Sa buhay, marami tayong desisyon na kailangang gawin. Ang Dota 2 professional player na si Natthaphon “Masaros” Ouanphakdee ng Motivate.Trust ay lumaki sa pamilyang may kaya. Ang pamilya ng Thai pro player ay may gasoline station business na kumikita ng malaki taon-taon. Kung tutuusin, maari niyang sundan ang yapak ng kanyang mga magulang at tumulong sa kanilang negosyo, mabuhay ng masagana. Pero mas pinili niya ang magkaroon ng career sa esports.
Sa sipag at dedikasyon, mas napaghusay nya ang paglalaro. Ngayon ay parte na sya ng pinakamahusay na Dota 2 team sa Thailand.
Paano nagsimula ang lahat
Tulad ng marami, nagsimulang maglaro ng Dota si Masaros kasama ng mga kaibigan nung highschool pa lang sya. Ang mga elemento at detalye ng laro ang pumukaw sa kanyang interes.
“During high school, it was during Dota 1 that I played with my friends and seniors. I started playing just Axe and Sven — two Strength heroes in Dota 1,” naalala ni Masaros. “I had fun because of the team play. Everyone in the team was important and we were united as a team.”
Habang tumatagal ay nag-iiba ang pag-unawa at atake ni Masaros sa laro. Hindi lang sya basta katuwaan, marami rin syang natututunan. Mas higit nyang pinahalagahan ang hero, item, at map analysis para matulungang manalo ang kanyang team.
Ang bagong mindset ni Masaros ang nagdala sa kanya sa pagiging competitive, sa pagsali nya sa kanyang unang Dota tournament sa pinasukan nyang university. Si Masaros ay nag-aral ng Faculty of Economics sa Thammasat University. Sa panahong ‘to, nagkaroon ng Dota 2 University Championship (DUC) tournament, at ito ang nagsilbing simula ng kanyang esports career.
“It took me a while to get into a real tournament. I initially just played Dota for fun,” sabi ni Masaros, “Then, I went to college and started playing Dota 2. This was also the time when I started watching more Dota 2 events. At this time, I didn’t know how all teams around the world were so focused on making it into The International. I became interested in how everyone was racing after this one tournament. I wanted to try it out for myself.”
Ang malaking desisyon
“After my second year playing Dota 2,” gunita ni Masaros, “I looked at how I’d be able to make it through the qualifiers. At the time, I realized why our opponents were so good. They played with a different system compared to ours. We were still just trying to have fun with no proper system in place.”
Matapos kausapin ang mga players at teams na nakalaban nya, natuklasan ni Masaros na bawat team ay ay nangangailangan ng specific na estilo sa paglalaro. Nagulat siya nang maisip niyang naiiba ang mga goals niya, kaya giunugol nya ang kanyang libreng oras para pag-aralan at paghusayin pa ang kanyang laro.
“In the beginning, the teams I was a part of were just five people who wanted to compete and connect with one another through a Facebook group.” Ganito na-imbitahan at napasali si Masaros sa kanyang unang team. Sa kasamaang palad, natalo sila sa unang laban nila sa Kasetsart University. Nung sumunod na taon, wala masyadong pinagbago at nagtapos sila bilang runner-up.
Sa puntong ito, sumumpa si Masaros na mas humusay pa sa laro at maging captain. Ang pagkatalo ang naging mahalagang leksyon para sa kanya, dun nya nakita ang bawat pagkakamali at oportunidad para gumaling. Nakapako ang isip ni Masaros at ng kanyang team sa iba’t ibang aspeto ng laro. Nagkaroon siya ng pagkakataon na mapabilang sa Alpha Blue, ang reserve team ng Alpha Red na naka-focus sa pag-develop ng mga players.
“In the last four years, I went to Alpha Blue’s Dota team, and gained a lot of experience that helped me and my teammates,” sabi ni Masaros. Umasa ang team na manalo ng championship bago sila magtapos ng college. Subalit nung panahon na ‘yon, hindi pa fully committed si Masaros sa esports.
Pagkatapos ng kolehiyo, libangan pa rin ang tingin ni Masaros sa Dota. Inisip nya ang mga pwede nyang gawin matapos mag-graduate. Sa huli, napagdesisyunan niyang sundin ang kanyang puso sa esports.
“In this life, I would like to carve out my own destiny.”
Nang magdesisyon si Masaros na hindi tumulong sa kanilang family business, nagulat ang lahat. Pinili nyang gumawa ng isang bagay na hindi ayon at hindi naiintindihan ng kanyang pamilya.
“At the time, my family was not happy with my decision. I tried to explain that after I graduated, I wanted to spend a year and chase a career in esports. If it doesn’t work out, I will serve as a graduate or help in the family business. He reluctantly gave me a chance.”
Gusto ng ama ni Masaros na mag-aral sya ng economics sa university. Sa kabilang banda, gusto naman ni Masaros na maging isang engineer o doctor. Sa kanyang paglaki, ang pamilya ni Marasos ang nagdedesisyon para sa kanya. Pero determinado syang baguhin ‘to.
“[Chasing after an esports career] was my first independent choice. This time, I want to try and do what I love.”
Pagiging pro
Buo ang loob, itinuon ni Masaraos ang sarili sa laro at sa kanyang pangarap. Ang una nyang hakbang ang nagdala ng mga pagsubok na kailangan lagpasan. Napabilang sya sa Dota 2 roster ng Buriram United at sumama sa kanilang bootcamp.
Sa kasamaang palad, nag-disband ang team at naging mahirap ang simula ng esports career ni Masaros. Nagsimulang isipin ni Masaros na mali ang desisyon nya sa pagpili ng career. Alam nyang hindi katulad ng iba ang buhay nya dahil may gusto syang marating sa kanyang pro career. Marami ang umaasa sa kanyang magtagumpay.
“I felt that it was a challenge for myself. From the first day that I made up my mind, I thought I should be able to be independent and make a living out of just playing the game.”
Pagsali sa Motivate.Trust
Kinuha si Masaros ng Motivate.Trust, ang team na bumago ng kaniyang buhay. Bilang top Dota 2 squad sa Thailand, mabilis na pumayag si Masaros na sumali sa team. Ito ang nakatakdang simula ng kaniyang esports career. Sa Motivate.Trust, natutunan niya kung paano maging isang tunay na professional at mas lalo pang pinaghusay ang kanyang skills.
“This was the team that I’ve been dreaming about since I was a 2nd year student in high school. Motivate.Trust Gaming is the top team in Thailand, and when the opportunity arrived I grabbed it. It was a turning point in my life.”
Pinuri ni Masaros ang Motivate.Trust Gaming sa kanilang approach sa Dota, Malaki ang paniniwala nya sa kanilang Sistema.
“I didn’t play well at first because I was just a rookie who went straight to the best team in the country. While I knew there was a chance I’d be removed from the roster if I continued to play poorly, I was still excited to play for the team. There was a lot of pressure, but that helped us become better players.”
Sa Motivate.Trust, maraming natutunan si Masaros mula sa kanilang coach, Lakelz “Coach Bass” Pipat Priyachat. “Coach Bass taught us everything. From skill builds to how we play, he taught us everything we needed to know. At first, there was a bit of stubbornness from us. But, through our practice sessions, he helped me become better.”
“It took me about 3 to 4 months to adjust,” kuwento ni Masaros, “The training eventually paid off when we entered BTS Pro Series Season 3: Southeast Asia because no one could fight us.”
Sa wakas ay nagbunga na ang tiyaga ni Masaros sa Motivate.Trust. Tinulungan nya na magtagumpay ang team sa dalawang SEA tournaments: BTS Pro Series Season 3: SEA at DOTA Summit 13 Online: SEA.
Sandaling panahon sa Fnatic
Dahil sa tagumpay niya sa SEA region, nakasali si Masaros sa isa sa pinakamalaking team sa buong mundo, ang Fnatic. Nakasama ni Masaros ang kapwa Thai pro player na si Anchua “Jabz” Jirawong.
“To be honest, I’ve always been a big fan of Fnatic. They’re famous in SEA. I never thought I’d reach the point where I could join their roster. The chances of big esports organizations scouting Thai players that have never been to a Major have always been low. But when we won ESL Thai Championship 2020 Season 1, there was a chance that Fnatic would be looking for a new offlaner. At that time, I was wondering if they’d scout me.”
Bago pa magsimula ang DOTA Summit 13, kinausap na siya ng Fnatic, tinatanong kung interesado si Masaros na mapabilang sa kanilang roster. Sa parte ni Masaros, matinding pressure ang naramdaman niya dahil nangangahulugan ito na kailangan niyang iwan ang team kung saan nya naabot ang tagumpay. Sa huli, pinili ni Masaros ang Fnatic, dahil gusto niyang maranasang maglaro sa pinakamataas na level ng laban ang pinakamagagaling sa buong mundo.
“The decision was very difficult. I chose to take the risk and decided to try it. In my mind, I didn’t want to leave Motivate.Trust Gaming because the team is good. But I wanted to try playing for Fnatic and experience what it would be like.”
Sumali si Masaros sa Fnatic sa ONE Esports Singapore Major, ang unang major ng taon. Ito rin ang unang offline event na dinaos sa gitna ng COVID-19 pandemic. Sa kasamaang palad, mabilis natapos ang lahat para kay Masaros at sa Fnatic, nang ma-eliminate sila sa Day 2 ng Playoffs.
Fnatic sa Singapore Major
Ayon kay Masaros, sabik ang team na mag-compete sa Major. Mayaman sa experience ang team dahil nakakalaro nila ang pinakamagagaling sa mundo. ‘Yun nga lang, naniniwala si Masaros na hindi pa nya gamay ang Sistema ng Fnatic pagdating sa paglalaro.
Naikumpara ni Masaros ang Motivate.Trust at Fnatic. Sinabi ni Masaros na may nakatakdang sistema ang Motivate.Trust. Samantalang sa Fnatic, ang lahat ay may kanya-kanyang konsepto ng paglalaro. “There are no plans for how to play. We don’t see a pattern in how we can win. Teams of that level, they must play like that. Which I don’t like very much because they don’t look like a team,” sabi ni Masaros.
“After playing for Fnatic, I felt that this is not the place for me. It’s a bit awkward because, in the end, no one said anything. It was like everyone just came to work together, unlike teammates who trust each other. It disappointed me, but I didn’t regret my decision to join the team.”
Sa pag balik-tanaw, napagpasyahan ni Masaros na handa na syang magsimula muli at matuto sa mga nangyari.
Pagbabalik sa Motivate.Trust
Matapos magpaalam sa Fnatic, bumalik si Masaros sa Motivate.Trust Gaming. Muli syang maninirahan sa kanilang team house, kung saan maghahanda sila para sa second seaon ng DPC SEA lower division. Kinuwento ni Masaros na pangarap nya pa rin makatungtong ng The International balang araw.
“The only goal now is to get to TI. Motivate.Trust Gaming is a strong team, and we’re ready to face the best in the world.”
Iginiit ni Masaros na ganado ang Motivate.Trust Gaming na makarating sa upper division ng DPC SEA region. Pero sa kabila ng pag-asa at tiwala nya sa kanyang team, sinabi rin nya na bukas pa rin ang kanyang pinto sa pagsali sa isang top international team.
Sa ngayon, laging handang lumaban si Masaros.
