Starladder S5 LAN Finals Preview April 3rd, 2013 22:12 GMT Text by Kipsate Graphics by HawaiianPig

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LAN Finals Preview

By Kipsate



Scandal Will Blowyourbrain

By dfs



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So here we are again, on our way to Kiev, The Ukraine, where four of the best teams in Western DotA will fight it out for a $8000 first place prize. Team Empire,



The







With the grueling online portion of the league over, we're now ready to head to the LAN, a world of low pings and high emotions, where the teams get to meet face to face before going head to head. The four teams invited are some of the best that Western DotA has to offer, and we're certainly excited to see them take each other on.



First off, we have our



That's all for our coverage this time around, we hope you all join us this week in our



LAN Finals Preview By Kipsate



After months of intense competition, the league play of Starladder has ended, and the top teams will be attending Kiev for the LAN finals this week.







The Runners Up

The first thing one may wonder is where have Na`Vi gone? They did not make the cut in the end, having a rocky start, and despite the lineup change Na`Vi still lost out to mousesports. Similarly, mousesports was also a very strong contender, but lost in an epic Gyrocopter Divine Rapier game against Virtus.pro, something that happens a bit too often.



The Qualifiers







The Nordic Vikings





Strengths



One of No Tidehunter's biggest strengths is that they always have an overarching gameplan, be it the Dragon Knight+Chen 20 minute death push, or the Spectre+Warlock combination. Unfortunately, sometimes that gameplan consists of a hastily-scrawled sheet of paper that says "Loda want Sniper" on it in crayon. They are one of the few teams that still play a scary Magnus, thanks to S4's proficiency with the hero. Overall, there are many signature heroes to ban against this team, including Akke's Chen, Bulldog's Syllabear, and S4's Magnus or Puck.



Weaknesses



NTH has perhaps one of the most feared Syllabear players in the West, his name is Admiral Bulldog. Yet, Admiral Bulldog only plays a few select heroes well, most notably Syllabear, Clockwerk, Natures Prophet, Dark Seer, and Bounty Hunter.



Loda's carry play is another weakness. While Loda has been stellar in a lot of cases, his tendency to go Midas, and make questionable lategame decisions has led to NTH losing some games. It has to be noted however that this is LAN and that Loda is very experienced with this, and he no longer goes Midas all the time.



Notable Heroes

No Tidehunter came out this season with an almost flawless record of 15-1. With the replacement of EternalEnvy with EGM, they have been been performing quite well, not only in Starladder but overall as well. The all-Swedish roster has been diversifying their strategies, and improving their play. They are not afraid to take controversial heroes such as Spectre or Doom Bringer, and build their play around them in order to win. S4 in particular has been looking quite well as of late as his Puck and Magnus are two heroes to fear for the other teams.One of No Tidehunter's biggest strengths is that they always have an overarching gameplan, be it the Dragon Knight+Chen 20 minute death push, or the Spectre+Warlock combination. Unfortunately, sometimes that gameplan consists of a hastily-scrawled sheet of paper that says "Loda want Sniper" on it in crayon. They are one of the few teams that still play a scary Magnus, thanks to S4's proficiency with the hero. Overall, there are many signature heroes to ban against this team, including Akke's Chen, Bulldog's Syllabear, and S4's Magnus or Puck.NTH has perhaps one of the most feared Syllabear players in the West, his name is Admiral Bulldog. Yet, Admiral Bulldog only plays a few select heroes well, most notably Syllabear, Clockwerk, Natures Prophet, Dark Seer, and Bounty Hunter.Loda's carry play is another weakness. While Loda has been stellar in a lot of cases, his tendency to go Midas, and make questionable lategame decisions has led to NTH losing some games. It has to be noted however that this is LAN and that Loda is very experienced with this, and he no longer goes Midas all the time.Notable Heroes







The Continental Kings





Strengths



The Draft is one of Fnatic's biggest strengths. Fnatic.EU is a team that more than often wins games based on their draft. This ties in very much with their flexibility in lanes, as they are not afraid to Trilane a Batrider, or run an Alchemist middle if that makes them crush the enemy lanes. Their lanes are unpredictable and as such that can make it hard to draft against them. The strength of these are apparent in numerous games where enemy teams are caught off guard, and simply lose the game outright from the laning stage because Fnatic.EU laned their heroes in a way that the enemy team did not anticipate.



''Rat Doto'' describes another strength that Fnatic.EU possesses. Fnatic.EU is a team that likes to engage on their terms, and they will fight when they feel they have a significant enough advantage. They are also one of the teams that really started bringing the good old Furion Shadow Blade back into the fray. They love to splitpush with Nature's Prophet or Phantom Lancer if that simply wins them the game, because in the end it is not how you win, but if you win that is important.



Weaknesses



Greed is one of the Seven Sins that Fnatic.EU loves to indulge in; although, sometimes a bit too much. They run tri-cores often, like to get Midas, and get farming items rather than mid-game teamfighting items, or heroes that are designed to be powerful in the mid-game while lacking any early-game presence. In one of the games of The Defense Grand Finals they had a Rubick, Bounty hunter, Lion, Phantom Lancer, and Templar Assassin. A draft that Virtus.pro exploited in that it had no early game presence , counterpush, or even mid-game presence to speak of. Fnatic.EU has no problems taking it to the late-game, and it often works for them; their tri-cores do win games, however Greed is something that needs to be taken in small amounts and not in an overdose.



Notable Heroes

Fnatic.EU is one of the most hated, debated, and loved teams in Dota 2. In the past few months Fnatic.EU has been one of the strongest Western teams. They seem to have found their stride in Dota 2, winning games left and right, and making it to the Grand Finals of The Defense Season 3 where they lost 2-3 to Virtus.pro. They qualified for Kiev with a solid 13-2 record, giving them 39 points in the Starladder League play. Although, something pointed out by Fly himself is that he has not been present for a while, and as such Fnatic.EU has had a slight dip in their performance, but with some practice they are expected to perform well at Starladder. They were third in Season 4, and are now aiming for the gold in Season 5.The Draft is one of Fnatic's biggest strengths. Fnatic.EU is a team that more than often wins games based on their draft. This ties in very much with their flexibility in lanes, as they are not afraid to Trilane a Batrider, or run an Alchemist middle if that makes them crush the enemy lanes. Their lanes are unpredictable and as such that can make it hard to draft against them. The strength of these are apparent in numerous games where enemy teams are caught off guard, and simply lose the game outright from the laning stage because Fnatic.EU laned their heroes in a way that the enemy team did not anticipate.''Rat Doto'' describes another strength that Fnatic.EU possesses. Fnatic.EU is a team that likes to engage on their terms, and they will fight when they feel they have a significant enough advantage. They are also one of the teams that really started bringing the good old Furion Shadow Blade back into the fray. They love to splitpush with Nature's Prophet or Phantom Lancer if that simply wins them the game, because in the end it is not how you win, but if you win that is important.Greed is one of the Seven Sins that Fnatic.EU loves to indulge in; although, sometimes a bit too much. They run tri-cores often, like to get Midas, and get farming items rather than mid-game teamfighting items, or heroes that are designed to be powerful in the mid-game while lacking any early-game presence. In one of the games of The Defense Grand Finals they had a Rubick, Bounty hunter, Lion, Phantom Lancer, and Templar Assassin. A draft that Virtus.pro exploited in that it had no early game presence , counterpush, or even mid-game presence to speak of. Fnatic.EU has no problems taking it to the late-game, and it often works for them; their tri-cores do win games, however Greed is something that needs to be taken in small amounts and not in an overdose.Notable Heroes









The Victor of the Defense





Strengths



Immaculate support play, one of the most notable strengths of Virtus.pro is defined by NS and AA. Roaming, ganking, counterganking, finding farm in the face of adversity. It is these two strong supports who control the game for Virtus.pro, and they are truly the definition of the phrase "supports win the game".



Early game aggresion is another massive strength of Virtus.pro. A CIS team at its core, and aggression is their middle name, taking the fight to the enemy is what they do best. That is not to say they can not play a farm game as KSi's Nature's Prophet or Syllabear, and Illidans Gyrocopter can take it to the late-game easily.



Weaknesses



The Breathless Dragon Knight. Illidan is a strong carry player no doubt. However, the fact of the matter is that no matter how we look at it there is no point in maxing the Dragon tail over Breath Fire. Breath Fire does tons of AOE damage while the stun scales terribly. A case can be made for taking 1 point in stun, maxing Dragon Blood, and then maxing stats, but we can not see the point in maxing Dragon Tail over stats or Breath Fire. Illidan himself said that DK lacks mana, and that a Soul Ring is required, however, Drums and Arcane boots from supports could easily fix this while retaining the long-term powerful AOE burst. In the short-term only one or two Breaths are neccesary in a fight, and it's a substantial amount of burst damage. While it is still a strong hero, it is not as powerful as it could be and as such it might cost them a game if they do go for this controversial Dragon Knight build.



CIS at its core once again. As much as aggression is their strength it is also their weakness. Overextension is another weakness of Virtus.pro, and hunger for kills that can never be sated can lead to kills that should not be given and losses that should not be taken.



Notable Heroes

With a 12-3 record and 36 points, Virtus.pro made it to Kiev this time around, beating out mousesports in their final match in the process. Virtus.pro is a team that NS put together, where he got one known player, Santa, and three relatively unknown players, KSi, Illidan, and Crazy. It was a team that slowly but surely started to climb over the course of a few months, and people truly saw its power when they knocked out the heavy favourite, Team Empire, in The Defense. Not too long ago however, Santa was replaced by Ars-Art. This turned Virtus.pro into a CIS monster that has to be reckoned with, and the Starladder season 5 will have a defender after all. The ex-Na`Vi player looks motivated, rejuvenated, and above all else a scary force to be reckoned with. This was shown in the Defense Grand Finals were they took down Fnatic.EU, arguably the favourites to win. However, remember that this is Kiev, this is LAN, and this is CIS territory. They will do everything to not only win Starladder, but to win for their pride and their home, for one does not easily tread on CIS grounds.Immaculate support play, one of the most notable strengths of Virtus.pro is defined by NS and AA. Roaming, ganking, counterganking, finding farm in the face of adversity. It is these two strong supports who control the game for Virtus.pro, and they are truly the definition of the phrase "supports win the game".Early game aggresion is another massive strength of Virtus.pro. A CIS team at its core, and aggression is their middle name, taking the fight to the enemy is what they do best. That is not to say they can not play a farm game as KSi's Nature's Prophet or Syllabear, and Illidans Gyrocopter can take it to the late-game easily.The Breathless Dragon Knight. Illidan is a strong carry player no doubt. However, the fact of the matter is that no matter how we look at it there is no point in maxing the Dragon tail over Breath Fire. Breath Fire does tons of AOE damage while the stun scales terribly. A case can be made for taking 1 point in stun, maxing Dragon Blood, and then maxing stats, but we can not see the point in maxing Dragon Tail over stats or Breath Fire. Illidan himself said that DK lacks mana, and that a Soul Ring is required, however, Drums and Arcane boots from supports could easily fix this while retaining the long-term powerful AOE burst. In the short-term only one or two Breaths are neccesary in a fight, and it's a substantial amount of burst damage. While it is still a strong hero, it is not as powerful as it could be and as such it might cost them a game if they do go for this controversial Dragon Knight build.CIS at its core once again. As much as aggression is their strength it is also their weakness. Overextension is another weakness of Virtus.pro, and hunger for kills that can never be sated can lead to kills that should not be given and losses that should not be taken.Notable Heroes









An Empire Reborn





Strengths



Aggression, the hallmark of every CIS team which Empire posses too. Early game aggression, strong trilanes, such is the strength of Empire.



Weaknesses



Aggression, once again it is a double-edged sword. Vigoss hungers always, never satisified, never sated. It has to be noted that he does tend to go for safer item builds as of late, opting to go for BKB on heroes such as Magnus and QoP.



Losing Santa is one thing, losing Funn1k is another. Vigoss and Empire are still adjusting to each other, still they show good promise and with enough practice they will be fine.



Notable Heroes

The Na`Vi roster shuffle had two unfortunate victims, mousesports and Empire. Empire lost perhaps its most talented and strongest player, Funn1k. The feared Clinkz of Empire was replaced by one we know as Vigoss. Moving Scandal to the third position and Vigoss to his favourite 2nd position role Empire is not what it used to be. Granted, Empire was on the downfall for a while, they used the same strategies which worked repeatedly until people found them out. Empire is not to be underestimated though, while Funn1k left, the four others remain. They are two time Starladder runner-ups, and they won Techlabs, a small CIS LAN event not too long ago. In this Starladder they are the underdogs but also one of the fan favourites. Never forget that this is CIS territory and that Empire is one of the CIS favorites. LAN and home ground is a powerful force that should never be underestimated.Aggression, the hallmark of every CIS team which Empire posses too. Early game aggression, strong trilanes, such is the strength of Empire.Aggression, once again it is a double-edged sword. Vigoss hungers always, never satisified, never sated. It has to be noted that he does tend to go for safer item builds as of late, opting to go for BKB on heroes such as Magnus and QoP.Losing Santa is one thing, losing Funn1k is another. Vigoss and Empire are still adjusting to each other, still they show good promise and with enough practice they will be fine.Notable Heroes













In Kiev we will see four strong teams, and each can take games off each other. Arguably, Empire is the underdog but they too can suprise at the stage where they got Silver twice. Starladder must seek a new champion in the absence of Na`Vi, for there can be only one.



If you haven't watched much Starladder and still want to enjoy some of the epic moments that happened this season you can watch these videos, made by the organizers of Starladder themselves:















After months of intense competition, the league play of Starladder has ended, and the top teams will be attending Kiev for the LAN finals this week.The first thing one may wonder is where have Na`Vi gone? They did not make the cut in the end, having a rocky start, and despite the lineup change Na`Vi still lost out to mousesports. Similarly, mousesports was also a very strong contender, but lost in an epic Gyrocopter Divine Rapier game against Virtus.pro, something that happens a bit too often.In Kiev we will see four strong teams, and each can take games off each other. Arguably, Empire is the underdog but they too can suprise at the stage where they got Silver twice. Starladder must seek a new champion in the absence of Na`Vi, for there can be only one.If you haven't watched much Starladder and still want to enjoy some of the epic moments that happened this season you can watch these videos, made by the organizers of Starladder themselves:



Scandal Will Blowyourbrain By dfs



Vladislav "BLOWYOURBRAIN" Morozyuk and Roman "Scandal" Sadotenkov were interviewed by Irina "Laedonna" Chashina from dota2.ru on 01.04.13.





Courtesy of Empire

YouTube VODs (Russian only):

+ Show Spoiler [Part 1] +

+ Show Spoiler [Part 2] +



Laedonna: How's your mood, guys? How's your 1st April going? Did anyone play a trick on you today?



Scandal: I didn't prank anyone today, but got pranked twice. That's how the day started.



Blow: What can I say, the weather outside isn't that good, snowing and raining. Nobody pranked me and I didn't prank anyone myself. It was a serious day. We are preparing for the Starladder Finals, and we don't have time for that.



Laedonna: OK. First off, congratulations on winning Techlabs Moscow. Tell us about the tournament and your feelings about it. How did you celebrate the win?



Blow: Nothing special. Everyone just went home to rest. That was a hard day. A lot of people approached us to take photos and autographs and talk. Besides, the tournament stretched out for the whole day. We woke up at 8 am and played till 12 pm.



Scandal: Yes, it was a very long day. We played a few games in the morning and then waited the whole day for the finals, for about 5-6 hours. After the final everyone was tired and just went home. There were no parties, etc.



Blow: The atmosphere at the tournament was good. There were a lot of people. It was fun. We had to wait for a long time, but it is still nice to spend time with nice people.



Scandal: Yes, it was worth it.



Laedonna: Does it disturb your play when a lot of people watch you on stage, or do you completely sink into the game and ignore everything around you? Is there a difference when you play at home, or when you play on stage? Is there more pressure?



Blow: It is not about how many people there are. It is about the noise they may create which disturbs your communication with teammates so you can't hear each other. You will just have to ask them to move, or to stay quiet. Overall I think playing on LAN is the same as playing at home, I don't see the difference. You have your mouse and your keyboard, while the monitor doesn't make much of a difference.



Scandal: I agree. Also, most of the tournaments do not allow people to stay behind the players for about 2-3 meters. The other thing is that you can hear the screams and cheers of your fans that support you. It is more of a pro, than a con.



Laedonna: Do you get nervous before the games? Do you have some kind of of cheer, or a talisman?



Blow: We have a few cheers, but I will not voice them right now. ^^ But we are a very calm team, we don't joke much, we try to keep things constructive.



Scandal: We are coldblooded. ^^



Blow: I can say for myself that if there is a very important match then I get slightly nervous. I have a lot of experience, I've attended a lot of tournaments, but that still happens.



Scandal: There is always a slight worry with tournaments. You understand your responsibility for the match. Overall it is fine, we don't get too nervous, we never panic.



Blow: We are men, we keep our self under control.



Laedonna: Tell us about what happens during the games in your team chat. Does Goblak consult with you during the draft, or there are no discussions at all?



Scandal: When we play online, usually not everyone is in Skype during the draft, someone might be afk or doing something else. During the draft there are about 2-3 guys, so there aren't many people to consult with, although Goblak usually doesn't consult with anyone anyway. Sometimes he does express his thoughts aloud so we can give our input or decide together.



Laedonna: Do you ever get unhappy with Goblak's drafts? For example, do you ever do your own thing, then come back, see the draft and are like "OMG what did you do Goblak? How are we going play now?"



Scandal: I never have any problems with the draft. I only give my input after the game. For example, sometimes our heroes can't just initiate, or lack damage, stuff you only notice during the game. Goblak is a good drafter, so there are usually no problems with that.



Laedonna: Who coordinates your actions during the game? Does Goblak do that only by himself?



Scandal: Yes, Goblak does all the team coordination. Where we should gather, where and when we should go, movement on the map. He makes all the team decisions.



Laedonna: Do you have a person who tries to cheer up the team even in the worst situations to keep your morale high? "WOO-HOO guys! Come on, we are losing only by 10k gold, it's no problem!"



Scandal: To be honest, we don't have such a player.



Blow: If you are a professional player you must understand when your situation is dire. From time to time incidents happen; for example, you are playing against AL and after 10 minutes your captain says "It's over, gg," but I simply don't want to agree with him because I want to see what will happen next. I am sure that there are almost no unwinnable situations; if you have good heroes you can fight for a long time.



Scandal: It depends on the situation. You must analyze it rationally. If someone notices that there is still a chance he will try to cheer up his teammates. Although if there really is nothing we can do, then nothing like this will happen.



Laedonna: So you are realists.



Scandal: Yes, you can say that.



Laedonna: Vigoss joined your team some time ago. Have you found a mutual understanding with each other, and did your team chemistry changed with his arrival?



Blow: I've known Vigoss for a long time. He easily became a part of the team. We had to change a few roles, but Scandal does a good job on the hardlane.



Scandal: Not really ^^



Blow: No, no, you're doing fine. Vigoss is a nice person, nice to talk with, nice to play with. About his past, I just want to say that everyone makes mistakes, and I think he simply did not see the potential in his old teams. They did not make him believe in their victory, but we will.



Laedonna: Do you get any power from the almighty aura of Vigoss?



Blow: Of course!



Scandal: Definitely! We also get all the runes! ^^



Blow: We simply send a support to the top rune spot while Vigoss goes to the bottom one so two runes spawn at the same time.



Scandal: Vigoss always goes where the rune will spawn.



Laedonna: Is there a team that you feel uncomfortable playing against, for example because of their draft or playstyle?



Scandal: There is no such team if you look at drafts and playstyle, but if you look at regions then it is very uncomfortable to play against Americans, due to the high ping. You simply can't do some things on such a high ping that you can easily do on an EU server. It can affect the outcome of the game.



Blow: I completely agree.



Laedonna: Do you think you can match Chinese teams? Do you follow their scene? Their style is very different from the West region.



Scandal: Their style is very careful. I think if we will also play carefully, making minimum mistakes, then we are more than capable to compete against them.



Blow: There are no unbeatable teams.



Scandal: Everything is in our hands.



Blow: We simply must understand how to act and counter act right.



Laedonna: Do you practice some hero combinations that are currently unpopular, as part of team practice and in pubs?



Scandal: We don't practice any specific combinations, but we do practice some heroes individually, heroes that are viable but not used yet. However you cannot learn a hero well enough by only playing him in pubs. You will have to practice it against strong teams eventually. For example I recently started playing Lone Druid. We currently do not pick him, but he is very strong and can go on the hardlane that I play now.



Blow: Actually that was a secret. Starladder is right around the corner. ^^ Everybody probably knows that anyway and we do not practice any crazy heroes.



Laedonna: Empire vs NTH match, where you picked Treant and won. Was that a spontaneous pick, or that was a trained strategy?



Blow: No, we had not practiced with that hero before. I believe Goblak just saw Treant in some LGD.int game and liked the idea, and it worked.



Scandal: It was more of a spontaneous pick. We did try him a few times in practice. It is a strong hero that can counter Naix in his Rage with his ultimate. On the laning stage you can cast Living Armor on both of your solo lanes. That was the reason we picked him. Also he is very good at healing towers.



Laedonna: Will you try to play with Medusa or Timbersaw?



Blow: No.



Scandal: We never tried them and I don't think we ever will. Although I think Timbersaw is a good hero, but no one has figured out his full potential yet.



Laedonna: Why is Alchemist not a common pick for a carry role?



Scandal: Because there are other carries.



Blow: I think he is bad on the lane, due to his low armor.



Scandal: He is a good hero in my opinion, but no one picks him because of all the different teams, different drafts, someone likes one thing, someone likes another.



Blow: Everyone wants to play safe.



Scandal: Yea, he is a risky pick, but a strong carry.



Laedonna: Every team has moments when teammates are not satisfied with each other. How do you manage these situations?



Scandal: We keep it simple, it never gets out of hand.



Laedonna: What do you think about online tournaments, for example RDL? Do you approach them as seriously as LAN tournaments?



Scandal: You must give all the best for any tournament, online or not. Of course LAN tournaments can give you more motivation, but even online ones require composure. About RDL, we are not happy with that, we lost to the champions Dignitas. We lost exactly because we lacked composure. We were too relaxed, and made mistakes you would never make if you're focused. It cost us the match.



Laedonna: Scandal, you switched to the hardlane after Vigoss joined the team. How comfortable do you feel playing this new role? Would you like to return back to mid?



Scandal: Yes I would like that, I miss that lane. I am more or less fine on the hardlane, there isn't much difference. It is also a solo lane, you just don't have bottles, roughly speaking. However, if you face a trilane, then yes, it is different. It's not that hard, it just requires practice. Sometimes you can just leave the lane and go into the woods and get the items and levels you need.



Laedonna: Would you like to try other roles, carry or support?



Scandal: I would love to play a carry, yes. I played the carry role in HoN for two years.



Laedonna: Do you have a game that is stuck in your memory?



Blow: I remember how I played Crystal Maiden, going 1-26 and buying 5 Ogre Axes (Dota 1). It was the 3rd place match for ASUS Winter 2009. I played with Lost (LightOfHeaven), drak13, Cavi and Dread (OKHO Gaming). I am very ashamed for that game, I am sorry. ^^



Scandal: I don't have a very memorable game. There are some great games vs. Na`Vi from the Starladder finals, but I can't recall any in particular.



Laedonna: Scandal, would you like to see any HoN heroes transferred to Dota, if that could have been possible?



Scandal: HoN has almost the same heroes as Dota. I don't really remember though. I would like to see Puppet Muster in Dota, it's a carry hero that deals a lot of AoE damage and has a lot of disables. Also I would like to see some HoN versions of Dota heroes in Dota 2. For example, the HoN version of Tiny is much stronger. Razor too. Those heroes are very similar to their Dota counterparts, but for some reason they feel stronger. HoN's Lina is even imbalanced.



Laedonna: What should you focus on more, amount of practice, or on analyzing replays?



Blow: Overall I practice more than I watch replays, but I try to analyze the games right after they happen. Analysis is much more important than practice. It is important to understand how to think in Dota. From that comes understanding of the game, etc.



Scandal: Both are very important. Watching replays is actually a wonderful thing. If I want to figure something out I watch a replay. For example, if someone died, I usually rewind and look for what led to his death. Was it due to his actions, or enemy actions, or maybe some random factors? This is how I analyze games - rewind and try to understand what you must do to avoid this result.



Laedonna: Do you as a team get together in real life?



Scandal: We never go anywhere together, because we live in different cities. Goblak lives in Kiev, Silent lives in Kazan, Vigoss and I live in Moscow, and Blowyourbrain lives in somewhere else.



Laedonna: So you can't, but do you actually want to hang out with everyone?



Scandal: Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't ^^



Blow: We spend enough time together at LAN events. We spend almost every day together online, that's a big part of our lives.



Laedonna: You attended a lot of tournaments lately. Do you still find time for practice with such an abundance of tournaments?



Blow: Unfortunately we haven't had much practice lately, but we are constantly playing in tournaments throughout the week, so we gather beforehand to warm up and stay in shape before the official match.



Scandal: Actually, there aren't that many tournaments right now. Well...maybe that's because we are dropping out of everything so there is nowhere to play. ^^ Still, there is enough time. We try to practice on days when there are not many official matches.



Laedonna: Do you still have as much fun playing Dota as when you first played it, or has it become more professional, and you play because it's your job?



Blow: I have been playing for 8 years already, so there is no more excitement, but it is still interesting to play. Competitive Dota is not that fun, but I like it. I like to think. I want to become better than everyone else. That's why I still play Dota.



Scandal: I am not tired from the game. I play as I played, I still find motivation to play more. It is interesting for me to think, out-think others, playing pubs, I have fun from that.



Laedonna: With what team do you have the friendliest relationship with?



Scandal: We are on good terms with everyone, not exactly bros though. When we attend LANs, mostly in CIS, everyone hangs out. Dota party, so to speak.



Laedonna: How much do you swear in matches when you fail something?



Blow: If it's a pub, then a lot. If it's an official match, we don't want to spam into team chat so we do it silently.



Scandal: It happens quite rarely.



Laedonna: What qualities are necessary for a player to achieve success? What advice can you give to novice teams?



Scandal: Do not give up.



Blow: You must always figure out what is going wrong, and yes, the most important thing is perseverance. Always work on yourself.



Scandal: It is easy to play a match and put the blame on someone else. You must help each other by giving advice if you actually care and want to show results.



Blow: It is hard to figure out what went wrong for beginners. That can lead to mutual accusations and turmoil. To play in a team you must become a team first; try to make compromises, listen, and understand each other. It will convert into a certain view, a notion that will help you move forward as a team. I won't say that everything in our team is always that smooth.



Scandal: Individual skill is also important, obviously. It is essential.



Blow: It is a base. You can't build a professional team without it.



Laedonna: It is widely believed that it is very hard for a team without a sponsor, even a strong team, to break out onto the scene, because without financial support they can't attend LAN events. What do you think, is that true or not?



Blow: That is complete bullshit. If a team is very strong it will earn recognition and find a sponsor. Based on what I've seen, there are tons of organizations that can help you, if you are good enough as a team. You must simply show that you are worthy.



Laedonna: So how important is financial support for a team?



Blow: It is very important, like a breath of fresh air for a team. All the rent, food, and travel is very hard to afford and manage by yourself. Organizations are very helpful with all of this. Thanks a lot to our sponsors, Seagate, Razor, and Twitch.tv. We are grateful with all our hearts. ^^



Laedonna: Is eSports worth it, or is it better to find a normal job?



Blow: I am not sure if it's worth it. I can say that there is always only one winner. Only winners and the closest to them get paid. There are about 160 Dota players in the world who get a salary, and out of how many? 7 million? It is incomparable. But if you really believe and want to win, then go ahead. Nothing is impossible. I had never dreamed that I would earn money by playing Dota.



Laedonna: What do you do in your free time, apart from Dota?



Blow: I am studying.



Laedonna: How do you combine Dota and study?



Blow: I study during the day. Well, kind of. ^^ But everything is fine.



Scandal: I am not studying.



Laedonna: So do you wish to serve our motherland in the military?



Scandal: Not yet ^^



Laedonna: What do your family and relatives think about you being a professional eSports player?



Scandal: Fine. Of course, at first there were some complaints about wasting a lot of time in front of the PC, etc. Later, when we started to win money and travel to events overseas, my parents calmed down.



Blow: Same for mine.



Laedonna: If not for Dota, what would you be doing right now?



Blow: I got really lucky, because I didn't know what to do. I went to college just for the sake of it, I had no plans. It so happened that I saw Dota 2 for the first time at The International 1 and got excited. I thought that I could show myself in this game.



Scandal: Right now I do not play anything other than Dota. Before that I played some MMORPG's. If not for Dota I would have probably started studying languages, for example I like English.



Laedonna: Why are you such a fan of Russian rap, and do you listen to any other music, Blowyourbrain?



Blow: Don't know, I just like it. I've been listening to it for about 2 years. I just like to muse, and I think there are artists that say the right things that modern society should listen to.



Laedonna: Scandal, any music preferences?



Scandal: I listen to everything, I don't have any specific preferences. I don't really like rap, but I like some of the stuff that Blowyourbrain shows me, so maybe there is something in it. Most of all I like Alternative Rock, mostly foreign, something energetic and fast.



Laedonna: With regards to your girlfriends, past and current - what do they think about your passion? Did you try to teach them Dota?



Blow: Yes I have a girlfriend, her name's Natasha. We have been living together for about a year. She is interested in Dota, often watching me play, cheering for me. I tried to teach her to play, but she doesn't want to.



Scandal: I don't really want to talk about it.



Laedonna: OK. Then what do you think about female Dota players?



Scandal: I'm OK with that. They play kind of funny, extremely emotional and interesting to watch. They don't think too much in their games, there is a lot of screaming, etc. A lot of emotions, not so much thinking. (Translator's note: doesn't sound quite so sexist in Russian!)



Laedonna: Why does no one picks Spectre?



Blow: Spectre can't fight at the start.



Scandal: Spectre is picked, but it is a risky pick. Your opponents may not let you develop her full potential, similar to Alchemist. Everyone wants to play safe so they pick more standard heroes.



Vladislav "BLOWYOURBRAIN" Morozyuk and Roman "Scandal" Sadotenkov were interviewed by Irina "Laedonna" Chashina from dota2.ru on 01.04.13.YouTube VODs (Russian only):How's your mood, guys? How's your 1st April going? Did anyone play a trick on you today?OK. First off, congratulations on winning Techlabs Moscow. Tell us about the tournament and your feelings about it. How did you celebrate the win?Does it disturb your play when a lot of people watch you on stage, or do you completely sink into the game and ignore everything around you? Is there a difference when you play at home, or when you play on stage? Is there more pressure?Do you get nervous before the games? Do you have some kind of of cheer, or a talisman?Tell us about what happens during the games in your team chat. Does Goblak consult with you during the draft, or there are no discussions at all?Do you ever get unhappy with Goblak's drafts? For example, do you ever do your own thing, then come back, see the draft and are like "OMG what did you do Goblak? How are we going play now?"Who coordinates your actions during the game? Does Goblak do that only by himself?Do you have a person who tries to cheer up the team even in the worst situations to keep your morale high? "WOO-HOO guys! Come on, we are losing only by 10k gold, it's no problem!"Vigoss joined your team some time ago. Have you found a mutual understanding with each other, and did your team chemistry changed with his arrival?Do you get any power from the almighty aura of Vigoss?Is there a team that you feel uncomfortable playing against, for example because of their draft or playstyle?Do you think you can match Chinese teams? Do you follow their scene? Their style is very different from the West region.Do you practice some hero combinations that are currently unpopular, as part of team practice and in pubs?Empire vs NTH match, where you picked Treant and won. Was that a spontaneous pick, or that was a trained strategy?Will you try to play with Medusa or Timbersaw?Why is Alchemist not a common pick for a carry role?Every team has moments when teammates are not satisfied with each other. How do you manage these situations?What do you think about online tournaments, for example RDL? Do you approach them as seriously as LAN tournaments?Scandal, you switched to the hardlane after Vigoss joined the team. How comfortable do you feel playing this new role? Would you like to return back to mid?Do you have a game that is stuck in your memory?Scandal, would you like to see any HoN heroes transferred to Dota, if that could have been possible?What should you focus on more, amount of practice, or on analyzing replays?Do you as a team get together in real life?You attended a lot of tournaments lately. Do you still find time for practice with such an abundance of tournaments?Do you still have as much fun playing Dota as when you first played it, or has it become more professional, and you play because it's your job?With what team do you have the friendliest relationship with?How much do you swear in matches when you fail something?What qualities are necessary for a player to achieve success? What advice can you give to novice teams?It is widely believed that it is very hard for a team without a sponsor, even a strong team, to break out onto the scene, because without financial support they can't attend LAN events. What do you think, is that true or not?So how important is financial support for a team?Is eSports worth it, or is it better to find a normal job?What do you do in your free time, apart from Dota?What do your family and relatives think about you being a professional eSports player?If not for Dota, what would you be doing right now?Why are you such a fan of Russian rap, and do you listen to any other music, Blowyourbrain?With regards to your girlfriends, past and current - what do they think about your passion? Did you try to teach them Dota?Why does no one picks Spectre?









Writers: Kipsate, dfs

Gfx: Hawaiianpig, shiroiusagi, riptide

Editors: TheEmulator, riptide, Firebolt145

Cover photo of the

: Kipsate, dfs: Hawaiianpig, shiroiusagi, riptide: TheEmulator, riptide, Firebolt145Cover photo of the Cyber Sports Arena by Gameinside.ua So here we are again, on our way to Kiev, The Ukraine, where four of the best teams in Western DotA will fight it out for a $8000 first place prize. No Tidehunter Fnatic.EU , and Virtus.pro will head to the fantastic Cyber Sports Arena, where they will lock horns on LAN for the honour of calling themselves Starladder Champions.The Cyber Sports Arena is the pride of CIS Dota 2 (and E-Sports in general, of course), and if you don't know what it is, it's time you acquainted yourself with it, especially seeing as that's where you'll spend most of your time over the next few days. Here's a quick video walkthrough of the place, courtesy of our friends over at IEM.With the grueling online portion of the league over, we're now ready to head to the LAN, a world of low pings and high emotions, where the teams get to meet face to face before going head to head. The four teams invited are some of the best that Western DotA has to offer, and we're certainly excited to see them take each other on.First off, we have our LAN Finals Preview . Don't know what to expect from these teams? Don't worry, Kipsate will fill you in. We also bring to you a translated interview with Empire's very own Scandal and Blowyourbrain, thanks to TL translator, dfs.That's all for our coverage this time around, we hope you all join us this week in our Live Report thread so we can all enjoy the games together. Staff Xiao8~~