WinteR 20-20 Answers March 13th, 2014 02:42 GMT Text by CountChocula Graphics by riptide

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20 Questions



20 Answers



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is not only one of the scene's oldest hands, but also



Known for being an excellent drafter and having been on the national chess team of Malaysia, WinteR is renowned for his in depth knowledge of all things strategy. In fact, he is one of the most versatile personalities on the scene today. Apart from being a part of some of the most insightful casts of 2013, he also recently came out of an extended hiatus and returned to competitive play with Orange Esports.



Today, he appears on our 20-20 so you can pick his brains about everything Dota!





Winter is coming.



Please note: WinteR is also the winner of the first ever SEA Macho Man Contest.





Winter is coming.Please note: WinteR is also the winner of the first ever SEA Macho Man Contest.



20 Questions

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20 Answers



With the possibility TI4 coming up very soon and the possibility of 4 qualifiers for different regions, meaning only 12 direct invites, give us your 12 direct TI4 invites if you were in charge of TI4 invites. [Count9]



Alliance, Na`Vi, DK, iG, VG, C9, EG, Liquid, Fnatic, Sigma/Empire, Titan



At TI4, will you and SyndereN get drunk on the appropriate local beverages and livecast a Bo7 1v1 mid against each other? [CaptainPlatypus]



I get drunk very easily I hope Syn gets drunk fast as well, because then we will be on even ground. Maybe pgg can help me out! Why notI get drunk very easilyI hope Syn gets drunk fast as well, because then we will be on even ground. Maybe pgg can help me out!



I'm curious how much interaction you guys have with the Korean teams as one of the top SEA teams. Do you guys scrim with them much? At this point it seems likely that there will be some amount of competition between SEA and the Korean Scene for TI4 slots or qualifier slots. What do you think about that situation?



PS: If you can't make it to TI4 as a player, I sincerely hope you can make it as a caster because you really are one of the best. [Sn0_Man]



Sometimes we scrim with them. I think it’s really good to have more competition for the game to grow even bigger. The Korean scene still needs time to develop and give more exposure towards more mature teams. This will be a great chance for them.



Thanks man.



First off, congrats on the strong performance lately, Orange looks good! Can I ask about the formation of the new team? It seems like it's you, Sharky and ex-Insidious Idol players. What was the process going through the team formation? How is it going so far? [opterown]



We are still very unstable - can play very well sometimes and lose to any team the next day. We were sort of friends before this me and the II players. I was helping them improve their team whenever I was free. Then a situation happen later and it led to the formation of the team soon after.



Do you think that the lack of a full-blown, long-term SEA league along the lines of G-League or WPC-Ace is making SEA Dota less competitive vs. China, when before some regional power-houses could reliably compete against the Chinese? [Ciryandor]



Yea, it hurts not having committed sponsors and organizers to have this sort of events. So far there is only Dota Talk which only organize normal online events and Mineski. Mineski however focuses mostly on their own Pinoy scene, so there isn’t really anyone making leagues for SEA teams. Sponsorship in SEA is also much harder to find.



With Mushi and iceiceice joining DK awhile ago (and ChuaN playing for iG for awhile, Johnny in old RS), are you concerned that the fates of all top notch SEA players are to ultimately end up in the Chinese scene? Or are you supportive of the fact that those SEA players are now playing/growing in a more competitive environment while encouraging and opening up spots for new SEA stars to rise up? [Zenniv]



It's better for players who want to play full time to realize their dreams to move towards China, because opportunities like this don't come all the time. It will encourage new players to improve and be the best.



What do you think about Mineski.Julz, since he was voted as the best carry in SEA from Dota Talk two weeks ago? [SiewKaiz]



He is not the same player from Dota 1 I must say.



People often say that SEA is made out of great individual talent/laning/mechanics but really poor teamwork, rotations, timing (except the 3rd place Orange team at TI3). What are your thoughts on this? [ArchDC]



Yea I totally agree. Very few SEA players can lead and control a team's discipline effectively.



Do you think casting/analyzing games has improved your skills as a player (understanding difficult situations differently, making better calls/decisions, etc.)? [Geisterkarle]



Hmm, I think it helps because I take it like I am watching a replay. Watching replays more often helps improve your game understanding and decision making, etc.



What do you recommend that aspiring or current casters do to improve their casting? Is knowledge of the game/scene attainable despite one not playing too much?



As an additional question, how does one study a replay? Do you look at the individual movement/play of the more skilled players or so you simply look at the overall flow of the game? What's the most important thing to watch out for?



Lastly, how do you make in-game and drafting calls? Is it principally, you stick to the plan and react when needed or do you plan depending on how the laning stage goes? [Caladbolg]



Sadly you can only gain the knowledge by playing more/watching more replays. Having a pro team helps a lot.



If you’re focusing on improving individually you should watch one player from his perspective, but usually team captains would look at overall flow of the game. Overall flow is more important for the success of a team.



Sometimes if you’re confident with your plan you just stick to it. Some teams are just comfortable adjusting when necessary against enemy lineup. I feel every team has their own preference and strengths.



Hello I am Dota 2 player and now I am stuck at 4.6k MMR. I feel that I need to do some improvement to myself to make me go to 5k MMR. Do you have any good suggestion for some 4k MMR players like us to go to 5k MMR? [npr101]



Sometimes watching others play helps more than playing yourself if you can understand what you’re watching. If there is someone to guide you through the replay it would be better. Takes a longer time to learn things by yourself.



When a new hero comes in the game - such as Terrorblade and Phoenix now, and Ember Spirit just before them - how many times (or say percentage-wise) do you tend to pick those in the practise before the first next official tournament overall? [VArsovskiSC]



I will pick it if I feel it can be viable - I don't have a percentage-wise thing. We just try it until we are sure this will work/won't work.



Hi WinteR, can you talk about Skywrath as mid or support? He has a super powerful lane nuke, a ranged slow and silence, and with his ulti, he can solokill almost anyone midgame. Is there any obvious reason why he's almost never played? Lack of stun? Weakness to BKB?



As someone with both the caster and player perspective, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the current meta. At TI3 the hero pool was bigger than ever, but there still was a handful of core heroes. The last 6 months though, it seems like pro teams are running more and more unconventional lineups and heroes. Is this just people trying and testing stuff before the next Invitational, or do you think the current patch and metagame allow for a super varied hero pool? [Silan]



I think he fits as a support better since he doesn’t have any spells to farm quickly. He can only kill heroes and snowball, and the hero himself is very weak to ganks early on, so it’s too risky to put him mid. He can be a support but very situational.



The current patch and metagame and various buffs on weaker heroes just made a lot of heroes viable.



What are your opinions on Level 1 Roshan, given that in the recent meta more teams that choose Dire side are trying to pull off such a strategy even with the risk of getting caught or scouted. In Orange, how would you react to a possible early Roshan by the enemy team? [Alternative]



I think you will only do a Level 1 Roshan if you think you can't beat the enemy by normal play. It's usually very obvious if you do it, but once in a blue moon it might catch enemy by surprise. Reacting to Roshan early on is to anticipate they will do it, scout and be ready just in case they are not doing it but wrapping around us.



Fnatic has been running Meepo support. What do you think of having a support like Meepo who is effective, but is a huge XP sink in comparison to the average support? [Kibibit]



It could work i think if you can play him well. Meepo as a support is very greedy, but if you pull it off he’s just another core.



What ever happened to the Kingsurf members apart from YamateH? Any of them planning to make a comeback in Dota 2? [NB]



No, none of them play Dota anymore if I am not mistaken.



Which player is versatile enough that if you clone him, you can make a really good team out of him? For example 5 WinteRs. Give us a team for both East and West! [braincandy]



5 Arteezy would be a good idea. 5 ChuaNs and there will never be enough food.5 Arteezy would be a good idea.



Which team(s) do you enjoy beating the most? Who do you consider to be your biggest rival (player and team)? Thanks in advance for any answers, hope you get to cast with BTS soon! [Omigawa]



I used to enjoy beating Mushi's team the most from the good old Dota 1 days when we were teammates/rivals. I always had this thing with him - It's the same for him too. He’s the best teammate I’ve had so far too.



What is your favorite cheese? [Dubzex]



VS Kunkka roaming at Level 1



If you had to pick 5 players or casters to go up against in an International Macho Man Contest, who would you choose and why? [MaknaeLove]



H4nn1

Fly

Era

Akke

Pajkatt



There is no way I will beat them, and no one is going to kiss me, so i can join the contest without worrying about home in trouble after. :D





This time we have one bonus question:





What was your favourite experience at TI3 and why was it getting clam chowder with me? [Aui_2000]



Can I have clam chowder again this year?











Writer: CountChocula

Gfx: riptide

Editor: riptide

Image via: WinteR

: CountChocula: riptide: riptide Chan "WinteR" Litt-Binn is not only one of the scene's oldest hands, but also Team Liquid's Caster of the Year 2013 . A stalwart of SEA Dota, WinteR is one of the few community figures who has done well as both a player and a caster. Entering competitive Dota in 2008, WinteR played a key role on such teams as Cybertime, MUFC and Orange that went on to become household names.Known for being an excellent drafter and having been on the national chess team of Malaysia, WinteR is renowned for his in depth knowledge of all things strategy. In fact, he is one of the most versatile personalities on the scene today. Apart from being a part of some of the most insightful casts of 2013, he also recently came out of an extended hiatus and returned to competitive play with Orange Esports.Today, he appears on our 20-20 so you can pick his brains about everything Dota!This time we have one bonus question: 我会让他们连馒头都吃不到 Those championships owed me over the years, I will take them back one by one.