Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao announces his retirement from everything Dota 2 related. That includes his professional career, streaming, and the Dota 2 memes he’s associated with.
EternaLEnVy is a legend, respected by many old-school players and fans alike. During his prime years from 2012-2016 he was part of Dota’s elite and a contender at most major events. He hasn’t had the best career run recently, and his drive to be a competitive player has seemingly come to an end.
Retiring from everything DotA related. Here is my personally design mousepad with a bunch of memes. Drop your stick, etc. Thank you DotA and peace out. Next stream will be my last. https://t.co/PqQMBHxl02
— EternaLEnVy (@EternaLEnVy1991) May 1, 2023
Decade of Greatness
EternaLEnVy has been in the competitive scene for a very long time, mostly “serving” the infamous North America region. The International 2014 version of Cloud 9 is one of EternaLEnVy’s most prominent highlights of his career, when he used to play alongside all-stars, such as Wehsing “SingSing” Yuen, Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling and Johan “pieliedie” Åström.
Additionally, he also occasionally ventures into other regions, competing for Team Secret in Western Europe and Fnatic in Southeast Asia. Although he’s a NA player, fans remember his prime days in Team Secret, when he won the Shanghai Major 2016.
Team Secret wins the Shanghai Major 2016
As for his time in Fnatic, one may argue that it wasn’t his best professional career to be associated with the “Pizza Party” Dota 2 meme. For the uninitiated, “Pizza Party” is a reference to EE’s decision to kick Khoo “Ohaiyo” Chong Xin for Saahil “Universe” Arora over a pizza party.
Since then, EE remained mostly in his native region, NA, where he switched between ten teams throughout a mere four-year timeline. While unfortunate, most fans still believe EE’s persistence in his pro career is noteworthy.
Words from other Dota 2 pro players
EternaLEnVy goes by many names, but his most renowned one is “EE-sama”. The Japanese term, “-sama” is often used to address an individual of higher rank and is derived from his interest in anime.
Fans now lose on the opportunity to spam EE-sama in the chat when the Dota 2 prodigy delivers an exceptional play in his game. At least they can always spam “fEEd” in reference to EternaLEnVy’s notoriously hot-tempered behaviour in his games. Whereby, more often than not, EternaLEnVy is infamously feeding to the opponent team whenever the game doesn’t go as he anticipated.
EE-sama is memorable even among his Dota 2 rivals and friends. One former teammate, Aui_2000 sends his well wishes, acknowledging EE’s innovations in drafts and meta.
I think people underestimate how many dota ideas stem from envy’s innovations. Easily the person who taught me the most throughout my time in dota. I’m so thankful for the memories and impact you’ve had on my life. Gl in the future! Mlg Columbus will always be my fav tourney. https://t.co/j4w4fShgXu
— Aui 2000 (@Aui_2000) May 1, 2023
And we can certainly take the International 2015 Champion’s words, that EE is truly one of the most deserving pro players known for his crafts.
Rocky relationships
Of course, in such a competitive landscape, even the great EE has his haters. Putting aside Ohaiyo, many NA players probably have many things to say about their experiences with EternaLEnVy.
Notably, Nicolas “Gunnar” Lopez who got the same treatment as Ohaiyo when he was kicked by the latter just weeks before the Disneyland Paris Major. Kyle “melonzz” Freedman also called EE out during an interview in said major for his unethical kicking of Gunnar.
Additionally, the usual beef between EE and Samuel “Sammyboy” Anderson goes way beyond competitive games. As the two NA players often find themselves in similar ranked games, Sammyboy despises EE’s toxic behavior.
Streaming isn’t for me. I don’t like talking about past events, reacting, or talking to my stream. Playing for fun isn’t for me either. I will always pursue things as a straight arrow. I’ve found something else to chase whole heartedly. And if I fail guess I’ll be a SWE XD
— EternaLEnVy (@EternaLEnVy1991) May 1, 2023
As all things eventually comes to an end, we bid farewell to EE, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors as a software engineer.
