Gosugamers had a chance to speak with Tundra Esports’ mid laner Nine, about the team’s rise to prominence post t TI10 EU qualifiers.
It’s been a roller coaster of a ride for Tundra Esports’ Dota 2 roster, and their mid laner, Leon ‘Nine’ Kirilin is right in the thick of it. Even though they missed out on a spot at TI10, the team came back strong to win ESL One Fall. Gosugamers caught up with the German to talk about the last few months, the team’s improvement after Sneyking joined and the new patch amongst other things.
Hello Nine! How’s it going? How are things in Germany?
It’s going well! I just moved to my own apartment, taking a break before I try hard at Dota again!
Congratulations on winning ESL One Fall! How does it feel? Is it bittersweet?
Thank you! It felt really good. I am happy that after, I don’t know how long I’ve been playing this game, I finally won something big. It’s not really bittersweet, since I am just happy I won! I don’t think about the negative side of things. Even though we fell short at the TI10 qualifiers, we didn’t give up and looked ahead, seeing a tournament we felt we could win. And we did!
I don’t think about the negative side of things. Even though we fell short at the TI10 qualifiers, we didn’t give up and looked ahead, seeing a tournament we felt we could win.
Let’s talk about your journey after Jing “Sneyking” Wu arrived. You have been getting better with each tournament. Was it just a question of peaking a bit late? Or was it that you had peaked at the TI qualifiers, but it was just the nerves that got to the team?
I don’t think we have peaked at all. We are definitely getting better every time we compete in a tournament. We didn’t win a slot in the first DPC Major, but then Sneyking came, and he’s a really vocal player so we had to adjust everything in terms of communication.
Even though we didn’t do too well in the second season of the EU DPC League, we got better towards the end. It was the first season we played with Sneyking and we were starting to get comfortable with each other in game. During the TI bootcamp, we were a completely different team than we were at the start of the qualifiers.
I don’t think we have peaked at all. We are definitely getting better every time we compete in a tournament.
What was the discussion amongst the team when you guys fell just short during the TI10 EU qualifiers? A lot of teams make snap decisions after losses like that..
Everyone took a bit of time for themselves after we lost. Some of the players started talking about the game right afterwards, and what we realized was that we’re not a bad team. Every team has challenges, not everyone can win. We chose to grow out of our problems, to look forward and get better.
Personally, I don’t feel the need to change any player. When everyone is willing to put in the effort and improve, there are no reasons to make roster changes. The only time you should replace players is when they aren’t willing to make changes to improve; for people whose ego will stop them from growing. We as a team want to get to the top, and that won’t happen if we don’t reflect [upon our mistakes].
Were there any thoughts of powering down and taking a break, or did everyone want to keep playing for the tournaments between the qualifiers and The International?
Everyone took a small break after the TI10 qualifiers. When ESL One sent us an invite for ESL One Fall, we had a discussion on whether we want to play in the tournament and scrim for it. The common consensus was we would only play if we planned on winning the tournament. No one wants to just sit around and wait for next season. Everyone was really thankful for the invites to the post TI10 qualifier tournaments.
Heading into ESL One Fall, did you guys think you could win it all? Who do you think was the toughest team you faced?
We definitely thought we could win it all; that was the aim after all. Virtus.pro was probably the toughest team we faced there. They defeated us quite convincingly in the group stages, so after meeting them again, we had to prove that we had learned from the loss. Winning against them was testament to the fact that we were improving and getting ahead of the meta with the tournament still going on, which gave us confidence in the finals [against PSG.LGD].
This year, for the first time, the DPC Leagues system was implemented. What did you make of it? Do you think it helps tier 2 and tier 3 teams to showcase their talent?
I like the DPC system. I think maybe the leagues are a little too long - we have to go on six-week-long boot camps which can be a little mentally draining. I always feel burned out after six weeks of Dota.
Other than that, I like the leagues quite a bit. It helps tier 2 and 3 teams a lot – there are a significant number of viewers that wouldn’t typically see those teams, if not for the DPC Leagues.
Coming to a controversial question. Tundra won the tournament which had 8 other teams going to TI10. There has been a discussion that the current system is preventing the best teams from attending TI. Would you agree with that? What changes, if any, would you make to the current DPC system?
I would like to agree we deserved to play at TI10, but the truth is, we haven’t consistently performed at a high level in the qualifiers or the leagues well enough, and it took us too long to consistently play well. We didn’t even get to a DPC Major, so it’s hard to say we deserved a spot.
I think there’s definitely something wrong with the current DPC system. There are teams that just won their regional league and made it to The International, and I feel like that’s something I would like to see changed. But I’m not a professional that knows how to make a good DPC season format, I’m just a Dota player!
I would like to agree we deserved to play at TI10, but the truth is, we haven’t consistently performed at a high level in the qualifiers or the leagues well enough.
Let’s get to the current meta. How do you like it? Did you like the changes that Dota 2 patch 7.30 brought with it?
It was a small patch, but overall I still like it. I love new patches because there’s always many things that aren’t figured out right away after a patch goes live. Some heroes were broken for a long time, so I’m very glad there were balance patches to follow the main patch.
How does the mid lane feel right now? Who was the toughest opponent you faced in the mid lane at ESL One Fall?
The mid lane feels good right now, there’s a lot of heroes you can play. I didn’t like the last patch because it was very limited. The toughest opponent was probably Danil “gpk” Skutin since he’s overall a really good player, but it didn’t feel like I had a problem during ESL One Fall facing anyone specific, really.
Tundra played a lot of unorthodox heroes in different positions. What hero did you want to play that you didn’t get to?
I would have loved to play Dark Willow. I’m a big Dark Willow fan! I hope she gets a little buff that makes her a better hero in the mid lane.
What does Nine love doing when he isn’t playing Dota 2?
I love a good meal, just spending an evening cooking, having some wine and just enjoying a little bit of time for myself, you know? Putting on a TV show and eating afterwards is a good evening in my books.
Any shoutouts?
A huge shoutout to Tundra for supporting me the way they have. Also a shout out to the fans that have been supporting us, I always appreciate all the kind messages I get when I play tournaments. I’m so happy that over the past few months, we’ve been gaining a lot of fans!
