[Interview] MoonMeander: NA is stuck in the cesspool of horrible playstyles and horrible drafts



Dota2.Ru > Intergalaсtik



Ru version: https://dota2.ru/news/9932-moonmeander-poproboval-by-svoi-sily-v-vp-ili-vozmozhno-v-navi/

Career start

— According to Liquipedia you started to play professionally in 2014, being 22 y.o – time when many pros began to think about retirement. What did you do before that?

I was playing another MOBA called Heroes of Newerth (HON) professionally for a couple of years. Little known fact was that I used to play on the same team with PPD on compLexity HON.

— How did your parents react to your decision to become pro-player? If nothing came with career in Dota, what would MoonMeander do today?

My parents were skeptical at first, but when I showed them my passion for it they believed in me and even encouraged me.

Hmm.... If I didn't succeed in Dota I probably would have went to get a business degree in college, or become a bum, probably a bum.





Iсeberg Esports / Animal Planet

— What did happen with Iсeberg Esports after all?

I would rather not answer this.

— MoonMeander and Aui are well-known players in CIS. Could you share with me one interesting fact about each of the rest players of Animal Planet?

We have a 16 year old high school kid called Bryle who is really good at Dota but really bad at Fortnite. Ritsu is actually really chill and Aui is super asian.

— Why did you сhoose suсh name of the team by the way?

We choose the name Animal Planet because someone nominated it and it was cute and we like animals and Aui laughs like a seal so we went ahead with it.

— You tried yourself as support and captain DC earlier this season. Why did not you take similar functions in your current team?

When I was captain of DC, I felt like I wasn't in charge, but instead Bulba was the true captain. He was the guy the org supported and stood behind, I realized this after awhile. He already kicked two captains before me. I play position 3 now because I feel like I can be more vocal and lead the team from that position better than from position 5.

— Right after formation (Animal Planet won NA-qual for GESC Indonesia minor, and was one step away from traveling to SL I-League s4. How did you manage to give potent results so fast? Does the team have a coach or a statsman?

I'd like to think it's because of our passion and hardwork for the game. We don't have a coach or statsman, we did not have an org either. Shoutout to my amazing manager fronz.





NA-scene

— Some representatives of the community often note that NA-scene by its average level has never been as strong as it is now. Do you agree with this?

I think everyone in NA is kinda similar in skill. But we're really far from the world's skill. I think NA is like tier 4 right now compared to the world. We're stuck in our cesspool of horrible playstyles and horrible drafts. I think the reason is because of pubs where people give up too easily, thus running all in line-ups in lanes becomes the only way people think they can win in pubs and officials in NA.

— In your opinion, what are the main problems of NA pro-scene? CoL’s captain Kyle, for example, recently said that American teams don’t “want to improve”. Do you agree with him?

I do agree with him, NA teams aren't playing to improve or playing to win. Most of the scrims I feel like the enemy is just trying to win lanes and annoy you, rather than to win and improve and try new stuff out.

— Recently coach of Team Effect said that the problem of leading teams in CIS is absence of real captains. Is American scene also lacking good caps?

I think this is more of a global thing. Top tier captains are hard to find, they already have their own org and they hand pick their players. You either make the cut or you don't.





OG times

— As an OG player you once said that playing offlane is based on the principle "it does not matter how much you feed, until you get XP and create space for the team” (quotation is not exact). What are the general rules for playing offlane now?

Things change, it was like that back then. Now it's more of a tri-core meta. Eternalenvy taught me this I think, something about like if you want to sack your offlaner, you need to make sure he has at least like 200 gpm. He can't be like 3 cs and carry have like 30 cs even if your carry has freefarm.

— By the way, talking about your OG experience. You were extremely frustrated after being kicked from the team and It seemed like you didn’t expect that everything turned this way. Could you tell what were the reasons of your kick after all?

I got kicked because I didn't have good synergy with N0tail. He wants to enable his teammates and I want to do the same. I think he pairs better with the mid-style offlaners like s4, SumaiL, maybe even Universe.

— Now assessing the situation after two years, why do you think that powerful line-up didn’t manage to win TI?

I don't want to make excuses but I think we matched up against the worst opponents possible, MVP and TNC. We're used to playing our slow lineups against secrets and the Chinese. Suddenly we're faced with extreme all-in agression which we couldn't handle. Bad luck I suppose.





Other

— You are popular player in CIS. If there was a good offer to play here would you accept it? What should the team be like to make you accept an invitation.

I did not know I was popular in the CIS. Shoutout to my CIS fans, thanks for your support. I would if my team could speak some english. I need to be able to communicate with my teammates. I would probably join only VP, maybe Navi. crystallize is really good.

— You are 26 y.o. There is an opinion that with age it is increasingly difficult to play on a pro-scene, especially if it's about core-positions…

I think that in Esports if you want to succeed long term you need to take care of your body. I eat healthy and workout regularly, addressing my back and wrist issues. I think this way I can last longer than other players hopefully.

— Looking back in times, are there any things you regret about during your esportcareer? Is there anything you would like to change?

I regretted playing in NA right after TI7. I should have went to SEA or China or EU.

-You played with so many of the world's leading Dota-players. Can you name your top-5 ones you've ever played with?

My top-5 is:

1. Miracle-

2. Resolution

3. Cr1t-

4. Fly

5. Abed

Bottom is obviously Bulba xD

— They often say that “Dota is a dead game”. If you had an opportunity what would you change or add to Dota, so that it attracts more new players and keeps old ones?

I think Dota is a really well made game. I have a lot of friends who come and go. They all say the same thing: "It's extremely toxic and frustrating to play this game."

I think Valve should be harsher on the griefiers, similar to Riot in permanent bans. It's starting to head in the right direction with the 6 month bans, however I'm still getting a griefer here and there. I'm assuming it's worse in other regions and in the lower brackets.



