BuLba on SumaiL: “He’s a great guy who’s fun to hang out with.”

At first, I actually wanted to take a break. I’ve been doing this for too long, in a way. It’s very draining. I really enjoy it, but it’s very exhausting. I met SumaiL at Arteezy’s wedding. We started talking, and at first I hesitated for a long time. I really didn’t want to get back into it. But at the same time, I love it. It’s a love-hate relationship, but the love is about ten times stronger. So in the end, everything just kind of fell into place one thing after another. Then Davai came along, followed by Wits, and then Sneyking appeared out of nowhere after Team Falcons broke up. So it all happened a bit spontaneously, but, funnily enough, in the end, they’re all American players—from North and South America.

I wouldn’t say it’s specifically about coaching. I just enjoy the whole process of being involved in Dota 2; I love this game. I love watching it, and I love interacting with the players. When I was a professional Dota 2 player—and now that I’m coaching—I’m essentially doing the same thing in many ways. Of course, I now have much more experience specifically in coaching, but the overall process is the same. It takes about the same amount of time; you have to travel to different countries. You have to work hard and put in the effort so that everyone develops together and is on the same page. And I think it’s this process that brings me the most joy. For me, I enjoy this ten times more. It’s not about anything else—for me, the most enjoyable thing in the world is seeing my players play well, seeing them all showcase beautiful Dota 2. It’s like a painting, you know, when a beautiful painting gradually comes together. That’s why I say, “Screw the haters. I love this, you know? I’m going to keep doing it. Who cares?”

I think it’s a lot of fun to work with SumaiL again. The last time we worked together was about six years ago, in 2018–2019. Then our paths diverged due to some random circumstances. He’s grown a lot. He used to be more reserved, but now he’s become a much stronger leader. It’s great to see his progress; working with him is really interesting. It’s also a pleasure to work with Sneyking. He’s always been my North American teammate, but we’ve just never been on the same team. I’ve known him for a long time because he started playing professionally back in the TI2–TI3 days, when he played for Team Dignitas. He’s grown a lot, too.

And so has Davai. In the end, we ended up with this mix. I don’t think I’ve worked with two of these guys before—Wits and Sneyking. But overall, it’s a lot of fun. We didn’t really know what to expect. We just decided to give it a try and said something like, “Well, we’ll see.” I think Sneyking might have had higher expectations because he came from Team Falcons, while the rest of us came from different teams and groups. But everything’s really great, and it’s really nice to be working with SumaiL again—he’s a great guy who’s fun to hang out with.