Dendi Temporarily Quits Dota 2 After Failed Challenge, Returns to League of Legends

Dota 2 legend Danil “Dendi” Ishutin has announced that he’s stepping away from the game that made him a global esports icon, following an unsuccessful attempt to reach a self-imposed goal. After failing to gain 1,000 MMR in 10 Twitch broadcasts, Dendi has deleted Dota 2 from his system—at least for now—and is making a temporary switch to League of Legends.

A Challenge Unmet

During his recent Twitch stream, Dendi explained the decision:

“We’re finally going to play a real game, but there’s a little 'but'… Tomorrow I’ll take the day off, and on the next stream we’ll try LoL. I haven’t played it since 2011. I hope it will be fun. I invite you to watch my journey in LoL. For now, I’m taking a little break from Dota 2 after so many hours. Of course, I’ll be back to Dota later on, but I’m going to try League first.”

Dendi set a goal of gaining 1,000 MMR over 10 streams. Starting at rank 2505, he climbed to 2073 but fell short with only +449 MMR earned. As per the rules of his own challenge, this led to him uninstalling Dota 2.

A Return to Familiar Territory

While he hasn’t played League of Legends in over 14 years, it’s not completely foreign territory. Dendi revealed he previously logged around 2,000 matches in LoL. He stressed that his move isn’t a permanent departure from Dota 2, but rather a temporary shift in focus as he explores other competitive avenues and takes a break from the grind.

Fans of both games are now watching closely as one of Dota’s most recognizable figures embarks on a new chapter—this time on Summoner’s Rift.