Secret.SunBhie talks new rosters and player unionisation

posted by Olucaron,

South Korean coach Lee 'SunBhie' Jeongjae has led Team Secret’s charge for glory for over a year now, with the European org enjoying some impressive wins and high finishes along the way. In a fascinating new interview with esportsheaven he spills the beans on a variety of topics. As a player, SunBhie played as a midlaner, most notably for the MVP HOT6* side that competed at The International 2015. After a spell with Team Freedom*, he hung up his keyboard and mouse to coach TNC Predator at The International 2016. After joining Secret, he coached them to wins at both DreamLeague Season 8 and Season 9, and this year led them to 5th-6th at The International 2018.

On the subject of Secret’s new recruits, he had this to say:

We wanted zai last year. He had made commitments then and he sticks to them. He's a strong player and his character is admired within the team. I am sure we will have our own slew of problems as a team always does. But we have a hopeful outlook with Zai in addition to our team.

As for carry, we were discussing our options, and when Puppey mentioned Nisha, "oh right, this guy exists, what the hell?" To be fair, we don't know what he's really like. So I don't know what to expect from him far as chemistry goes. But I trust Puppey in ironing out a strong teammate out of anyone long as they listen and are skilled. And Nisha is undoubtedly a skilled player.

He goes on to talk about the demands of a Dota 2 season, with a previously exhausting calendar now replaced by one in which his side may play less events by virtue of qualifying for the Majors — as per Valve’s new rules, a team which attends a Major will not be permitted to play a Minor. He highlights a possible drop in prize money for these teams, and that perhaps a player union is the answer.

…a player union of CSGO in Dota equivalent would be great. It's harder to do than it sounds however due to politics involved between teams and players. But it's something the scene needs. I'm not going to sit here and cry about how difficult our lives are, but it would help smooth out the rough edges that are often overlooked.

Finally, he talks about how the Dota 2 scene in Korea is not very successful, and how a small scene doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of success:

…in my opinion, if you have the fire to be the best as we all did when we were young, it should not stop you from chasing your dream. It did not stop us in the days of Warcraft 3 with poor infrastructure and replay system. It's not stopping this 14 year old boy in Mineski/TNC net cafe in plastic chairs playing with 50fps. In a world where you literally have everything at your fingertips, why should you fail to at least give an honest attempt at chasing your dream?

There are plenty of top Korean gamers in games that are not popular in Korea. Dota just does not have it for whatever reason. I must believe the problem lies in the player, not the community or the environment.

You can read the full interview over at esportsheaven.

What do you make of SunBhie’s interview?

Header image © Jennija Ojala | DreamHack