HellRaisers Discussion

Well, that's great. So, one of the pressing questions for you is the recent results for HR. With D2AC, you've been to your biggest LAN by far, at least as a player, but that didn't exactly go as planned. Following that, you've had a number of good performances, but a few perplexing losses as well. Could you recap your experience in recent weeks? How was it, struggling at the big LAN?

Alright, to start with D2AC - ViCi just ran us over, there's no other way of putting it. I can't even imagine us winning either of the games at any point, they barely ever let a single thing go our way. VG won us by pure skill. Then, when we went down to play Rave, it was the usual business you've already heard of - the BO1 losers' bracket pressure and all that. Worse yet, we did know how Rave played, and we should have known how to counter them, but we just let them assemble a good draft. Bit by bit, they got ahead, and then there was an uncounterable Storm Spirit.

he crowd definitely gets its share of excitement, at least. So, to follow up on the recent results, how do you deal with losses such as the one you had to 4ASC at The Summit qualifiers? And how would you comment on the whole issue with Alliance supposedly taking up a slot that you guys, or NiP, or VP, could have used? What with them being less than T1 recently.

Yeah, at least the spectators get their share of excitement. Now, when we lose like that... There is definitely some morale damage going on, not doubting that, but our team always keeps on fighting. We don't drop dead and play in absolute silence - if we've got more games to play, we power through them like it's nothing, and by the next day, everything is as it used to be. That's definitely a good sign. No monkey business when we lose.

Now, speaking of Alliance... Honestly, I'm distant from the drama that's been going on with that. Here's what I have to say on the matter - if we lose to 4ASC, we're not good enough. It would not have mattered all that much if we were there at all, honestly. If you want to win, you have to go the distance, win every single team.

So, no accusations of corruption with Alliance then?

Look, corruption in proper isn't really an eSports thing, as of me. It's more among the lines of, say, Loda hitting LD up on Skype and asking if they've got a free slot - and there they go. I'm not implying that's what happened, just making a topical example. Things just aren't that objective in the industry. I can guarantee you that if this was a CIS tournament, you'd have seen more CIS teams in the mix.

From what we've seen, it looks like not all regions are ready to accept players like him. If you look at the CIS, a lot of teams are less than ready to accept new blood. Na'Vi, for instance, are widely known for being unwilling to pick up new players in proper. So, can Suma1l-like players be the worldwide future? Will the CIS accept them?

Affairs in the CIS definitely have to start changing, and attempts have been being made for a while, but there's an issue with that – you have to take a huge risk with an untested player. If the venture ends up falling through, that will hurt brand image and income. It could even lead to sponsors pulling out, as they might not approve of some noname becoming part of their team. All that, and the low-risk mentality that is pretty common all around, causes the circulation of pro players to circle on and on. Spectators like seeing big-name teams, and it isn't that big of a deal if the team doesn't win much.

But efforts are being made? ASUS.Polar, for one, took a chance with Lil, who was mostly known as a pub star before that. Is that a separate occurrence, or is there a wind of change?

There are, of course. People say that HR are Dread+4, but in reality, it's 4+Dread. Our guys all had potential, they came In together, set up a goal, and marched their way to it. Right now, Vega Squadron come off a a good example, they aren't quite top-tier yet, but they definitely have it in them. Teams like them need a good coach – not necessarily an active player.

Nowadays, old-school players aren't as good in the game due to how much the focus had changed from macro (minimap and unit control) to micro (evading skillshots and landing your own). They look weak if compared to the incredible Suma1ls of today. What they can do, though, is transfer their theoretical knowledge to these new players. Realistically speaking, if you try to imagine a team that could exist in this modern environment, you need a mix of old and new players - both the strive to play and win a lot, and the experience to help with that.

And yet, there is a continuing trend with people paying absurd attention to new pro player teams. Whenever an old pro returns from inactivity, there is always a lot of hype surrounding their team, or at least a moderate amount. Is it this bias towards the known and trusty, showcased by the spectators, part of what hurts the advancement of teams?

That it is. The same players cross from one team into the next, squads come up against one another, but it is all the same in the grand scheme of things. Again, you have to risk – but it won't always pay off, and some teams will shy away, because you aren't always guaranteed a Suma1l. Most of the time, it will probably just be a failed endeavor, with more roster changes to boot. Or, perhaps, it will just be an infrastructural decision, or what else have you.

Or, perhaps, there is another reason, one that people rarely consider. Let's imagine a team of old pro players, I'm part of that team, I'm a veteran, and I know my worth. We get a bold newcomer. Suma1l, when he spoke about his playstyle, directly stated that he runs around the map and kills heroes. The team has to account for that – so we will have to account for our new player. But why would we do that? We're all part of the old guard, we have no reason to listen to some untested snotling. So we will force him into our own playstyle, one where he won't exhibit that for which he was picked up in the first place, and then, when we will fail to achieve anything, all the blame will be pulled on him. In reality, you have to look at yourself from the side, and question your own decisions. The problem may very well be within the entire team, and not just the player that didn't work out.

I can talk for a pretty long while on this topic, honestly. But ultimately, it's this problem, this military-like hazing of the new, something that is pretty signature of the CIS, that definitely leaves a big mark on the viability of these changes. In the end, it's yourself that you have to work on the most.