Saksa on watson: “He’s very calm. He’s not one of those carry players with an inflated ego who won’t listen to anyone.”

I was considering different options: I was thinking about either taking a break or trying to put together a new team. I think I first talked to Watson and found out that he was joining Yandex. I looked at the roster and, to be honest, I had my doubts at first. Then we played a few practice matches; I started to get a better feel for the guys, then played as a stand-in for them at FISSURE, and we finished in the top 3. Everything just clicked right away, so I decided: why not give it a try and see how it turns out? [How did the players differ from your expectations?] I think they’re all very hardworking and open to dialogue. They’re pretty young and really hungry for victory. I think that whatever I tell them, they’ll listen and try to get better. For me, it was refreshing in a way—to see how calm they generally are in real life.

Obviously, he’s a very strong carry. He was top-tier; his execution is top-notch. But beyond that, as a person, he’s very calm. He’s not one of those carries with a bloated ego who won’t listen to anyone. He’s very open to advice and works hard; I like that about him. He really has a lot of strengths. [But is he capable of communicating his ideas and being a coordinating player during a match when the team needs him?] Yes, generally speaking, yes. Maybe he wasn’t as good at it before—he was more focused on his own game. But now he’s trying to take on a leadership role, and when he feels confident in the game, he makes decisive calls. So in that regard, he’s making great progress.

He’s a bit quiet, I guess. He’s a quiet guy, but he has, you know, this “cool” sense of humor. He can crack a silly joke with a completely serious expression. As a player, he’s obviously highly skilled and knows exactly what he wants to do on the map. I think he and watson understand each other perfectly. In the game itself, he plays a more “quiet” role: he tries to let others take the initiative, while he just focuses on his own gameplay and pressing buttons.

I think we discuss our opponents’ strengths and weaknesses, try to understand what they want to do, and figure out how we’ll counter that. I think those are the main things. The second is focusing on ourselves: making sure we’re doing everything right, staying in a good mental state, not panicking, and remaining composed, calm, and level-headed.

This tournament is obviously the most important in Dota 2; it’s the main event, and throughout my entire career, I’ve always strived to win at TI. I’ve done it once, but now I see others doing it a second time, so yes—I’m more than ready to repeat that success.