Misha: “No one is to blame for anything; you’re always to blame for everything. That’s the mindset of a champion.”
Former OG coach Mikhail “Misha” Agatov discussed on a stream how champions approach the game and explained why you shouldn’t let your opponent kill the courier.
On laning as Slark
Slark is an offensive hero. There are harass heroes in Dota. Do you know who the harass heroes are in Dota? A perfect example is Viper. She’s a hero who harasses you nonstop. Lina in the mid lane is a harass hero. But do you know who the hero is for full-on offense and attacking—the one who really goes all in? It’s Slark. He’s literally the ultimate hero for offense and committing against a harassment hero.
Do you know when you want to attack in Dota? In Dota, you want to attack and commit when you have either zero creeps on the lane, an even number, or more. If the enemies try to push you back, the creeps will hit them, and you’ll win any fight. <...>
On the Consequences of Losing a Courier
People who lose their couriers aren’t just idiots who can’t control the courier. I think people who lose their couriers are people who don’t understand just how tragic it is to lose a courier. Once you realize how important it is [not] to lose your courier, you’ll never forget to control it again in your life, because you’ll keep that importance in mind.
Look, giving up the courier is like giving up a Bounty; it means losing the mid lane. Items will arrive faster in the mid lane, and your mid laner will die when you give up the courier. Losing the courier means giving away 30+ gold to the bottom lane, and your bottom lane will lose because of you. You’ll lose the top lane, and your support will get ganked. The enemies will have TP where they wouldn’t have had it otherwise. And you still can’t buy items, so you won’t dominate your lane.
By losing the courier, you’ve literally crippled the mid and bot lanes with the gold difference. Yes, it’s that decisive. On top of that, you haven’t even secured your own lane. So you’ve literally—and possibly just now—lost three lanes, and we haven’t even looked at [that phase]. These are the real consequences of losing the courier.
If you think about it this way even once, you’ll never give up the courier or lose control of it again. You’ll micro the courier right in the middle of a fight. Right in the middle of a fight. And that’s how it should be done. So that later you won’t be surprised to find that you’ve lost three lanes. You’ve probably lost three lanes.
On Your Attitude Toward Games
A very important mindset: you are the only common thread in every game you’ve ever played in your entire life. And that’s why you’re responsible for everything. You are the common element in every game you play. Allies, enemies—everything changes in this life, but this one thing remains constant. No one else is to blame for anything; you are always to blame for everything. That’s the mindset of a champion. The mindset of Faker [multiple-time League of Legends World Champion—Ed.], the mindset of N0tail, the mindset of Miposhka. The greatest. The mindset of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James.
On the advantage of Power Treads over Phase Boots
“What’s the point of getting Power Treads if you don’t switch them out?” For attack speed and movement speed. Did you know that Power Treads give more movement speed than Phase Boots? Look, Phase Boots give 50 movement speed—and do you know how much Power Treads give? 55. Just for move speed.
Earlier, Misha explained why it’s important to watch match replays of the best players in different roles: “You’ll learn how to play mid if you watch how Saksa, 9class, Immersion, and others play.”
Photo by Igor Bezborodov, EWC Foundation.
