Yatoro talks about Larl "I'm very proud of my son"

Team Spirit is on a roll, taking their second tournament victory of the year. After being crowned champions in Riyadh Masters 2023, The International 10 (TI10) champions took home another trophy, as the winners of DreamLeague season 21.

After an incredible 3-0 victory over Shopify Rebellion, Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk and Yaroslav "Miposhka" Naidenov had a quick interview with the panel. The duo shared why they struggled in the series' first game,  their thoughts on the Dota 2 meta, and the growth of Spirit's new midlaner.

Team Spirit explains why they initially struggled against Shopify Rebellion

Not quite the show-stealing performance we expected. (Credit: Shopify Rebellion)

The series was off to a rough start for Team Spirit in game one, as they lost an early set of barracks and had to play from a 30,000 gold deficit.

It took over an hour for the TI10 champions to mount their comeback and it was a sight to behold.

When asked why the series' first game took nearly as long as games two and three combined, Miposhka answered that it all came down to a bad draft.

"In the first game, our draft wasn't as good as previous games. We picked Apparition and Earth Spirit but Muerta is good against Earth Spirit. We played better but our draft was worse."

While Team Spirit occasionally struggles in the early game, they bounce back strong every time.

Miposhka attributes their late-game dominance to their cool-under-pressure decision-making, "I think it's because we're calm in the late-game and talk about which target we want to focus on. We make conversation in the game, what we need to do, and then we take some solution."

In Dota 2, different roles peak at different points of the game. During the early portions of a match, it is often the supports who have the most impact on the map.

As the game goes late, the carry comes online and starts directing the team. Yatoro explained how that dynamics works for Team Spirit.

"Everyone is making calls but my personal mission is Roshan and Tormentor and towers. I talk when I am ready and team does stuff to be ready with me."

Team Spirit doesn't believe in the power of Gyrocopter

Yatoro ain't a fan of the flying old man. (Credit: Valve)

Gyrocopter was one of the most contested heroes of the tournament, getting picked or banned in 86% of the games.

Despite the hero's popularity, Spirit never picked him up once.

Yatoro explained that Gyrocopter is simply too weak against other carries, "I think Gyrocopter is a trash hero you should never pick. He's too slow, weak power spike, he can kill enemy carry only with [Divine] Rapier. Mid laners now buy Blademail and Heart, you kill yourself as gyro but you don't kill enemy."

The current meta in Dota 2 is to pick up Sven or Phantom Assassin whenever possible, as no other carry can compete with these two options. Some players such as Artour "Arteezy" Babaev believe Sven is superior, while others prefer PA.

It's a bit of a stale state for carries, and unless a patch drops before TI12, Yatoro believes we will see the same heroes get picked up at The International, "Meta is as usual because teams understand which heroes are good against meta heroes, like PA and Sven. But I think it will still be the same OP heroes are The International."

Yatoro: "Larl is right 90% of the time"

Larl had big shoes to fill for Team Spirit. (Credit: Team Spirit)

It is intimidating to replace an International winner in a team, but that was the exact situation Denis "Larl" Sigitov found himself in when Alexander "TORONTOTOKYO" Khertek left Team Spirit.

It was a struggle for the team in the first half of the year. While Spirit dominated the Easter Europe DPC, their International performances weren't as impressive.

In the last two tournaments, Spirit has had incredible runs in the upper bracket. Yatoro stated that winning Riyadh was huge for the team, as it was the first major victory for Larl.

When asked how he feels about his midlaner, Yatoro had nothing but praise, "I'm very proud of my son. I think he has grown as a player. Most important part of him is he never stays in one place, he is always growing, and always disciplined. He understands what he should do, always calm. He can do shot calls in the game and he is right 90% of the time."

Fun fact, Yatoro is almost two years younger than his "son".

To round up the interview, the panel asked how the team captain would rate the current strength of his team.

Miposhka stated that while they are doing well, they will only be at their peak if they win TI12, "It's hard for me to rate our team. We will always say we are 6/10 or 5/10, we will never be 10/10 until we win TI again. But right now I will say we are 7/10."

Larl and the rest of Team Spirit's next appearance will be at The International 12. Time will tell if they will be at their peak or if their performance remains a 7/10.

READ MORE: Topson showcases an incredible Dazzle trick in DreamLeague 21

Featured image source: Valve