BuLba: I thought we should won VG.J

How was the team Onyx formed?It was formed with me, DuBu and DeMoN. We were just after The Boston Major in December and then we came together and we got Abed and mason as well. I was friends with mason before and someone recommended me Abed. And we kinda started from there.

How did that feel that you qualified to The Kiev Major after Team Onyx?We were really happy that we got to prove our self. It was gonna be a first LAN. Which means that we didn’t know what to expect honestly because Abed is a very new player to the scene and we are the first new team. So I was really happy after we qualified.

Was it hard to play in the qualifier?It was a bit hard because we were a brand new team. We mostly were afraid of NP, we were conferred nervous. NP was like goes on and off. So yeah, and we had always lost to them before that and finally we managed to beat them. What a matter, so I though really good.

Did you have a bootcamp in Kiev for several days before The Kiev Major?It was okay. We had some issues before coming here because of Abed’s visa. He had to go all the way to Malaysia. And for the three weeks you can really practice and when we came there we had practiced for 5 days before the bootcamp. Also, there is a brand new patch, so the first few days were definitely very tough, we didn’t really know what to pick, what was strong. And finally, we had figured out something in the middle of the day before the group stage. So you found out the way to play. We did this in the group, we went 2:2. We beat Liquid and Newbee. But the group stage, it doesn’t really feel like you get anything out of winning. It’s more seen just momentum and you are getting a high seed.

What do you think about a Swiss format for the group stage?A Swiss format is really good but I feel it would be much better if there were a loser’s bracket and a winner’s bracket. For example, we’ve got to the top and we will seed 7 in the group stage, so that means that if it was proper, I feel that with Major’s good format we would be in a winner bracket.

Which format will be better for you if some teams are knocked out after the group stage or maybe all 16 teams get to the Double Elimination bracket?No, the best format would be 8 teams in the Double Elimination bracket at the winner’s bracket. 8 teams from the bottom of the group stage would go to the loser’s bracket. And then it would be a really good format for groups. That’s something I wish they could do at The International.

But no best-of-one in a loser’s bracket?No, I think that best-of-one is good for the first round. Because I guess there is just not enough time for so many best-of-threes, so that’s one of the reasons. And I prefer best-of-threes all the time, if there is enough time, bo3 is optimal.

Is it better to play bo3 in the groups?I like best-of-three in a Swiss format because Swiss format matters about every bo3. A best-of-one doesn’t suit there so much in Dota.

And what about playoffs? You lost to Vici Gaming.J. What was the reason?We have never really played with Vici Gaming.J. The only Chinese team we played with was Newbee, we practiced a bit with iG Vitality. So the game one, I thought we should won. Our decision making was bad at sometimes. We’ve kinda given the game. There was a first pick lane and we all were kinda tired after the game one and we had a really bad draft for the game two that didn’t really suit us and no one knew what to do in the game. There was no real leadership and we just kinda fell apart.

What about the other teams? Did you expect that, for example, Secret will lose to SG e-Sports?No, it’s just the same kinda problem we had as well. I was very conferred with Vici Gaming.J going in but just like you know Secret. I think they are gonna choke versus SG, they are never like the top 4 team of this Major. I think as well that if we played like how we did versus Newbee, we would also be in the top 8 of the Major. But Vici Gaming.J played well in a Midas that day and just like that SG as well they played well that day and beat Secret.

Who will be in the final of the Major?From the left side of the bracket, I think IG or Virtus.Pro. They are two best teams on the left side. And on the right side of the bracket I’m not gonna tell you for sure, I think it’s EG or OG. I think EG looks stronger these days. So I think the final would be like EG vs, maybe, IG in the finals. I think VP will lose to IG. I think that their team is like, its format is unforgiven and I think IG after their comeback versus Liquid is kinda gonna rule They are just looking very good right now.

Virtus.Pro is playing the home tournament. Will it be a boost for them?I don’t think that it matters so much in Dota. I think all these teams, they don’t really care where they play. You just have to have a good drafts and understand what you do.

What are your plans for next several months?Like I said, this Major it’s hard to really look at,. We will just go and prepare for The International as the main goal. We will play all qualifications we have. We will try to get as much experience as possible.