Nouns will be the only North American team competing at The International 2024, starting on September 4th in Copenhagen, Denmark. They qualified by defeating Shopify Rebellion in the regional qualifiers. However, they will have to face tough competition from the best Dota 2 teams in the world.
Ahead of The International 2024, we sat down with Rodrigo "Lelis" Santos for an exclusive interview. We discussed the team's preparations for TI13, the current meta, their expectations for the tournament, and more.
How did you end up joining Nouns?
I decided to join Nouns after TI11, wanting to start from scratch and found a group of players I believed in. Being a player myself, I thought joining a team in NA would be the best opportunity for me.
How do you feel about Nouns' victory over its regional rivals Shopify Rebellions at both Riyadh and TI13 qualifiers?
Qualifying for tournaments is always satisfying. I don't dwell too much on the regional aspect; I focus on playing my best and winning. For me, the opponent doesn't matter.
How do you view Nouns' ability to come back from being eliminated by Shopify Rebellion and secure spots at both Riyadh and TI?
Since we often played each other in the winner's bracket, we used it as an opportunity to try out some new tactics. It was the anticipated outcome, but it was still satisfying to win.
Did you ever doubt Nouns' ability to overcome the "second favourites" tag in North America?
I don't believe there's a psychological barrier to second place. In NA, it's a do-or-die situation; you either win or don't qualify [because of only 1 slot]. Anything can happen, so there was always a chance we could lose to SR. They were considered favourites in the qualifiers.
With only one spot at TI for North America, is there a concern that Nouns may not have enough quality practice against teams from other regions due to ping differences?
It's definitely a concern that the NA region is slowly dying. There's a lack of new players, and many have migrated to WEU, which is more competitive and offers more opportunities.
In all honesty, where do Nouns/NA stand when compared to other regions, especially Europe?
Not very high.
Riyadh Masters 2024 didn’t go as planned for the team. What were your expectations and what went wrong?
It was a very frustrating experience for me, at least. I had hoped to reach the group stage in Riyadh, but we couldn't make it out of the play-ins. I think we had poor strategies and didn't execute well enough in the games.
What lessons were learnt?
Fixing the mistakes isn't straightforward. We understand the issues, but execution is key. It's like a football team missing passes; we know what's wrong, but it's difficult to correct. At Riyadh, we struggled as a team and individually. We're working to improve through practice and analysis.
Crit mentioned once that leaving NA is a must if you want to be successful at TI/Dota. What do you think?
It’s easy to generalize using a successful case; if cr1t has had success everybody else should do it as well, you know? It's also important to remember that opportunities vary. Not everyone has access to top teams, high salaries, and necessary infrastructure. I've played in Europe before and will go wherever I believe offers the best chance for success.
Way too much importance is given to the “region” situation with people joining the bandwagon to mock other regions and be mean about it. Currently, many teams from different regions scrim on European servers – NA, SA and EU. It’s all Europe now.
What are your expectations for Nouns at TI13?
We hope to play well, feel comfortable as a team, and execute our game plan effectively. Our goal is to perform our best in the tournament, regardless of the outcome.
Your thoughts on 7.37b and the meta?
The carry role has evolved significantly, leading to a wider range of viable heroes. It's now just another core position, offering more flexibility. Facets have also added depth and diversity to the game, making it exciting. This trend is likely to continue especially with the “healing meta” being the flavour.
Which kind of heroes or playstyle do you believe is more apt for this patch?
Being proactive is essential in this patch. You need to keep pressurizing the enemy team and avoid being afk [only farming and not contributing to team fights]. Playing passively can lead to snowballing and defeat.
Stay tuned to BLAST for exclusive interviews and content for The International 2024.
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