w33haa interview: MLG incident, Reddit community, BBC looking strong down the road

DotaBlast had the chance to sit down for a talk with Balkan Bears Corleone player and MMR sensation Omar “w33” Aliwi.

UPDATE (August 13th):

TI6 final standings, updates and highlights – HERE

w33haa clarified the MLG Columbus incident his team was recently involved in and opened up about how Reddit thrashing affected him. He also talked about BBC’s roster changes, as well as El Padrino’s departure, and didn’t hold back on the personal details.

DotaBlast: Can you please shed some light on the MLG Columbus-Not Today drama Balkan Bears Corleone was recently involved in? There have been countless heated reactions, people seem to blame BBC for lack of sportsmanship.

w33: There’s a context to this story. Not Today had their flights delayed and weren’t able to make it to the venue in time. It’s not for me to judge their choice to fly in the same day the tournament started. They probably had their reasons. Maybe they couldn’t afford earlier flights. You should ask them. Bottom line is, Not Today couldn’t make it for their game versus EG. Admins decided to reschedule their game for the next day. In order to keep the schedule going, admins asked Team Empire if they wanted to play versus EG at 8 pm, that first day of the tournament. Empire refused. Then, the admins approached us. We accepted. However, the schedule got delayed for some reason. At 11 pm, we weren’t even close to starting our match with EG. Admins asked us whether we’d like to postpone. We said yes. At that point, we’d been up for more than 17 hours and really jet-lagged.

I am not the guy Reddit bashing set me out to be! I love this community. I am a Reddit addict myself, I just wish I’d been judged with a little more fairness.

DotaBlast: Speaking of drama, Redditors vocally expressed their discontent about your attitude towards them.

w33: I’m actually glad you brought this up. I’d like to start off by apologizing if I came off a little strong. I just want people to know that I’ve worked for years and sacrificed a lot of things that other people take for granted, pursuing my dream. So when the community, especially on Reddit, stigmatized and bashed me without so much as bothering to even consider my take on things, it’s saddened and infuriated me. I am not the guy Reddit bashing set me out to be. Just to clarify, I love this community. I am a Reddit addict myself, I just wish I’d been judged with a little more fairness.

w33 representing his country at the 2014 IeSF Championship.

DotaBlast: BBC has parted ways with Masakary, recently. Have you found a replacement yet?

w33: As a matter of fact, we have. We’re going to play with Hook. Most people might not know him. He’s a young Jordanian player. He’s great, we’re happy with how things are going.

DotaBlast: Should we expect some position changes?

Hook is going to play mid, Exist will switch to carry, and I’ll play offlane. I would really like to try the support role. For some reason, I’ve always seen myself as a support. I hope I can make this dream come true soon.

We’re expecting Padrinho back in a couple of months.

DotaBlast: People are still wondering why Padrinho left the squad. Was it a mutual decision or did you release him?

w33: Padrinho had some personal issues he needed to take care of. We’re all good friends, we’re waiting for him to come back in a couple of months.

DotaBlast: Let’s get a bit personal. Are you currently studying?

w33: I took a hiatus from University, where I was studying chemical engineering, to pursue my Dota 2 career.

DotaBlast: Do you have a girlfriend?

w33: (blushes) No, not at this time, but although I’m busy playing and training, I’m also quite social and outgoing, so… (laughs)

DotaBlast: How do you spend your time outside Dota?

w33: I really love cars and driving, I even dabble with customizing my cars now and then. Surprisingly enough, I trained to become a professional soccer player, but when I was younger, I was too shy to perform when all eyes were on me. Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Reddit, 9gag. (laughs)

I LOVE RUSSIANS! No, no KAPPA!

DotaBlast: What is the one thing about you that people don’t know?

w33: I LOVE RUSSIANS! The Russian Dota community is by far my favorite, most of my Dota friends are Russian and we get along great. No, no KAPPA. Also, Russian girls are really pretty. (laughs)