As the highly anticipated Riyadh Masters 2025 approaches, it’s worth revisiting the journey of BetBoom Team, an Eastern European squad that has consistently been one of Dota 2`s most talked-about and, frankly, dramatic forces. Their story is far from a simple climb to the top; it’s a chaotic, fascinating reflection of the volatile nature of professional Dota 2, marked by star power, internal strife, embarrassing mishaps, and eventual triumph.
Every roster change, every controversial moment involving BetBoom Team has rarely escaped public scrutiny. Even when results were lackluster, the team remained compelling viewing, often due to the sheer personalities and conflicts involved. From the widely publicized disagreements under Daxak to the bizarre incidents involving Pure~, BetBoom Team`s history is a rich tapestry of dramatic events. Let’s trace their path through the Tier 1 scene.
The Early Strides and the TI11 Implosion
BetBoom Team first entered the fray in Spring 2022, picking up a promising roster formerly under the Winstrike banner. Featuring Nikita "Daxak" Kuzmin, Denis "larl" Sigitov, Evgeniy "Noticed" Ignatenko, and supports Maxim "forcemajor" Meretskiy and captain Akbar "SoNNeikO" Butaev, the team initially burst onto the scene with impressive online wins. However, LAN events proved trickier, with 7th-8th place finishes at ESL One Stockholm Major 2022 and Riyadh Masters 2022. Respectable results, certainly, but in the cutthroat world of Dota 2, even wins aren`t always enough to guarantee stability.
Vladimir "RodjER" Nikogosyan soon replaced forcemajor, and this iteration secured more online victories and a dominant run through The International 2022 qualifiers, famously sweeping a Virtus.pro roster that included stars like RAMZES666 and gpK~. VP`s unexpected failure to receive a direct invite made BetBoom Team`s qualification run even more noteworthy, instantly elevating their profile.
Heading to TI11, the team was seen by many as a potential dark horse, boasting experienced players and recent strong regional performances. Yet, behind the scenes, things were far from stable. Constant disagreements between Daxak and SoNNeikO had the team teetering on the brink of collapse even before the tournament began. The conflict was so severe that, according to accounts, the possibility of one player skipping the event entirely and just splitting potential prize money was discussed.
He wouldn`t talk, even in practice matches. Imagine playing with someone in a lane or during the game where you ask: `Do you have enough regen or not?` – and they answer nothing. Calls were mostly Akbar`s. They didn`t work, nobody understood them, incorrect conclusions were drawn from them, but we still had to make them. […] I had a suggestion, that `let one of us not go to `Int`, and we`ll just split the prize money`.
SoNNeikO, naturally, offered a different perspective, emphasizing compromise where Daxak, in his view, was an uncompromising idealist. Regardless of whose truth was more accurate, the outcome was clear: the team structure was unsustainable.
The tournament itself was a disaster. BetBoom Team finished last in their group at TI11 with a 0-5-4 record, failing to win a single match. By November, the disband was official, closing a chapter defined by internal conflict and a stark failure on the biggest stage.
The Star-Studded “Generation of Miracles”: Hype Meets Hard Reality
December 8th ushered in a truly new era for BetBoom Team. The announcement of their new roster sent ripples through the community – a lineup packed with star power and individual skill: Save- returned from inactivity alongside Nightfall, TORONTOTOKYO found a new home after departing Team Spirit, and Pure~ and gpK~ were already highly regarded talents. The moniker “Generation of Miracles,” borrowed from a popular anime, quickly stuck, fitting for a team that looked unbeatable on paper.
Expectations were sky-high. How could this lineup *not* dominate? Their first DPC season seemed to confirm the hype, finishing a flawless 7-0. gpK~`s pre-Major quote, "I wouldn`t say we`re arrogant. We`re just the best in CIS in our positions," became both a rallying cry and, later, ammunition for trolls when results faltered.
Indeed, that DPC win was the *only* first-place finish at a Tier 1 or Major event for this roster for the rest of the year. Subsequent performances were more notable for the drama they generated than the victories they secured. The Lima Major 2023 saw them crash out at a disappointing 15th-16th place. At the Berlin Major, Roman "Resolut1on" Fominok had to stand in for Pure~ due to visa issues, resulting in a 13th-14th finish. Tension was mounting. A role swap followed, with Nightfall moving to carry and Pure~ to offlane, reportedly because Nightfall felt "very difficult to play" with on the offlane role.
The low point, perhaps, came at the Bali Major 2023, where Pure~ was infamously disqualified for briefly opening a Twitch stream of Nix, who was casting their match against Tundra Esports, during a technical pause. Resolut1on again stepped in, and the team found themselves precariously close to losing their hard-earned TI12 slot, ultimately relying on other Eastern European teams` results to secure it – a moment that spawned the ironic "For CIS!" meme.
The 2023 season also revealed BetBoom Team`s peculiar kryptonite: the Tormentor. It’s genuinely hard to recall a tournament where at least one player didn’t fall victim to the neutral creep in a comical or ill-timed manner. The deaths were so frequent that successfully killing the Tormentor without incident sometimes earned mock applause.
Nightfall, sometimes jokingly called "Idealich" (the Ideal One) for his theoretically perfect playstyle, earned a less flattering nickname due to the team`s struggles: "BackupTPich" (roughly, the Backup-TP One). His tendency to prioritize farming and avoid early risks polarized the community, leading to endless debates between those who saw him as an underrated genius and those who criticized his perceived passivity.
The final, crucial tournaments of the season, Riyadh Masters 2023 and The International 2023, were meant to define this roster. Instead, they delivered more 5th-6th place finishes – not terrible, but not the expected dominance. By the end of the year, Pure~ departed, initially citing a health break, before joining Tundra Esports on loan.
Finding Form and the Coveted Tier 1 Trophy
2024 began somewhat rocky for BetBoom Team. Team Falcons dominated the early landscape, and BetBoom Team secured 5th-6th at Riyadh Masters 2024 and 7th-8th at TI13 (held early in the year). The post-TI shuffle saw significant changes: Pure~ returned after a strong TI13 showing with Tundra, while TORONTOTOKYO and gpK~ were replaced by Kataomi and kiyotaka. This iteration didn`t last long.
The latter part of 2024 brought stability and success. After more adjustments (kiyotaka left, gpK~ returned, alongside stand-in Lukawa for coach Boolk), the team hit their stride. They secured third place at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 and second at DreamLeague Season 24. Then came BLAST Slam I – arguably the most important tournament in the club`s history. True to form, it wasn`t without drama, as they played with stand-ins gpK~ and Lukawa.
The grand final was a narrative dream: Pure~ vs. Nightfall, battling for their first Tier 1 LAN trophy. The meme about the "difference in carries" (used by Nightfall to tease BetBoom Team after beating them on Tundra) became reality. Pure~, facing his former teammate and the player who replaced him as carry, proved he had grown stronger, leading BetBoom Team to their long-awaited Tier 1 title.
If I had won against Falcons instead of Egor, I would have been happier. It`s even a little sad that I won against Egor. After we went to different teams, we had a five-hour conversation. He called me about a month and a half or two months ago, invited me to play Deadlock, and we started talking about everything, as usual, like we have for five or six years. Our last words in the conversation, around six in the morning: `See you in tournament finals`.
Into 2025, BetBoom Team added two more tournament victories, remarkably winning two of their three total trophies *without* their coach, Anatoly "Boolk" Ivanov, present. The team heads into Riyadh Masters 2025 and The International 2025 in strong form, perhaps finally having found their stable footing after years of turbulence.
Beyond the Rift: Standing Out Off-Server
Beyond the endless stream of competitive drama, BetBoom Team has also excelled in connecting with a wider audience, often bringing in people previously unfamiliar with esports. Collaborations with mainstream figures like rapper Egor "Big Baby Tape" Rakitin (featured in a Berlin Major promo video) and singer Dora (collaborating on jersey reveals and vlogs) were unexpected and effective. Big Baby Tape even released a track dedicated to the team, incorporating Dota 2 slang into his rap style ("They hit from the back, I spit on them, I call, I`m Bristleback").
Team merchandise has also been a key differentiator. Working with creative group A.D.E.D., BetBoom Team has released distinctive jerseys, including designs referencing Seattle landmarks (the Space Needle as the "T" in the logo, Seattle Supersonics font) for TI appearances.
A small but significant innovation was BetBoom Team`s decision to be one of the first teams to place player nicknames on the *front* of their jerseys. Recognizing that players are usually seen from the front while seated, this simple change made nicknames instantly visible to viewers, a practical adaptation to the realities of esports broadcasts that many other organizations have since adopted.
In 2025, they even ventured into streetwear with the brand ROUTINE, releasing a collection distinct from typical esports apparel, making it suitable for everyday wear. A particularly memorable item was a unique bag shaped like a CS:GO bomb defusal kit.
Conclusion
Though still a relatively young organization, BetBoom Team has packed an incredible amount of history into just three years. They have navigated dramatic roster changes, significant scandals, periods of disappointing results, and finally achieved the Tier 1 success that long eluded them. Heading into Riyadh Masters 2025, the team appears poised for continued success. After such a turbulent past, perhaps this time they can finish the season with slightly fewer off-server dramas.