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Hello everyone, I've decided to revive Kostyan's thread where he interviewed the "daddies" (top players). After reading old threads, I decided it would be interesting to restart this, especially since the roster of top players has changed; new ones have appeared (and some old ones were never interviewed). Therefore, I will start interviewing the top players starting today and will publish them as they come in. Anyone wishing to join is welcome.
Added 10 minutes later
And the first top player is FireToSky
(me) Let's start, perhaps, with a standard question. Give us some brief information about yourself.
(FireToSky) Ivan, 27 years old. I love to play
(me) Ivan, tell us how you got acquainted with the Heroes series, and specifically Heroes III. When and under what circumstances did you start playing?
(FireToSky) I remember when I was little and my older brother brought a disc with "Restoration of Erathia" to our first computer, around '99. I played through campaigns, played scenarios, and then, accordingly, there were "The Blade of Destiny", "The Shadow of Death", and various chronicles. Well, basically, just like everyone else)
(me) When did you start playing online? Do you remember your first opponent? What were your impressions of your first defeat and victory online?
(FireToSky) My first duels took place in 2009 on HeroesWorld. I registered, and while figuring out how to play, I read reports and basically understood how people play. The first victories came quite easily, although of course I played terribly back then) But the opponents weren't super either! Literally a month or two later, I had a victory over Pasha Dubrovin, who was considered one of the tops at the time; that's probably when the real joy of victory came, and the realization that I could become a "daddy" too) Since I already had esports experience behind me, I treated defeats quite calmly.
(me) Oh, so you didn't get into esports through Heroes?) Then please tell us which discipline you competed in and what your successes were?
(FireToSky) In 2007, after six months of hanging out in WC3, everyone started switching to Dota, and I got hooked too. Given my nature, which requires me to figure out everything I like, I began to progress very quickly. We didn't have internet at home. We played Dota in clubs; I would download pro replays and rewatch them at home. Soon I put together my first 3x3 team; the roster changed slightly, and after a year we were unconditionally top 1 in our city, and then we started traveling to the Altai region and Novosibirsk. In Barnaul, we always took 1st-3rd places, but in Novosibirsk the level was much stronger and we didn't rise above top 3.
Anyway, I didn't manage to advance beyond the local level.
Team games are much harder in terms of training and everything else, so at some point I installed Heroes and started playing online, and Dota gradually took a back seat
(me) Why did you choose Heroes specifically? After WC3 and Dota, it's not the most standard choice. Who or what led you to HW?
(FireToSky) Well, in general, Heroes is closer to those games than something like CS) I just played Heroes a lot in school and was pretty good at it, so there was nostalgia. My mindset is more strategic, so Heroes felt like a breeze. Even in Dota, I preferred coming up with new combos, non-standard moves, and playing supports/gankers, so Heroes fit perfectly into my general picture)
(me) Undoubtedly, you are now one of the strongest Heroes players. But on the other hand, the esports component of Heroes is not very developed. There are no big prize pools, no good coverage, and tournaments are organized by enthusiasts. Where do you constantly find the motivation to play?
(FireToSky) Prize money interests me little (at least what is currently available in Heroes), I prefer the recognition of players and viewers. I like showing a good game and winning. And in Heroes, I can do this better than anywhere else. I guess those are my main motivators
(me) Who besides yourself do you consider top Heroes players? Do you have any uncomfortable opponents? Which victory do you consider the most valuable in your Heroes career?
(FireToSky) 1. Many, but to avoid hurting anyone's ego, I'll refrain from answering. 2. No opponents, there is one uncomfortable one, but everyone knows about that anyway)
3. There were many hard victories, but I find it difficult to choose the most valuable one among them.
I only remember the most "valuable" loss in the final of CIS 2012 Yekaterinburg to Stinger.
At the time, I was playing hyper-aggressively and already on 123 on the WT (Wartortle/etc) I was planning to break the Utopia in the center on 8mm6a, and to not lose tempo, the power remained with the LOK (Loki/etc), and Artem somehow managed to reach it, crashing in the central village. Even on LOK it seemed like it was lost with tolerable losses, but at one moment Artem screamed "MORALE!" and by a miraculous wave of the hand, it worked on a fat stack of Gnolls... That game served as a very big lesson for me; since then, I play much more carefully
(me) An interesting and instructive story. I'll ask one last question. What would you advise beginners to do to improve their level of play, and what would you like to wish (or convey) to your fans, who have been increasing in number lately?
(FireToSky) To beginners: level up your skill so you get tp/dd in gm and kz/kv from utopia more often!
To viewers: watch quality content :smile49: and subscribe to the channel :smile01:
(me) Ivan, thank you for the most interesting interview. Good luck in your future games, I wish you more victories and to carry CIS-2017
(FireToSky) Thanks, you too! Happy holiday to all Heroes players!
Added 10 minutes later
And the first top player is FireToSky
(me) Let's start, perhaps, with a standard question. Give us some brief information about yourself.
(FireToSky) Ivan, 27 years old. I love to play
(me) Ivan, tell us how you got acquainted with the Heroes series, and specifically Heroes III. When and under what circumstances did you start playing?
(FireToSky) I remember when I was little and my older brother brought a disc with "Restoration of Erathia" to our first computer, around '99. I played through campaigns, played scenarios, and then, accordingly, there were "The Blade of Destiny", "The Shadow of Death", and various chronicles. Well, basically, just like everyone else)
(me) When did you start playing online? Do you remember your first opponent? What were your impressions of your first defeat and victory online?
(FireToSky) My first duels took place in 2009 on HeroesWorld. I registered, and while figuring out how to play, I read reports and basically understood how people play. The first victories came quite easily, although of course I played terribly back then) But the opponents weren't super either! Literally a month or two later, I had a victory over Pasha Dubrovin, who was considered one of the tops at the time; that's probably when the real joy of victory came, and the realization that I could become a "daddy" too) Since I already had esports experience behind me, I treated defeats quite calmly.
(me) Oh, so you didn't get into esports through Heroes?) Then please tell us which discipline you competed in and what your successes were?
(FireToSky) In 2007, after six months of hanging out in WC3, everyone started switching to Dota, and I got hooked too. Given my nature, which requires me to figure out everything I like, I began to progress very quickly. We didn't have internet at home. We played Dota in clubs; I would download pro replays and rewatch them at home. Soon I put together my first 3x3 team; the roster changed slightly, and after a year we were unconditionally top 1 in our city, and then we started traveling to the Altai region and Novosibirsk. In Barnaul, we always took 1st-3rd places, but in Novosibirsk the level was much stronger and we didn't rise above top 3.
Anyway, I didn't manage to advance beyond the local level.
Team games are much harder in terms of training and everything else, so at some point I installed Heroes and started playing online, and Dota gradually took a back seat
(me) Why did you choose Heroes specifically? After WC3 and Dota, it's not the most standard choice. Who or what led you to HW?
(FireToSky) Well, in general, Heroes is closer to those games than something like CS) I just played Heroes a lot in school and was pretty good at it, so there was nostalgia. My mindset is more strategic, so Heroes felt like a breeze. Even in Dota, I preferred coming up with new combos, non-standard moves, and playing supports/gankers, so Heroes fit perfectly into my general picture)
(me) Undoubtedly, you are now one of the strongest Heroes players. But on the other hand, the esports component of Heroes is not very developed. There are no big prize pools, no good coverage, and tournaments are organized by enthusiasts. Where do you constantly find the motivation to play?
(FireToSky) Prize money interests me little (at least what is currently available in Heroes), I prefer the recognition of players and viewers. I like showing a good game and winning. And in Heroes, I can do this better than anywhere else. I guess those are my main motivators
(me) Who besides yourself do you consider top Heroes players? Do you have any uncomfortable opponents? Which victory do you consider the most valuable in your Heroes career?
(FireToSky) 1. Many, but to avoid hurting anyone's ego, I'll refrain from answering. 2. No opponents, there is one uncomfortable one, but everyone knows about that anyway)
3. There were many hard victories, but I find it difficult to choose the most valuable one among them.
I only remember the most "valuable" loss in the final of CIS 2012 Yekaterinburg to Stinger.
At the time, I was playing hyper-aggressively and already on 123 on the WT (Wartortle/etc) I was planning to break the Utopia in the center on 8mm6a, and to not lose tempo, the power remained with the LOK (Loki/etc), and Artem somehow managed to reach it, crashing in the central village. Even on LOK it seemed like it was lost with tolerable losses, but at one moment Artem screamed "MORALE!" and by a miraculous wave of the hand, it worked on a fat stack of Gnolls... That game served as a very big lesson for me; since then, I play much more carefully
(me) An interesting and instructive story. I'll ask one last question. What would you advise beginners to do to improve their level of play, and what would you like to wish (or convey) to your fans, who have been increasing in number lately?
(FireToSky) To beginners: level up your skill so you get tp/dd in gm and kz/kv from utopia more often!
To viewers: watch quality content :smile49: and subscribe to the channel :smile01:
(me) Ivan, thank you for the most interesting interview. Good luck in your future games, I wish you more victories and to carry CIS-2017
(FireToSky) Thanks, you too! Happy holiday to all Heroes players!
