"Everyone is capable of greatness, we all have it in us". Ceb talks about classic OG, Arteezy, and reflects on his past in AMA session

Two-time TI champion Sebastien "Ceb" Debs did an Ask-Me-Anything session on Reddit to celebrate the upcoming documentary about OG's Major win with him as a stand-in. He discussed leadership in OG and Old G, spoke about Valve's handling of Dota, his inspirations and toxicity.

The documentary about ESL One Stockholm 2022 will come out on March 16 on OG's YouTube at 20:00 CET.

On Ceb's leadership and being a captain

Since Ceb is known as a great leader after what fans saw at True Sight, a lot of questions was related to this topic. Users were asking both about his personal qualities, and how to grow as a leader. And Debs was happy to share, although some of his answers were quite abstract.

How is Ceb that good at keeping morale high?

Everyone is capable of greatness, we all have it in us. Some are lucky to get enabled by certain life paths or encounters, and some stay disabled for a little bit longer.

There is no right way to behave, we are who we are, and that's great, each and every one of us can get where they desire with the right amount of love, care and support. I truly believe that. And even if it isn't true, I could not care less. That is the reality I want to live in anyways.

Can anyone learn to become a good leader, and who is drafting and captaining Old G?

Well, some of it can be taught, surely. The way and the timing with which you say things definitely can be improved and worked on. I do feel that there is something innate about it, that can also come with time. To me, it's really about feeling and believing in what you say so much that the passion and the energy with which you convey the message do the job for you.

I did try to work on some of the things, but the times I did the biggest difference, it really came from the guts. I am drafting and captaining the grandpas for now.

Is there a secret formula to his and N0tail's leadership?

Yes, there is a formula, for sure. But it's mostly about promoting values and a way of behaving around others. It's much more than just competition, it's the human aspect that we learned through sweat and years during these years of competing. We still have a lot to learn, but we try to put that to good use through OG. <...>

Heart, care and passion. That's all it is. I view teammates as brothers, and the outcome of the competition as life or death, therefore, you act a certain way.

On passion turning into toxicity and player fines in OG

I myself am still in the process of being better at that. You're spot on with your words. I think when the level of care is at its highest, as well as how demanding this game is, it's really hard to keep your composure if you play for too long.

You should still be able to do so, it's part of the challenge. Yes, we help players, and ironically I also help directly. We don't believe in fines and punishment as much as we believe in leading by example and inspiring.

But perhaps in some cases, you have to go there. To be fair, we're very picky at OG, in the sense that we scout players as much on their skill than their mentality, therefore we never end up with individuals that need to be fined in order to work on themselves. When that day comes, it means OG is gone.

Ceb on classic OG, its disband, and some memes

Obviously, a lot of questions was asked about old two-time championship OG roster history. And the captain gladly shared some of his memories and confirmed one of the rumors around the team.

On disband of classic OG

In a sense, it was not a mistake, because we did [most likely, Ceb wanted to say "didn't" here] have what it would have required for us to keep competing at the highest level. But at the same time, yes, of course, these days were golden days, and I will always miss them. So yes, it was a mistake.

I remember we told each other we realized how precious our team and atmosphere were, so we knew it, but life happens, and all good things must come to an end. It's also partly what makes them good!

Did they try to get MATUMBAMAN after TI9 or was that just a rumor?

We did, we also wished we could have played with him. Had that talk also at TI, nostalgic one. He's great, really.

Was the famous meme paper stack at TI9 genuine?

They were genuine, but we memed by adding a bunch of white papers below, to freak them out a bit. We were having a lot of fun between the games, that's why.

Ceb on current state and scene of Dota 2

Some of the questions were about current Dota 2: its state, new heroes, changes, and the competitive scene.

Dota as a game is still the best game out there, and by far. The scene is still very much alive and growing worldwide, which is also very positive. I can't help but feel like Valve could do more and should do more. They need help for sure and should seek that help because a lot of people out there are ready to provide it.

It still is amazing to see how big and potent Dota is, given how little is made compared to other big titles. That's a positive sign. But it's dangerous to keep resting on these laurels.

Ceb's take on current CIS Dota

CIS Dota is extremely strong and has always been. Hard to name only a few, but I look up to Save- a lot. Think he is one of the best players in the world right now.

Most underrated player on current OG

Yuragi. He's not my teammate, I guess. I think he's one of the best carries in the world and can become one of the best all-time. He's still very underrated.

And finally, Debs also answered some of the more personal questions. But this being a Dota 2 sub, a lot of them were still related to the game and some past events — like his old opinion on Arteezy, which very quickly turned into a copypasta.

Players that inspired Ceb playstyle-wise

In playstyle, I have many inspirations, but if I had to name a few, I would say MinD_ContRoL and Faith_Bian are probably the main two.

Very inspired by Wings Gaming, of course, but even more by the golden NaVi days. I hope you're going to like the documentary as much as I did, so much work has been put into it

Memey question on his old take on Arteezy

Maybe this is a bait, maybe I am getting baited. But of course he is a great player, and has tons to offer. I've played against him many many times, and felt the pain. On a more serious note, he's a good player, a bit overrated in my opinion. But definitely okay to be in a top team!

The original take was from 9-year-old AMA when Ceb said the following: "He's a good player but a bit overrated, in my opinion. But definitely okay to be in a top team! To say that he is one of the best solo mids etc, is really an exaggeration. He played like 10 games in a high-level LAN, you need way more to compare him to Dendi, s4 or FATA".

On streaming in the future

I am planning on streaming more yes, actually just had people at OG help me finish with my setup right before this AMA! I do not have a schedule yet but will commit to more streams, that's for sure.

Biggest achievement outside Dota

Biggest achievement in life besides that... being more present for the people I love, and managing to be there for them as much as I could despite how much time I dedicated to my pro career I would say.