BetBoom has had the ‘superteam’ tag torn from them following their May 1 groups exit from Dota 2’s ESL One Berlin Major, with the elimination stinging all the more after high hopes were piled on them early on in the 2023 DPC season, and it doesn’t sound like the struggling team’s issues will be solved overnight either.
“You try to use a certain pool and develop these ideas, but half of the team thinks that everything should be drastically changed,” said BetBoom coach Anatoly “boo1k” Ivanov in a candid exit interview with Dmitrii Barabanov of Escorenews on May 3.
As the tournament wore on, Boo1k was concerned for his team’s mental state, noting the BetBoom squad started to get in their own heads during draft phases and post-game analysis. In their attempts to right the ship ahead of the group tiebreakers, the team became “mentally drained.”
The squad’s Berlin Major run was hampered by problems before the team even arrived in Germany, with visa issues preventing Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko from entering the tournament. BetBoom called upon a more than capable Resolut1on to stand in for the team, but as an off-laner, instead opting to play Nightfall at the one.
Related: Visa issues wreak havoc at Berlin Major, forcing changes for top teams
The squad’s 8-8 record saw them take on Team Aster and Evil Geniuses in a three-way tiebreaker, but losses to both—including a heartbreaking 71-minute defeat against EG—ended their Berlin campaign.
On top of Dota 2’s new 7.33 patch debuting at the DPC Major, with teams needing to adapt on the fly to survive, one could argue BetBoom’s elimination is somewhat excused. But boo1k pointed out that such excuses wouldn’t be used for the team’s capitulation.
“We were trying to do more than necessary, so we were always stressed,” boo1k pointed out, believing the squad had begun overthinking the game after tying series against Gaimin Gladiators and Team Liquid. But, following an 0-2 loss to minnows Execration, BetBoom found themselves fighting for survival—and not all of the team were on the same page.
According to Boo1k, the BetBoom players would individually present concepts they thought would work, resulting in a total lack of cohesion. Rarely would the squad agree on one idea and would interject with their own, wasting valuable discussion time during drafts.
Without a clear leader, chaos ensued in the BetBoom camp. Impressively, BetBoom still managed to snatch ties against several Dota 2 teams above them, but without a playoff run, their campaign has become a ‘what if.’
BetBoom’s apparent lack of a commanding voice has now seen the team crash out of both the Lima Major and Berlin Major without a single playoff appearance. Should Dota 2’s The International 2023 take place immediately after Berlin, BetBoom would miss an invitation and would have to qualify for TI.
Related: Dota 2 Berlin Major live updates: Schedule, scores, and standings
A strong leader is what has made Dota 2 teams ascend the podium time after time over the years, and it’s a problem boo1k believes BetBoom will need to address sooner rather than later. “You need to believe in each other and move in one direction in terms of the ideas,” he said. “You have to understand things as one being. And sometimes it requires a lot of time, and a lot of losses, for these things to click.”
Worryingly, boo1k also pointed out that he nor the BetBoom organization have much control over the player’s thoughts or direction. “Some people here do what they want, and neither I nor the organization have control over [them] because they simply do not care,” he said. “I don’t know anyone who could’ve helped the players. Maybe there is someone who can, but I’d be honest saying that’s not me. I’m trying, but it is what it is.”
BetBoom will return for the Summer League Division One in the middle of May, with all sights set on the final Major of the 2023 Dota 2 season in Bali in late June.
