Only six invites were bestowed directly to the teams.
Of those, onlyXtreme Gamingfrom China received one.
The rest of China was left to battle things out.
Team Zero is the secondDota 2team of Xtreme Gaming formed in May 2023.
And it really showed right out of the gate.
They then went on to sweep throughBetBoomto take the top seed at the end of Day 1.
We had the opportunity to talk with ponlo before the group stage even kicked off.
ponlo interview with GosuGamers at TI13
Welcome to The International!
How does it feel to finally hear those words?
To finally be playing in TI?
I guess now I feel just fine.
Can you talk about your career path since you started in 2016 and now finally playing in TI?
What kept you going?
It was very long and took a lot of trial and error.
Now that I’m here, I’m just trying my best not to waste it.
I’m not sure that I can properly savour it right now.
You have played in quite a few regions through the years.
How have you been able to adjust and adapt to the different cultures and playstyles of the regions?
I think for sure both culture and playstyle are very important.
It’s not black and white.
In reality, I think it changes a lot.
I think that was the worst.
Which team do you think you learned/grew the most within your career?
What was it that happened or who was it that helped you?
I’m not sure.
I think I grew in every team in different ways.
You mature sometimes outside of the game and sometimes it is about in-game.
I learned a lot from Quinn/CC&C who is super good in-game.
That’s one thing.
How did you end up with Team Zero in China?
Take us through the story including what things did you have to consider before making your decision!
I didn’t even know who they were and the way the manager approached me was quite sudden.
I thought, ‘this doesn’t feel very thought out’ so I wasn’t very sure.
Almost immediately the team started to take 2nd place in qualifiers, but it wasnt enough for LAN spots.
I never really thought or cared about it.
To be very honest, I thought the Dota we were playing in those qualifiers wasn’t top-tier.
I don’t even know why we were in the finals and we got so close.
I didn’t feel that way at all.
Oh, I didn’t even know we had a chance to make it.
laughs Some other Team Zero, doesn’t feel like us.
Are you happy with the 7.37 patch and do you think the small balance updates changed things much?
I think there are some OP heroes in pubs, but I don’t think it changed that much.
What are your expectations for this TI?
Other than winning, what result would you be satisfied with?
I know I can play today and just improve and play better Dota next year.
I don’t really care about the placing.
But being last place is annoying.
You are the only player at this TI from Singapore.
In fact, the first one since 2021.
How does it feel to be the only Singaporean at TI this year?
iceiceice is washed up laughs just kidding.
No, not really.
What do you think about Dota 2 in Singapore?
Do you think that having The International in Singapore in 2022 elevated the game or interest for new players?
I’m not sure about that.
I don’t know any new players.
What do you think needs to happen to attract more serious players to enter the scene?
I think it could use more onboarding.
The onboarding experience for Dota is still poor.
I’m not sure how good the new player tutorial is now but it used to be pretty bad.
Even the guide teaches you that you have to hit towers.
I did that guide 2 years ago and it doesn’t give you the sense of the game.
I think they could do more to onboard players to Dota.
How do you feel about esports events like Blast coming back to Singapore?
I think I read about it.
