One of the famed and best offlaner with a screen name Universe has decided to retire. That being said, the DOTA 2 pro-gaming scene will never be the same again.
It seems that the current pandemic will leave a huge hole in DOTA 2 history. Aside from the transition of tournaments being held online, we are now faced with the retirement of the best offlaner in the game.
After being released from his team’s roster, Saahil “Universe” Arora has announced that he is retiring in playing competitive DOTA 2 tournaments.
Who is Universe?
Universe has been a steady competitor in the professional DOTA 2 professional scene. His career started way back into the classic Defense of the Ancients game.
He was able to attend every renowned international DOTA 2 tournament and had that run until The International 2019.
His best years of playing the game were spent with the Evil Geniuses team from 2012 to 2017. During these times, Universe aided his teammates to greatness with some spectacular performances in the history of the game.
They won first place at The International 2015 and as champions in the 2015 DOTA 2 Asia Tournament. He became famous for his viral “million-dollar” Echo Slam during their finals matchup against CDEC.
He separated ways with Evil Geniuses in 2017 after a depressing performance at the International 2017.
Recently, he teamed up with his former Evil Genius colleague Peter “ppd” Dager to form Ninjas in Pyjamas. The new team accomplished mixed results but they eventually made their way to qualifying for the ESL One Los Angeles Major.
Universe retires
Retirement
Read: https://t.co/arwWHlRZqc
— Saahil Arora (@UniverseDota) April 23, 2020
Unfortunately, Universe could not play the same after he decided to separate ways with Evil Geniuses. His new team could not live up with expectations and were not able to win anything noteworthy.
Even after facing difficulties, he and his teammates were still determined to stick together and try to win one more world championship. However, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed their plans.
The pandemic forced multiple roster changes because most players were stuck inside their houses. This made participating in tournaments difficult.
Ninjas in Pajamas unexpectedly cut Universe from their roster, noting travel restrictions as the main reason. Most of NIP’s members were competing in European countries but Universe was unable to join them because of the current pandemic.
A few days after his former teammate ppd announced his retirement, Universe decided to also call it quits. It is uncertain if both of their decisions to quit were just mere coincidence or if they are planning on a future endeavor.
Regardless, retiring from the eSports scene never guarantee that it is the last time we see them. There is always a possibility that Universe will return again to the pro-gaming scene.
Featured image courtesy of ESPN/Website Screenshot