Swedish Dota 2 support Aydin ‘iNSaNiA’ Sarkohi hopes Team Liquid will peak at the right time as they step up preparations for DreamLeague Season 21 and The International 2023.
With more than eight years of experience under his belt, iNSaNiA is one of the most revered captains in the Dota Pro Circuit. However, despite his constant stellar performances, the Aegis of Champions has continued to elude the Swedish support.
Having played on rosters like NIP and Alliance, stepping up to represent a TI-winning organization with Team Liquid came with its own challenges. Nevertheless, after a bumpy start in 2021, the team has done exceptionally well. After securing a top-three finish at TI11, iNSaNiA and the rest of Team Liquid have continued their run of dominance, securing top-two finishes at all three Majors of the 2022-23 DPC Season.
iNSaNiA talks Team Liquid’s chances at DreamLeague Season 21 and TI12
After taking a break following the Riyadh Masters in July, Team Liquid will make a final pit-stop at DreamLeague Season 21, an online tournament with $1 million on the line, before heading to TI12.
“Going into Dream League, I think we’re coming off of a break, so the idea was to come in with a lot of motivation and come in really fresh,” iNSaNiA told Dexerto.
“I think our coordination and our gameplay might not be at their peak at the start, but hopefully, it’ll be a stepping stone to TI and to make sure that we peak at the right time, which will be TI.”
Dota 2 has recently undergone plenty of in-game changes since the release of the New Frontiers update with patch 7.33, and there are a lot of new factors for every Dota player to consider, from the new mechanics of the wisdom rune, twin gates, watchers, and the tormentors, all the way to the massive expansion of the map, which results in a lot more ground to cover in the game.
When asked about how he and his team have managed to adapt quickly while making the most of these new additions to gain an in-game tactical advantage, iNSaNiA stated: “We didn’t really have to do too much because I think my team loves clicking creeps and getting gold, and I think a lot of the reason why they like playing Dota so much is because they just enjoy hitting creeps.”
“I think the Berlin Major was really the time of the year when it said we had to figure the map out the most, but at this point, we’re pretty adjusted, and everyone’s quite naturally happy to play it.”
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“One of the advantages of having such high-skill teammates around you is that they can mostly figure out the stuff on their own and understand how their roles change and how they need to adapt to the new map.”
Evolution of Team Liquid’s playstyle and iNSaNiA’s growth as a captain
iNSaNiA also spoke at length about the changes that Team Liquid had to undergo after TI11, with former TI champion Lasse ‘MATUMBAMAN’ Urpalainen retiring from the game. The Finnish carry was regarded as one of the scariest in his role to draft and play against.
“I feel like last year, with Matu, we very often ended up in some very tricky situations. I think we had a habit of playing that type of game quite a bit. This year, I feel like the games have been more clear-cut. Either we’re winning, or we’re losing. And there hasn’t really been as much, maybe back and forth, during the game.”
He went on to discuss his evolution as a player since he began competing in 2015.
“I think when I was younger, I played a lot more for myself. And I think over the last two years, I’ve taken a much more sacrificial role on the team, and I’ll very often try to view the bigger picture and put less focus on what progresses my own game.”
He also acknowledged that his own playstyle is now much more like that of a “true support player” than “someone who plays support heroes with a slightly more core mentality.
Having said that, iNSaNiA has come a long way since the infamous offlane Gyrocopter pick against RNG during the first round of the lower brackets at TI9. From securing a top-three finish at The International to earning top-two finishes at three Dota 2 Majors in a row, Team Liquid, led by iNSaNiA, is definitely a team to watch out for at the upcoming DreamLeague Season 21, as well as TI12.
