N0tail States That Valve Could Do More For the DPC During the Pandemic

^{Image Courtesy: Valve}

• In an interview with CIS news portal Cybersport, N0tail talks about various topics including:
  • Valve’s handling of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) during the pandemic
  • Online leagues
  • What is causing OG problems in recent online tournaments?
  • SumaiL
  • Qualities Players Need to Become a Successful Dota 2 Professional

Earlier today, Russsian news portal Cybersport released a comprehensive exclusive interview with OG’s captain Johan "N0tail" Sundstein. They talk about various topics including discussions on how N0tail is dealing with the pandemic, OG’s training, online leagues, etc. 

On Valve’s Handling of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) During the Pandemic

However one of the more interesting and important topics about this interview where N0tail’s thoughts on how Valve is dealing with the disruption of the DPC leagues due to the ongoing pandemic.

N0tail’s Thoughts on Online Leagues

N0tail also talks about the online leagues stating that he was happy with the number of tournaments he is playing at the moment. However, he also thinks that there might be a problem with oversaturation in the future.

“I am happy that we generally have Dota.” I am glad that I can still play in tournaments, and every day. But, of course, the current format has both advantages and disadvantages. From the pros: we can regularly play with Team Liquid, Team Secret. Because of this, there are more fundamental confrontations that are interesting to follow. So such a number of matches is not bad.

But I agree that there is a risk of oversaturation of the scene with the same matches. And that's bad. However, so far I have not seen serious complaints. Streams still attract a bunch of people, and with the new Battle Pass ... Wow! In general, while I can say: the more Dota, the better!”

What is Causing OG Some Problems in Recent Online Tournaments?

When responding to a question, asking how OG’s new players have integrated with the squad, N0tail revealed some of the problems that they’re facing at the moment which give us some indication of why they’ve been underperforming in recent online tournaments.

“When we first started playing, things were even going too well. We had this honeymoon - we won all the scrims, we had a very fun and productive boot camp, we shared our experiences and knowledge... Now we were caught up by the coronavirus, which has slowed down all the processes. Because of this, personally, it has become harder for me to remain satisfied and maintain motivation at the proper level because I lack the things that give me energy: the noise of the crowd, the atmosphere of the tournaments.

But, on the other hand, this is another challenge. And we face difficulties every year. There is always something that we are not ready for. But, returning to your question, the newcomers really quickly adapted to what we were trying to tell them. And I know that now they share our views of the game.”

N0tail’s thoughts on SumaiL

N0tail also talks about his carry, Syed Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan and how he is misconceived by many in the Dota 2 community.

“People have a complete misconception about SumaiL. Yes, he might have seemed arrogant because of some statements or interviews - but that exact same thing can be said about other people. Often they just have some kind of an online image, and when you meet such a person in real life, he turns out to be completely different. I myself am like that: the n0tail that you see in interviews or social networks is not me all the time.

SumaiL is a very confident person. And yes, he praises himself a lot. But that's only part of what's really hidden in him. We all like to cling to certain traits in other people's assessment, and it was very easy to label SumaiL as being narcissistic or brazen. But he isn't, honestly.”

What Qualities do Players Need to Become a Successful Dota 2 Professional?

OG’s captain also spoke about the most important qualities that a player needs to have to excel in Dota 2: humility and arrogance.

“There is one thing, it's very important to get along with their teammates, and that can be influenced by many things. But as a player in Dota 2, you have to be able to tame your pride, to be humble. If you are not able to do that, then you will have problems - not only in OG, but everywhere. I think that's very important.

And when you learn to be humble, there will come a time to learn to be self-confident - so much so that it borders on outright cockiness at times when it is required. If you have no humility, it will be difficult to work with you. If you have no arrogance, you will not succeed."

You can read the full interview HERE.

OG was eliminated from ESL One Birmingham 2020 Online - Europe & CIS after only managing to secure a single win in the group stages. The next tournament in which they’ll compete in is the upcoming BLAST Bounty Hunt.