Despite facing a major setback with their captain Alexey “Solo” Berezin’s absence, 9 Pandas managed to exceed expectations at Dota 2’s Berlin Major. With Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev stepping up to fill the captain role, the team advanced to the second round of the upper bracket after defeating North America’s Shopify Rebellion.
This impressive Berlin Major run after the team’s flawless run in the DPC, which was followed by a disappointing performance in DreamLeague Season 19. With Solo out for the Major, Dota 2 fans were ready to count 9 Pandas out, but RAMZES was ready for the occasion.
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According to Escorenews, this wasn’t RAMZES’ first rodeo when it came to handling captaining duties in a Dota 2 team. The core player shared that he and Solo acted more like co-captains and divided duties. Though RAMZES didn’t consider himself an “exceptional leader,” he was fine with having a bit more responsibility in Berlin.
While evaluating 9 Pandas’ performance, RAMZES said that the team was just playing without expectations, trying to play the best Dota 2 possible. This resulted in 9 Pandas putting on a show, and it has been a testament to how RAMZES has grown as a player over the years.
In the late 2010s, RAMZES’ toxic attitude in ranked Dota 2 matches was catching up to him. With RAMZES stepping out of his prodigy years, and slowly transitioning into a veteran, he seems to have embraced his new role and responsibilities as a player.
