Aleksey Berezin

Aleksey Berezin, known professionally as “Solo,” was born on August 7, 1990, in the Russian Federation. He began his professional Dota 2 career in 2012, playing for teams such as Moscow Five and Eclypsia. Early in his career, Solo faced a significant challenge in 2013 when he received a lifetime ban from StarLadder for betting fraud. This ban was later reduced to one year. The incident, where he bet $322 against his own team, led to the coining of the term “322” in the Dota community, which is now used to describe suspicious or poor gameplay.

Following this period, Solo continued to build his career, joining various teams including RoX.KIS and Team Empire, achieving victories like the Excellent Moscow Cup with Team Empire in 2014. A significant turning point came in 2015 when he joined Vega Squadron. With Vega Squadron, he won the ESL One New York 2015, defeating prominent teams like Evil Geniuses and Team Secret, which allowed the team to participate in The Frankfurt Major 2015. His strategic prowess as a captain and support player became increasingly evident, contributing to his team’s success.

In August 2016, Solo joined Virtus.pro, a team that would become synonymous with his most significant achievements. With Virtus.pro, he secured multiple Tier 1 tournament victories, including ESL One Hamburg 2017, ESL One Katowice 2018, The Bucharest Major 2018, ESL One Birmingham 2018, and The Kuala Lumpur Major 2018. He also led Virtus.pro to 2nd place at The Kiev Major 2017 and achieved 5th-6th finishes at The International 2017 and The International 2018, competing for substantial prize money. Solo’s leadership and innovative drafting were recognized when he was awarded the Mercedes Benz MVP at ESL One Hamburg 2017, which included $50,000 towards a Mercedes-Benz car.