Armaggeddon DOTA 2 Grand Slam Asia 2013 commenced on the 7th of March and concluded on the 10th of March. Armaggeddon DOTA 2 Grand Slam qualifiers were held during February and twelve of the finest amateur teams from all over South East Asia were headed to Marina Bay Sands, Singapore for the grand final of the tournament. The format of the tournament was double elimination.


The tournament concluded with team ABC clinching the first place with a cash prize of US$5,000 and a sponsorship contract worth US$7,500. Singapore representatives First Departure coming in second and team Awake won the third prize which included US$1,000 in cash and a sponsorship contract worth US$2,000.

Gamer.LK spoke to Mirsab Hassan of Team The Kade to learn his thoughts about the event.

Q - First Congratulations for representing Sri Lanka at the Armaggeddon Grand Slam 2013 - DOTA 2. How was the feeling as a player and as a team?
We were thrilled to have the chance to go to Singapore and represent our country. We considered ourselves lucky and honored to have this opportunity.

Q- . Team lineup of The Kade and what were the team’s thoughts before the tournament?
Andre 'Demon' Camillus - Offlane
Mayanka 'Munky' Balasuriya - Support
Ruven 'Kingdom Of Death' Weerasinghe - Support
Chaarya 'TFC' Jayasinghe - Carry
Mirsab 'Paradox' Hassan - Solo Mid
Viren 'Hawkie/Hawk Eye' Dias – Support

We were told we were going to Singapore only a week prior to the tournament. This resulted in us not practicing as much as we would have liked, we were still extremely excited despite of all this. Perhaps we would have felt more confident if we had more time to practice.

Q- . Talk us about the qualification stages and how you’ll manage to get qualified for the play-offs.
Well we were supposed to have a national qualifier but it was not possible. We were chosen to go because we had won the last two Dota2 tournaments in Sri Lanka, namely Tritech 2012 and SLCG 2012.

Q- If you had to choose an MVP (most valuable player) who would it be?
If I had to choose an MVP, it would be our support players. First of all it is incredibly hard to play the role well and they are the ones who control the early game. It is also extremely underappreciated even though it takes the most skill in my opinion. Good support players are very rare and I'm glad we have them on our team.

Q – For those who are hearing about your team for the first time. What is The Kade?
The Kade started off as a group of 6 friends playing Dota together and ended up forming a team. It has worked out well so far, we'd like to compete vs. the top of South East Asia regularly. Looking back at where we started and where we are now I have to say we have come a long way in terms of skill and more importantly, teamwork.

Q - What was your best match of Armaggeddon Grand Slam 2013?
The best match would definitely be the game vs TLer Reborn, the Indonesian National champions. It was a very close game and extremely nerve-racking. Although we ended up losing the game, it was versus some very strong opponents and it only made us better.

Q - . Talk through about your trip to Singapore and your experience.
Singapore is an amazing country. It’s so clean and the people there are extremely friendly. It’s also quite hot and humid. We had a great experience with the train. Such a cool way to travel, as foreigners it was extremely easy to pick up and we were accustomed to it after one trip on the train system. The malls in Singapore are MASSIVE. Also, every train station is a mall. The tournament was part of an IT exhibition and the atmosphere was great. The organizers did a superb job with all the PCs and gears; we didn’t have to do anything. All we had to do was write down all the gear we used and it was ready for us before our game. We also met the star caster GoDz and WinteR from team MUFC.  Overall it was a really fun trip and some great exposure and experience.

Q- How was the support from the Dota community back home?
It was good. We had some well-wishers and people following our matches.

Q- What do you believe the main factor behind your consistent success? And any lessons learnt from the tournament?
I think it’s because we are 5 friends and we get along pretty well. This is a result of knowing each other in real life and spending time with each other.

We learnt how to handle Lan pressure better. It was unfortunate that we couldn't win a game. But we came close to it. We also learnt that small mistakes can have huge consequences and they should be minimized.

Q- People who you’ll want to thank if any?
I'd like to thank Armaggeddon and Shifraz our sponsor. Without them our trip to Singapore wouldn't be possible and for that we are extremely grateful. Our hard working manager, Stefan Camillus. Anouk or DarkLeader, whom without this team wouldn't exist. Last but not least, our parents who have been very supportive and understanding.

Q- Where does Srilankan competitive Dota2 gaming stand with that of whole world?
Well, I think is just the start for Sri Lankan Dota2. I think we'll see the full potential of Sri Lankan Dota2 once all the teams who play Dota have switched. I urge the teams to keep practicing and getting better because we definitely have the potential.

Q - Anything you/your team wanted to say for the Dota community of Sri Lanka?
Thanks for the support. Make the switch to Dota2. It’s the future of e-sports and the more players we have playing, the better our chances of international recognition are. It will also make the community come together as a whole and will help the tournament organizers pool all their resources together instead of dividing it between Dota1 and Dota2. Also, the game is just better because of the reconnect feature and I'm sure everyone who played Dota1 knows how annoying those DCs are. So make the switch for a better playing experience.

Q – Finally What Are Your Future Plans? What is next for Kade?
 We do plan on playing the TM Fun Tournament, GCDL hopefully and the GameLadders league though. Also, constant practice to improve and fair better versus South East Asian Teams. Keep rooting for us and we'll try to do better at the next tournament. Cheers.

The Kade vs TLeR Reborn


Gangster vs The Kade


Article by Pv

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Good luck for future tournaments!

GL guys

GL Guys

GL guys.....!!!

I saw the picture on fb and i was like "HOly crap thats Godz" nice to see the Sri Lankan Dota 2 scene being represented on an international platform.. good luck in your future endeavors guys

gl guys and nice plays (youl have a big fan in me )

Wow this is amazing guys! SL teams going international All the best for future events!

GL peepz

GL

awesome stuff

GL

(y)