GosuGamers caught up with Malaysia's prodigy, Wei Poong 'Yamateh' Ng, for an exclusive interview after the conclusion of MSI Beat IT GosuCup Asia - June edition. He touches on issues regarding to his team's performance as of late, his expectations at The International 2014, SEA's slow growth in terms of development and infrastructure, and the latest patch update - amongst other things.
Hello Yamateh, congratulations for winning MSI Beat GosuCup Asia. Are you satisfied with your team’s performance?
Our performance lately has been rather stable and considerably better, but of course there's still room for improvement.
It was just last month when your team finished in 4th place during the last GosuCup and now your team grabs the championship title, what do you think made the difference?
I'd say our performance back then wasn't really as stable, but we’ve made some adjustments since and now we're doing much better.
Aside from winning first place, you also didn't experience any loss during the tournament. Titan also won against Arrow Gaming during the MPGL finals. What factor (strategy, hero lineup, team synergy, luck?) do you think mostly contributed to your wins?
All the factors you've mentioned were very relevant, but luck was probably the biggest factor!
Many of your fans are saying that you're back in form. What are your thoughts about this?
I agree with them! Haha. Then again it's also not that stable yet and I'll be working on improving myself.
You replaced Ice in Titan last year. Kindly give us an overview of your journey with Titan ever since you first joined .. until now!
Well to be honest prior to joining Titan I've never considered the possibility of becoming a full-time, professional Dota player, so after joining and abiding by the fixed daily training schedules not unlike normal working hours, I've found it rather special, though definitely tiring. So far we've experienced our ups and downs, but I believe we as 5 have all the necessary chemistry and determination to finally succeed in the end.
How would you describe your relationship with other team members?
We've all known each other for years as fellow players in the Malaysian Dota scene, and we're simply closer friends now being in the same team. We'd have dinner together and usually after trainings we'd hang out.
Arguably, Titan is the only SEA team that is performing well in the region unlike others who have disbanded or undergoing roster change as we speak. Is changing roster on a regular basis the right way to achieve stability and improved performance? What do you think in this regard and your advice to other organizations out there regarding the same?
Well constant roster changes isn't really just a SEA thing; many strong teams out there would do the same in order to find the ideal lineup. I believe changing roster is definitely a legit way for teams to adapt and improve, so for the SEA scene which is still in an early stage of development as compared to other regions, there's really nothing wrong with roster changes.
What do you think SEA Dota is lacking right now and what could be a possible solution to further improve the infrastructure?
I think SEA teams are simply lacking in that level of understanding about the game itself. For now I'd advise them to watch how the top EU/Chinese teams play and learn from them.
How do you envision SEA Dota in the near future?
There are many talented pub players in the region, so I wouldn't worry about continuity here - the potential is simply huge. I believe the scene will continue to adapt and improve, albeit slowly due to the limited resources. But things will get better as Dota gains recognition as an eSports.
This year, there has been an increase in number of tournaments like The Summit that just finished their debut season this week. StarLadder also expanded from Europe to Asia and America. How will you rate the competitive scene today compared to the past year. And where does SEA stand?
The prize pool in the competitive scene this year is generally much higher, so it's getting tougher to win as well. The SEA scene is far behind that of say, EU and China, and there's lot of room for improvement before we'll be able to catch up to other regions.
Titan was the only SEA representative that qualified for WPC-ACE #2 playoffs unlike Orange who failed to qualify. Did you learn anything new about the Europeans and Chinese? Please share.
The Chinese teams at WPC offered a lot for us to learn as usual, things like how they manage their daily training schedule, etc. As for the European teams hmm... not much thoughts about them.
The new patch has surely changed things quite a bit. What change do you like the most in this patch?
I don't think there's much of a difference between this latest patch and the previous one, except for the Invoker nerf.
Heroes that should be buffed or nerfed?
I think Lycan should be nerfed; and they might want to buff some other heroes that we don't usually see in Captain's Mode.
As The International approaches, the level of competitiveness keeps on growing between the invited teams. Can the same be assumed for SEA teams? Any thoughts?
For us I think we've improved a lot recently and definitely able to give the other invited teams a considerable challenge, I hope we can reach our top form before TI. As for Arrow and MVP I'm really not sure.
Speaking of The International, it is getting closer with only a month left before it starts, how do you think Titan will fare during the tournament? Does it have any chance to get into top three?
I don't and won't have any expectations for our placing; as long as our performance during TI is stable it'll be good enough a challenge for all the other teams.
What about the prize pool? Surprised? Please take out some time and thank the community for their generous support.
Of course I'm surprised! Who would've thought that being good at Dota would mean potentially earning such a huge amount of money? I'd like to thank the community for their generous support.
Which team are you looking forward to face in The International?
None in particular. I feel that every single team in TI are strong in their own ways, so it's of utmost importance that we play our best during each match.
How do you think Arrow Gaming will perform in Seattle?
No comments about them, I just hope they can get their US visas on their second try.
Which team do you think will be the strongest going into The International and why?
I believe it'll be DK, because they perform well in LAN settings.
The prize pool crossed the 9.5 million mark and is heading soon towards 10 million. If your team wins The International how will you spend your earnings?
If we win TI I'll use a part of the winnings to buy 4D because we must be on a lucky streak haha!
What is the next big step for you and your team after The International? Do you plan on retiring after serving the scene for so long?
For now it's still hard to say, but I think I'll be taking a long break after TI.
That concludes our interview. Any last words?
A big thank you to Titan, Razer and our fans who've supported us all along!
Visit our gosuwiki for more information on Titan and The International 2014!
Photos provided by GosuGamers and Titan eSports
