WinteR, how’s your experience so far?
It's interesting I guess. It's different from what I have done at the BTS house. It's more serious here. There is a tension in the air. You don’t want to say it's entirely that alone, but it’s a big event so you want to be serious about it at the same time.
Alright, so how nervous were you on your first time on camera compared to this? How nervous were you? On a scale of 1-10?
I wasn’t nervous about appearing on camera. It was just because I had never worked with Chobra ever. I had never spoken to him. So that was the thing that was worrying me the most.
So how was working with Chobra?
It was good. It turned out well. We had really good chemistry. Very good teamwork when we were at the desk. I mean the couch.
So you have to put on makeup before you go on?
Yeah, you have to put on makeup and dress up every day. We have to come down earlier.
So is that weird for you or is it natural?
No, it's normal. When you are playing in a big tournament they put makeup on you. You have to do media days, do an interview, take pictures.
How is The International this year for you?
I mean, it's much better.
In what ways?
The format is better. A lot of ways. I think they way they handled the organizing and managing the people is better. The food was better this year. In general everything is better. The format especially. I didn’t like the format last year.
Okay, speaking about the format, many people say that this year and last year’s format were not good. For this year specifically, many don’t like that you get 3 points for a 2-0 of your opponent. What do you think? Should it be 2 points?
I don’t know. I think it's fine, though. You should be rewarded being able to 2-0 your opponents. If it's 2 points then it’s not as rewarding. It’s the same. Because at 3 points, if you draw, it has a significant impact in the groups. So I think 3 points changes a lot of things. But I think it's fair.
So which teams do you think surpassed the expectations?
Complexity. I think complexity definitely surpassed everyone’s expectations. And even Newbee, though they were the bottom of their group. At 6 draws and 1 loss, all their draws were, they could have won all their games 2-0. So I think Newbee and Complexity were the ones above my expectations.
Any underperforming teams?
Obviously there were. If there were teams that overperformed then there will be teams that underperform. Like Vici. Vici for example and IG.
IG?
Yeah, they are definitely the teams that underperformed.
Alright, so many people have taken to Reddit to appreciate your analysis and insight into the drafts. Does this come from you previously being a drafter?
When you play a lot it comes to you. Most of the players in the competitive scene think like that. If you play for a long time, you may have different approaches, but the top percents will link together if you have a lot of experience. So that’s how I am able to breakdown and understand how different teams prioritize their different picks and strategies.
Did you read the thread about you?
Yeah, I did.
How do you feel about the thread?
Of course its happy that people appreciate what you do but you still have to continue and improve. So you can’t let it get to you.
So after this is the playoffs, who do you think will make Top 3 this year?
In the playoffs? This year?
Yeah. Who do you think?
At the moment, it seems Secret, EG, and LGD. They look to be the strongest teams.
Do you think there will be any surprises?
Cloud 9 maybe. Cloud 9 looks strong as well. But sometimes they have the problem of ending games so I’m not that sure, but they are up there in Top 6 at least.
Let’s talk a little bit about the playstyles. In terms of the differences between Chinese and European playstyles, what are they and which one is better?
I think playstyle wise, Europe teams are more willing to take risks and pick outside of the box. Chinese teams are more conservative. But if you are talking about picks, there are a few heroes that both heroes play. Like Naga, both regions play Naga, Western teams play a much better Naga. And for instance, Chinese teams play a much better Ember. So that’s the difference really, even though they play the same hero, the success rate is different between the region.
Do you have a preference on which one is better?
I mean the record speaks for itself. The Chinese teams are winning more with Ember and the Western teams are winning with Naga.
So after The International, do you have any plans of returning to competitive play?
Uh, I don’t know about that. But I’ll just take one step at a time and see what happens.
Okay, would you want to cast more tournaments then?
Yeah, probably. It's fun. I mean, for me, as long as I am doing something related to the game I happy. It doesn’t have to be playing. Everyone wants to play. I mean in SEA there isn’t many opportunities to play. It's not worth playing.
Do you have anything to say to your home country’s Fnatic?
Don’t give up!
Do you have any shoutouts you would like to give?
No. I’m fine. Thank you.
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