We sat down with Resolut1on of Team Secret at ESL One Malaysia and had a short interview. He talked about joining the team and his first impression of Puppey as a captain.
The now reformed Team Secret attended ESL One Malaysia as one of the huge favorites, especially after a powerful performance at the 2022 Riyadh Masters. The addition of Roman "Resolut1on" Fomynok to the lineup saw a spike in performance and chemistry and they settled at 3rd place at the event.
We managed to sneak Resolut1on away from Team Secret in the midst of ESL One Malaysia. Among many other topics, the offlaner talked about how he miraculously found a team before TI11 qualifiers and his first impression of Puppey as his team captain.
KZ: How did you start meshing with Secret? Was the request to stand in a long time coming or was it a pleasant surprise?
Resolution: No, not at all. We played like two or three games together and then went right into the tournament. I wasn't practicing or anything. But it worked out really well because of Zayac, because I have this synergy with him. Like, we played together for two years before Secret. So we know each other really well and at the same time, he reminds me and makes calls. Because if he's making the calls on big picture stuff, there's just this freedom to play. It's easier to play when you have that kind of support player that reminds you of the bigger picture because you can get lost sometimes.
KZ: In relation to your prompt joining of Team Secret, did you expect to find a team suddenly before TI?
Resolution: I was hoping for that, to join a team before qualifiers. But joining Secret was surprising for me, because Secret is one of the better teams in the region. Plus the fact that I’ve wanted to play with them for a long time. I'm just so grateful for this opportunity. Honestly, it's kind of like a miracle.
KZ : Yeah, I could imagine since you’ve been out of the tier 1 scene for a while. In terms of qualifiers, you guys are one of the favorites. So who else do you think will be the biggest challenge in the qualifiers?
Resolution: It's gonna be Entity. Right now their strategies and the way they play are very strong. And we are just gonna have to figure out how to deal with them.
KZ: So who is the strongest player in your opinion on Entity?
Resolution: Entity? It's hard to say but I think StormStormer, Tobi, or Pure. I mean all three of their cores are actually playing at such a high level. I can’t forget about Fishman either, he’s improved so much over the years. Right now he's playing the best he’s ever been able to play. Kataomi also has like these two, three signature heroes you know his Sven, Wyvern and Tiny, are just so solid, so it's hard to single out one player.
KZ: Alright, so about the new patch, what’s your stance on it?
Resolution: The new patch is fun. They made a lot of changes which I think are good. But my hero pool, I would say has really been affected by the changes and I need to figure out what are the strongest offlaners for this patch. In the previous patch, I had a really solid idea of what I wanted to play but now in the new patch, it's a bit different and I think a lot of new heroes are gonna come up as well.
KZ: From what you’ve seen so far, what do you think the TI qualifiers are going to look like with the new patch?
Resolution: I think it's going to be mostly about the midlane because they removed the small camp. Because of that, it really matters who's winning the lane now because there's little to no comeback mechanic for the mid player. And whoever has the better match-up is going to have a solid advantage in the game.
KZ: Yea, it’ll be a lot more intense. Do you have any outrageous, crazy changes that you really like, or that you don't like?
Resolution: I haven’t seen people pick up on the Undying change. In the lane, you now don't get HP back. And I think it might be very strong for the lane but like nobody has realized it. I think he might be actually a good offlaner too. Because he can dominate the lane very well, but I haven’t had the chance to try it yet.
Resolut1on talks about Topson, ana, and Puppey
KZ: That's great to hear. On another note, what do you think about Topson and ana coming back to the pro scene?
Resolution: I mean, they're very, very solid players. I admire Topson, especially as a player because he plays in a unique way and he always has his own ideas that he's trying to bring to the game. And he's not one of those guys who's following the meta or anything like that. He's on his own, a trailblazer, and I respect him for that. Ana, on the other hand, I would say he's not in his best form right now. He's kind of rusty from what I've seen. But I'm really excited to see what they can do.
Puppey wants to win like every single game no matter what at any level. He’s a competitive person. And it even shows like in the times where we're playing Arcade games.
KZ: One last question before I let you go. What was your impression of Puppey as a captain?
Resolution: Alright, so, when I first met him I was surprised at how smart this guy is. I was actually not too sure about his motivation nowadays because he's been around the Dota scene forever basically. But he's still very driven. I was surprised by that as well. He wants to win like every single game no matter what at any level. He’s a competitive person. And it even shows like in the times where we're playing Arcade games.
KZ: Alright, so any final words for your fans, anything else you want to say?
Resolution: I just want to say that I’m really happy to be here and I hope you know that I want to make all the fans proud.
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