Today, former Zenith player hyhy has done an AMA - AskMeAnything - on reddit. We compiled the highlights, as he talks about a possible return to the competitive Dota 2 scene and his venture into League of Legends.
Hyhy on..
... his adventure within the LeagueOfLegends scene:
Following the conclusion of TI2, hyhy was forced to make a decision between pro Dota 2 and his studies. His school wouldn't let him take leave for yet another TI, as it collided with exams. League of Legends pro circuit offered a more flexible timetable and thus hyhy decided to venture into the competitive LoL scene. "I quit in the end because my good friend and very same person who brought me into garena, left the team. I kinda miss playing dota too", says hyhy.
... the differences between League and Dota 2:
While both are "excellent games" for him, hyhy feels that Dota is a more strategic game, whereas League can be decided by raw skill alone. He draws a comparison between TI4 and Worlds, saying that Newbee won out of sheer tactical superiority, whereas Samsung White was individually more skilled than their competition. "We cant say the DK/ EG lineup at that time was any less skilled than Newbee. But I think SKT/ Samsung White were clearly the most skilled team when they won the respective LoL Worlds finals."
Hyhy also mentions that the skill cap in League - if he had to decide between the two - is probably higher, considering that "most of their heroes have skillshots and landing them can be tough. The evolutions in the champions also allow 8 or more spells in a single hero, cooldown reduction aspect in the game also requires spells to be fast, not compromising accuracy and timing where they are casted."
... the FreeToPlay documentary:
"It was very meaningful to me and also to Fear and Dendi, I believe. Having a documentary made about your experience and love for the game kinda validates the time and effort we put into DotA over these long years. The best part about the documentary for me was having met and befriended the Valve filming team, they are some of the best people I've had the chance to meet."
... a possible comeback to the professional Dota 2 scene:
Hyhy mentions that if he returns, it is unlikely to be as a caster or coach, rather as a player. For now he wants to focus on streaming and see if opportunities arise. Offers regarding a possible coaching position have been made, however hyhy noted that "if I were to go to china, I'll probably be playing instead of coaching anyways." Interestingly enough, he also mentions that, while he would take on any role his team needed him on, if he was to make a comeback, he would prefer the support role. He does not like playing offlane though, because "I tend to feed recklessly against 3."
... a return of Zenith:
According to hyhy, it is unlikely that there will ever be another Zenith, considering that xy is studying in the UK and IceIceIce is currently playing in China with no plans to return anytime soon. He says that there is "no point reforming [Zenith] with its essence lost."
.. his current status:
Hyhy is currently serving his national service and has thus no immediate plans/possibilities to play outside of Singapore. He is however ready to venture into the competitive circuit, but will focus on streaming for now, thus the AMA. He will however be done with the national service in a year, and has pointed out that that would be the time he would play outside of the SEA region, if the situation presented itself.
... DotA influencing his life:
"It's a way of life, meeting the different people over the years and the enriching experiences that came with it. It's gonna be tough explaining, but to me it was a valuable privilege. It's always an uphill battle convincing parents or seniors on a pathway that set asides the typical studies and career, it took me years of dedication and success in gaming before I had my way with this. Or perhaps they just gave up :P"
Interesting tidbits:
- Declined an invitation from xiao8 to join Newbee prior to TI4 because of his national service
- Hates his name being pronounced "hi hi"
- Does not smoke anymore!
- 5.9k Party MMR, does not believe Solo MMR matters
- thinks BigDaddyN0tail is the cutest player Dota has ever had
- "We [Him and Yamateh] both have an immense fear of flying. Flying to Seattle for TI almost killed us."
- Shadow Fiend is still his favorite hero and while he likes the new model, he prefers the WC3 model
- Describes himself as a "beer person" and has still has dreams about German beer from when he went to TI1
- Does not regret his infamous SF pick from TI1; "Given the situation at that time, my team had no better alternative for the last pick, and it was up to me to go with a surprise pocket pick, I went with the hero I was most confident with but sadly it didn't work"
Source: Reddit
Headline image by BattleAsia, News and Rotator image by FreeToPlayTheMovie.com