ASUS Polar DOTA 2 Team Interview

 Recently we caught up with DOTA 2 players fng, Illidan and Lil from ASUS Polar for an interview.

 

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1.  Video games have transformed from a hobby into a profession for some. What do cybersports and Dota 2 mean to you?

Lil: Dota 2 is currently everything to me. Of course, on some days my priorities will change, but right now I’m going to do my best in this.
fng: It is indeed a job for me. I’m trying to revolve my personal life around it and I’m trying to keep my mind and body up to the task as well.
Illidan: Gaming is both a job and a hobby for me. I know it’s a healthy mix.

2. What’s you daily regimen? How much time do you spend training?

Lil: I wake up and go to study. When I’m back home in the afternoon, I train until late in the night.  I spend about 5 to 10 hours a day on Dota 2.
fng: Recently we’ve been training for an average of 8 to 12 hours a day.  About 4 hours for gaming and the rest of that time is for match analysis.

3. ASUS is your general sponsor. What are the good points of working together with such a renowned company?

Illidan: ASUS is a worldwide brand.  When a company like that supports you, it really means something.  But, of course, it comes with some additional responsibilities, too.

4. Do you like the Republic of Gamers notebooks? What can you tell us about them?

Illidan: Since I’m in Moscow, I had got my ASUS ROG G751JM sooner than my teammates. My impressions are all positive: the sound, the display, the keyboard are all top class. ASUS ROG notebooks are perfect as the main computer for training.

fng: Good notebooks, even though I don’t have much to compare them to. Anyway, I can recommend them to anyone just because I know they are reliable products.

5. Some people say that gaming hardware isn’t as important for Dota 2 as for CS:GO and other shooters. What do you think?

Lil: It’s a matter of personal taste. I’ve never played shooters professionally, so I can’t really tell if hardware is critical for such disciplines. It is actually no big problem to play with a different mouse or keyboard if you have to, but sometimes even small things can affect the outcome of a match. Like side mouse buttons or a specific type of keys on a mechanical keyboard.

fng: It’s about what you've gotten used to. The main thing is for your device to be stable and reliable. That’s why it makes sense to invest into time-tested brands.
Illidan: The hardware is always important. I feel more comfortable with my own devices. It makes me more confident.

6. What gaming devices do you use?

fng: We’re still not decided about mice. Personally, I’ve picked up an ASUS Strix Claw but it may not be my final choice.  As far as I know, ASUS is always extending the model range of its gaming accessories.
Illidan: By the way, although each of us uses a Strix Tactic Pro keyboard, we prefer different switches. I use the Cherry MX Blue whereas Lil and Mag, the Cherry MX Red. We’re also waiting for new ASUS Strix Pro headsets, so we’ll be choosing between them and the Orion.

7. What are your plans? What do you think about your own level of play? Will we see you at the International 5?

Lil: I’m sure we’ll be able to perform well at all of the upcoming major tournaments. If we keep our team together and if we keep on training as hard, we will be able to make it to the International and do well there.

fng: There are a lot of tournaments before TI5 where we will perform. And we will have to perform well to get invited. I won’t predict anything as I will just try to work hard and do everything to get to Seattle this summer as a tournament player.

Illidan: We’ll play at a number of tournaments in the near future. I won’t say anything about our level. We just need to show our best.

8. Why are there only three players on your team as yet? When will you announce your full roster?

fng: We just don’t want to make a mistake choosing our teammates. And, conversely, we want our future teammates to trust us as well. We hope we’ll do it in the nearest future.