I recently caught up with Wesley Odu Rose to get the low down on his thoughts of Dota 2 SA.  Here’s what went down!

|Current Team|
Energy eSports

|Previous Team|
Bravado Gaming

|Team Role/Position|
Safelane / Pos 2 😉

|Favourite Heroes|
Vengeful Spirit, Clinks, Pugnani!

KC:  From the last leg to this leg your team energy E-sports is like night and day.  You guys went from an under performing team  (for the caliber of players in it) to one of the scariest teams around. What changed from then to now? 

oDu: We’ve been through quite a few roles swaps since the start of this team but we’ve finally landed on something that we think can work. We probably practice as a team more then any other team in South Africa at the moment too, so with us finding the right setup and with a lot of practice we are now starting to see results. The addition of Mr.Pottikins (aka FilthyFrank) to our team was a perfect fit and he has definitely done his part in our recent successes.

KC: You were previously on ‘the great’ Bravado squad can you give us a little insight into what you think made them so ‘special’?  And what did you you take from it? 

oDu : The first thing that I noticed once joining Bravado is the great friendship they had between each other, they were at the core, just really good friends playing some dotes. The second thing I noticed was how much they absolutely HATED losing, whether it was a pub or a scrim, it didn’t matter, and I think this was definitely part of their drive to succeed. The third thing I noticed was just how much raw time and effort they put into the game, playing solo ranked; scrimming; practicing stuff in lobbies; analysing past games and analysing pro games. What did I take away from playing in that BVD team? A lot of good memories with some good lads, in terms of DotA. I adopted a lot of their philosophies when it comes to DotA and I gained a ton of experience.

KC:  How does your new team energy E-sports compare to your old Bravado roster?

oDu: Well in the old Bravado roster everyone was very focused on themselves.  People preferred playing solo EU ranked games over practicing as a team most of the time, where as in Energy it is quite the opposite, in Energy most people are not that interested in playing solo games and prefer playing together as a team. I think both styles have the pros and cons.  I for one have so much time on my hands that I am able to do both.

KC:  You’ve played quite a few different roles it seems, going from a support player on Bravado to your current role as carry/mid player for Energy.  What was that transition like for you?  

oDu: The transition was really smooth for me, I was actually originally a Mid player back in the day so it was almost natural for me to change over to this new core role. There are basic things that I still need to improve, such as last hitting.  My last hitting isn’t bad by any means, it’s just that sometimes here and there I will miss a free cs. I’m not really that concerned about it though, I actually think that last hitting is a bit overrated and something easily learnt and I think there are more important things that I could be learning and improving on.

KC:  What are your personal goals/aspirations in competitive Dota 2 or e-sports in general?

oDu: My goals with dota have varied over the years, once upon a time I wanted to play professionally, competing at TI’s and such but as I get older I get more realistic. Right now, I just want to be the best in South Africa and do it with my good friends Chelsea and Chosen1.

KC:  You were part of the Bravado squad that went to the WESG International.  After the experience of playing there what do you think South African players and teams need to do if they want to compete at the international level of competitive Dota 2?

oDu: I think it would take 5 totally committed players that all have the same mindset and priorities. I don’t think any team in South Africa has had 5 players that aren’t working or studying. Having lots of free time to play is key in improving.  A gaming house would probably help a lot too.

KC:  Tell us about your in game persona.  Are you a cool, calm and collected guy,  a rage boss or somewhere in the middle?

oDu: That’s a tough question, I like to think I’m quite a cool cucumber but realistically I do get quite emotional during games, I never rage at my teammates or anything, I would just be like passive aggressive and tilty.  My poor support, Nicky aka Strike sometimes gets thrown a few comments which I am not proud of, nothing super harsh, just unnecessary. Which is weird because in BVD I was quite chill but I guess in Energy I’ve taken up more of a senior role in the team and with that comes more responsibility, which means more pressure, which means I’m more emotional??? I dunno.

KC:  How many hours a day do you spend playing/doing things relevant to DotA?

Depends on the day but on average probably about 5-6 hours a day.

KC: Thank you for doing this interview Wesley! Do  you have anything else you would like to share with the Dota 2 world?

oDu: I hope that more parties get involved with South African DotA because I really believe that the scene is more competitive and more entertaining spectator wise than ever before. Make Dota 2 great again!

KC: I can’t help but agree with that final statement! What do you think?