“He hasn’t changed at all,” Arteezy talks reuniting with SumaiL

Dota 2 fans rejoiced when Artour “Arteezy” Babaev and Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan reunited for PGL Wallachia, but is the reunion what they were hoping for?

Shopify Rebellion is on a tear in Romania. The North American squad has a 2-1 record in the group stage with wins over Virtus.pro and Team Liquid. All eyes are on mid lane stand-in SumaiL, who is averaging 8.86 kills and 767 XPM on a 4-3 game record. The event marks the first time Arteezy and SumaiL have played together since 2019.

In a post-game interview with Neal “Tsunami” Khandheria, Arteezy spoke on the pair’s reunion and how the mid lane prodigy has evolved.

Arteezy talks SumaiL at PGL Wallachia 

Arteezy commented that SumaiL’s attitude is almost the exact same as it was in 2019, but the mid has also notably matured.

“He hasn’t changed at all since the last time I remember playing with him. It’s literally like the same vibes. His behavior is the same, his reaction to things in the game is the same, his reactions outside,” said Arteezy.

Arteezy and SumaiL played together on Evil Geniuses for three years starting in 2016 and ending after The International 2019. The pair were widely considered the best core players in North American history. While Arteezy stayed with the team as it evolved, SumaiL joined several teams including Quincy Crew, OG, Team Secret, Nigma Galaxy, and even Chinese organization Team Aster. His global adventures may have contributed to SumaiL’s growth.

“I think the one thing he’s improved is actually he’s a lot more vocal. A long time ago I think he was a lot more like ‘I’m the best, I’m not gonna need to talk,’ all this stuff. But now he’s a lot more expressive and I think that just comes with age,” said Arteezy.

SumaiL remains the youngest The International winner ever at 16 years old. He doubles as the youngest to ever play at the event. Of course, Arteezy had to comment on SumaiL’s literal growth during the interview.

“He said he’s 25 today. He’s quite old. We’re all quite old. It’s been really fun. It reminds me of my youth,” said Arteezy.