PSG.LGD NothingToSay Lists the Hardest Midlaners He Has Ever Faced

A relatively unknown player in the international scene just a year ago, Cheng "NothingToSay" Jin Xiang is now widely regarded as one of the best midlaners. Majors and The International 10 (TI10) gave him the opportunity to face household names like Topias Miikka "Topson" Taavissainen, as well as some similarly upcoming names like Alexander "TORONTOTOKYO" Khertek. NothingToSay recently gave an interview on "Level Up KL : eSports Masterclass" in which he discussed the four hardest midlaners he has ever faced. NothingToSay also provided a lot of other insightful details about his time at PSG.LGD.

Nisha is the hardest midlaner to play against, says NothingToSay

According to NothingToSay, Team Secret’s midlaner Michał "Nisha" Jankowski is the hardest player to play against in the midlane. NothingToSay ranked the following players in order of difficulty:

1. Nisha

2. Karl “Karl” Matthew Baldovino

3. Danil "gpk" Skutin

4. TORONTOTOKYO

In his opinion, TORONTOTOKYO, TI10 winner, was rated fourth on his list due to his tendency to focus on teamwork rather than the finer details of the midlane. Topson, the TI8 and TI9 champion, was also viewed in a similar light by NothingToSay as he states Topson was also more focused on his team rather than his own game. He further stated if he were to include himself in this list based on individual skill, he would come in at number two because he found it hard to beat Nisha.

NothingToSay was quick to mention Team Nigma's star player, Amer "Miracle-" al-Barkawi, when asked who his idol is. The Malaysian player praised Miracle- particularly for the way he played Invoker.

NothingToSay describes why xiao8 is the best coach that he has ever worked with

As a player for PSG.LGD, NothingToSay has been coached by one of the biggest Dota 2 player-turned-coaches in China - Zhang "xiao8" Ning. NothingToSay explained why he ranked xiao8 at the top.

NothingToSay noted that because xiao8 played a lot of pubs and was well versed in the dynamics of various heroes, he was able to assist with drafting as well as provide him with intricate details about heroes and playstyles. Among these intricacies was knowing the moment a particular tower needed to be pushed on a particular hero.

NothingToSay further added that xiao8 has played multiple roles in his career, making him a unique coach compared to others

NothingToSay talks about his time with PSG.LGD and the TI10 Grand Final against Team Spirit

When it comes to training, Chinese teams are known to stick to strict schedules and NothingToSay's sessions with PSG.LGD were no different. In the interview, he said that the team at TI used to train for a long time, which spanned from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM. In this time period, the team curated strategies, played scrims and official games, and even played some pubs. PSG.LGD woke up at 8:30 AM and went to bed at 12:00 AM. Additionally, NothingToSay also revealed that their phones were taken from them during training.

It was the team's hard work that paid off at TI10 as it comprehensively defeated team after team to reach the final. PSG.LGD was expected to win the event right up until the very end. However, Team Spirit won the grand final after a grueling BO5 series.

NothingToSay shared some insights regarding the factors leading up to this 3-2 grand final loss. He mentioned that they had decided to use Io for the first two games, but the games did not go as planned. There was also the issue of not having the ideal pairings for Io.

PSG.LGD ended up losing the fifth game despite rebounding in the next two matches. Picking three cores for the first three heroes of the fifth game was a key phase according to the Malaysian midlaner. After PSG.LGD had chosen Tiny and Lycan, the third core was a mid Kunkka. NothingToSay felt that a hero that could initiate better, such as Ember Spirit, would have won them the game.

The PSG.LGD roster has decided to stay together for at least one more year. NothingToSay and his teammates will be competing in the upcoming Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021-22 in hopes of making it through to TI11 and perhaps taking the win next year.