Dota 2 account buying leads to accusations at Virtus.pro, gpk

The most high-profile case of Dota 2 account buying is playing out right now.

A ranked player is currently running rampant in European Dota 2 pubs. The account was ranked within the top 50 when he acquired it, but it has quickly dropped down the ladder. The player has barely won any matches since he started playing, at one point falling down a 17-match losing streak. He has also chosen to stream the entire experience.

To make matters more complicated, the booster has allegedly purchased multiple accounts from professional players. The Herald first began streaming with Virtus.pro’s Dmitry “DM” Dorokhin’s old account. After tanking it, he allegedly purchased another one from DM’s teammate Danil “gpk” Skutin.

Virtus.pro earned $1,400,600 from a fifth-place finish at The International 10.

Because of his inflated MMR, the boosted player has played with many of the greatest Dota 2 players of all time. Many of the pro players who attended The International 10 are still in Europe, creating an extremely high-level pub game environment. The account has even played with icons like Danil “Dendi” Ishutin and Zhang “Eurus” Chengjun.

This situation is rare, but it poses interesting questions about ethics in Dota 2. Smurf accounts are fairly common, and content creators often use smurf accounts to create educational content. Other more exploitative creators purposefully use bottom-level accounts to make silly builds look viable. Perhaps the account buyer is just trying to replicate this sort of environment for pro players.

gpk accused of selling boosted account

The mysterious streamer has now switched to another account that was previously used by Virtus.pro mid laner Danil “gpk” Skutin. Online rumors estimate the account’s sale price was between $10,000 and $15,000 dollars. gpk’s sponsor has spoken out about the alleged sale, stating that their player was not involved in the Dota 2 account buyer’s shenanigans.

If gpk did not sell the account, it’s difficult to say who did. The top Russian mid laner had dozens of games registered on the account, but the account owner could have changed multiple times. For such an account to remain at a high level, the owner must have played on it during this ranked season.

Very few players can reach that high of an MMR, and gpk is certainly one of them. His main account is currently ranked second in Europe.