The American Team Dignitas' players SneyKing and TidesOfTime have given an extensive interview to Progamingtours.net in which they talk about their performance at ESWC and DreamHack and share their thoughts on a lot of relevant topics concerning the competitive scene.
At DreamHack Winter 2012, you had a nice run up until the Quarter Finals where you lost to Team Empire. What do you think went wrong?
TidesofTime: We simply were not prepared/ didn't have enough time to practice. The teams that placed deserved it. They practiced as much as they could before DreamHack and it paid off. We're already working on the practicing issue. No practice = loss of team skill, individual skill, worse picks and it’s harder to communicate if you're not in sync with each other. And of course we ran over most of in-game strategy mistakes /team-fight mistakes /noticeable patterns of bad play from different players. A lot went wrong, but to repeat myself, practice was by far the biggest issue.
SneyKing: I believe that we were under-prepared for the event. It is evident that the more one practices, the better one will perform. Look at the winners of the event - Nth and EG! Both teams practiced an insane amount of time per day and it paid off!
[...]
The Chinese seem to know a lot more about Western DotA than the other way around. Why do you think that’s the case?
SneyKing: I personally believe that the Chinese simply have a different play style, not much better or worse than the western scene. Their picks and knowledge about DotA is not what make them outstanding, it is the fact that they have spot on teamwork and personal skill. It is very difficult to master both at the same time.
TidesofTime: I think they are simply better and more prepared. Why? Well I don't know for certain but I’d guess because they all train a lot and take almost every game seriously. Why do/can they train a lot? Probably because they can all dedicate their lives to training whereas almost all western teams cannot. Again, I don't know for certain but that's just my guess.
[...]
What advice would you give to budding DotA 2 players within the U.S. and elsewhere who wish to go pro?
SneyKing: Simply play more! Find friends with potential to play with. It is a lot of fun to be able to grow as a whole and see each other improve. It is very inspiring and motivating, something that is necessary to keep someone going!
TidesofTime: Be ready to give it your all, watch replays, never stop trying, and never stop learning. Strive to get at the individual skill level of a pro player. Once you accomplish that, join a team and make sure everyone on the team has the same goals as you and has all the commitments you are expecting. Teams usually start out bumpy but if everyone has the same goal and is committed, they usually make it through.
TidesofTime: We simply were not prepared/ didn't have enough time to practice. The teams that placed deserved it. They practiced as much as they could before DreamHack and it paid off. We're already working on the practicing issue. No practice = loss of team skill, individual skill, worse picks and it’s harder to communicate if you're not in sync with each other. And of course we ran over most of in-game strategy mistakes /team-fight mistakes /noticeable patterns of bad play from different players. A lot went wrong, but to repeat myself, practice was by far the biggest issue.
SneyKing: I believe that we were under-prepared for the event. It is evident that the more one practices, the better one will perform. Look at the winners of the event - Nth and EG! Both teams practiced an insane amount of time per day and it paid off!
[...]
The Chinese seem to know a lot more about Western DotA than the other way around. Why do you think that’s the case?
SneyKing: I personally believe that the Chinese simply have a different play style, not much better or worse than the western scene. Their picks and knowledge about DotA is not what make them outstanding, it is the fact that they have spot on teamwork and personal skill. It is very difficult to master both at the same time.
TidesofTime: I think they are simply better and more prepared. Why? Well I don't know for certain but I’d guess because they all train a lot and take almost every game seriously. Why do/can they train a lot? Probably because they can all dedicate their lives to training whereas almost all western teams cannot. Again, I don't know for certain but that's just my guess.
[...]
What advice would you give to budding DotA 2 players within the U.S. and elsewhere who wish to go pro?
SneyKing: Simply play more! Find friends with potential to play with. It is a lot of fun to be able to grow as a whole and see each other improve. It is very inspiring and motivating, something that is necessary to keep someone going!
TidesofTime: Be ready to give it your all, watch replays, never stop trying, and never stop learning. Strive to get at the individual skill level of a pro player. Once you accomplish that, join a team and make sure everyone on the team has the same goals as you and has all the commitments you are expecting. Teams usually start out bumpy but if everyone has the same goal and is committed, they usually make it through.
Read the full interview at Progamingtours.net
