"Chinese teams don't know how to play against Pudge so we gave them the meeting with Pudge"

Na`Vi.XBOCT at WEC

This is the first time I have interviewed you, I'm very sad there's no video.

Next time we'll make good video.

You guys have 2 new teammates, Vanskor and Fng. What is different about them compared to Puppey and Kuroky?

The biggest difference and makes the most influence during our games is that they are eager to win. They want to win, they are hungry for meat and stuff. So like they are playing very aggressive, they make some new things, they want to win, they want to know what other teams are doing, what they are speaking, and stuff. They are watching a lot of replays.



They renewed blood into the team. That's pretty much the only thing. But in game, you cannot know who's better because with Puppey and Kuro we won a lot, and with these guys we just started playing, so in time it will show. But for now I'm very happy because we have a very friendly atmosphere and everyone is having fun even playing scrims but before it was like a job. It was like a punishment, everyone was coming to scrim, "ok we should do that because we are Dota players".



But now everyones like, "lets go play yeah!" We're having fun and I hope it continues to be like this, because it is very very good for me, and I've found very good motivation.

And you guys are back to the old diving Na`Vi style.

Well yeah, pretty much it's the easiest style to start with cause for now if you make aggression from the start, it's easier for you to win when you don't have the whole experience of being one year together. So yeah we are playing very aggressive and it seems to be working.

You guys picked pudge against LGD.CDEC and Dendi got a double rampage, seemed to be doing very well?

No Funn1k got the double rampage on Furion. But anyway the Pudge pick was not cause we prepared it or something but it was because their heroes were very vulnerable against Pudge. TA middle with roaming Skywrath and Venge is an easy kill for Pudge so also other heroes like Rhasta & Rubick are pretty easy if you don't give them hook, but Dendi is pretty good at that.



So we picked overall some kind of mentality, all new Chinese teams don't know how to play against Pudge so we gave them the "meeting with Pudge". They most likely lose because they don't where to go, and if they do go they die from some hooks and they start diving on heroes but you hook him and they just lose their potential. That's why we picked it.

What do you think about China so far? You're coming back in a month?

I think yes but it's not 100%. These trips are very wasting you know, and its hard to be here because food is not what you're used to and I hate spicy stuff, but overall China is fine.



It's a different culture but you see the conditions of playing is very bad, and it's almost every Chinese event. I haven't been to G-1 league, but I've been to this event, and it's not been the best. But they told me that the next event we're coming to is much better but we will know soon. Now we are concentrating on this event and I hope we win.

What'd you think of the bus travelling from Shanghai?

Oh, haha, we almost died altogether there because 5 hours of driving in hot atmosphere and then you go to the photo session, photo shoot and it's awful. But what's happened has happened and you can't do anything about it.

What do you think about all the new teams? All the reshuffled new teams?

You cannot say right now...

I want you to predict.

Ok I feel like iG will be strong. In Europe of course I don't know how Team Secret will work but their players are awesome so I would bet on them.



From CIS I think M5 can work but not too much - a lot of players I don't trust because of bad reputation. I hope things can change and players will improve over time.

So each international, one year you guys win and the next year Chinese teams win everything and the year after that, Alliance and you guys won and the year after that Chinese teams win everything. So next year, what's going to happen?

Its our year! Haha!

Western year this time?

Well before TI4, The International overall it was "16 teams competing to face Na`Vi in finals". But in TI4 things changed haha. I'm very upset because of that, but that's fine.



Now we're renewed, everything has changed. We have high motivation and I think we will go further and further and I hope we will go to the international this year. And show what's going to happen.

Yeah, I thought the new patch, 6.8 whatever was Na`Vi patch. A lot of diving, a lot of fighting, a lot of aggression. But you guys didn't do as well as a lot of guys thought you would in TI. Why do you think that was?

It's very sad for me to say that but we didn't have team spirit overall we weren't speaking much, we didn't even like each other very much.



That all showed in game, people didn't want to be together and I don't like to say about others. Me of course, I was very upset so I couldn't concentrate on the game, but now I should feel sorry. But what happened has happened.



Now I feel like that people trust me and I trust them, and we are making some cool moves together. We're trying to get better and better, I feel every game we're improving, thinking about mistakes, watching replays, and it's high motivation for you. You're very impressed with people and how they react to the new team and the possibility we have given them to show off their skills being members of Na'Vi and it's an honor for them and they try to do their best. And it's show in the games and real life.

Dota is a young man's game now

Yeah for sure, you can see some EG, like 4 young players they came, killed everybody and at The International they were warriors or something. During the year, I was very impressed by their games. Same with the Chinese, new players like Rabbit in Newbee, iG, LGD all have new players all are impressive. This LGD.CDEC all new players beat every team like VG & Newbee, and now they lost to us, but we have very different play style to Chinese teams.



Like we are coming to try and kill you and if you don't react very fast you will lose. But other Chinese teams were much more prepared against us because for years we were playing them and our playstyle didn't change much from our best years. So let's see how it goes, maybe we will crush them, maybe we will lose.

Will we see more Pudge picks?

Probably if it will fit. Today it was the perfect pick and we are not scared of doing that. If we lose, it was probably not about Pudge, but it would be about some mistakes during the game. Its fun to watch and people are excited of course, but for us it is a serious pick and it was prepared.

Thank you, do you have any shout outs and callouts?

Shout out to all our sponsors, Steelseries, Tessoro, Hyper X and AOC. Thank you very much for supporting.



Thanks to all our fans and I hope with our new team we will show something. Because it was 50-50 split with people saying, "oh you've kicked your two best players, you will lose everything" & "Oh my god, new people, fresh blood, lets go kill them". So we will try to prove to people that we are still a good team.

Make a bold prediction.

I will kill Chuan in TI5!

Alright, thank you very much! hopefully we'll get a video next time!

Yes, and I will improve my English! sometimes I can't find good words to explain my feelings.

At WEC today following Na`Vi's first games against LGD.CDEC, HotBid sat down with XBOCT to talk about the new roster and his time in China.