ATF on playing Dota 2: “I don’t see it just as a job, but rather as a privilege.”
Professional player Ammar “ATF” al-Assaf spoke about his performance at The International 2026 and discussed the start of his career in an interview on KheZu’s YouTube channel.
On his feelings about being eliminated from The International 2026
I don’t think it’ll stick in my memory for very long. Of course, we all wanted to win and at least go further—not just lose and get eliminated in the playoffs. But still, making it to the playoffs was a real blessing for us, because that was the most important thing—at the very least, we got to attend the opening ceremony. We got to see what they showed last year: the heroes who won TI and the team. It’s really nice to see and experience all of that. So, personally, I feel that we—or at least I—achieved what I wanted to see after our success last year.
On the Start of My Dota 2 Career
Before Dota 2, my goal of becoming a pro was actually to become a pro player in Fortnite. I was actually really good at that game. But I never even made it to the competitive scene there. I was just very good and had the skills to make it happen.
But then my brother started pushing me toward it, even though he doesn’t know anything about the game. So I just gave up on Fortnite and decided to try Dota 2. It all started after OG’s victory at The International 9. I watched TI with my brother, and after that, I remember even checking my Dotabuff profile—I didn’t have a single game listed there because I was playing Fortnite at the time.
And since then, there hasn’t been a single day when I haven’t played Dota 2—for three or four years now. If I missed even one ranked game in a day, it was only because I had a qual or an official match, or I was traveling.
On the Approach to the Game
Other players take breaks. They rest. The thing is, people find balance in different ways. I think their approach to this varies greatly.
Because this is how they find balance: they come back and don’t play at all. In their minds, it goes like this: “I can’t play a single game. I don’t want to play.” They refuse to play; for them, it’s almost like a religion.
They just don’t want to play for a week, two, three—I don’t know exactly how long. And then, when they start playing again, they treat it as if it were a job: “I’m taking a break from work right now, but now I’m going back to it and giving it my all.” It’s not like that for me. I don’t see it as just a job, but more as a privilege.
You travel, do almost whatever you want here—sometimes even for free. They just send you out to play and have fun. That’s why I find my own balance when I arrive. I play as much as I need to: I don’t know, four, five, six, seven, eight games—whatever ends up working out. Sometimes I force myself to play even more if I realize I’m not playing well.
I just find a balance between when I’m here and when I’m away from the team. When I’m not at boot camp, I don’t want to just sit around for 14 hours a day and play just because I’m at boot camp or something like that. It’s all good—you can go to the gym, take a walk, or even just wander around for an hour for no reason. I like to maintain balance in everything. I’d say that for me, it’s more a matter of a routine. A certain schedule works better for me.
Earlier, professional player Ammar “ATF” al-Assaf assessed Team Spirit carry Ilya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk’s performance on the lane during a ranked match and stated that his team could defeat the “Dragons” at The International 2026.
Photo: Valve.
