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In spite of his recent arrival to OG, SumaiL seems to have settled in well, as the team won The International 10 (TI10) Western Europe (WEU) qualifier and qualified for TI10. Before joining OG last month, Syed Sumail "SumaiL'' Hassan played as a stand-in for Team Liquid for two months that include the second DPC season as well as the WePlay AniMajor. After playing for both of these top-tier EU teams, the carry player talked about the differences between the two. In SumaiL's opinion, OG has a more relaxed atmosphere than Liquid, and there is no pressure on the players in the team.
SumaiL talks about what it feels like to play with OG
After OG beat Tundra Esports 3-2 in the TI10 WEU qualifier grand final, SumaiL was on hand for the post-match winner’s interview where he explained what made Team Liquid and OG different.
SumaiL acknowledged that Team Liquid is a highly skilled team, but that in intense qualifiers such as these, it comes down to mindsets, which are much more relaxed on the side of OG.
"I think Liquid is a super skilled team. It all came down to mindset at the end of the day, the gameplay and I think it’s more relaxing in OG I guess in that regard. I know everybody is comfortable and confident all the time. That’s one of the differences that I noticed. There’s like no pressure. We don’t take any pressure and I think that’s one of the bigger strengths we have, so that’s what wins you these series. It does not matter how good you are, what kind of strats you have, if you are not comfortable, confident, it’s gonna bite you. So yeah, I think there’s a huge difference."SumaiL
In the international scene, SumaiL is considered one of the best midlaners, so his absence from the competitive scene in the initial half of DPC 2021 surprised many. He then played for Team Liquid for two months after the team's offlaner, Boxi, had to take a break for personal reasons. Boxi returned before the TI10 qualifier began, leaving SumaiL teamless once again.
OG had a vacancy after Ana retired, and SumaiL was welcomed into the squad as their carry player. This recruitment has proven to be fruitful for SumaiL and OG as they qualified for TI10.
SumaiL was given a Templar Assassin in both the final two games of the grand final, a hero who is not traditionally played on the safelane, but one SumaiL has played a lot before. With a combined KDA of 27-2-25, he delivered impressive performances in both of these games. When asked to comment on the importance of comfort heroes in these final games, SumaiL responded,
I think it’s a huge part because first off, it all starts with the laning phase - if you know the hero, you have practiced it enough - you are gonna lane better, you are gonna move better and everything. So, I think it’s always the best way to go towards the comfort heroes which we ended up doing, and then yeah, it paid off.SumaiL
SumaiL has played for OG before as he spent six months playing online tournaments with the team in 2020. Due to the pandemic, this partnership was not carried forward then, but now that restrictions have loosened and a TI10 spot has been booked, OG and SumaiL will look to achieve even more.
Since TI10 will be held three months from now, from 7th-17th Oct, 2021, in Bucharest, Romania, OG has ample time to bond, prepare strategies, and enter the grandest Dota 2 stage in full readiness.
