Here's the complete history of Ceb, OG Dota 2 coach and player
Sébastien “Ceb” Debs is one of the most decorated coaches and players in Dota 2 history. Here is his story.
Originally using the handle 7ckngMad, Ceb first appeared in Dota 2 shortly after the game’s launch in 2011 with Team Shakira, an all-French roster. The squad established itself as one of Europe’s best squads at DreamHack WInter 2011 by taking fourth, a performance that saw the squad sponsored by Western Wolves. Ceb spent a few months with this team before joining Troels “Synderen” Nielsen’s mTw.
mTw scored an impressive victory at DreamHack Summer 2012 and enjoyed strong performances in a number of other events. The team cleared the western qualifiers for The International 2012 and entered the event as a serious contender. Despite this, the team floundered to a 3-11 finish in the group stage and was eliminated in short order. Ceb split off and reformed Team Shakira after the event.
Journeyman status, Denial Esports, and move to Alliance
This was followed by a strange time that included team name changes, a brief partnership with Meet Your Makers, and Ceb trying out a coaching role.
He returned to action as a player with his former Team Shakira teammates, who were now competing under the name of DD.Dota. DD.Dota suffered from frequent roster turnover but made it into the wild card qualifier for The International 2013, which resulted in the team being sponsored by Quantic Gaming. The team failed to move forward into the event after a dramatic loss to RattleSnake.
Quantic’s roster troubles worsened after TI3, which resulted in Ceb splitting away from Quantic and forming a new team under the DD.Dota name. A new roster was finalized and a sponsorship came through from Sigma. The roster posted mixed results throughout the year and Ceb was dropped after six months.
What followed was an extended journeyman run from Ceb with multiple stints with teams, some of which were as brief as just a few days. The most notable team Ceb competed with during this time was Denial Esports. None of these tenures included strong finishes in notable tournaments.
Ceb’s run as a journeyman ended with him joining Alliance in 2015. The team posted mixed results, with the highlight coming in the form of a second-place performance in the joinDOTA MLG Pro League Season 2. The team failed to qualify for The International 2015, which led to Ceb’s departure.
The move to coaching OG
Following TI5, Ceb had unsuccessful tenures with Monkey Freedom Fighters and Kaipi. This seemingly marked the end of Ceb’s time as a player, as he transitioned into casting and then transitioned into coaching full-time with European team OG, which impressed with a victory in the Frankfurt Major. Ceb showed that his mind for the game remained sharp by helping OG win three more majors in the following years.
Despite dominating Valve-sponsored majors, OG disappointed in The International, falling well short of the top at both TI6 and TI7.
The introduction of the Dota Pro Circuit was followed by a disastrous fall-off for OG. The team struggled with roster issues throughout the 2017-2018 season, which saw Ceb return to action as a stand-in in a variety of roles.
Ceb returns to competition with OG to become two-time The International champion
When Gustav “s4” Magnusson and Tal “Fly” Aizik shockingly left OG to join Evil Geniuses, Ceb was penned in as the team’s replacement off laner. The roster was rebuilt ahead of the qualifiers to The International 2018 with the return of Anathan “ana” Pham and the addition of Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen.
OG stunned the Dota 2 scene by winning The International 2018.
Ceb remained with OG after TI8, but the team struggled after ana took an indefinite leave from the roster. This resulted in the team struggling to lock down a suitable replacement at the carry position. ana eventually returned, but the team continued to underwhelm in the Dota Pro Circuit. Despite that, OG earned enough points in the Dota Pro Circuit to earn a direct invitation to The International 2019.
Ceb and the OG roster won the event, becoming the first players to be two-time TI champions.
The OG roster took an extended hiatus from pro Dota 2 after The International 2019, which ended with the announcement of a new roster built around Johan “N0tail” Sundstein and Topson. As part of this, Ceb announced his retirement from professional Dota 2 in order to transition into an administrative position with OG, which was expanding into other esports including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
During his retirement, Ceb came under fire for derogatory comments made towards Russian teammates in a pub game. The controversy resulted in Ceb being fined by the OG organization.
Ceb returns to OG, retires, and returns again
In 2020, Ceb returned to action as a substitute in multiple positions. Ahead of the introduction of Valve-sponsored regional leagues, Ceb announced his official return to action as OG’s off laner. Ceb maintained his spot on the roster through The International 2021, which OG qualified for despite an underwhelming Dota Pro Circuit season. The team placed top eight at the event.
After TI10, Ceb once again retired. OG revealed an all-new roster that contained no members of the two-time TI championship roster. Ceb chose to remain with the organization in a non-competitive role.
Due to travel restrictions impacting Russian members of the team, Ceb was again brought back into action alongside N0tail. Ceb served as a substitute support player for OG at the 2022 ESL One Stockholm Major, with N0tail working as the team’s substitute coach.
OG recovered from a rocky start at the event to take first place at the major. This established Ceb and N0tail as two of just a handful of players to win Valve-sanctioned Dota 2 tournaments as both coaches and players, and continued Ceb’s history of making successful comebacks to the game.
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
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