Scandal Surrounding Bug Abuse in Dota 2: NAVI Junior Disqualified and Professional Opinions

The esports scene has often faced controversies, and the recent incident involving the use of the Smoke of Deceit bug in Dota 2 has once again sparked debates about fair play and tournament rules. The issue came to light during the ESL One Raleigh 2025 qualifiers, where NAVI Junior was disqualified for exploiting the bug. This case has caused widespread discussion among players, coaches, and the community. Some blame tournament organizers and developers, such as Valve, for not taking adequate measures to prevent such situations. As the investigation continues, questions about the boundaries of competitive integrity in esports are becoming more prominent.

Mira on Bug Issues in Tournaments

Ukrainian professional Dota 2 player Miroslav "Mira" Kolpakov shared his opinion on the controversy surrounding the Smoke of Deceit bug used in official matches. On his Telegram channel, the esports player noted that similar bugs have been exploited multiple times in major tournaments, including The International.

Miroslav "Mira" Kolpakov:

"There have been five such bugs with smokes, and people have been abusing them for years. At Internationals, Riyadh events—everyone clicks these smokes, and everyone is on equal footing. You can even punish someone in-game for abusing this bug: bring a second smoke and use it from the courier while your opponent is clicking yours in their inventory—you’ll already be there and kill them all."

NAVI Junior Disqualified from ESL One Raleigh 2025

On January 22, it was announced that tournament organizer ESL had disqualified the Natus Vincere Junior team from the ESL One Raleigh 2025 qualifiers. The reason was their use of the Smoke of Deceit bug.

The team’s support player, Stanislav "Riddys" Mitroshkin, commented on the situation, stating that they did not exploit the bug to gain an unfair advantage, as they assumed all participants in the tournament were using it.

Stanislav "Riddys" Mitroshkin:

"We never used this bug to gain an advantage over our opponents because we thought everyone in the ESL tournament was using it. We didn’t use it in other tournaments, like PGL Wallachia Season 3. I reviewed the first replay against AVULUS, and it’s clear that we simply outplayed the situation at the 27th minute. Whether this punishment is fair or not, I don’t know. In my mind, we always played thinking our opponents were doing the same."

NAVI Coach’s Perspective

NAVI Dota 2 head coach Vitaliy "Sword Art" Petkin also commented on the situation. He believes the problem lies not only in tournament rules but also in the inaction of the developers.

Vitaliy "Sword Art" Petkin:

"During the qualifiers, only PGL explicitly warned about the ban on using a specific smoke bug. The rules in the rulebooks are open to interpretation, as there’s no clear definition of smoke abuse. Whether it’s a bug or a feature is decided post-factum. The juniors decided to take the risk and faced the consequences. But the biggest questions here are for Valve. Teams have been aware of the smoke trick for a year now, and who knows how many times it’s been used in official matches during this time."

ESL Launches an Investigation

Shortly after the incident, tournament operator ESL announced the launch of an investigation into the use of the bug during the ESL One Raleigh 2025 qualifiers. Organizers assured that they are thoroughly analyzing match behavior and replays to identify other potential violations.

ESL Representatives:

"We are aware of other incidents related to the smoke bug during the qualifier matches. We are conducting a thorough investigation to identify any other cases. Due to the amount of work required, issuing a final decision may take some time."

The issue of bug abuse continues to provoke heated debates within the Dota 2 community. Players and experts believe that tournament organizers and developers need to take stronger measures to prevent such problems and ensure stricter enforcement of rules.