inYourdreaM on working with MinD_ContRoL at REKONIX: “He taught us how to be champions and how to think the right way.”

To be honest, I was actually too comfortable. Last year, I played at my absolute limit and really gave it my all because the guys were showing the same level of dedication. Our goal was to make it to major tournaments, and we qualified for every single one. Plus, the organization was excellent and the infrastructure was solid, which allowed us to deliver results. So overall, I’m happy.

Yeah, it was really, really sudden. I was just blown away. Usually, the CEO would warn us in advance and call meetings if any changes were coming. But this time—boom, and that was it. Still, I think it’s fair. If it doesn’t make sense to continue from a business standpoint, why drag it out? But in this specific case, as I see it, spending money wasn’t a problem for the CEO. Based on our last conversation, the team could easily have kept going for another two or three years. It’s just that external factors intervened, making it impossible to continue. It was completely fair and mutual. None of the players had any objections.

Yes, as I said on the stream, I’ve already told the viewers: I won’t be playing with my former teammates from REKONIX anymore. By “comfort,” I simply meant that the boot camp was in Indonesia, and everything was easy and familiar in terms of daily life. So it’s not that I got bored playing with Indonesians. There will be two of us Indonesians, and the rest are from Southeast Asia.

Yes, we’ll skip the upcoming qualifiers. It all happened too suddenly; we didn’t have any time to prepare at all. It would be unwise to jump into the qualifiers without any team chemistry, just winging it. It’s better to prepare properly. I don’t want to be the “whipping boy” in qualifiers again. At REKONIX, we were the kings of qualifiers in Southeast Asia, and I don’t want to lose that status or tarnish my reputation. Our new roster isn’t just a random Tier 2 team—it’s made up of mature, strong players.

What I’m most happy about is the experience of working with MinD_ContRoL—and the fact that I played with guys who dedicated themselves entirely to our goal for a whole year and fought side by side with me. Huge respect to my teammates. Even though we were sometimes just “punching bags” at global events, we at least dominated in Southeast Asia. Though that’s still not enough. But we still had to adapt to his way of thinking. After all, he’s a TI champion and a former player on the European scene. The way he sees gameplay was very different from ours. Because of this, we often had disagreements, especially when reviewing replays or during drafts. On top of that, he’d never been a drafter before—at REKONIX, he tried his hand at this role for the first time, so there were plenty of shortcomings. But the biggest plus was his mindset. As a former high-level pro player, he taught us how to be champions and how to think the right way.

I plan to play for another year or two. My plan is to stay in esports no matter what. Maybe I’ll try my hand at being a caster or analyst, but that’s for the future. Streaming is also an option. What I’ll definitely avoid is working in an office. I don’t plan on switching to mobile games or changing disciplines. I want to stay in Dota 2—as a streamer, a coach, whatever—but here. We’ll see in two or three years; after all, age will take its toll eventually, and a new generation will emerge.