With an impressive 2-0 victory over Into The Breach in Western Europe's Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021-22 Tour 2: Division 2, Alliance's revamped roster registered a solid debut. Following the victory, Nikolay "Nikobaby" Nikolov, the team's carry player, talked about playing with the team’s new midlaner Aliwi "w33" Omar, in the post match interview. Nikobaby acknowledged that he had not really played with w33 too much thus far, but believes he will contribute positively, describing him as a "mature" player who keeps his cool during games.

W33 is held in high regard by Nikobaby as Alliance looks to improve in Division 2

Following the win over Into The Breach, Nikobaby shared that it had only been his third day playing with w33, but he is pleased with how it has gone so far. “To be honest, this is the third day that we are playing together but so far he has been very chill, mature, and he is calm in games which is a nice thing to have. I am sure he is a valuable player,” Nikobaby said.

W33 had initially refused to join Alliance since he was opposed to teams with betting sponsors. However, on 27th Feb he eventually joined, saying that he would personally continue to keep his distance from betting sponsors.

As part of this roster rebuilding process, Alliance had welcomed Moiez "symetricaL" Mahmood and Nikolay "CTOMAHEH1" Kalchev, in addition to w33, to its Dota 2 roster on 27th Feb. These changes were the result of Alliance's dismal showing in Division 1, which relegated the team to Division 2 in Tour 2.

Nikobaby also spoke about this rebuilding phase, saying that they were looking to understand the dynamics of the team moving forward. Along with playing Dota 2, he said they were trying to connect on a mental level by working out together, visiting a local lake for relaxation, and more.

Nikobaby’s comments on Loda as a coach

In addition to the change in three players, Alliance co-founder Jonathan "Loda" Berg also returned as the team's new coach. The past season, Loda had taken on a more organizational role within the team, but Nikobaby said that he was being of assistance both mentally and in regards to drafting in his current role as the coach for the team now. Nikobaby added, “He fits in really well so far and we share similar ideas and he is definitely enabling all of the players to be themselves.”

Nikobaby also outlined his goals for Division 2, saying that his only focus is on improvement. “For me, all that matters is improvement and us being a unit. Nothing else matters. The results are going to come naturally. I only think about improvement. That is the most important thing for me.”

Alliance’s next series in the DPC 2021-22 Tour 2 will be against Team Bald Reborn on 23rd March.

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