Syed SumaiL Samail Hassan is a Pakistani Dota 2 player who has set one of the most impressive records in this discipline. He became The International champion at the age of 16. It was the first year of his professional career. Thanks to this, in a short time, SumaiL turned from a no-name into a superstar. Everyone wanted to play with him, but for five years Syed stayed with the organization he was able to achieve success with - the Evil Geniuses organisation. Only at the age of 21, SumaiL decides to try something on his own, but finding a new home for him turned out to be a big problem. Few people met his requirements, and Syed didn’t want to fritter away his strength for lineups that couldn't win The International. After all, his main goal was to become a two-time TI champion.
SumaiL tried to play in Quincy Crew with his older brother, then tried to get along with OG players, hoped to build a star team from scratch with Just Error, and also played as a substitute in Team Liquid, but all were unsuccessful. As a result, SumaiL rejoined the two-time champions of The International from OG. Together with them, he was able to qualify for the main tournament of the year, but there he only reached the top 8. During the off-season, Syed left the organization and joined Team Secret, another all-star team with the potential to become a TI champion. Now the team isn't doing well, but there are still two seasons ahead to qualify for the main tournament of the year. This Cybersport.Metaratings.ru article tells you about Sayd's professional career over seven years.
SumaiL main achievements
Syed SumaiL Samail Hassan is a unique player who has a huge number of awards. Below are his main achievements (in chronological order), starting from 2015, when he became the champion of The International 5. Since then, SumaiL is considered one of the strongest mid players in Dota 2. At the same time, he was in the top teams almost all the time and ranked with them the first places in the largest tournaments. However, even in SumaiL's career, there were dark times when he didn’t play anywhere. Despite this, Syed's list of awards is incredibly huge. The list of achievements shows only first, second and third places (except for TI), otherwise, it would be much larger. By the way, in seven years of playing on the professional stage, SumaiL won $3.8 million.
- D2L Season 5 — 3rd place;
- DAC 2015 - 1st place;
- joinDOTA MLG Pro League Season 1 — 2nd place;
- The Summit 3 — 2nd place;
- ESL One Frankfurt 2015 — 2nd place;
- Dota Pit League Season 3 — 1st place;
- The International 2015 — 1st place;
- MLG World Finals 2015 - 2nd place;
- The Frankfurt Major 2015 — 3rd place;
- The Summit 4 — 1st place;
- StarLadder & i-League StarSeries - Season 1 — 2nd place;
- MarsTV Dota 2 League Winter 2015 — 2nd place;
- The Shanghai Major 2016 — 3rd place;
- Dota Pit League Season 4 — 2nd place;
- WePlay Dota2 League Season 3 — 3rd place;
- WePlay Dota2 League Season 3 — 3rd place;
- MarsTV Dota 2 League 2016 Autumn — 1st place;
- The Boston Major 2016 — 3rd-4th place;
- China Top 2016 - 1st place;
- Dota Pit League Season 5 — 1st place;
- The Kyiv Major 2017 — 3rd-4th place;
- The Manila Masters - 1st place;
- EPICENTER 2017 - 2nd place;
- The International 2017 — 9th-12th place;
- Galaxy Battles II: Emerging Worlds — 2nd place;
- 2018 ESL One Genting — 3rd-4th place;
- GESC: Indonesia Dota2 Minor - 1st place;
- DOTA Summit 9 - 1st place;
- The International 2018 — 3rd place;
- The Kuala Lumpur Major — 3rd place;
- 2019 The Chongqing Major — 3rd place;
- MDL Disneyland Paris Major — 3rd place;
- Adrenaline Cyber League 2019 — 3rd-4th place;
- ESL One Birmingham 2019 — 2nd place;
- The International 2019 — 5th-6th place;
- ESL One Los Angeles 2020 - Online: Europe & CIS - 2nd place;
- OGA Dota PIT 2020 Online: Europe/CIS — 3rd place;
- BLAST Bounty Hunt 2020 — 2nd place;
- DreamLeague Season 15 DPC Western Europe Upper Division — 2nd place;
- The International 10 — 7th-8th place;
- OGA Dota PIT Season 5: Europe/CIS — 3rd place.
Syed’s childhood
Sayd was born on February 13, 1999 in a large family in Karachi (Pakistan). Unlike most children, he didn’t like to play outside or do sports. Instead, he preferred to play computer games. However, Sayd didn’t have his own computer, so he and his brothers often went to a computer club. The boys played DotA and CS there.
I started with Counter-Strike, but Dota 2 turned out to be easier. I had fun learning it with the guys in the computer club that I played with, but I was never as good at CS as I was at Dota 2.
Syed played his first DotA game at the age of eight. He liked it so much that over time, Syed went to the computer club literally every day. However, he didn't have money to play, so he usually just watched from behind as the other guys played. One day he got sick of it and sold his bike to play a little. Unfortunately, that money was enough only for a few hours, so later he greatly regretted his decision. At the same time, Syed continued to play DotA, and then Dota 2, getting better every day.
When the boy was 15, Syed's family moved from Pakistan to the United States. A large family of eight settled in a three-room apartment in a Chicago suburb. Then Syed's main dream came true - he got a computer, so he was able to play at home and without lags. It was 2014 when SumaiL's professional career began.
Success Story at Evil Geniuses
At the age of 15, SumaiL started playing in the North American Elite League and quickly rose to the top. Already by that time, Syed had a reputation as a brazen upstart with an extremely aggressive style of play. He was very different from other mid players, as he wasn't afraid to take risks at all. This brought him victory after victory.
At the same time, SumaiL almost never used the microphone during the game, as he was embarrassed by his accent. So, many players from North America thought that they weren't playing with a newcomer, but some kind of star player, but on a new account. That's how good Syed was.
Dota 2 veteran Saahil Universe Arora drew attention to the promising player. It was he who suggested the leadership of Evil Geniuses taking Syed on probation. Then the main star in the person of Artur Arteezy Babaev left the organization, so the club urgently needed a good replacement.
So, in January 2015, Sumail made his debut as part of the Evil Geniuses at Dota 2 League Season 5 and helped the team take third place. At that tournament, SumaiL didn’t play well, for which he was immediately criticized by the general public. Despite this, the 15-year-old boy didn’t give up and didn’t lose courage.
Just a few months later, Evil Geniuses became the champion of Dota 2 Asia Championships 2015. It was a big tournament. The team got that victory solely thanks to SumaiL. Then he proved to himself and to the whole world that he can win at the tier-1 level. By the way, at that tournament, Chinese fans suggested renaming his favorite hero from Storm Spirit to Sumail Spirit, being admired by Syed's talent. They were extremely impressed by the new mid player Evil Geniuses. At the time, the team's roster was as follows.
- Clinton Fear Loomis (Carey);
- Syed SumaiL Samail Hassan (mid);
- Saahil Universe Arora (offlane);
- Kurtis Aui_2000 Ling ("four");
- Peter “ppd” Daguerre (support).
The team came to The International 2015 as a favorite and won the champion title. At the age of 16 SumaiL became the youngest ever Aegis winner. After that, the young guy became a real superstar. Time magazine listed him as one of the thirty most influential teenagers. He became the first esportsman to appear on the pages of this magazine.
After that, Syed became a real star, who isn't shy in expressions and always says what he thinks. He created an image of a bad guy and got used to this role well. Then SumaiL received a new nickname, the King. This title suited him well.
SumaiL was no longer able to conquer TI
Since winning TI5, the Evil Geniuses organisation has only gotten better. The team won tournament after tournament and approached her main goal, a victory at The International 2016. At that tournament, the "evil geniuses" took second place in the group and advanced to the upper bracket of the playoffs, where they beat Newbee (2: 0) and EHOME ( 2:0), but lost to the future champions from Wings Gaming (0:2). After losing, Evil Geniuses couldn’t cope with Digital Chaos (1:2) and left the tournament, taking third place. It was a good result, but after that Syed was disappointed.
After we won The International, I stopped appreciating tournaments. On the one hand, my indifference helped me become the best in Dota 2. On the other hand, the stage is something incredible. Now I can't explain how significant TI is. Losing at TI6 helped me understand how much I wanted to win it. Then I blamed myself. I'm the star of the team, it's unforgivable for me to play badly. I always wanted to be on top. To be better than the rest, to be more than just "a guy who plays video games." That's the only reason I play Dota 2. I won't settle for anything less. When I finish my career, I want to be remembered as great.
2017 was not so rich in victories for Evil Geniuses and SumaiL. At that time, many strong teams appeared, which gradually pushed the "evil geniuses" into the background. Everything had to change during The International 2017, to which Evil Geniuses approached in full combat readiness.
In the group stage of the tournament, the team took third place, which ensured its place in the vinner bracket. However, in the first round, EG lost to Newbee (0:2), and then to Team Empire (0:2) and left the tournament, remaining in the top 12.
I faced the harsh reality when we started to lose. The feeling of defeat can be compared to depression. It's much stronger than the euphoria of victory and presses on you like a pile of bricks. I hated defeat. The thought of losing makes me shudder. It was the feeling that helped me become a better person. And how you react at such moments determines whether you are a good player or the best. Someone loses and gives up. But failing, understanding mistakes and working on fixing them is another thing entirely. I have always kept to the second way. Winning didn't inspire me, we just hated losing.
Despite the disastrous result, Syed remained in North America (although he had many offers from other more promising regions) and continued to represent Evil Geniuses. At that time, there were major changes in the team. After leaving OG, Tal Fly Aizik and Gustav s4Magnusson joined the team. As a result, the composition of the "evil geniuses" began to look like this.
- Artur Arteezy Babaev (carry);
- Syed Samail SumaiL Hassan (mid);
- Gustav s4Magnusson (offlane);
- Andreas Frank Cr1t- Nielsen ("four");
- Tal Fly Aizik (support).
The new Evil Geniuses roster looked extremely strong, so the team was considered one of the main favorites at The International 2018. Syed also thought so, who by that time, having played enough, decided to leave the image of a bad guy.
Before TI8, I was trying to prove to everyone that I was the best in the world. But now it's not, I'm just trying to enjoy the game. I want to play in the best team, and who is the best player, it doesn't matter, it's a team game. I think we have a good chance of winning The International.
Despite this confidence, Evil Geniuses failed to become champion again. The team took second place in the group, and during the playoffs they beat Team Secret (2:0), Virtus.pro Virtus.pro (2:0) and Team Liquid (2:0), but lost to OG (1:2) and PSG.LGD (0:2). After the second defeat, the "evil geniuses" left the tournament, taking third place again.
Then Syed promised himself that next year he would definitely become a TI champion, but this didn’t happen. The result of the team only got worse, it took 5-6th place. Immediately after that, on September 16, 2019, SumaiL left Evil Geniuses. He spent five years in this organization.
It's been an amazing five years with Evil Geniuses. I started my career in this team and here I wanted to finish it. Unfortunately, this wasn’t destined to come true. Good luck EG. I love you all for your insane support. I think everyone understands that I'm not going to take a break or leave the stage, right?
Game with brother, champion and friend
A few weeks after leaving EG, Syed joined the Quincy Crew, where his older brother Yawar YawaR Hassan played. The brothers decided to put a team together and conquer the next The International. However, a month later SumaiL left the team. The reason of his leaving is still unknown. Nevertheless, the backbone of the Quincy Crew that was assembled at that time remained and keeps together to this day, showing good results for the team from North America.
We tried to solve some of the problems, but we couldn't do it in a way that would make everyone feel comfortable and able to keep moving forward. SumaiL left the team, and we will start looking for an offlaner. We want everybody to understand, none of the players were a problem. Not SumaiL, not anyone else. There were some team-wide difficulties and circumstances. We are grateful to SumaiL for his contribution. He showed us why he is a world class player.
At the end of January 2020, SumaiL joined the legendary tag OG. Then this team became the champion of The International twice in 2018 and 2019. After that, two players left the roster, and OG needed a good replacement. It was Syed. Unfortunately, then the "epoch of coronavirus" began, and all LAN tournaments were cancelled. Instead, OG had to play online, and the guys obviously didn’t play well. Due to that, six months after joining, Syed left OG and took a short break in his professional career.
In the fall of 2020, SumaiL joined a completely new team called Just Error. It consisted of former players of the "gold roster" Virtus.pro, as well as Zayac and SumaiL. At first glance, it is very strange that Syed joined the CIS stack, but his good friend Roman Ramzes666 Kushnarev played there, with whom they got along very well. The team lasted exactly one tournament, failed in it and immediately got out of band. After that, SumaiL never tried to play in teams from the CIS.
Return of the King to OG
SumaiL missed the first DPC season of 2021 because he didn't manage to find a team in time. In the second season, Syed played as a stand-in for Team Liquid. He replaced Samuel Boxi Swan, who was on a short break due to personal reasons. It got to the point that SumaiL could go with Team Liquid to The International 10 if the team qualified. The team played well in their region, but completely failed during the Kiev Major. After that, Syed left the team.
At the same time, OG failed both DPC seasons. The team had only one chance to get to The International 10, which means to win in the regional qualifiers. For the sake of this, OG made changes at the very last moment and again invited SumaiL to the roster to win the qualifiers. Syed agreed. For him, the only negative moment was that he had to play on the carry, and not on the mid. Then OG got the following lineup.
- Syed SumaiL Samael Hassan (Keri);
- Topias Topson Taavitsainen (mid);
- Sebastian Debs (offlane);
- Martin Saksa Sazdov ("four");
- Johan n0tail Sundstein (support)
No matter how surprising it may sound, but this time OG managed to win and get a ticket to the main tournament of the year. Still, SumaiL didn’t miss TI last year, although he had great chances to.
I am so grateful for this victory, it is such a relief. This was hard. I'm glad we'll be playing at TI again. It's been a long time since the last The International I attended. I think this time we will be able to show a good result. OG is a very calm team, and all the players are extremely confident. We don't give in to pressure and I think that's one of OG's biggest strengths. This is what wins the series depends on. No matter how good you are or what tactics you use, if you feel uncomfortable, insecure, it will backfire on you. The main thing is to feel confident.
At the same time, OG was not considered the main favorite at The International 10, because there were other stronger teams there. Nevertheless, OG was able to get off to a good start right away. The team took third place in the group and advanced to the winner bracket. But there the team lost to Team Secret (0:2) in the first round. In the losers, OG beat Quincy Crew (2:0), but then lost to the future champions from Team Spirit (0:2) and left the tournament, finishing 7-8th.
After that, the OG roster retired and SumaiL left the organization. By the way, it was clear that in this team Syed tried to win the most. It's safe to say that he was the best OG player in that lineup.
New perspectives in Team Secret
During the off-season, SumaiL decided to join Team Secret, which took third place at the last TI. Syed was able to return to his favorite position, to the mid. Team Secret has the following roster:
- Michał «Nisha» Jankowski (carry);
- Syed Samail SumaiL Hassan (mid);
- Daryl Koh "iceiceice" Pei Xiang (off-flane);
- Yazid YapzOr Zharadat ("four");
- Clement Puppey Ivanov (support).
The composition of Team Secret turned out to be extremely strong. Theoretically, the team can easily win the next TI. However, in practice, so far the team has failed. Team Secret was only able to take fifth place out of eight in their region, which prevented them from taking part in the regional finals.
Spring DPC season started yesterday. Team Secret still has some time to build up, but it's better to start right now to get the coveted invite to the main tournament of the year.
