One of the great things about professional Dota 2 is how top players directly communicate their thoughts with the community. Unlike League of Legends, where every interview goes through PR specialists, Dota 2’s interviews and blogs are a direct source of information.
Case in point: Yesterday, Jacky “EternalEnVy” Mao tweeted that he was writing a blog. A few hours later, it was published.
Is the writing good? Not exactly, but that’s not the point. The blog is unquestionably EE’s, and it tells his story in his own unique style. EE’s account jumps from his origin story in 2011 to the weeks after The International 2016, when he founded Team NP, and finishes with his concerns about support staff at The International 7.
Shortly after EE published his blog, it was posted to Reddit and users began asking for an AMA. EE obliged and answered over one hundred questions. While some of his answers were brief, others offered a glimpse into the life of one of Dota 2’s more enigmatic figures.
On Risk:
EE is often thought of as a high-risk, high-reward player, but he disagrees with this characterization. He prefers keeping things simple and playing the safest path to victory. According to him, his teammates don’t see him as a high-risk player at all.
On Friendship:
Playing professional Dota 2 means that many of the people EE is friends with will often be his opponents in-game. This creates problems both on and off the field, and personal bonds between players often shape lineups and in-game roles more than most players are willing to admit. When asked about whether Mouz should change their roster, EE highlighted the tension between friendship and competition.
On Teammates:
Over the years, EE has played in different types of teams. The original Cloud9 lineup consisted mostly of unproven players, while Team Secret was a squad of superstars. Each has its pros and cons. After The International 6, where Team Secret stumbled early, EE went back to forming new teams with relatively unknown players, though he later recruited veterans Johan “PieLieDie” Åstrom and Adrian “FATA” Tinks to Team NP.