After surviving the first day of the ESL One Kuala Lumpur playoffs, TORONTOTOKYO shares his plans on playing a position five Puck.
BetBoom Team began their first day of the ESL One Kuala Lumpur playoffs strong. They eliminated Tundra Esports 2-0 and lived to fight for another day. In the post-game interview, BetBoom's Alexander "TORONTOTOKYO" Khertek shared a statement that really stood out. He talked about wanting to play a position five Puck after the recent patch 7.35 dropped.
To confirm whether he was truly serious about playing a position five Puck, esports.gg sat down with TORONTOTOKYO for an interview at ESL One Kuala Lumpur.
Is TORONTOTOKYO serious about playing a pos 5 Puck?
If there is one thing to characterize TORONTOTOKYO with, it's his utmost confidence. Not only is he one of the most vocal players from the European region, he is ambitious and is full of ideas. That characteristic was evident during his interview. When asked about why he thought a position five Puck is viable, his response was, "Because if I pick a pos 5 Puck, I will farm and become a core."
It seems he doesn't plan on playing the hero as a traditional support. Perhaps he misses his midlaning days. However, if there's one pro player who can succeed as a position five Puck, it would be TORONTOTOKYO. Despite playing a support for almost a year, Puck is still his most-played hero. He also has an impressive 65% win rate on the hero.
If not Puck, then Pudge will be the go-to hero
Of course, TORONTOTOKYO's team may or may not agree with him playing a position five Puck. Luckily, he has another hero that he holds dear. We asked him which hero he would pick if he was to play his last Dota 2 game, and he chose Pudge. Pudge is apparently TORONTOTOKYO's favorite hero before he began playing Dota 2 seriously.
Speaking of playing Dota seriously, his advice to anyone who wishes to become a pro player is to practice discipline. He also added that there are risks to becoming a pro player, suggesting that this is not a path for everyone.
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TORONTOTOKYO prioritizes Riyadh Masters over TI
The words of a former The International 2020 (TI20) champion should not be taken lightly. TORONTOTOKYO has won his fair share of tournaments. However, he continues to find ways to evolve such as switching to a different role and team. He also understands the risks that come with it.
"For me right now, Riyadh is most important. But TI is also super important — just a little bit less."
With Dota 2's competitive landscape changing, it is minds like TORONTOTOKYO's that will adapt and thrive. In fact, he has already set eyes on a new goal. While not diminishing his desire to win a second TI, TORONTOTOKYO now places more importance in winning Riyadh Masters.
"For me right now, Riyadh is most important. But TI is also super important — just a little bit less," TORONTOTOKYO said.
Finally, we asked him what he would be doing if he didn't become a Dota 2 player. "I would be a really successful businessman," he said. "I would be a really good manager in an IT company. I believe in myself and I would be rich anyway."
TORONTOTOKYO and BetBoom will face G2.iG in yet another elimination match on Dec. 16. Follow the complete schedule here.
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