After coming off an impressive win at the Fnatic RCC #2, beating x-Gosu (Now, Quantic Gaming) 2-1 with aggressive but disciplined play, and being the first NA team to be invited to The International 2012, we sat down with our own Jio ‘Jeyo’ Mayadang for some post-game reaction, as well as what kind of preparation they will go through before the big show in Seattle.
So, throughout the Fnatic RCC tournament, the team displayed a very slow but driven game, often with a tri-lane in what would be the suicide lane. Is this a style the team is developing as its own?
They never see it coming. Most teams try to put their carries on their safest lane and from what we’ve always encountered it’s against a suicide solo, which brought a thought, why give their most important hero a free lane, when you can easily punish them for being greedy. Like I said before, we need something out of the ordinary to punish the opposing team and we came up with this. It’s actually something that we’ve been successful with from the start when we did the good ‘ol Skeleton King offensive tri-lane.
Having only played EG twice officially in the last 3 months and their recent replacement of two members, what was the team mentality going into the semi-finals? And were you at all surprised by any of their play?
It was definitely a match to be won, to prove to everyone that we’re back in business. Losing was not an option that game. As for their roster changes, I’m very familiar with almost all of their players and their play-style. As for those 2 games we felt very confident because most of the heroes they picked were somewhat predictable which gives us a huge advantage because we know what we’re dealing with.
Before this tournament, the team had played and lost to Quantic in the ProDota2 League. Did you take anything from that loss that helped you in the finals?
Yes, I believe that loss was necessary for us to realize their weaknesses but that game could’ve gone either way. Coming into the finals we came to realize the heroes that they always win with so we tried to minimize most of their winning heroes to be in their line-up, which worked out for us very well in the finals. Knowing your opponents style and strategy puts you in a very good position to win.
Looking ahead, how do you feel about your chances going into the International in Seattle?
Only time will tell, The International is 3 months away, but time is ticking so we’ll just train hard until the day comes. We really don’t know what to expect but it’s going to be very exciting. It’s all about our confidence coming into the tournament. If we’re confident & hungry enough then we will definitely have a good chance at winning it all. I’m kind of intimidated about the Asians/Chinese though; they’re improving at a rapid rate by the way they train, so I’m looking forward to that.
Now that real life commitments are behind the team and the group has been practising together more closely, do you feel the team is more energized knowing there is so much more on the line?
Yes, everything that we’ve been playing for is all for the International. It is our biggest motivation to keep training hard and win. It’s an opportunity to prove to be the best, and out of these 16 teams they will all train as hard to clinch the title of being the best Dota 2 team and to grab that million dollars of course.
Jason Lake has announced that the team will be boot-camping before the Int. Will this be the first time the team has come together before a big event?
Yes it will be, and I’m looking forward to the boot-camp and I’d expect the training to be more intense than any training we have had so far. I feel that boot-camping is necessary if we want to win TI 2012.
Are there any teams you are looking forward to playing at the Int?
I’m looking forward to playing against the Chinese teams, especially DK. I think we’ve played almost everyone in the NA/EU scene in a match, so I’m very excited on how our style will do against them. In my opinion they were the strongest Dota 1 team of all time, even better than E-home in 2010.
Which brings us to our last question, what are your thoughts of the Chinese teams finally embracing the Dota2 scene?
It’s definitely the right move from them, as the game gets released there will be even more competition. I think out of all, the Chinese has the most potential to breakout in Dota 2 like they did in Dota 1, the amount of dedication they have is unreal and I truly respect that. Dota 2 made the gap closer between EU/NA and Chinese teams. At the moment I would say the EU/NA are a little ahead because of how late the Chinese came but like I said before, these guys train like monsters, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I see China dominating Dota 2. Also I’m a huge fan of Chinese Dota!
Thank you for taking the time to do this interview Jio, any shout-outs or last words?
I want to thank God, my family, friends, teammates and to compLexity gaming. I’d also like to give a shoutout to our sponsors: Sound Blaster, Gamma Gamers, QPAD, PNY, OriginPC and G8 Brand. A special shoutout to IceFrog & Valve for The International invitation, but most of all for making Dota 2. Thanks for the interview!