In Part 1 of our journey into the life and times of Sébastien "Ceb" Debs, we focused mainly on his personal life and facts you might not know about the French Dota 2 player. This time, we will dive into his professional career, so do not miss out!
2011-2015: A Place Under the Sun
The beginning of Ceb's esports career was a bit tumultuous. Changing 10+ teams in 5 years can really take a toll on someone and Ceb was no exception. Since he was not known for being a star player, on numerous occasions he had to make an active effort to look for his place under the sun.
It seemed like his game plan and strategy were simply not being acknowledged wherever he went, hence why he often changed teams. During his constant migration, Ceb actually won a decent amount of events. Here is a list of everything he won till 2015:
- The Arena #2
- DreamHack Summer 2012
- The Premier League Masters
- EMS One Fall Cup #1
- Pinnacle Pro-Am
- Bridon Open Cup
As you can see from the list above, most of these events were relatively lower-tier tournaments. In 2015, after Sébastien’s latest run with Alliance, he became a free agent once again. This time around, he stayed without a team for a longer period of time and decided to try an alternative route – as an esports analyst.
We can freely say that this put a spotlight on his career and he was mostly known for impeccable analysis and breakdowns. Finally, the Dota 2 community discovered how smart Ceb actually was.
Ceb Tries to Coach
In 2016, Ceb was still working as an analyst for various Dota 2 events. As mentioned above, this move put him in a spotlight ultimately turned his career upside down... in a good way.
Team OG came knocking, and Sébastien answered the call and joined them, filling the role of coach.
- READ MORE: The story of OG – Part 1
Needless to say, Ceb and OG were a perfect fit and the results they acquired were telling. After hiring Ceb, OG immediately won three big events:
- The Manila Major 2016
- ESL One Frankfurt 2016
- The Boston Major 2016
But it was not all roses. After an awful showing at another TI, Tal "Fly" Aizik and Gustav "s4"Magnusson left OG and joined Evil Geniuses. This roster change left a big hole in OG and another TI was ever so close.
Guess what – Ceb decided to give playing a second chance and this is what happened.
TI8 and TI9 Heroics
TI8
From the betting side of things, bookies were not interested in OG and their odds for OG to go all the way and win TI 8 were sky-high. But Ceb was a dark horse. Against all odds, OG qualified for the upper bracket of TI8.
Once again, OG shocked the world by beating VGJ.Storm and Evil Geniuses. Now that they booked their spot in the grand finals, the pressure was on. This time around, Ceb was not rattled and alongside Anathan "ana" Pham, he made one of the greatest plays in Dota 2 history, sealing the "CEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEB!" meme in everyone's mind:
“This is the game of our lives. Enjoy! - Sébastien "Ceb" Debs after securing Map 5 against PSG.LGD
Ceb was finally able to lift his first Aegis as OG defeated PSG.LGD in the grand final with a 3-2 scoreline.
- READ MORE: The life and times of ana – Part 1
TI 9
Next year, the bookmakers had changed their opinion. Entering 2019, OG were rated as one of the best Dota 2 teams on the planet. The roster stayed together and they were amongst the favorites to lift the second Aegis. During the group stage, OG looked incredible and they cruised to the upper bracket.
Once again, OG played the entire playoffs on a high level. First, they dispatched of Newbee with ease. On top of that, narrow victories against Evil Geniuses and PSG.LGD sealed them a spot in the grand finals.
At that point, no Dota 2 team was able to win back-to-back TIs but this time around, OG decided to make things easier on themselves and simply booked a dominant 3-1 victory against Team Liquid. Back to back it was, then.
With this victory, Ceb claimed a spot in Dota 2 history books. He is the only French Dota 2 player that ever won TI. Furthermore, OG is the only team that won two TIs in a row and the Frenchman has played a major role in both.
Do you like reading about the best and brightest in esports? Check out our other pieces in our Life and Times series:
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