An old controversy between BetBoom and Azure Ray is still going on and making the rounds. It all began with Pure of BetBoom opening a third-party stream on the same match he’s paused in, leading to his disqualification and BetBoom’s initial relegation to the lower bracket at the Bali Major.

The tournament organizer (TO) reportedly altered the ruling several times after discussions with Azure Ray, which sparked further debate.

Image source: The International 2023

Puppey gives his perspective on the dispute

Esports veteran Clement “Puppey” Ivanov shared his perspective on the contentious issue that arose during the Bali Major between Azure Ray and BetBoom Team. During a livestream conversation with fellow streamer Janne “Gorgc” Stefanovski, Puppey expressed that Azure Ray’s reaction to the incident involving player Pure was inappropriate and criticized their conduct after losing the match.

All I know is that Azure Ray were being a little b!tches about the whole situation. They should’ve been a little nicer. And now they f**king shit-talk, even after they lost, it’s a bit cringe. [Gorgc: I feel like if BetBoom would’ve won, they wouldn’t have sh!t-talked. Maybe Pure would drop something] No, no, no, BetBoom would not say anything.
– Clement “Puppey” Ivanov

Puppey stated clearly that Azure Ray handled the situation poorly by not maintaining a professional attitude. He pointed out that their behavior and subsequent comments following their loss were unwarranted. Despite Gorgc’s chat showing sympathy towards Azure Ray, Puppey maintained that they had overstepped by attempting to influence the tournament organizer’s decision.

What really went down in Bali Major 2023?

The Bali Major was filled with inconsistencies and organizational errors. Inconsistent regulations for teams, poor choice, bad connection, bad sound isolation and noise problems in and outside the venue are among a few things that went wrong. BetBoom’s Pure was disqualified from the tournament after he alt-tabbed to the stream of the match against Tundra. BetBoom initially got a default loss and dropped to the lower bracket. According to the team, the TO changed the final ruling three times and removed Pure for the rest of the tournament after talking to Azure Ray.

“=This is how it goes, I’ll explain it to you. Pure is a retard, and he f**ked up. And he should be punished. Azure Ray should shut the f**k up, it was not their decision [to make], not their decision to do any of this shit [to handle the ruling]. They blackmailed the TO like a f**king little bitches. They wanted something out of it. They saw a little opening and stuff like that. It’s like when you have a girlfriend, and you do something weird, and this chick goes and shits on you instantly because she sees a little opening. F**k that shit. That’s cringe behavior. – Clement “Puppey” Ivanov

Later, Chalice claimed they “wanted to embarrass them, so they told the organizer to follow the rules completely”, according to Reddit translation. There were also rumors that the Chinese team also threatened to exit the event.

At the International 2023, BetBoom and Azure Ray played against each other twice. The Russian team won an earlier series during the group stage, but the Chinese secured a victory later in playoffs to eliminate Pure and his team from TI12. Both teams threw “?” in chat after their wins, but Azure Ray definitely got the last laugh in this charade.

Fans hope for a sequel, but with AR’s likely disband, this might mark the end of the beef. However, Chalice and Somnus may inherit this beef regardless of where they land cause they were the most outspoken members during this fiasco.

For the uninitiated, Azure Ray’s TI run was nothing more than a joy run for the former remnants of LGD Gaming’s TI8-9 roster. They even forgo any salary from the organization, Azure Ray, as they played it for “fun”. Yet, despite the nonchalant attempt at competitive Dota 2, it was the first time these AR players had fun playing competitively, as shared by Somnus, who truly enjoyed the TI12 journey more than his previous runs.

Meanwhile, Pure still has lots to learn as his track record of notorious acts has only increased since the ‘Z incident’ and, more recently, breaking one of the rules from the competitive Dota 2 rulebook. Additionally, Pure’s infamously known for being toxic in his games, as noted by his many attempts of typing “?” after winning a match.