GosuGamers caught up with Wang "Ame" Chunyu ahead of DreamLeague Season 22 to discuss his return to the professional scene.
Wang "Ame" Chunyu has been close to claiming the Aegis of Champions, the most wanted trophy in Dota 2, a few times in his career. TI 8, TI 9 and TI 10 delivered some of the most spectacular storylines and in all three The Internationals Ame and LGD Gaming, his team at that time, were very close to achieving their dreams. He came in second at two of the aforementioned TIs and after a subpar top 6 placement at TI 11, Ame announced his retirement from the professional scene. Ever since then, Dota 2 fans around the world hoped to see him change his mind and return to pro play.
It’s not only the fans and the casual players who praise Ame for his phenomenal skills.
Two time TI champion Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk is one of the biggest fans of the Chinese carry player. At TI12, when Team Spirit claimed their second Aegis, Yatoro paid respect to Ame by having his name attached to his own in Chinese letters. By winning that TI, he immortalized Ame’s name on the Aegis, but although undoubtedly the best carry in the world thinks that Ame deserves to have his name engraved on the most wanted trophy in the scene, Ame himself stays humble and says he is not that good as Yatoro or other people might think.
After nearly two years of retirement, Ame has finally decided to return at the beginning of this year. He played his first LAN Tournament after the break last week in Dubai, at BetBoom Dacha 2024 and he is now preparing to play in the ESL Pro Tour at DreamLeague Season 22.
We caught up with Ame in between the two tournaments to learn more about the relationship between him and Yatoro, and to discuss his return to the professional scene.
What made you decide to return, was it a specific tournament, did your friends or someone in the scene convince you to do it?
To be honest, I got extremely bored being retired and staying at home doing nothing. So, yeah, I decided to return.
What did you do in your time off, how did you enjoy life without professional Dota 2?
I spent some time playing different games at home and I hung out with my friends. Nothing special, as I said, it became quite boring after some time.
Yatoro from Team Spirit speaks very highly of you. During the BetBoom Dacha Dubai, he even posted on Telegram that your Naga Siren was the most beautiful carry game he had ever seen. Are you two good friends, talk to each other, exchange ideas and discuss Dota?
To begin with, I don't think I am as good as Yatoro thinks I am. I can't say that we are good friends, in the sense that we talk a lot or hang out. We have a normal relationship as pro players and sometimes we chat over Steam, but that is all.
Why is the Chinese scene lacking new, young talent?
Firstly, young kids in China face high pressure from their families to keep studying and finish the school program. Secondly, there are many other games that are more attractive for the young generation. The Chinese kids like to play other games, for sure.
You topped the group at BetBoom Dacha Dubai, what went wrong in the playoffs?
Simply put, we didn't play well and we didn't play at 100% of our true power.
What did you learn from the BetBoom Dacha experience and what do you, as a team, think you need to change to have a better result at Dream League Season 22?
We learned that we shouldn't be afraid to make mistakes in a game. That would be the biggest thing. Also, we shouldn't put too much pressure on ourselves. We need to learn to play more freely.
Do you feel like there is extra pressure on you specifically, because, you know, you are Ame, the uncrowned king and everyone is watching you, and everyone has high expectations from you?
I really don't think that I am as good right now. I am ok with whatever pressure is put on me.
How do you like the current meta, are there any heroes that you would like to see nerfed or buffed in the next patch?
Phantom Assassin and Terrorblade could use some buffs, to be honest. And Meepo definitely needs to be nerfed. Meepo is way too strong in the current meta.
How about Mage Slayer?
Oh yes, this item also needs to be nerfed. Right now, Mage Slayer is way too cheap for how good it is. So, maybe they should work on that.
Alright, I think everyone shares your opinion on Mage Slayer and I hope we get to see some changes being made in the next patch. Thank you for your time Ame, and we wish you the best of luck at DreamLeague Season 22.
Dream League Season 22 is set to begin this coming Sunday, February 25 with 16 teams entering the battle for the title and a share of the $1,000,000 prize pool. Ame’s team Xtreme Gaming is seeded in Group B alongside Team Spirit.
At the recently concluded BetBoom Dacha tournament, the two teams were also seeded in the same group and Xtreme Gaming came out on top, claiming the first spot in the group while Team Spirit were second. Neither made it to the grand finals, will DreamLeague Season 22 witness a different story? Stay tuned to GosuGamers for full tournament coverage!
