This interview was conducted by Oleg "prb" Bulavko on 01.06.2015
You’re a newcomer to eSports, tell us how you knew that you wanted to play competitive DotA 2?
I began playing DotA 2 around 2-3 years ago, but before that I had been playing DotA 1 for 1 ½ months. The first version of the game (DotA 1) didn’t impress me much so I decided to try DotA 2 when people suggested it to me. I began playing in December 2012. My friend gifted me an invite to the game. I began playing it, eventually I liked playing the game. I played for about 2 years but did not know much about the competitive scene. I found out about it later and interested in the playstyles of pro players. At the time I thought I fit the mid role well, I preferred it. Then I tried playing support, I chose this position and always picked it, even in pub games. I liked it. I was never bored of playing supports all the time. After summer vacations, in September, I was invited to play in Cleave Gaming. This is when I began to take the game more seriously.
Tell us about Cleave Gaming. Who was playing on the team? What got you the invite to the team?
I played a lot of ranked games and had a good MMR. My friend from Cleave Gaming was astonished with my rate of development as a player. We hadn’t played together before that, he didn’t know that I played at such a high level. He invited me to play as a support. A few days later he told me I was good and that we could play together.
Did the early games go well for you? Considering that this team gave you a chance to play in pro DotA.
I don’t really remember those events too much. We did achieve decent results in some minor tournaments, either top 3 or first place, but these were minor tournaments. Apart from that we performed poorly at Starladder.
If not taking Cleave Gaming into account, which team do you consider to be you first pro team? Power Rangers or Empire, where you played as the stand-in at the very beginning.
In the beginning I was invited to PR because I had gotten acquainted with Shachlo. He had invited me as a stand-in player, when their player couldn’t play the match for some reason. I seemed to perform well. We played against Na’Vi. The score was 1:1 in a best of 2 series.
Afterwards you played in Empire a bit?
Afterwards I was invited to play with Empire at LAN. However after having played with them for some time, I changed my mind about playing with them further. Because I interacted with some player well but with others…I don’t know, maybe it’s due to the character, maybe it’s because I’m not used to it, or maybe they couldn’t compromise. I decided not to pursue this path. Instead I chose the players I felt comfortable with. I decided to play with PR. PR invited me and I began playing as a support role for them.
What can you tell us about PR? You played there for a long time. As it stands curerntly, it is the team you have spent the most time in. Was there interaction? This Belarusian team performs very well, however they don’t manage to achieve big results. Why does this happen in your opinion?
Yes, they don’t achieve big results. However, after I joined them, we managed to grab some top placings in the first few months, which they had not gotten before. We were glad. Before this we had had a 20th rating at GosuGamers, and then it increased to about 15th or 10th after these results. And the guys told me that we’d improved. However, things turned bad after we started losing. We didn’t manage to fix it.
Were you surprised that PR defeated Alliance in The International 2015 Qualifiers?
No. The guys are experienced. We played them in scrims and performed very well. I thought they’d reach top 2 at least. Well, they might’ve been too nervous, or something might’ve gone wrong. However I believed they’d manage to do it.
Tell us how you got to Na’Vi chronologically, since it’s interesting to everyone. Who offered you a place? Did you think about it for a long time? Did you hesitate?
When I left PR, I played IDEC League with some pro players. In a couple of weeks XBOCT contacted me, asking if I could stand-in for about 2 weeks. I thought about it for an hour. I had other plans at the time. Eventually I said yes. Afterwards, we played for 2 weeks, and I seemed to fit in. And now I am a part of the team.
So you were invited as an official player to the team, and you didn’t think over this offer, because you understood that you felt comfortable with the team. Or did you understand that there are things to be worked at?
At the time it didn’t go well. There was no leader or captain. There was no confidence in the team. As of now we seem to propose different things, work, and analyse everything as a team. I like it.
You joined the squad before ArtStyle. It was a short period of time between you and picking him up, can you compare the team before him and with him? Has the leader emerged? Or do you still have troubles with that? Or does ArtStyle not seem to be an apparent leader?
The difference is significant. Dendi used to pick and he had never been a captain before. It was very hard for him. We tried to help him, but it was very difficult. The team kept silent most of the time. We made many mistakes. However, when ArtStyle came in, he became the captain. The guys were very confident, telling me all the time: “ArtStyle will do it!” I trusted him too. Due to our trust we started to offer more, and discuss more. Before that was ok, but we didn’t perform so well.
As I see it from my point of view, you propose many things in game, maybe not as captain, but as a leader. Do you think you have talent to become a captain? Are you capable of taking full control over the gaming process?
I think I will be capable, but not at the moment. I am preparing myself now. Perhaps, in the future I will offer to become a captain of some team.
If it is necessary.
Yes, if it is necessary.
Ok, you said you began your eSports career in the pro teams in September 2014. Do you feel the lack of experience, in LANs, and in social interactions as this is a big organization and eSports is a big business? Do you feel you need more time to feel better and more confident as a pro player?
I think that my substantial drawback is that I haven’t played in many LANs. I’ve noticed that I underperform during LANs, because the atmosphere changes. We’re now flying to China, so I will try to see if it has changed. If I feel equally comfortable at LAN as I do at boot camp and at home, then I will work on this.
Let’s talk about boot camps. Have you been to boot camps with your previous teams?
Only with Power Rangers. We played at boot camps twice and they seemed to be successful. Due to one of the boot camps we qualified to DAC, We participated in the online qualifiers. We noticed that the boot camp was successful for us.
What can you tell me about the current boot camp in Kiev? You live in an apartment and train there as well. Previously you lived in one place and trained in another. Is this format convenient for you? How do you spend your time during the boot camp? Are you satisfied with it?
I am satisfied with the current boot camp. The previous boot camp was arranged differently. We used to play ate one location and had to drive home to get some rest. Now, we’re playing at home. So we have everything in the apartment. You simply can sit down, or lie down and watch. You don’t have to think it is late and you need to go home, where there’s no PC. Even if you want to sleep, you still think that what if…well, we did lack something.
So, during the previous boot camp you had to…
We had to go home, simply because it was too late, but not because we didn’t want to play anymore.
So you’ve understood that it is more convenient for you to both live and play in one apartment rather than playing official games at an office or training base. Right?
Right. Even the guys voted for this. And it is so now.
Well, you achieved the main task of this boot camp, namely to get to TI5. Tell us, are you satisfied with the team’s performance in the qualifiers? Not taking into account the final match you are to play now.
I can’t describe it in words. I didn’t think we’d manage to get that far. I didn’t think that after the defeat in the match against LC we’d manage to gather our strengths and win. We hadn’t done that before in other tournaments. However, the guys prepared very well, we aspired to win and played what we knew.
Were there teams in your group that you didn’t train against?
I think that we didn’t play against any team in our group…I don’t remember is it A or B? The teams refused to train with us. I think the reason was that we were in one group together. So we couldn’t play them. As for the other group, we played with all of the teams there since they didn’t care much about it, because we were in different groups.
What can you say about the performance of the CIS teams in the qualifiers?
It is sad that 3 or 4 CIS teams got into one group. They should divide it differently, then a CIS team would get more chances to get to the playoffs. As far as I know, at the moment, Vega Squadron is defeating 4ASC, so they have a chance to get to the final with us. I’d be very pleased to play with them and meet them at TI, as the players are very outgoing. It’d be better with them.
Let’s talk about that significant series versus HR, where you managed to snatch the aegis. Can you recall your thoughts at that moment, what made you stay there and go for such a move?
Well, I remember seeing the invis rune and I did know that there was a gem on Puck. But, when I took the rune, I saw puck in ward vision heading towards the base, so I decided to go for it. As it turned out, they didn’t see me, so I had stayed there for about 10 second up until Rosh died, still worrying about Puck being able to tp in and arrive in time for them to kill me. Consequently, I took the aegis. Though, I could have taken both the aegis and cheese, but I had no slot for it. Hence, I took only the aegis and tped out. At the very last moment Puck came in and threw his orb but I was out of there before he teleported into it.
In general, the game with HR was very intense, we same some unreal swings of gold and exp. In your opinion, was the victory your achievement or a mistake from your opponents? Because you were ahead at first but then you managed to lose the lead, so it seems you’ve been making more mistakes. But, at the end of the day you’ve won. So what do you think was the factor that rolled the dice in that particular game?
They had that one moment when they could have ended the game. But SF goes to our fountain and dies, or, wait, maybe he drops low and they just run away. We had Magnus and others dead for 60 seconds, so we were rejoicing, XBOCT was like, look, we can still win, and the fountain did it! Before it was like not so good, but after that moment we got together and had no more worries. We believed Wyvern and Magnus with refreshers would do it. We even thought, we would play against megas, and we felt like it wouldn’t change much. Eventually they went on us 5v5, they died, and bought back.
And die-backed?
Yeah, they had this moment, when they bought back and they needed to destroy the lane. On the other hand, we only had to wait for our ultimates. And they didn’t even withstand it, they went in one by one or something, I don’t even remember. So they made a mistake and we used it to our advantage.
Did you expect to play with 4ASC for the TI slot, or even for the wildcard slot? No one was taking them seriously.
What do you mean, them advancing to the play-offs?
Yes, and that it would be them you’ll play against, not Alliance or NiP.
Well, I think everyone was expecting Alliance or NiP. We did consider 4ASC a little bit, but thought they were playing very average. But they showed their potential, and we got what we got.
SoNNeikO on Winter Wyvern secures Na'Vi a 2:1 win over 4ASC to grant them a guaranteed trip to The International 5
Now you are going to The International anyway. Do you feel self-fulfilled? Objectively, in twitter everyone considers you to be one of the best supports in the world. Do you feel this fame is justified?
I don’t know. It is quite pleasant, but I feel neutral about it, because you shouldn’t get above yourself. You should simply play as good as you can, or otherwise you can forget about training, thinking you’re too good for it. And after that you won’t be that good anymore.
Right after the qualifiers you are going to China for the Mars.Tv competition. This will be the first LAN event for you away from Europe. I can tell you already, get ready, it will be tough in China.
There is a food issue in China, not everything can suit you. I got it from the first day there. Apart from that, the city and the country are beautiful.
Anyways, the list of participants is massive. What is your expectation from Mars.Tv? And will you give it separate attention or will it just be a preparatory phase and all the focus will be aimed at The International?
Actually, we didn’t care much about Mars.Tv. Our goal was to go to Seattle, and we have basically achieved it. Now, we will surely try to win Mars.Tv, but we will be testing and perfecting some strategies there. I think, it will be a preparation for TI5. Though it would be nice to win.
In your opinion, what is the difference between Chinese and European DotA? Give us your view of it.
Well I’ve been playing Chinese pubs. There you get 4 players and all of them have their mics, they speak out everything, every move is on time. We had Silencers, who would press ult, without thinking, should you just say something in chat at any moment of the game. There are ganks and all of the other stuff. They are approaching every game very seriously and I like it a lot.
Which of the Chinese teams can you speak about? Do you follow the scene much?
I don’t follow it that much. The last game I watched was Vici Gaming vs LGD in the I-League, I think. And LGD won 3:0. I have no idea how they are doing it, how xiao8 is invigorating his team like that, but I think this trio of teams: LGD, IG and Vici Gaming are constantly switching places in the top 3.
After China you will play at Dreamhack. You will meet Alliance, who won’t go to The International. Do you think this failure will drive them to prove themselves or will they be crushed?
I think they should be more motivated now that they know for sure they are not going. So, they should be doing their best to get a direct invitation in the future. I believe they will prepare and will be playing at their maximum level.
Now we’ll have a series of different questions. How do you handle flights and do you like travelling in general?
I’m okay with flights. Travelling depends on where we go. I wouldn’t want to go to some places, but, in general, I think travelling is significant, so I would say I like it.
Can you give any tips for beginners? You made it into eSports in September 2014. How does a young player make it to the top in such a short period? What do you need to do?
First of all you need to choose your role. Then I would suggest watching pro plays, tournaments, team plays. Choose your style, and watch replays in a way where you can get something out of it, not like, well they won, there was a team fight etc. You need to choose a person you are watching, need to analyse his moves, his tricks. Only then will you be getting better each day.
As far as I know, you had a little accident with your PC. Can you tell us more about it? How were you playing before that?
Well, I was playing on minimum requirements, render quality was at 43% and I had been playing that way for 1 ½ - 2 years that way up until I got into Na’Vi. So, one day we were playing CS, 15 rounds ended, it was time to switch sides. Suddenly, my PC turns off and starts smoking. And that is when I knew I should not have switched for counter-terrorists.
So your PC burnt out?
Yeah, right when we were winning.
You were playing CS, was it just for fun, a way to relax? Or are you a professional Counter-Strike player as well?
Nah, I only have around 10-15 hours played in CS. I started playing during our boot camp with the team. We played CS after training matches in DotA just to distract ourselves. Or, maybe, it was our ritual, to play 1-2 games of CS together to catch a break.
I have this opinion, and one of the players has also said this, that you are playing this good as a support, even despite your talent and skill, because you have been playing so long on a poor PC and then here you have everything of the best quality. Did this factor have any influence or did you just lower the setting to the minimum and play like you used to be?
Well, I put it all on minimum, as usual, I only increased render quality to its maximum. But the PC does matter, since your FPS is higher, it doesn’t lag during team fights. On my old PC I Could only right click after minute 40. It was really difficult, some things won’t even press. As for the rest, I’m just used to it. Playing on an old computer, every time I had to get used to a new PC, it was really uncomfortable.
Does your nickname have a special meaning, aside from referring to a sunny and bright game? Is there something else?
I came up with the nickname rather spontaneously. It’s a mixture of words, but I liked it and started using it. Maybe it refers to something sunny, I don’t know.
It is a great nickname, I bet it will become an appellative.
Most of the time you are playing in conjunction with XBOCT, it looks like that to me. Is it right?
Basically, yes. ArtStyle and Funn1k have already achieved good teamwork, I’ve noticed it a long time ago. ArtStyle has his hero pool, and I’ve got my own and though I can play those heroes as well, he is more used to those heroes, and I don’t want him to play something he doesn’t want or something he hasn’t played for a while.
Is it comfortable for you to play with XBOCT? He is sort of a lone wolf, but he has spoken well of you, he feels at ease with you. Is it mutual in your tandem? You can say it in the interview, XBOCT, you need to work on this!
Well, after the game he says I’ve been last hitting creps. What he doesn’t understand is that I’m trying to help. It happened several times, and I happened to have too much or too little attack damage. At the moment, he admits it, but afterwards he starts pointing at the exact moments when I had a last hit. And after that you don’t want to help your carry, you want to last hit, cast Finger of Death on creeps etc.
Overall the playstyle, as everyone notices, usually, is that supports play for their carry or they play for nukes. But, when you said you liked being a support, do you like when the game largely depends on your carry?
To my mind, everything should be shared.
Even creeps?
Creeps and farm as well, no, at the beginning farm can be given away, but during the later stages you need to make use of the map to its maximum potential. The carry needs to migrate to the jungle and leave lanes to supports and so on. This will result in greater profits than if you farm a lane and your support is unable to farm the jungle. So, it is better for you to move your carry to the jungle and stay on the lane, and you will be splitting the entire farm.
Are you going to start streaming?
If there is an audience, then yes, I will surely start doing that.
I’m certain there will be plenty. Yesterday you started your twitter account, how many followers did you get overnight?
About 5000 or 6000. I was really surprised. But, all the credit goes to my teammates, they retweeted the news.
Actually, it is your merit, because everybody wants to follow you. Thank you for this big and interesting interview. Any greetings, wishes, thanks? You can say what you want into the camera now.
Well, I would like to shout out to my mother, to my sister and my brothers first of all. Thank you to all of the fans, who believed in us even after the game against LC, who believed we could win and advance to the next stage. And thanks to our sponsors.
Thank you for the interview, good luck in the qualifier finals.
Thanks.
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