Learn the slang and lingo of Dota 2

Any Dota 2 fan has probably encountered their fair share of slang in-game, on Twitch chat, or while browsing reddit threads. But have you ever wonder where these terms came from? Let’s take a trip down memory lane as we rediscover the origins of these famous Dota 2 sayings.

322

Alexei “Solo” Berezin, current captain of Virtus.pro, was involved in betting fraud in 2013. His bet against his own team RoX.KIS amounted to $322. He received a lifetime ban from StarLadder, though the punishment was later reduced to a one-year ban after the team released a public apology.  The term “322” is still widely used by the Dota 2 community to imply that a certain play is considered a throw or an intentional misplay to let the opponent win.

2 EZ 4 RTZ

Artour “Arteezy” Babaev was only the second player to reach 9K MMR and the third player to reach 10K MMR. His low key charisma has attracted a huge fan base, and his popular Twitch streams are still the biggest in Dota 2 when he appears online.

The community coined the phrase “2 EZ 4 RTZ” in appreciation for his exceptional level of play. Arteezy’s team Evil Geniuses even monetized the phrase, turning it into a t-shirt.

Rat Dota

“Rat Dota” is a term used for split pushing. It’s like a cowardly rat chipping away at a tower or barracks, backing off at the first sign of danger. It is believed that Yaroslav Vladimirovich “NS” Kuznetsov coined this term when he played for Virtus.pro, calling out a Fnatic squad for split pushing and using the term “Rat Dota”.

1-800 Merlini and Puppey Pause

The Merlini and Puppey drama started on a Merlini’s Mailbag episode in which he discussed tactical pauses. As an example, Ben “Merlini” Wu used a clip from a Na’Vi vs. Redefining Madness game.

In the clip, Clement “Puppey” Ivanov suspects that his teammate has been scouted by the enemy and pings him as a warning. He then paused the game when the enemy’s Windranger positioned for a stunning skill shot as the ability was still animating. After this “tactical” pause, the fight came out in favor of Natus Vincere. Puppey denied that the pause was tactical and profanely laced into Merlini for the accusation.

The community has since referred to questionable pause timings as “Puppey Pause,” and calls out for “1-800 Merlini”.

Maelk Award

Jacob “Maelk” Toft-Andersen is a former professional player who is known for the famed “Maelk Award.” In a match versus Mousesports, Maelk played as Venomancer and ended up with zero kills and 20 deaths, but his team still managed to win the game. The award is bestowed to players who check off the following criteria: No kills, 20 or more deaths, 20 or more assists, and win the game.

Pizza Party

This is a new bit of slang coined earlier this year when Fnatic secured a spot at ESL Katowice 2018. In celebrating, the team had a pizza party, but the celebration served a more dire purpose. First, the team welcomed new member Saahil “Universe” Arora and second, Fnatic suddenly split with Khoo “Ohaiyo” Chong Xin.

Ohaiyo vented on social media and framed the incident as a sad and cruel affair. Thus the term “Pizza Party” refers to a case in which a player is likely to be jettisoned from his team.