Kenny “Xepher” Deo, the analyst for Blacklist Rivalry Dota 2 team, has announced his intention to play in the professional Dota 2 competition once again. He aspires for a move to Division 1 in the upcoming season.
In a live stream session on his social media, he openly admitted that he wants to return to playing in Dota 2 competitions in any region, as long as it is still within Division 1. He feels that he is not suited to a coaching role, which was relatively new for him.
“Next season? I want to play again. I’m tired of being a coach!” he said. “I don’t care which region it will be, as long as it’s in Division 1. If I have to pick, instead of going to Division 2, I’d rather join a tier 3 squad and try to get them to Division 1.”
Several viewers of the broadcast then replied with a series of questions. Some even asked if Xepher would accept an offer from Army Geniuses, an Indonesian newcomer which finished in Division 1 this season, to which he responded positively. A surprising response, given that he had previously opposed the notion of playing in a squad which mostly consists of Indonesian players.
After leaving the life of a pro player and focusing on his role as analyst for more than a month, he is planning to play more games to improve his skills in position 4 and 5. Even though there are no clear signs yet that he will leave Blacklist soon, this is a bold decision given what has happened to him in the past months.
Following the disbandment of T1 last year, the Indonesian Dota 2 icon had a series of abysmal results. Though there was a lot of buzz when he joined Boom Esports in November 2022 in Indonesia, he failed to live up to his reputation and lost many important teamfights, prompting jeers from their ardent fans.
The Hungry Beast then decided to let him go to Blacklist as their analyst for The International 12: SEA Regional Qualifier months ago as a partner of head coach Adam “343” Shah. Although his squad improved in a short amount of time, it was insufficient to overcome Team SMG in the grand finals, which was bolstered by the surprise recruitment of Volodymyr “no[o]ne” Minenko in August.
