T1 ang bukong-tanging koponan mula sa Southeast Asia na naka-directly qualify sa The International 10 ngayong 2021 Dota Pro Circuit.
Bilang ang pinakamahusay na Dota 2 team sa rehiyon, malaking parte sa kanilang tagumpay ay dahil sa hard carry nilang si Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon.
Nakapanayam ng ONE Esports ang rising star habang naghahanda siya at ang kanyang koponan sa paparating na US$40 million The International Dota 2 world championship na gaganapin sa Oktubre.
Ang simula ng Dota 2 career ni 23savage
Nagsimula maglaro ang 19-taong-gulang kasama ang kanyang mga tropa; minulat ng Maple Story at Getamp, bago mayaya ng kanyang kuya na subukan ang custom map ng DotA sa Warcraft III.
Lumipat din siya sa Dota 2 nang ito ay lumabas. “I feel like Dota 2 is more well-balanced,” pakiwari niya.
Madaling nahumaling si 23savage sa pro scene nito at agad naging fans ng mga tanyag na manlalaro. “I’ve seen Miracle- and Arteezy play and thought I wanted to be like that,” kwento niya.
Idol niya rin daw noon ang midlaner ng Team Nigma at two-time The International champion na si Anathan “ana” Pham dahil, “they were always in good form.” Ikinatutuwa niya ang mga pagkakataon nakakalaro niya ang kanyang mga hinahangaan sa iisang stage, “I’m glad that what we’ve done from the beginning has worked.”
Ang kuwento sa likod ng IGN ni 23savage
Noong nagsisimula pa lamang siya sa kanyang karera, wala umano siyang maisip na IGN.
Dahil sa kasikatan ng rap, madalas nakikipag-rap battle si 23savage sa kanyang school at dito iminungkahi ng kanyang kaibigan na gamitin ang alias.
“I was already listening to 21 Savage and his song, ‘Bank Account’ was very popular at that time, so it changed to 23savage,” paliwanag niya.
Meron ding kanta si 21 Savage na iba ang tama para kay 23savage. “As for the song that matches my life, it’s probably the one titled ‘A Lot’. The content of the song is a variety of stories that people like and don’t like. It’s not good for us to like everything. There are always two sides.”
Kailan nagdesisyon si 23savage na maging pro?
Sa kabila ng kanyang murang edad, kamangha-mangha na ang mechanical skills ni 23 savage.
Ito ay dahil alam na niya ang landas na gusto niyang tahakin simula pa bata. Ayon sa kanya, “When I was in the third grade, I knew I couldn’t study at that time. I was tired of everything and was not happy at all, so it wasn’t a difficult decision to choose a pro player path.”
Bagamat mas gusto ng kaniyang magulang na tutukan muna ang kanyang pag-aaral, nanindigan si 23savage sa nais niyang gawin, “I am a person with clear ideas. I believe in myself the most so I am confident in my choice.”
Naibahagi niya rin ang matataas niyang grades noong unang dalawang taon ng grade school. Bagamat nagsimulang bumaba ang kanyang mga score simula noong dumami ang kanyang mga homework, nanindigan siyang, ““it was enough to survive.”
Sa kabila ng mga pagsubok sa kanyang pag-aaral, nanatili ang kumpiyansa ni 23savage sa paglalaro ng Dota 2.
“The day I decided I didn’t have a backup plan, nothing. I was very confident because I had really high MMR. I think I had 6,000 MMR when I was just 15 years old.”
Paano napapayag ni 23savage ang kanyang mga magulang na maging Dota 2 pro player
Sa likod ng mga alinlangan at duda, naintindihan ng kanyang nanay na si Ms. Kinra Theeramahanont ang kagustuhan ng kanyang anak at binigay ang kanyang suporta—kahit na hindi buo ang kanyang loob na pumayag sa desisyong ito.
“My mother has played a very important role in my success. At first, my mother was not okay with my decision. She had my brother try and convince me to go back to school,” pag-alala ni 23savage.
“But on the day when I got home from my very first tournament, I took home ฿2,000 or US$60. She then saw that there was a future for me as a player, and she began supporting my decision,” saad niya. “The only thing she’s concerned about now is my health. My mom also likes to watch my pro games.”
Naniniwala ang batang pro na importante ang pamilya. Lalo na’t kailangan ng matibay na determinasyon para maging Dota 2 pro player. “If you’re really serious, families should trust and listen to you,” giit niya.
Ang unang hakbang ni 23savage bilang Dota 2 pro player
Napabilib ng husay ni 23savage si Noppadon “Feimao” Paopongprapun, dating Tai pro player na bumandera sa kauna-unahang The International noong 2011, sa ilalim ng MiTH.Trust.
Ngunit iba ang kinalabasan ng kanyang mga tryout games dahil ‘di tulad ng ranked games, walang MMR na pinagbabasihan. Ine-evaluate siya sa kabuuan ng kanyang trial tuwing matatapos ang isang laro.
Naglaro rin sila sa isang sistema kung saan nahirapan mag-adapt si 23savage. “I didn’t understand, I didn’t trust my teammates, so I had problems. I didn’t play in a team system that well,” kwento niya.
“When I was disappointed, I was very sad because at first, I thought I would have an affiliated team, but they decided not to take me.”
Nagdesisyon si 23savage na mag-focus muna sa ranked games at pagpapataas ng MMR matapos ang nasabing setback. “I tried to make others see that I was a good player and that they would regret not taking me. I wanted to be better than I was before,” paliwanag niya.
“At that time, what I lacked was responsibility. I didn’t admit my own mistakes at the time. I didn’t listen much either. There are a lot of egos, which caused me not to learn from my mistakes,” dagdag pa nito.
Ang naging turning point sa kanyang karera ay ang unang beses na sumali siya sa isang overseas team na Team Jinesbrus, na binubuo ng mga talentadong players na kargado ng experience. “All of them turned out to be as good as I thought,” kwento niya.
Naging parte rin si 23savage ng iba’t-ibang rosters, mula sa pagbabalik niya sa Hashtag, pagsali sa Alpha Blue, saglit na kampanya kasama ang Reaper, tapos Team MSCerberus, bago mapadpad sa Team Jinesbrus.
“I changed a lot and became more responsible,” paliwanag nito. “There must be a goal in every play, and we must be able to learn from our mistakes all the time. It’s different from playing for fun. You need to be more analytical in your reasoning.”
May mga araw na nami-miss ni 23savage ang kanyang childhood. Pero matapos ang lahat, naramdaman niyang worth it ang lahat dahil ito ang pinili niyang landas.
Ibinahagi niya rin na parati pa rin sila magkausap ng kanyang mga tropa. Pero mas nais niya rin na mag-focus sa mga laban tuwing kinakailangang mag-travel para sa mga turneo. “I’ve crossed over to being a professional player. There’s some loneliness, but it’s another life that we chose for ourselves.”
Ang ‘formula for success’ ni 23savage bilang pro player
“For me, the formula for success is hard work. Responsibility, diligence, and great determination. Don’t skimp on other things, stay focused, focus on the game, and prioritize what is most important,” advise ni 23savage.
Isang game lang ang pumagitan sa Thai pro player at tiket papuntang Vancouver, Canada para sa The International 2019 kasama ang Team Jinesbrus. Nabigo sila kontra tanyag na Southeast Asian squad na Mineski, 3-2, sa Southeast Asia qualifier.
“Of course, TI was what I dreamed of most of my life then and now, but when I was eliminated from The International 2019 qualifiers I didn’t feel that bad. Because in the past, during major selection programs, I have never auditioned at all,” paliwanag niya.
“The International 2019 qualifiers was my first big show, so I think it’s okay. If next time we have another chance, I won’t let it slip,” giit ni 23savage.
Ipinaliwanag din niya kung paano niya na-handle ang kanyang ego noon, na nakatulong sa kanya upang matanggap ang pagkatalo sa The International 2019 Southeast Asia qualifier.
“It taught me to be calmer, especially in my decision-making. I also learned to be more patient when playing in big tournaments. To focus on the game.” Bagamat iginiit niyang kinaya niya ito, hindi pa rin napigilan ng 17-taong-gulang na manlalaro na mapaluha dahil sa pagkatalo.
