ESL ONE Berlin Major: The second day + Interview with Nisha

Just like the day before, the second face-to-face day of the Berlin Major was a success, full of small details that will, for sure, go down in history.

So here we go, a quick summary of the three matches of the day and, at the end, an exclusive interview with Nisha, pos 2 at Team Liquid, who plays today for qualification to the final.

Yesterday's first game was the pride of my South American soul. Evil Geniuses, with the presence of kaffs, now as head coach, beat OG (2-1) in the quarterfinals of the lower bracket. With incredible performances from C.Smile's Anti-Mage and Pakasz's Mokey King, EG secured passage to the semifinals convincingly and eliminated one of the local favorites from the championship definitively.

The second match was, probably, the most interesting of the day, specifically because of the context.

9Pandas vs. Gaimin Gladiators ended with a resounding victory for the defending champions, who sent the Serbian team straight to the lower bracket. During the first match, we witnessed an absurd comeback from GG which, after a lot of provocation and even several tips during the match, turned around and closed the map in a spectacular way. For those who are not familiar with the players, there is a very intense rivalry between Quinn, GG's pos 2, and REMZES666, 9P's offlaner, who, on several occasions, have already given statements about it.

A discussion that started in a normal ranked match, has now become in-game tips, taunts, and various “funny” looks. The second match, however, was dominated from start to finish by GG, who managed to stay ahead throughout the map.

Finally, EG played again, this time against Team Liquid, and with a little less luck. In two maps played in a didactic way by the European team, Evil Geniuses was eliminated from the championship, reaching, for the first time in a long time for a SA team, the top 3 in a Major.

So, here's a quick interview with Nisha, Liquid's Midlaner who is still fighting for the top of the championship.

Do you think this patch (7.33) helped you maintain your dominance within the international scene? Or did it change the way you strategize and think about the game?

I don't think it helped; I think it created chaos. All of the sudden, we didn't have any strategies, and we needed to adapt. I think playing against some teams and some tournaments helped us a lot. The DreamLeague helped shape the way we think about the game but, overall, I think we are still adapting. I don't think it favors us, at all, not yet at least. 

Do you think that having family here pressures you more?

I don't really need to worry about them. I think that having my friends and family here is only positive.

You're the youngest player in the team. What are the main aspects you end up picking from the more experienced players you play with on a daily basis?

I don't think I pick up anything from them. When I was a kid I used to be a little clown, so I don't want to learn anything from them. Like, experience wise I just learn from Dota aspects, but maturity-wise, I don't want to learn anything from them.

If you could change one main aspect of the patch, what would it be?

I would reduce the amount of neutral camps. It's way too much. If you want to pressure somebody, they will just run away straight to another camp. It is a game of cat and mouse most of the time. Kills do give more gold, but I just think it's way too much. 

Do you think the game is more forgiving to the losing team than before?

No, not at all. I feel like there's very little comebacks lately, so probably some comeback mechanics could be added, but still: double ancients, kind of weird; Twenty camps on one side of the map, kind of weird. I also feel like Roshan should get some status resistance, like 30% at least.