Pinoy Dota veteran Carlo "Kuku" Palad. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/file
MANILA — Carlo "Kuku" Palad has parted ways with Flipster Talon, while Shopify Rebellion, the squad of Rolen Andrei Gabriel "skem" Ong and Erin Jasper "Yopaj-" Ferrer, has stepped away from Dota 2.
Talon announced the development on Thursday, bidding farewell to its captain which steered them to an impressive top three finish at DreamLeague Season 26 about a month ago.
"We have mutually decided to part ways with Carlo 'Kuku' Palad. Kuku has played a key role in rallying us to our first LAN title, vanquishing our demons, and an impressive top 3 finish," the post read.
"Salamat, boss!" it concluded.
READ: GGWP! Kuku, Flipster Talon finish Top 3 in DreamLeague S26
It was, indeed, an amazing run, as the Kuku-captained squad clinched its first LAN title on December 2024 at the MESA Invitational 2024 while consistently joining international tournaments through the regional closed qualifiers.
READ: Kuku and his love for Dota 2
Meanwhile, it was an unfortunate development for skem and Yopaj- as their squad found not much success in the North American scene, prompting the esports organization to exit the professional scene.
But Dario TLO Wünsch, the co-founder and general manager of Shopify Rebellion's competitive operations, saw through the efforts of the players and coaches.
An update regarding our time in Dota 2 pic.twitter.com/6Eqt6HSqOE
— Shopify Rebellion (@ShopifyRebels) July 30, 2025
"Our lack of results was never from lack of trying. The dedication, the sheer grind, the heart poured into this by our players, our coaches, and every single member of our support staff was truly incredible," he said.
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