Yuragi comments on his time with OG, the Taiga 322 case, new journey with NAVI, and more!
Artem "Yuragi" Golubiev is one of the youngest Dota 2 carry players in the tier 1 scene, having his breakthrough with OG in 2021. Yuragi departed OG early this year and after a month of absence in the pro scene, Yuragi joined NAVI, the historic black-and-yellow organization. The new lineup successfully qualified for DreamLeague Season 23 showing an impressive form.
Esports.gg had a chat with Yuragi to learn about his time in OG, the new environment in NAVI, and some personal opinions about the carry role!
*This interview was conducted prior to DreamLeague Season 23 and before the release of patch 7.36.
Reminiscing his time with OG
Hello Yuragi, thank you for attending this interview. I want to first go down memory lane before we talk about the present. You started playing with OG at a young age and it is also your longest-lasting team. What have you learned throughout the 3+ years you've played for OG?
Yuragi: “We started as a very young team and everything that I know now, I learned there. It was a great learning curve in OG. I learned that there's always a special side to the official games. You try to stay in the flow and the whole team needs to stay in the flow. So you sometimes have to direct the team and you have to make sure everybody's on the same page.”
How would you compare yourself now to when you started competing?
Yuragi: “Honestly, it's more or less the same. I just come in, play the game, and then whatever happens, happens. If there's some problem that needs to be solved, we solve it. Everything goes fine. Just enjoy the game and play. ”
I would say the most I learned from is Ceb. During the times he stood in for us and later when he became a player. I learned a lot about the game and about the team structure and how to enable the players.
Who would you say gave you the biggest impact in changing as a player during your time with OG? Who taught you the most in and outside of the game?
Yuragi: “I think the most I learned is from [Sébastien "Ceb" Debs]. During the times he stood in for us and later when he became a player. I learned a lot about the game and about the team structure and how to enable the players.”
Yuragi comments on the Taiga 322 controversy
You and your teammates had a great start in 2022, winning two major championships in that year. But 2023 wasn’t so easy, you guys had to go through a lot of VISA issues, roster stand-ins, and likely other things. But what do you personally think caused your team to struggle last year?
Yuragi: “We changed our roster and first we had some gameplay issues that we were trying to figure out. Then in the middle of the year, we started feeling more or less okay, but then.. The thing with Taiga started and it also impacted us. So I guess that year, ups and downs. Mostly downs. We just couldn’t get stable enough I think.”
I didn't know it went to that extent... I'm just really sad.
You mentioned how Taiga was one of the factors. Assuming it's related to his matchfixing scandal, did you notice it back then?
Yuragi: No, I didn’t know it went to that extent but uh.. I can’t really say anything. I’m just really sad.
What happened towards your final days with OG? Did you decide to pursue other opportunities?
Yuragi: “I was just feeling a little bit tired, I did not perform as good last months or so. Everybody felt that. And we just came to the decision that there needed to be a change. I think it made both sides happy because I feel better where I’m at right now and OG is also getting better."
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Yuragi joins NAVI - a new chapter
How did you happen to join NAVI? Did they contact you?
Yuragi: “NAVI contacted me and said everybody would be very happy to play with me. They wanted me to join so I was happy to accept. I didn’t know anyone in the team so it was fun to meet new people, get to know them.”
You’ve played with NAVI for almost three months now, what is the current state of the team? How is everyone merging together?
Yuragi: “Bootcamp was really fun, we were pouring ideas. I was trying to pass everything I’ve learned and Baqyt "Zayac" Emiljanov was sharing a lot of ideas too, he’s the most vocal. It was really fun. Now we are just having steady preparations, good shape, good conditions. So we are just figuring out our strategies, our strong sides.”
This team (NAVI) is not that different from OG. I think everybody is very open minded and everybody really brings their best.
While most of the members in the team are known in your region, [Sukhbat "sanctity-" Otgondavaa] is a bit more mysterious. How would you describe him as a player? What about his gameplay?
Yuragi: “As a player, he likes to play fast and he’s a very aggressive player. He doesn’t say a lot (laughs) he’s a very quiet player so you have to talk to him a lot to enable him. But it’s fun, I think he’s very good.”
Yuragi: "Just trying to take it patiently...because it’s a long route."
You've switched regions between Western Europe and Eastern Europe. Is there any difference in gameplay or comfort for you?
Yuragi: “Honestly this team is not that different from OG. I think everybody is very open minded and everybody really brings their best. Just trying hard to improve.”
Your team successfully qualified for DreamLeague Season 23, even defeating big names like Team Spirit! What are your expectations for this event?
Yuragi: “We are definitely excited but we are not making anything special out of it. We have a long route here. Of course we will try to do our best. But I think we need first and second place to get to Riyadh and even if we don’t get there, we still have the qualifiers. So just trying to take it patiently and not yet being too stressed out or overexcited because it’s a long route.”
Yuragi talks Dota 2 patch and the carry role
A lot of people have been complaining about the boring patch, it has indeed been 6 months since the biggest update. What do you think of this current Dota 2 patch?
Yuragi: “I think it’s fine. The map is too big and the games can be dragged out but I think there’s still room to adjust the gameplay and maybe adjust to the playstyles that some teams do.”
The stability to make the right decisions no matter what the situation is, to stay clear minded.
In your personal opinion, what are the traits of a good carry player in your opinion? What makes a carry player different than the rest?
Yuragi: “Probably it would be the stability. The stability to make the right decisions no matter what the situation is, to stay clear minded. (Can you name players that you think have the best stability?) Ame, skiter, and Yatoro.”
To wrap up this interview, do you have anything to say to your fans and followers of NAVI?
Yuragi: “Thanks everyone for your support, and see you at DreamLeague!"
Yuragi and NAVI will aim for the next big tournament, Riyadh Masters. Read more of our interviews at DreamLeague Season 23 here on esports.gg!
