Leaving OG, his thoughts on Cr1t, and the emptiness he felt after winning TI—highlights from ATF’s interview on the KheZu channel

Team Yandex offlaner Ammar “ATF” al-Assaf spoke in an interview on the KheZu YouTube channel about his departure from OG, negotiations with PSG Quest, and his thoughts on Cr1t-, and also reflected on the victory at The International 2025. Highlights from the podcast with Ammar are featured in our article.

Initially, Ammar wanted to become a professional Fortnite player, but after OG’s victory at The International 2019, he switched to Dota 2—encouraged to do so by his brother. By the end of 2020, his ATF had risen from around 3,500 to 9,000 MMR, as he spent 14 hours a day playing the game. The pandemic helped fuel his rapid growth: during online classes, he would either play matches or sleep, only to return to the game afterward.

His parents didn’t support their son’s passion at first, but changed their minds after receiving an offer from OG. The family helped Ammar build his career: since he wasn’t yet 18, one of his brothers accompanied him on trips to tournaments, while the other took care of things at home.

ATF explained that he wanted either himself or Misha to be replaced. He was unhappy that the captain was missing tournaments. Ammar suggested moving Misha to a coaching role and bringing in Chu, whom he highly regarded after his victory at one of the tournaments.

OG did not agree with this proposal, after which the offlaner asked to be removed from the team. He emphasized, however, that he does not blame the club for choosing Misha and understands how difficult it is to make such decisions.

Ammar described his time at Nigma Galaxy as the most enjoyable period of his career, despite the lack of results. He still looks forward to facing KuroKy and SumaiL: “I always want them to win if I lose. And if I win, I want them to come in second.”

The player was unable to reach an agreement with PSG Quest due to contract terms that the club refused to change. According to ATF, Nigma Galaxy was willing to loan him out without compensation—the new team would have had to pay only his salary. However, PSG Quest insisted on a full-fledged contract, and Ammar declined.

Before they played together, ATF didn’t consider Cr1t- to be a particularly strong player, noting his long winless streak. At first, Ammar saw him as just another esports player with a high rating.

Over the course of a few months, his opinion changed: the offlaner came to appreciate his teammate’s play on the lane, his understanding of Dota 2, and his mental resilience. “This guy is meant to win. I don’t understand why he wasn’t winning,” ATF recalled thinking.

Ammar cited the presence of two TI champions on the roster as the main reason for their victory on the fifth map of the Grand Final against Xtreme Gaming. He also noted Cr1t’s composure and skiter’s clean play on the decisive maps.

The offlaner was much harsher in his assessment of his own performance and Malr1ne’s play. He believes that both of them were extremely nervous, even though they didn’t realize it themselves: “It was as if we were just there.”

The title brought Ammar both relief and a sense of emptiness. In his opinion, winning again won’t feel the same as the first time.

At the same time, ATF values his career and sees it as a privilege. He admitted that even a high-paying job couldn’t replace the scene, the emotions, the travel, and meeting people from different countries.

Earlier, in an interview at PGL Wallachia Season 9, Ammar “ATF” al-Assaf talked about his experience playing for Team Yandex and shared his thoughts on matches against Tier 2 teams. The offlaner noted that he is very excited about joining the new team.

Photo — PGL.