Yesterday, we sat down with Zeal, a Malaysian pro Dota 2 player to get his thoughts as a professional player on the upcoming premier Dota 2 tournament in Malaysia, ESL One Malaysia 2022.

Good to have you with us again Zeal, can you do a quick introduction on yourself?

Z: Hello I’m Nicholas Lim also (zeal). I’m currently playing offlane for EHOME.

You mentioned that EHOME will not be participating in ESL One Malaysia 2022. Assume if you do, which team will you be looking forward to face? Which team will you be scared to fight against?

Z: Playing against teams like OG and Team Liquid would be challenging and scary but it will be interesting to see how we do against them. 

What are the top 5 heroes you expect to be picked the most on ESL One Malaysia 2022?

Z: Marci, Dawnbreaker, Beastmaster, Winter Wyvern , Razor

Are there any heroes that are not popular in the meta, but you expect to perform well? Why?

Z: Maybe Dazzle? Because I believe there is a ton of players trying it out and I believe the hero does have his potential. 

We are seeing heroes like Dawnbreaker, Marci and Razor rising up in terms of pickrates. What made those heroes strong?

Z: Heroes such as Dawnbreaker and Razor has alot of flexibility and very less direct counters to them. It allow teams to pick it early and flex their role based off what enemy picks. For Marci, the hero gives alot of kill threat on early game and the hero doesn’t really fall off because of Sidekick. Marci can also be played on both position 4 and 5 and sometimes even position 3.  

Which team will you be rooting for in ESL One Malaysia 2022?

Z: I would like to see other teams do well but I root for OG. 

Can you give some advice to your fellow Malaysian players aiming to play professionally?

Z: Grind and watch more replays of pro players so you’ll be able to get an idea on what to do.

If you ever stopped playing professionally, what would you be working as?

Z: I’ll be probably working full time on something IT related.

Top 3 teams in the world right now? Since you are playing as an Offlaner for EHOME, who are the top 3 Offlaners in the world right now?

Z: Faith_bian,  Collapse, ATF

If you were to form a team with you included, who will be the other 4 Malaysian players be and what will be their roles? This is assuming you can take your picks on anyone.

Z: Ghost , Midone, Me, Ahfu, xNova

Random question. Assuming you can only play the grand finals of The International without a mouse. Will you play the game with a Joystick or a Steering Wheel?

Z: I would like to play with a Steering Wheel and play as Pangolier so I can roll on people. 

eGG Network would like to thank Zeal for his interview with us, and may EHOME finally hold the Aegis this year!

ESL One Malaysia 2022 is happening at the city of entertainment, Resorts World Genting on the 26th - 28th August. Mark your calendars and catch the action live on eGG Network, Astro GO and Sooka!