Yatoro at BLAST Slam 4: “I don’t think experience means that much in Dota, at least compared to other esports”

Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk is a household name in the professional Dota 2 scene, having won The International twice before in his career. I had the opportunity to sit down and have a chat with him ahead of the BLAST Slam 4 playoffs in Singapore.

I wanted to start this interview off by asking about your time in Yellow Submarine.

Patrick: What was it like developing yourselves as a team back then, when not many people knew who you were?

Yatoro: Back then, it was a good time for us because nobody expected us to win. It was like, four no-names as a team, then we had Miposhka, who was playing tier 2 Dota at the time. So it was an interesting experience to play together as a team, and it was a good time.

But now that you’re a two-time International champion, do you still check in every now and then with the current Yellow Submarine roster, and do they turn to you for advice?

Yatoro: No, I don’t speak with them. They just do their own thing.

Patrick: I see. So now, both Mira and TORONTOTOKYO play for Aurora Gaming. Everyone knows by now that you had legendary runs with both of them in the past.

But what’s it like now being on opposite sides and encountering each other as opponents every now and then?

Yatoro: We know each other’s weaknesses, which makes it interesting to play against them. But in real life, like me with Mira, we’re still friends and we talk to each other at tournaments. We spend some time when we have free days together. But when we have upcoming matches against each other, we don’t speak to each other for weeks, like we’re preparing for a fight. Afterwards, we meet up, talk about the match, and discuss why we won or they won.

Patrick: So it’s like, absolutely nothing personal.

Yatoro: Yeah, it’s just for the spirit of competition.

Patrick: The spirit of competition, indeed.

How has it been playing with Larl and rue now instead of Mira and TORONTOTOKYO?

Yatoro: We’ve been playing with Larl for three years now, which means it’s been longer than with TORONTOTOKYO. For me, there’s a more casual vibe playing with Larl, and I think he’s calmer than TORONTOTOKYO, whereas TORONTOTOKYO has a “blown up” character. As for rue, he’s more like the silent type that doesn’t talk too much.

He tends to keep quiet by himself. On the other hand, Mira has more initiative when it comes to talking about real life and stuff, like outside of the game. But rue is a good player and it’s great playing with him.

Now that Miposhka is taking a break, how are you guys handling being mentors to rue?

Yatoro: I don’t think that rue needs a mentor. Personally, I don’t think experience means that much in Dota, at least compared to other esports. Your present understanding of the game is more important, because the game can change drastically with a big patch. You need to understand Dota right now, and not like, two or three years ago. So in that sense, he’s a good player and doesn’t need to be mentored.

Patrick: Would you say that rue in particular is very adaptable when it comes to that?

Yatoro: He has already won two championships and he’s already a tier 1 player. So he doesn’t need any advice, at least not any more than we already give him.

Patrick: Going back to Miposhka’s absence, I wanted to ask about panto and his recent arrival on the team. It seems that he fits perfectly with the rest of the roster, despite this being his first real taste of being in a top tier squad.

What would you say allows panto to play such a high pressure role so well, so soon?

Yatoro: With panto, he’s very motivated to play tier 1 Dota, and he also wants to be the captain at the same time. He also wants to figure things out through the draft, and he has this personality where he provides the “spark” for the team. He’s always pushing everyone forward, and he’s constantly talking with the other members of the team. Like, he’s always asking us, “What do you think about this hero? How about this hero?” And he even talks like this while we’re walking through the airport, for example. He’s like, “I think this hero is better in these types of situations”, that kind of stuff. So you can see he’s very motivated when it comes to leading the team, and that he really wants to win a tier 1 tournament soon.

Patrick: So you’d say that even though he’s so new to the team, he’s already getting everyone’s input.

Yatoro: Yeah, sure. He’s already a big part of the team, and his energy [is infectious]. Like I said, he’s always talking with us, and he’s always there to provide support when someone [on the team] has a bad game.

What’s the story with the whole name change a while ago to Raddan, and why have you gone back to calling yourself Yatoro again?

Yatoro: I think I just got bored with my usual nickname. I switched from Yatoro to Raddan just because it was fun. But then, I eventually got bored with Raddan too, so I switched back.

Patrick: Is there a possibility you might come up with a third name down the line?

Yatoro: Maybe.

Patrick: Cool.