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Alliance take NA Dota 2 legend ppd on trial as coach

From left to right: Alliance's new coach Peter
From left to right: Alliance's new coach Peter "ppd" Dager, Dota 2 team captain Gustav "s4" Magnusson, and co-founder and CEO Jonathan "Loda" Berg. (Photo: Alliance)

Swedish organisation Alliance announced on Thursday (6 May) they signed North American Dota 2 legend and The International 2015 (TI5) champion Peter "ppd" Dager to trial as their Dota 2 coach.

Alliance said that ppd will work closely with their Dota 2 team "to elevate their play and make the team more than ready for the upcoming challenges" as they continue their campaign in Season 2 of the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC).

The organisation added that the duration of ppd's trial period will be for the rest of the season and its subsequent Major in June.

Prior to joining Alliance, ppd returned from retirement to play in the North American regional league for Season 1 with the SADBOYS stack. He then left the team in March after the season concluded, remaining inactive for a couple of months before making his transition to coaching.

"Big shoutout to the team and [Alliance Dota 2 team captain Gustav "s4" Magnusson] for believing in me. Coaching is something I have always wanted to try and I'm grateful for the opportunity. We've had a great start to the season and the plan is to finish the season strong!" said ppd.

"It's cool to bring in Peter in the coaching position since he's been someone I've wanted to play with in the past. Ppd is very straightforward and calm, so it's gonna be help us make good calls in-game when the pressure gets high. Captaining and drafting will still be our team's idea, but ppd will have a huge impact there as well with him being one of the best drafters in Dota 2," added s4.

Alliance is currently atop the standings of the upper division of the European regional league with a 4-1 record.

With wins over Team Secret, OG, Team Liquid, and Team Nigma thus far, the team is expected to finish as the top team of the European regional league and receive a direct seed to the playoffs of the second Major of this year's circuit.

Alliance will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing performance at the ONE Esports Singapore Major, where they were directly seeded to the group stage as the second-placed team of the European regional league but failed to qualify for the playoffs.

In addition, Alliance are also guaranteed to receive a direct invite to The International 10 (TI10) this August, where they will be looking to win a second Aegis of Champions to go with their trophy from TI3.

Their new coach should prove to be instrumental towards that goal, as ppd has already cemented himself as one of the best captains in the history of Dota 2 after leading Evil Geniuses to winning the Aegis of Champions in TI5.

"Peter brings a different perspective and understanding from his region, but also as a TI champion, we known that he has invaluable experience to share with our team. Playtime is over and we have our eyes set on the Major and later this year TI," said Alliance co-founder and CEO Jonathan "Loda" Berg, who notably won the organisation's first Aegis of Champions alongside s4.

Alliance will finish their regular season campaign against Tundra Esports on 11 May and against Hellbear Smashers on 15 May, after which they will compete in the second Major of the 2021 DPC in June.

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