SumaiL on Dota 2: “Right now, I’m drawn not so much to the game itself as to the thrill of competing at the highest level.”
Kerry Sayed “SumaiL” Hassan spoke about his motivation to continue playing Dota 2 professionally, while former esports player Quinn “Quinn” Callahan shared his thoughts on SumaiL’s past creep-farming skills and commented on Alan “Satanic” Galliamov. They discussed these topics on the ALL CHAT podcast.
On SumaiL’s past mid-lane play
Quinn: He was just incredibly good at last-hitting creeps. I don’t think people fully realized back then that it was something special, but he just… When you played against OpenAI, back when all that was happening, I think SumaiL was the closest to that level—he was just too good. It’s the same with Artur [Arteezy]—when he was really strong in the mid lane, he was also very good at last-hitting creeps, and I don’t think any other player made that kind of impression.
On SumaiL’s motivation
SumaiL: The thing is, I just love to compete. If I were good at something other than Dota 2, I’d compete in that. Right now, it’s not so much the game itself that appeals to me as the thrill of competing at the highest level. But I still think about the game subconsciously because I’ve played it for so long—even if I’m not actively trying to come up with ideas, they just come to me on their own. During practice, I notice certain things because the game is so deeply ingrained in me.
But I’m still more focused on pressing buttons and impressing people, I guess. It’s not that I have to, but I want to. I think it’s the unique flair in your gameplay that draws people in. A lot of teams have been winning lately, and nobody really cares. The esports scene is getting worse, and I think one of the reasons is that just winning isn’t enough. And then people wonder why esports isn’t growing. Nothing else is happening—just championships. You can win 20 LAN tournaments, but no one will remember anyone.
About Satanic
Quinn: As for button-mashing—that’s true. I remember feeling that way when I played against Satanic. The way he pulled off Manta Style or how he moved in certain fights—I was like, “What the heck is going on?! This guy is so good!” This was even before he became famous, when he was just a guy with the nickname Butterfly. We played ranked matches against him, and I was like, “Dude, the way he pulls off Manta is insane. I can’t believe it.”
SumaiL: He’s the best at button mashing right now, that’s for sure.
Quinn: And no one else even comes close.
SumaiL: Every time I play against him or watch him play, he’s so fast. Really fast.
SumaiL previously admitted that he used to take most tournaments less seriously: “I didn’t give it my all at most tournaments—I only really cared about major competitions like The International. Back then, I didn’t realize how that affected the team.”
