years with Evil Geniuses (EG), Fly and three of his former teammates were released by the organisation and later joined Shopify Rebellion’s first-ever Dota 2 lineup.
The team needed to find an offlaner after Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko left the team to play in Eastern Europe again, and that’s where SabeRLight came in.
Nightfall spent most of his career as a carry player before joining EG in 2022 as their offlaner. While Nightfall excelled in the role, it wasn’t the perfect fit for him. For Shopify Rebellion, Fly was looking for a true offlaner, which is why he went with SabeRLight.
From rivals to teammates
Fly has another reason for wanting SabeRLight on his squad — EG suffered several defeats at the hands of their new teammate in international tournaments in the previous Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season.
During the PGL Arlington Major, Entity picked up SabeRLight- as a stand-in, and he helped them beat EG in two best-of-three matches.
Fly credits those victories to the offlaner’s exemplary hero pool.
“He can play initiators, his Mars is legendary, he can play Zoo, his Beastmaster in Arlington Major, he destroyed us with the Zoo as well,” said Fly.
Besides being an exceptional player, Fly also said that SabeRLight is a wonderful presence to have on the team due to his ability to lift their spirits and lighten the mood in tense situations, which is something they lacked in EG.
“I remember watching his stories, he ate a sandwich in the shower. Talking with us on the screen, he’s just a funny guy, and I think that’s something that will help my team lighten up the mood because truthfully that’s something we don’t always have on the team,” said Fly.
One of the best offlaners in the world with a wide hero pool and the mental fortitude to lift his team when they are down, SabeRLight and the rest of Shopify Rebellion will play their first official match when the 2023 DPC”s North American regional league begins on 8 January next year.
Dota 2 fans can find the full podcast episode here. During the episode, Fly also shared his thoughts on Old G, Nigma Galaxy, and a host of other topics.
Otomo is a long-time gaming enthusiast and caster. He has been playing games since he was 10 and is the biggest Dota 2 fan.
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