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Loda on Alliance: "I picked them because they were hungry"
Alliance unveiled their Dota 2 roster at the end of September and the team is currently being tested at PGL Wallachia Season 2. To the delight of their fans, the new lineup has been doing very well, taking down Nouns and IG and going three games against Team Falcons.
Team Owner and International 3 champion Jonathan "Loda" Berg had an interview at the event, sharing the history of the team, how he is helping them grow, and plans for the future.
Loda has been working on the new Alliance since February
The interview began with the reveal that the new Alliance squad has been in the making for some time. While the roster was revealed on September 27th, the players have been working together for months before that.
When asked why he picked these players, Loda shared it was due to their determination, "The true story is that I picked all the players from the beginning. I've been working with them since February. So I actually hand picked all of them. I picked them because I felt they were quite hungry, not only for Dota but Esports."
The new team has been off to an amazing start and is one win away from making it to the playoffs of PGL Wallachia. The start wasn't as rosy though, as loda admitted that there were challenges early on.
"It was a bit tough in the beginning I would say. I was pretty straightforward, so when I started working with them, the first plan was to do it until Summer, I said no matter what it's gonna be a win for me, I think you guys need, and would benefit from growing as players, so whether we stick together or not, it will be a good experience for you too."
Loda is one of the most decorated players in Dota 2 history. Winning The International in 2013 and attending it for the next three years. He has then transitioned to a coach and helped guide the current Team Liquid to their success.
The wealth of experience has come in handy when helping Alliance grow. Loda shared that his main contribution has been to skills needed outside of the game.
"If people go back and watch those games, We started at the bottom of tier two, it was a struggle, on and off. Like we would perform really well in certain games, but as soon as we played a team or a certain player, might not be a team that's better than you, might be you have some beef with one of the players. So that was probably the first important thing, to get people to perform under pressure."
Loda on Team Liquid: "I always knew they could win TI"
Speaking of Team Liquid, Three of the current squad's players were a part of Alliance from the end of 2017 till September of 2019. The time together created a bond between Loda and his former players and he was happy to see them win the Aegis.
"It was pretty good to be honest, in the first or second year there was a bit of a rivalry but in a friendly way. I always knew they could win TI, I think five years was a bit long for them."
After reminiscing about the past, the coach shared his plans for the future. Alliance did not expect to make it to Wallachia and thought their path into the tier one scene would begin next year.
"Us being here at PGL was a little bit ahead of schedule and a little bit of luck to get invited. By early next year, I imagine we would start to fight these tier one teams on a little bit more equal ground, in the sense that I would expect us to win 50-50 or 40-60, something like this."
Time will tell how things go but it is always nice to see an old titan return to the Dota 2 scene. You can catch Alliance and the rest of PGL Wallachia on their Twitch Page.
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Featured Image Source: Alliance
