Boxi talks about his recent transition to pos 4 on Team Liquid. Undefeated so far in DPC regionals, Team Liquid is the best Dota 2 team in the world.
After a flawless victory on Day 1 of the Regional Finals, Team Liquid faced off against newly-signed Gladiators (former Team Tickles). The top two teams from the DPC Tour 1 faced off against each other in a best-of-three series. Fans and analysts expected a close series, but it was a 2-0 win for Team Liquid.
Western Europe is one of the most competitive regions in Dota 2 and the best team from the region is often the best team in the world. The post-TI roster shuffle saw quite a few teams change players and it seems Team Liquid has come out ahead this time.
“I think their lanes are not that good. PA is weak early in the lane.” - BOXI
In the post-match interview, BOXI spoke about the Gladiators' playstyle, focusing in particular on their trilane.
The Gladiators picked Phantom Assasin in both the games, pairing her up with two teammates for support. Trilanes are rarely seed in the current meta, but the Gladiators started off with trilanes in both games.
“I think they are forcing trilanes to catch people off guard. I think their lanes are not that good. They shouldn’t lane this way, but if you don't respond to it then they win the lane. It was a little problem with the PA hero. PA is weak early in the lane and they pick him early in the draft and then just trilane him.”
Phantom Assassin is not a popular hero in the current meta, with teams often preferring other carries over her.
“I don't want to play a boring hero that just runs around … like Tide.. who uses Ravage and dies”
BOXI made the switch to Pos 4 after Team Liquid added Zai after TI10. He has been performing really well, and the results speak for themselves.
"I think Pos 4 heroes are more fun. The way I want to play on Pos 4 is I want to kill heroes. I don't want to play a boring hero that just runs around like Tide who dies after using the ravage."
Dota 2 fans would remember BOXI playing the Weaver in Liquid’s match against OG. The fast-paced hero that has good positioning and can aid in killing heroes is right up Boxi’s style.
There is a disconnect in the style of playing offlane between pubs and competitive games, says Boxi.
In Pubs, you can farm. You become another carry. But it doesn't really work in competitive games.
Boxi thinks the current patch is a bit boring... nerfs are long overdue
“The patch is a bit boring. The heroes should have been nerfed a few months ago, some of them. But we are still learning as a team. And even though it's looking great, there’s still a bit of experimentation. We’re figuring out smaller details everyday.”
The 7.30 patch is one of the longest patches in Dota 2 history and despite it being a very balanced patch, players and fans are getting uncomfortable with the lack of new stuff. Its not long though, as Valve has already announced the new patch will drop February 23.
“In the current playstyle, kills don't really give much”
“In the current playstyle, kills don't really give much. It's more important to farm and even if you pick somebody off, you don't get that much gold out of it. I wish they would make it so that dying is a little more impactful and Map control and farming in the jungle was a little less good.”
While every player will have their own inputs on what to change and what not to touch in the new update, it all comes down to Valve’s choices.
The new Dota 2 update will release on February 23, soon after the conclusion of the DPC Regional Finals.
With this victory, Team Liquid is undefeated in the DPC Regional Finals WEU so far. The team will play a best-of-five series in the Grand finals, hoping to continue their unbeaten streak.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Dota 2 news and updates.