As a member of Alliance's winning squad at TI3, Gustav 's4' Magnusson needs no introduction at all. Often playfully referred to as the son of Magnus due to his fortuitous name that conveniently reflects the skill he shows on the hero, s4 is without a doubt one of the best mid players in the world today.
However, he is most famous for his expert drafting, a skill that has played no small role in helping Alliance dominate the scene in the past year. Today, as he takes the stage to lead Alliance into their first North American LAN, and indeed, their first big test since TI3, you get to ask him whatever you like.
While s4 obviously won't be able to respond during MLG, this thread will be open throughout the weekend so you can follow him and his team and post your questions here. After the games at Columbus draw to a close, we will pick the 20 best questions you have posted here and send them straight to Gustav himself.
Excited? You should be. Let's make those questions count, TL!
s4's killer drafts often help put his team in the lead from the get go.
20 Questions
Want to ask something? We'll do it for you. Just post your question in this thread. Our editors will pick the 20 best questions from this thread and s4 will answer them, after which the answers will be slotted in below.
Ask away, TL!
20 Answers
Down 1-2 to Na`Vi in TI3 grand finals, you last picked Night Stalker, and it was the first time that hero had appeared in the tournament. What was your thought process and was it a risky clutch option? Since 6.79 you've only run Night Stalker in the side-lanes. What in the new patch made going mid less viable? [lzma]
It was a pretty safe option considering we've used it a lot previously. The thought process behind the pick was to bait Na`Vi into 5-manning early when nighttime starts and use Night Stalker as a bait/tank with Wisp tether wand/bottle.
How has winning TI3 affected you as a progamer? Do you have increased confidence? Has the insane prize money ever diminished your motivation to improve as a player or did it actually drive you more? [Bogeyman]
It was a good boost for my finances With consecutive wins comes confidence, but I have to say a big part why we did well at TI3 is the confidence we had in-game.
What did you spend your barrel of cash on? [TaNaa]
Nothing actually, I just received the money this week, and yes it came with a barrel.
What is your opinion of team DK? Any thoughts on their playstyle when compared to the rest of China? [KH1031]
I think DK is strong in China because they don’t play Chinese Dota, which is 5-manning to take towers early. It seems to me that DK cares a lot about experience/levels in their games.
Dota to me is the most complex game and fun game that I have ever played. In my opinion people always try to categorize complex systems to try to understand them, when categories might never capture all possible ways of looking at the system. For example, we talk in terms of roles and positions (1, 2 ,3 ,4 and 5), we have common agreements on hero builds and use terms like gank, push and teamfight.
My question is: When you draft, how much do you think in terms of categories (like: "we should pick a push/teamfight/support/offlane hero next")? And how much do you think about synergies (the whole being more than just the sum of its parts), like N’aix+Furion or other combos that give rise to special situations in game? [Jamann]
Roles helps a lot when drafting, so you can use it as a system. I have my own system when drafting. For example are we thinking about initiation? Do we need initiation if we're deathballing the other team? Probably not. Do we lack anti-push? If so get ready to take fights early.
What are the top 5 principles to good drafting, in your opinion? [Web_cole]
1) Stuns are important. 2) Don't draft too greedy which leads to being dominated in laning phase. 3) Think about what you're giving your opponent--make good trades. 4) Have a gameplan when drafting. 5) Don't make your teammates play heroes they don't want to and listen what they have to say.
What's your main approach when you draft for alliance? Do you guys talk and decide as five, do you do it alone, or is it mostly your decisions with Loda or someone else suggesting things for you to consider? Because it feels like people not being able to deal with the way you (Alliance) draft has been key to your success. [DV G]
I listen to everyone in the team for suggestions and ideas, and I ask them about things if I'm unsure.
I'm very curious about your amazing game direction. You simply seem to be the best at game direction and decision-making. How do you minimize the loss if you face a very strong laner like Dendi or Mushi? Often that the midlane player cannot carry the game tempo if he lost at mid, but if you do so, how can you still have a good impact, especially in the midgame?
Do you have any tips for better decision making and play making? I always see generic answers like "analyze the situation and communicate better with teammates", so it would be great if you could give us a more detailed answer. [Snakesneaks]
Regarding the midlane question, play to win the game, not the lane.
Maximize what you can do with your spells e.g. try to hit more targets with AoE spells. Split up attention when chasing heroes, since there's no need to overkill someone if you can catch another hero. Pay attention where your enemies are always (even when you're fighting heroes), because rotations gets kills.
Here's a question for team development that I think all amateur teams have problems with: what are the key elements to keep in mind while drafting against an opponents team you have not played before? [kembangan]
Don't go outside your comfort zone to counter something you don't understand well.
Are you ever going to draft Omniknight, Dazzle, Disruptor, Huskar, Sniper, Silencer? Those heroes rarely get playtime. What is needed for them to be played more? Even with faster paced games and higher aggression in 6.79, I still think PL should be coming back a little to the meta, but I don't see him. Why is that? [Jotoco]
Of course. All of those heroes are strong except Sniper.
Hi s4! In tournaments following TI3, I have gotten the feeling that Alliance’s Wisp combos, PA+Magnus, PL+Kotl and Akke's Chen have been put in a "pre-6.79, do-not-use-box" without really testing them out. Have these past glory compositions performed badly in scrims or have they just been forgotten? [leffe]
No, just needed to change skill/item build for some heroes (like for Wisp), so we needed more practice.
What are your thoughts on post-6.79 Io? Fnatic are running it with a Tiny, which is proving to be really successful, and yet I’m still to see you draft it, which I feel is a shame. You guys were the best Wisp users by far, in my opinion. [hifriend]
Fnatic skilled Wisp the same in 6.78 as in 6.79 so I'm not surprised they have success with it. Other teams just need to go away from maxing tether first.
After having watched numerous first person perspectives of professional players, I have found that your style of mechanics is the most unique. How did you master camera movement with your mouse wheel button? How did you develop your style of play? [Pasargadae]
It just came naturally, I feel like I can see more in teamfights with that mechanic.
Would you pick Kaolin for yourself if he was in CM? How would you build him? [nojok]
Haven't played the hero yet. I avoid playing against that hero by picking and repicking him in public games.
Hello Gustav! Where would you have been without nTH? Do you think you would have found a different path to becoming a viable TI3 winner with others, instead of your current teammates? [lyxarn]
No, I wouldn't be able to play without the Bulldog by my side
When you originally started out Dota, did you think you would be this successful in rivaling the very top tier dominant Chinese teams? Also, how does it feel now playing with people you probably looked up to, like Loda and Akke? [Fleuria]
I have a very competitive mindset so I believed myself even when I wasn't big. It feels good to play with the legendary Lokke :D
If you were to play a role that wasn't mid, what role would you play and why? And of course, if you weren't mid, who on Alliance would play mid and why? [Sn0_Man]
Probably support or offlane because the heroes fit me pretty well.
Who would you want to meet under the mistletoe this holiday season? Have you met any cute girls when you go to tournaments? What do you think of your fangirls who try to contact you? [Butterscotch]
Haha of course, but what will Bulldog say about this?
If one of the Dota hero lores was made into a movie, which hero would you choose? And which actor would you cast to play that hero? [EpiK]
I don't know the hero, but it’s gotta be Nicolas Cage right?
What are [A]'s spirit Dota heroes? Not necessarily the heroes they play best on, but character-wise which players correspond to which heroes? [Bisu-Fan]
EGM Rubick hoodie Akke Lina because he's considered hot by many people Loda N’aix rage(r) Bulldog and me Ogre Magi
If you really were the son of Magnus, what sort of things would you do with your sweet Magnoceros powers?
Do you think you would be able to move around as openly as you do now, or would you be forced to hide from poachers seeking your precious horn (which they erroneously believe will act as a powerful aphrodisiac)? If so, do you think you would favour a blink dagger or a force staff in your efforts to escape poachers?
Na'Vi is my absolute favourite team, but I can't help but think that you are a much better mid than Dendi, showing off good plays in almost every game that you play. Do you think it is because you are the captain of your team and can decide how your lanes should look like?
What's the main approach of the way you draft for alliance? Do you guys talk and decide as 5, do you do it alone, or there's like your decisions and then Loda (for naming one guy) can suggest something and you will consider it.
Because it feels like people not beeing able to deal with the way you (Alliance) drafts its a key point of your great success.
What's your gaming background? Did you play DOTA 1? How early did you become a mid specialist? What's a common or easily fixed mistake that pub mid players commit? Thanks!
Hello Gustav! I would like to know more about you before NTH. How began your e-sport journey? Where did you discover casual and competitive gaming? When was the tipping point that made you decide to take the path of a pro-gamer and how did you eventually end up in NTH? Where would you have been without NTH? Do you think you would have found a different path to becoming a viable ti3 winner with others instead of your current team mates?
I'm very curious about how amazing is your gamedirecting skill. We know that you are not the best at laning mechanic, but when it comes to gamedirecting and decisionmaking, you are simply the best. So : 1. How to minimize the loss if you face the better laner e.g. Dendi, Mushi etc ? 2. Often that the midlane player cannot carry the game tempo because he is lost at mid, but how can you still have the great impact especially at midgame ? 3. Tips for better decision making in playmaking please ?. Not just the simple like "Analyze the situation and better communication with teammates", but other tips.
before the latest patch you were one of the major teams to bring Crystal Maiden into the meta and in the new patch we have seen you draft Bristleback for Loda and some other new meta heroes, who in you and your teams opinion is the most overlooked hero in the current pool going into MLG Columbus.
How do you think Pudge (or any hero) could be turned into a "top meta" hero? (for instance, Na'vi always tries to bring Dendi's pudge, or even you guys innovate with Zeus, Ogre and etc.)
What is your thought process while drafting? How do you decide on your picks, I'm sure it's reactionary at the later stages but how do you know what to start with and how do you decide on a hero when several would work? Is it just the player that plays the hero that chooses or do you have certain preferences?
When TI3 was happening it cannot be denied that alliance was doing an unbelievable run having a record of 14-0 in the preliminaries and dropping only three maps in the entire tournament once against DK and twice against Na'vi in the grand finals. That kind of dominance in the pro scene is simply too amazing and normally doesn't happen in the ever changing meta of dota 2 or MOBA in general. We all know that every player in the team contributed to these outstanding dominance such as EGM's naga siren, Admiral Bulldogs Nature Prophet usage, your genius way of drafting and many more to mention.
So here is my question. What are the most important factors in your teams dominance ? And what are the contribution/role of every member of the team in your success (yes you can include yourself if you want)?
Are you going to draft Omniknight, Dazzle, Disruptor, Huskar, Sniper, Silencer? Those heroes rarely ever get play time. What is needed for then to be played more?
Even with faster paced games and higher agression on 6.79, I still think PL should be coming back a little to the meta, but I don't see him. Why is that?
How does a team with strong, veteran, and even legendary personalities such as Loda and Akke, fantastically skilled yet quirky players like Admiral Bulldog and EGM, and a seemingly mild-mannered person such as yourself become the best team in the world? How are you, with your personality, able to lead this group of 5 into play after flawless play, whether behind or ahead? It boggles the mind, but I have to ask. Especially since you theoretically have the most attention-grabbing position as the solo mid (which in theory suggest that you should have a different personality from the one you project).
As a follow up question, what do you think about your current rivals for the "best" title, Na'vi, and their more eccentric/erratic personalities and playstyle?
Q1: What did your friends and family think when you initially started playing competitively? Who doubted or questioned you, and how and when did you convince them? What role did TI3 have in this?
Q2: How has winning TI3 affected you as a progamer? Can you draw strength from an increased confidence? Has the insane prize money ever diminished your motivation or drive to improve as a player or do your absolute best in a game?
After having watched numerous first person perspectives of professional players, your style of mechanics is the most unique. How did you master camera movement with your mouse wheel button? How did you best develop your style of play?
How do you feel about Swedish Dota (and MOBA) scene in general? What can be improved about it? I mean, you guys are hands-down best EU region in CS and SC2, and yet NiP and Lemondogs have close to none Swedish members in their LoL rosters.
What do you think is the most memorable moment of your entire HoN career?
We all know what happens when you get into a good position in mid and run away with the game, but how does Alliance handle it when you get shut down and can't create space? What modifications do you make to your strategy to account for the bad situation, both as a team and as a player? Do you always draft with this scenario in mind, or do you sometimes assume you will win mid and go for greedier drafts?
How does alliance analyse their games after matches? Do you watch the replays together?
How did you manage to adapt so fast to 6.79? Everyone was thinking all those changes would affect your playstyle the most but you come out on top again.
Would you pick kaolin for yourself if he was in CM? And how would you build him?
Why are you so rat dota? I mean can you play more standard dota and if not do you feel you are too weak to compete in a normal game that is not rat dota?
Why do you think teams such as Alliance and Na'Vi stay so dominant patch after patch as opposed to teams such as DK, where the falloff is very visbile?
Looking at your team and how you not only play but also draft, you often run dual core strats or even single core strats to then allocate farm onto EGM. From a strategical point of view, this feels both counterproductive and genius, because some support heroes are simply amazing utility heroes that suffer from either a low health pool or limiting mobility. It looks impossible to deny EGM the flashfarm he gets when you get your first utility item and start moving around doing your magic. Inevitably this is something you think about in your drafts, but how did you come to the conclusion that what we regard as the fourth position is worthy of the insane level of farm priority (see: China around TI2) that you give it?
Additional question; what heroes in the current meta get less airtime than they deserve? We see the same 4p1 and fighting carries all over, support heroes feel limited to Venomancer, Crystal Maiden and Visage (overexaggerated, but you get the jist) and there is rarely a farm dependant offlane hero bar Furion anymore. Who is the secret gem of 6.79?
What's your thought on wisp post-6.79? Fnatic are running it with a tiny which is proving to be really succesful, and I'm yet to see you draft it which I feel is a shame. You guys were the best wisp users by far in my opinion.
Do you think that there is any room in pro dota for Captains Draft? Do you think that meta and hero changes are enough to keep drafting fresh, or do you feel that there are too many heroes that are rarely seen?
When you originally started out dota, did you think you would be this successful rivaling the very top tier dominant chinese teams? also how do it feel now playing with people you probably looked up to in Loda and Akke?
do you think asian players are better in individual skill or it was a coincident the bad result of you and dendi in ti3 solo tour? do you think asians focus more in mechanic play and less in teamplay?
What is the most important thing(s) to keep in mind if you want to develop your middle lane skills? Do you have any specific tips on how to develop most efficiently?
Every team has to evolve their play/drafts to adapt to new patches and metas. Where do you see the meta of the game gravitating towards in the new year?
On November 23 2013 00:24 Badboyrune wrote: Why did you switch from HoN to DOTA when HoN is clearly the superior game?
Well firstly because HoN being superior to Dota 2 isn't even a funny joke, and secondly if he had spent his whole life playing HoN he would never have earned anywhere close to the 1st prize at TI3
Here's a question for personal team-development: What are key elements to keep in mind while drafting against an opponents team you have not played before? How do you manage to draft and play one of the most active roles in the game and of course still stay very cutting edge, Gustav?
I have a question about your drafting and approach to mid:
You seem to take a different approach to drafting that allows you to always end up with what you want or at least even. It also allows you to take advantage of heros that others haven't quite caught on to (naga at TI3 specifically). Also, according to stats you tend to avoid heros such as DS and OD. DS is a hero that gets something out of the lanes no matter what, but doesn't offer as much strategically other than vaccum combos. But as a core, he drops off (imo). OD is a hero that is just lane dominant, and a semi carry but doesn't offer much apart from that (such as your bat, puck, mag, or bm).
What is it that you look for in heros when you draft a line-up? It seems like you always have a much grander strategic view on heros, as opposed to them being dominant in a lane aspect as an example (OD DS). This allows you to gain an advantage over other teams in alot of situations (your TI3 dominance is hard to despute). Do you have a set plan for your draft going in? It seems that often you get what you want out of a draft, and its up to the enemy to counter your line-up (teams having to find a way to deal with AB furion and LD is the most common).
Also what mindset do you approach mid with? You play mag alot as an example, how do you approach a favorable match-up, an even match up, and a dis-advantaged match up?
That may seem a bit confusing, but just trying to formulate a question about how you look at heros when your drafting from a strategic point of view, because it seems like you have an amazing grasp of this, and it shows in how you play your mid heros as well (IMO its your movements and timings on heros that distinguish you as a top mid, not your mechanics as in the case of Mushi).
In tournaments following the International I have gotten the feeling that Alliances Wisp combos, PA + Magnus, PL + Kotl and Akke's Chen have been put in a "pre-6.79-Do-not-use-box" without really testing them out. Have these past glory compositions performed badly in scrims or have they just been forgotten?
Thanks for answering and GL at Dreamhack! Hometurf!
Do you really sleep naked? (If yes, then define naked? With or without underwear?) ... and follow up question : Do you sleepwalk? Does everyone on Alliance feel ambivalent about their sexuality? Has Alliance adopted the Spartan philosophy that having sexual relations with your comrades improves cohesion and teamwork on the battlefield ? (http://i.imgur.com/RZIXay3.jpg I am not judging. If I were on one team with Akke I would totally turn gay too.) I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours and many more memorable performances like that at MLG. P.S. Doing this
was a big mistake. I know from a confidential source that the President of the RNFA (Rabid Na'Vi Fanboys Association) conspires to castrate you in your sleep. Now that he knows that you sleep naked. ( O.K. I admit it ... I am the confidential source. And yes ... I am the President of the RNFA.)
After losing to DK, your drafts seemed to veer away more and more from what we've come to know as a standard Alliance draft. Did you feel unconfident continuing with your usual style of play? Do you think Alliance has become too predictable? If yes, what do you think the team and you personally have to work on to become more flexible? Do you think you need to become more comfortable with farming mids like OD?
Instead of the usual Navi vs Alliance, the finals at MLG was DK vs Speed. What do you think of both teams and what did you think of the finals? How do you rate Arteezy's play in mid throughout the tournament?
* what DOTA hero (if any) are you missing from DOTA 1 ? * if you had to pick an all star team what will it be (no Alliance players should be picked). * what is the process of learning a new hero when its first introduced to CM , are you all practicing it ? or you decide - > its a mid hero , only S4 will practice it ? asking because ET was a good example to how you guys ran it mid but the META ran it as support/offlane (which i believe are the better roles for him).
On November 23 2013 03:04 Aelfric wrote: Sven Magnus Carlsen just become the world chess champion, what are your thoughts as son of Magnus and a friend of Sven?
Who would you want to meet under the mistletoe this holiday season? Have you met any cute girls when you go to tournaments? What do you think of your fan girls that try to contact you?
Dota to me is the most complex game and fun game that I have ever played. In my oppinion people always try to categorize complex systems to try to understand them, when categories might never capture all possible ways of looking at the system. In Dota for example we started to introduce roles and positions (1, 2 ,3 ,4 and 5), we have commom agreements on hero builds and use terms like gank, push and teamfight. Question: When you draft how much do you think in categories? (Like: "we should pick a push/teamfight/support/offlane hero next"). And how much do you think about synergies (the whole is more than just the sum of its parts), e.g. naix+furion or other combos that give rise to special situations in game?
why do u never play heroes like nevermore or invoker? you think they are not viable or are you just not as comfortable with them as with certain other heroes
Do you have any favorite players or players you look up to?
How did it feel to become such a big name in the Dota scene in so short time? At least I, and I think most other people didn't really know who you were when nth was made. Then nth started winning a lot, won DH etc. etc. and suddenly you guys were TI3 champions.
How many matches per day or hours per day do you typically practice? Do you dedicate much time solely to practicing last hitting and denying in solo or bot matches?
Down 2-1 to in TI3 grand finals, you last picked Nightstalker, the first time that hero had appeared in the tournament. What was your thought process, was it a risky clutch option?
Since 6.79 you've only run Nightstalker in the sidelanes, what in the patch changes makes going mid less viable?
Question submissions are now closed! Thanks for everyone who participated, because we wouldn't be able to run this even without you guys and look forward to reading s4's answers.
The 20 questions we picked are now with s4. He is at DHW this weekend, so he will probably get around to answering them after he returns from the LAN. We will update the OP with his answers as soon as we receive them!
this is for me the most anticipated 20-20, and it's the one that takes by far the longest. I have considered myself an s4 fan for a while. even more so ever since his amazing puck play (my favourite hero) at TI.
but seeing that he doesn't seem to be willing to sacrifice just an hour of his precious time to answer a couple of questions for his fans, doesn't really shed a good light on him.
come on s4... sit down for an hour and get these answers over to TL. you've had over 3 weeks now.
s4's answers will be with us shortly. Don't forget that he's been playing a lot of Dota these days, and progamers do have lives outside of the game as well!
On December 18 2013 00:04 riptide wrote: s4's answers will be with us shortly. Don't forget that he's been playing a lot of Dota these days, and progamers do have lives outside of the game as well!
Everybody knows that progamers are lazy. Stop covering their asses.
s4 after Dreamleague did you secretly die, get replaced by Pajkatt, and these questions have taken so long because the team is trying to figure out how you would have answered them?
On December 18 2013 00:04 riptide wrote: s4's answers will be with us shortly. Don't forget that he's been playing a lot of Dota these days, and progamers do have lives outside of the game as well!
Everybody knows that progamers are lazy. Stop covering their asses.
On December 18 2013 00:04 riptide wrote: s4's answers will be with us shortly. Don't forget that he's been playing a lot of Dota these days, and progamers do have lives outside of the game as well!
Its really not believable that he hasn't had an hour to just sit and finish answering the questions, over the course of an entire month.
On December 18 2013 00:04 riptide wrote: s4's answers will be with us shortly. Don't forget that he's been playing a lot of Dota these days, and progamers do have lives outside of the game as well!
Its really not believable that he hasn't had an hour to just sit and finish answering the questions, over the course of an entire month.
We should all send hate mail to Alliance sponsors to show how unhappy we are
On December 18 2013 00:04 riptide wrote: s4's answers will be with us shortly. Don't forget that he's been playing a lot of Dota these days, and progamers do have lives outside of the game as well!
Its really not believable that he hasn't had an hour to just sit and finish answering the questions, over the course of an entire month.
We should all send hate mail to Alliance sponsors to show how unhappy we are
guy had a point, no need to ironize about it. 20 questions, what does that take, even an hour is way overestimating it... imo decline or do it is the way, but w/e
On December 18 2013 00:04 riptide wrote: s4's answers will be with us shortly. Don't forget that he's been playing a lot of Dota these days, and progamers do have lives outside of the game as well!
Its really not believable that he hasn't had an hour to just sit and finish answering the questions, over the course of an entire month.
We should all send hate mail to Alliance sponsors to show how unhappy we are
guy had a point, no need to ironize about it. 20 questions, what does that take, even an hour is way overestimating it... imo decline or do it is the way, but w/e
Its just funny to think that the biggest power individuals have in a community are hate mails to sponsors
On December 18 2013 00:04 riptide wrote: s4's answers will be with us shortly. Don't forget that he's been playing a lot of Dota these days, and progamers do have lives outside of the game as well!
Its really not believable that he hasn't had an hour to just sit and finish answering the questions, over the course of an entire month.
We should all send hate mail to Alliance sponsors to show how unhappy we are
guy had a point, no need to ironize about it. 20 questions, what does that take, even an hour is way overestimating it... imo decline or do it is the way, but w/e
Its just funny to think that the biggest power individuals have in a community are hate mails to sponsors
100% winrate
it s funny, how nobody mentions hate mails just you
I really like the in depth answers and the way he answered each part of them... it really shows that he spent that month deeply considering the questions and all their subtleties
I'm a little bit disappointed by these answers. more than half of the answers are one liners, and he's also ignoring a bunch of questions (parts of questions).
If "Husker > Sniper" then it follows that "Sniper < Everyone" to sum up "Huskar > Sniper < Everyone" inb4 his BAT is lowered below 1.0 --> Then he might be useful.
I also enjoyed seeing my question (mostly ) answered.
Really not the best format for the guy, I can picture him procrastinating over it. Needs an interviewer or someone in his face to tease out the interesting details. Next event hotbid, don't let him avoid you!
EPT
With consecutive wins comes confidence, but I have to say a big part why we did well at TI3 is the confidence we had in-game.
S4 why are you juking us!!! 
