Artour Babaev

Artour Babaev, known professionally as Arteezy, was born on July 1, 1996, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He moved to Canada at the age of two, where he was primarily raised. Before his professional Dota 2 career, Babaev played the original DotA and reached the Masters league in Starcraft II with the Protoss race. His professional Dota 2 journey began in April 2013 when he joined Team Kaipi. After a brief hiatus to focus on studies, he returned to competitive play in September 2013 with Team Take Five, winning the RaidCall EMS ONE Fall Americas tournament. A pivotal moment in his early career was standing in for Speed Gaming at MLG Columbus in November 2013, where he showcased his talent by defeating elite mid-laners like Mushi and Dendi, leading his team to an unexpected victory.

In January 2014, Babaev co-founded “S A D B O Y S” with fellow North American players UNiVeRsE and Fear, alongside former Heroes of Newerth players ppd and zai. The team quickly achieved significant success, winning 16 out of their first 18 matches, including an undefeated run at the Electronic Sports Prime/Shock Therapy Cup. This rapid success led to the team being signed by Evil Geniuses in February 2014, marking Babaev’s long-term commitment to a professional team. With Evil Geniuses, he secured a first-place finish at The Summit 1 and a third-place finish at The International 2014, earning over $1 million. His career continued with multiple stints at Evil Geniuses and Team Secret, demonstrating adaptability by transitioning between mid-lane and hard carry roles. He consistently placed in the top tier of major tournaments, including winning ESL One Frankfurt 2015 and MarsTV Dota 2 League 2015 Spring with Team Secret, and The Manila Masters in 2017 with Evil Geniuses.

Throughout his career, Babaev has accumulated over $2.7 million in prize money. He achieved significant personal milestones, becoming the second player in Dota 2 history to reach 9,000 MMR in July 2016, and later reaching 10,000 MMR in August 2017, 11,000 MMR in October 2020, and 12,000 MMR in September 2023. His most recent team was Shopify Rebellion, which he joined in December 2022. In 2024, after failing to qualify for The International, he announced his departure from the active roster to focus on streaming and content creation, officially leaving Shopify Rebellion in April 2025. He has also been a prominent streamer on Twitch since 2014, maintaining a significant following.