Interview with Mira: “I feel happy for the boys. I don’t feel jealous.”

It's been a rough season for Aurora, a team filled with stars like Myroslav "Mira" Kolpakov, the two-time champion of The International (TI), whom we just had the pleasure to interview exclusively. The young player opened up about his time with Aurora, what he feels they can improve as a team, his past with Team Spirit, and the current state of Dota 2.

But we also had the chance to learn about another side of him. We talked about memes, friendship, and more. Aurora's next tournament is TI 2025. This is the most important challenge for the team and their biggest opportunity to prove that this super-roster is capable of lifting the Aegis of Champions.

Esports.gg: I’m going to start asking some Dota questions. I saw you playing a lot of Dark Willow and Shadow Shaman before FISSURE Playground, and for this tournament, you practically dumped them. Were the nerfs too strong, or do you prefer other heroes?

Mira: The recent nerf made them feel a little bit weaker, so I’m just trying to play new heroes. Actually, Willow and Lion are good. Shaman is okay sometimes as well. This meta is more about caring about my position to make plays and help my team get some kills. I think Bane, Snapfire, and also Batrider are kinda good.

Do you like the meta as it is now, ahead of TI? Some players used to complain a lot about how stale it was before.

Mira: I’m fine with it. Those [heroes I mentioned] are my signature, so I’m pretty chill. But the meta is very strange because you can pick whatever you want. The heroes are not so important right now. It’s better to think about what you feel [more comfortable about] and then pick whatever you want.

Sounds like a dream for pubs, too.

Mira: Yeah, it was pretty boring when it was only the same five heroes. It’s better like this ‘cause now I can pick whatever I like in my pubs.

Let’s talk about the team. There are no more tournaments before TI, and despite looking strong in the first stages of every tournament you play, the results are not quite there yet. What’s missing? What’s that thing that you think the team can improve to reach your peak performance?

Mira: Uh… Yup. The thing we need to fix is to play better after the mid-game. Maybe it’s making better calls, or maybe we just need to do more clutch plays. We need to play [this stage] perfectly, because we threw a lot of games, like 20 already won games, like this. If we don’t choke there so many times, we will get better placements in tournaments.

On the other hand, your road to The International was exactly what you said. A team that executed perfectly after the mid-game. It felt almost effortless for Aurora. Why do you feel it changed so much from then to now?

Mira: First of all, the teams we played against were much weaker than what we are facing now. The fundamentals of the teams trying to qualify… I don’t know how to say it, but we are just better at this compared to them. They made a lot of mistakes, gave us a lot of gold, and we beat them.

You don't see any of these teams joining the Tier 1 scene soon?

Mira: Only one team was doing well, the one we beat in the finals [Cyber Goose: TA2000, Chira_Junior, Noticed, prblms, Solo]. It was an easy run. But when we play on LAN, [Tier 1] teams are more motivated and skilled. They don’t make mistakes; you need to force them ‘cause they will not make them by themselves. It's harder to do this than just punish weaknesses.

I feel this is something that’s happening in every region. Tier 2 teams are way further in terms of skill than ever before. Do you feel they are getting weaker in EEU, too? Like, it’s getting harder to see new teams shine nowadays.

Mira: Yeah, I guess [the Tier 2 teams] just don’t have enough knowledge about the game. There are not enough good mentors and coaches to teach them. We have almost zero players available to build new teams, 'cause you have four teams that have all the top players: PARI, BetBoom, Spirit, and us. This creates a big gap. But it’s a matter of time. You just need some players to stop playing and start coaching. Then we will see new strong teams.

Do you see yourself coaching in the future?

Mira: Not yet, for sure. Not yet [laughs].

I’m so glad you said that. Let’s keep talking about TI. Is this still the tournament you aspire to win the most? Do you feel that now that people are not as hyped as during the Battle Pass days, and the prize pool is lower than ever, maybe it’s not the tournament to win anymore?

Mira: Well, these last three years… It’s not about the prize pool anymore. It’s the title and the legacy. No one cares about the money anymore. In the end, it’s the first [Dota 2] tournament ever, and the most prestigious one. And of course, you want to be a champion.

It feels like no other tournament will ever be like TI. Doesn’t matter how much they pay. Because, let’s say, the next EWC pays 10 million dollars. How would you feel about that? Do you think that then it would be as hype as TI for some?

Mira: I guess that – because of that kind of money – it would be just equal. Like a balance: this money just equals the legacy you earn from TI. So, if [the EWC] pays five or 10 times more, it wouldn’t be “more” important. Just “as” important. But still, everyone would just want to win both of them.

I’m the same; I don’t think there’s ever going to be a tournament that surpasses TI. But who knows.

Mira: Yeah, who knows.

And you have so many good memories from TI, too. Like, for example, your Team Spirit days. Now, I know that’s long ago, and you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to, but: how does it make you feel to see your ex-team doing so well despite you not being with them anymore?

Mira: I feel happy for the boys [laughs], I don’t feel jealous. I don’t think “that should be me” or anything like that. I’m not thinking about the what-ifs. It could have been better or worse with me on the team. I don’t know about it. So, I’m just glad that my friends are doing well. It’s actually nice!

Well, thanks a lot for sharing such a personal thing with me! Now, let’s chill a little before we close this interview with some fluff questions. Especially because the English-speaking community doesn’t get a lot of the memes from the EEU region.

Mira: Haha, yeah!

And I know there’s beef between your boy Yatoro and Skiter after the last tournament. A friend of mine saw you leaving a “go fight” comment in one post about it. So let’s say we set up a boxing ring, and we put these two in a fight. Who are you rooting for?

Mira: I’m rooting for Skiter [laughs]. But he will not win, for sure. Yatoro in real life is a super-crazy person. He will just go nonstop ‘til the end. Skiter has no chance, but I’ll root for him just for the memes.

Alright, alright! Now, let’s say it’s you up there in the boxing ring. Who would you pick a fight with?

Mira: Hmm… [laughs] Does it have to be boxing or can it be MMA?

It can be MMA!

Mira: If it’s boxing, I can pick on anyone. But MMA, no way. I heard Fly is very strong in MMA. I would not fight him. But anyone else, sure. Let’s go!

Next one: I don’t know if you had the chance to check this year’s Compendium. But I want to know if you already have a favorite voice line.

Mira: Not really, they’re all like so-so for me. Our bundle is cool, though. And I think there was one in the NaVi one that I liked, too. But if I have to pick a favorite, it’s the “My Pudge” one and “Silence-silence-silence” [both from Aurora’s fan bundle]*. I think they are great for pubs.

If there were no restrictions, what would be your dream voice line? It can be whatever you want.

Mira: No restrictions, huh? I think it would be super toxic [laughs]. Something like “Shut the f*** up!” for the memes.

And talking about being toxic. My friend also told me you trashed a little bit on CS2's pro players. You even doubled down, saying you were serious about it. What do you have to say about that?

Mira: [Laughing while talking] I was just talking to my chat. They told me something about what I wouldn’t be, and I said, “a CS player.” I just responded in a meme way, but people were super mad at me about this. They all started defending CS. I don’t know! I play CS, too!

Let me help you here: Is there a CS player that you admire? If you answer this, it’s all going to be settled down.

Mira: I admire? Hmm…

If you double down again and you say nobody…

Mira: Well [laughs], I like donk. I like how he shows his emotions, even after they lose. He’s very real. He just hates losing. I like this player. He tries a lot, he’s the best. Yeah.

By the way, I’m sorry! We were talking for almost 20 minutes, so I’ll let you have some rest and hope to see you lifting the Aegis this year.

Mira: Thank you very much!

We are very grateful to Aurora for the chance to interview Mira and hope they have an exceptional TI run.

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