you_K on preparations for the 2026 Esports Nations Cup: “With two players in Europe, it’s hard to organize anything.”

Many people asked, “Why Pota2 and Jhocam?” Let’s be realistic: even considering the points, if we have to play in the open qualifiers and Mikoto and Whitemon can’t participate, who will replace them? For me, the best midlaner after Mikoto is Pota2. He’s ranked first, can play different heroes, and can handle the carry role too.

Why Jhocam? I thought about who could replace Whitemon and Fbz—besides Jhocam, there’s no one else at their level. Yes, he plays a different role, but I’ve seen how he and NARMAN switch roles, how they perform in the laning phase, and so on. He has a solid foundation.

Then I kept calling people. I called Dalul and asked, “Are you okay with playing with Jhocam? Is it okay if I’m the coach?” I called Fbz, I called Jhocam—they all confirmed. I put everyone in one group, and that’s how this roster came together.

Why not Sundabule? I asked him myself, and I called the guys from REKONIX. I think he loves Dota 2; he loves the game, and that’s exactly why he’s successful. And then the announcement: he’s joining OG! I was like, “You just set me up! You didn’t want to coach the national team! Why did you drag me into this?” I ended up in a ridiculous situation!

No, I don’t want to look like a pharaoh craving power, but people in the community are saying: “you_K is taking Sundabule’s job. What does you_K even know about Dota?” A lot of people share that opinion.

I follow the tournaments: I even watched the open qualifiers and the recent BLAST to see who won. Mostly just the highlights. To understand which heroes are in the meta, who’s at the top right now, and how they play. But many say: “you_K, you need to focus right now.” Why stress out if everyone else is busy? Should I quit my job until November? They’re crazy.

They also say, “Get your MMR up to 13,000–15,000.” Why? It’s pointless. So for now, I’m just keeping an eye on things, studying the meta—I watch Dota 2 every day anyway.

Bootcamp—that’s what’s worrying me. With just two players in Europe, it’s hard to organize anything in Indonesia in a few months. I hope they’ll let us train for a couple of weeks before ENC. That’s the minimum needed to build chemistry and a shared vision of the game: will we push lanes, split push, or fight from the early stages? So that Whitemon and Mikoto can sync their knowledge with the other three. And I’ll help with data, replays, and discussions.