In response to Valve’s announcement that high level compendium owners would receive a physical Aegis of Champions, Dota 2 item scammers have been forced to adapt in order to secure the valuable physical item.

Initial efforts were largely unsuccessful, as one physical Aegis owner reported that a scammer, after tracking the package from Valve’s offices to his home, rang his doorbell and attempted to impersonate his brother.

“I knew it was weird by the way he was talking and how he really wanted to hold my Aegis,” said the level 1,000 TI5 compendium owner. “Also, he didn’t look like my brother at all.”

According to a number of prominent Dota 2 traders, the move will usher less dedicated scammers from the scene, leaving behind an elite class of super-scammers. Indeed, many warn that this process could already be under way.

Another Aegis owner refused to attend the wedding of his actual brother for fear that it may be a ruse by a determined scammer, instead sending a stand-in to act as his brother’s best man.

“My brother said I had no life when I told him I valued my level 1,000 compendium over his wedding, but now I have two lives,” he said. When informed that the Aegis does not expire after five minutes but also does not actually grant real-world reincarnation, he replied, “Does this mean Valve won’t mail me cheese at level 3,000?”

Sources say professional players are jealous of high level compendium owners, as the five TI winners only receive one 500% scale replica of the Collector’s Aegis and only possess it for one year.

According to Valve, Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung was the first professional player to receive a level 1,000 Collector’s Aegis. Unfortunately, reports indicate that before he could unwrap the package, his Fnatic teammate Lee “kYxY” Kong Yang crashed his car through Mushi’s mailbox, destroying it.





