Save- on learning to play mid: “TORONTOTOKYO is teaching me a lot; he plays matchups with me.”
BetBoom Team players Vitaly “Save-” Melnik and Georgy “swedenstrong” Zainalabidov, along with coach Alexander “TORONTOTOKYO” Khertek, answered questions in a video for the club’s YouTube channel about role changes, the challenges of playing mid, and sharing experiences within the team.
On the role change, Save-
[Question: Save-, you said you’d switch to mid once you won the International in the “fourth” position. Why did you switch so early?]
Save-: Because I gave up.
TORONTOTOKYO: I can answer for him. Every day, life gives you a chance. And if there’s a chance, why not take it?
Save-: Basically, I just decided to try something new even without winning an Int. Maybe I should have switched roles to win the Int, because playing in the “four,” I never managed to win it in five attempts. So I decided to try something else. Anyway, nothing’s stopping me from coming back in the future if I want to. I think I can play any role, so I’ll figure out how to switch to something else if I get bored—like TORONTOTOKYO.
On what turned out to be the hardest part of switching to mid
Save-: Just like before, it’s basically just laning. How to hold the lane against the strongest players. Vovan [No[o]ne-], whoever it is, gpk. Well, basically, everyone there is in the world’s top 5–10, so to speak. To hold your own against them in mid, you have to really work your butt off.
On what might make him return to the “four”
Save-: I’d have to be completely disappointed in myself as a mid laner. Only then could I say I’d go back to the “four.” I’m not thinking about that yet.
On how TORONTOTOKYO is helping me master mid lane
Save-: TORONTOTOKYO is teaching me a lot; he plays matchups with me, especially the Earthshaker vs. Earth Spirit matchup. I haven’t really messaged Danko [gpk] yet.
On rating coaching abilities on a 10-point scale
TORONTOTOKYO: Drafts—I’d say a seven, potentially a ten, because even though I’ve drafted for some teams, I was mostly an assistant, preparing for games. So as a main drafter, I’m just getting started and trying to improve in that regard. We’ll see how it goes.
I’ve always had a good grasp of the meta. I’ve always been able to find overpowered heroes: to play them myself and recommend them to my teammates. So, 100 out of 10. Leadership skills—Pirate King [Captain of the “Roger’s Pirates” in the anime One Piece. —Ed.], 100 out of 10.
On whether Save gave swedenstrong advice on playing in the “four-man squad”
swedenstrong: Just a little bit—I gave Vitaly a couple of tips. We exchanged a few thoughts a couple of times, and that’s it.
Save-: I’m in a phase right now where I’m really focused on myself. I watch about 15–20 replays a day and play Dota myself. I don’t even have the time. Zhora and I discussed a few things about the “four,” but other than that, not really. I think he knows what to do on his own.
Earlier, BB Team carry Ilya “Kiritych” Ulyanov commented on Save-’s role change: “He’s trying to be more active on the map, create opportunities, and act as a playmaker. But he’s also practicing and playing in the gpk style—farming creeps and entering the late game with big items.”
Photo: BetBoom Team.
