Insania on Team Liquid at the 2026 Dota 2 Esports World Cup: “This isn’t just a disappointment anymore—it’s a disgrace.”

Insania: First of all, this is unacceptable. We’ve talked a lot about “322” in the past. The most important thing—at least from what I’ve heard—is that he found out he was going to be kicked after the event and thought: “I’ll make the most of my last chance, because I probably won’t be on a top-tier team anymore.” And yes, I think it’s very, very sad if that kind of mindset and approach exists. This might sound harsh, but I also think it’s just pathetic. You’re a professional player; you’ve dedicated your life to competition and should believe that you’re good enough to achieve something. But this comes across as a last resort: “I just want to make a little money before it’s all over.” Assuming this is true and they really did participate in this, I hope they get banned everywhere, and we never see them again.

Cap: Quinn, you have some history with DarkMago. You’ve spoken out about his play many times. You weren’t a big fan of either his personality or his playstyle. When you found out he’d been suspended, were you surprised?

Quinn: Yes. The very idea of making money in a situation like this seems financially nonsensical to me, because, from what I’ve heard, first of all, he didn’t get that much money. The source isn’t exactly the most reliable, of course, but...

Cap: I’ve also heard that it was a month’s salary for him, as far as I know.

Quinn: Yeah. Could you make more money doing something else? Maybe, but I doubt it. You’re 20 years old and, most likely, you don’t have a college degree. Can you make more money somewhere else? I don’t think so. So from a financial standpoint, it’s also a stupid decision. It would be one thing if he’d gotten $100,000 or so—that would be enough to last a lifetime. But just for an extra paycheck… it’s so weird. Even from a financial standpoint, it doesn’t make sense. Obviously, if you’re involved in a fixed match, you get banned for life, and you become a pariah. It’s just fundamentally reprehensible.

I don’t know if you’ve seen Scofield’s post where he says he’s just trying his best and has been working hard in South America for a long time. And this guy has played on teams with him in the past. You’re playing with a guy you’ve played with for years on different teams, in different lineups, and you decide to just stab him in the back. What is that?

The situation with the coach makes even less sense to me. DarkMago has probably always been a bad player, but you can think someone’s bad without them being a total jerk. But “322”—that’s just pathetic, to be honest. I’m glad they got caught and didn’t get paid. That’s great. But the coach thing is still weird. Is he just throwing away draft picks? His players are like, “No, no, don’t pick that one.” And he just picks the worst hero anyway. Or what is he doing? Is he giving them bad stats? How is he involved in match-fixing?

Insania: I think he just knew about it and decided to bet on the game too, right?

Quinn: Maybe.

Insania: I think if you’re a pro player and you find yourself in a similar situation—just don’t do it. It’s not worth it. You’ll have a long life after Dota, and you’ll carry this with you. Maybe in the moment it doesn’t seem that bad: you think you made a little money and got away with it, but there are things that come with the game and go beyond it. Have a little pride, especially at this level.

DarkMago was arguably the most significant mid laner in his region for years. Arthur [Arteezy] and I say he’s bad, but he didn’t have such a bad career. In his region, he probably has a lot of fans who thought he was cool, and he likely inspired a lot of people. And now his legacy will be this—and it sucks.

As someone who’s left the game behind, I’ve realized that the impression you leave after you’re gone really matters much more than I thought while I was still playing. In the heat of the moment, many might think, “Screw the team—they want to kick me out, but I’ll just make some money off of it. They’re the bad guys here.” But that will hurt you more than you realize.

Insania: This isn’t just a disappointment anymore—it’s a disgrace. I really think it’s very, very sad that these five players are performing so poorly. I hope they pull it together by TI, but I’ve never thought so poorly of them as I do now. If they make it into the top 6 at TI, I’ll think, “Oh, they did pretty well.” And I’ve never thought that about Liquid before.