Alliance CEO Loda turns to Twitter for advice over struggling Dota 2 roster
The 2021-2022 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season has been a rough one for Alliance.
After being the top team of the Western European regional league last season and a disappointing showing at The International 10, Alliance retooled their roster by adding Rodrigo "Leslão" Santos, Ondřej "Supream^" Štarha, and Adam "Aramis" Moroz.
But even with a revamped roster, Alliance struggled throughout this season's Winter Tour and finished with an abysmal 1-6 record, which also meant that they have been relegated to Division II for the Spring Tour.
It's a massive fall from grace for the Swedish squad, so much so that CEO Jonathan "Loda" Berg felt it was necessary to go on Twitter and ask the Dota 2 community there for advice on how to improve the team.
While it's certainly odd to see a team's executive look to Twitter for advice instead of keeping things internal, the community did come up with some good answers. We've listed the best pieces of advice Loda and Alliance received:
Find a signature style
Depends on your goal. If you want to rebuild the team from scratch, you need a clear picture of the style of Dota you’ll play instead of just the individual skills of players. Tour 1 squad was talented, but their styles didn’t fit together at all imo. New OG worked bc of this
— Mira (@EpheyDota) January 22, 2022
One piece of advice came from analyst Mira "Ephey" Riad, who advised Alliance to focus on having a team with players that all share the same playstyle, rather than individually talented players who don’t coordinate with the team.
Some of the biggest and most successful teams in Dota 2 are known for signature playstyles, regardless of which players they have on their rosters.
A good example is OG and their signature ultra-aggressive and explosive playstyle, which was embodied by their two-time TI champion roster from 2018 to 2019 as well as their new squad for the current season.
Sign a second team
Have you considered signing a 2nd team? That gives the old squad a team to scrim against and since you can only take 1 to TI they'll both have to work hard to make it there. You have talented players but a disconnect somewhere.
— ringhofer g (@dottorerae) January 22, 2022
Twitter user dottorerae suggested an innovative approach to helping Alliance: sign a second team.
Having two separate rosters play under the same banner is not something new in the Dota 2 esports scene.
This phenomenon is most prevalent in China, where most major organisations operate a secondary 'academy' team alongside their main rosters.
European teams aren't strangers to this kind of thing either, as OG operated a secondary squad called OG Seed from 2019 to 2020, while Nigma Galaxy have a European squad and a Southeast Asian one.
The biggest reason why organisations would operate two teams is simple: it allows them to develop talent, remain competitive, and quickly improve its roster.
An organisation can stash a raw yet talented player in its secondary squad to give them their reps while their main roster competes.
That rising star can then get his reps in and grow to his full potential without being shackled by the expectations of being in the organisation's main squad, which he can join and improve once he's fully developed.
Get a better captain and improve team chemistry
At the end of the Winter Tour, Alliance parted ways with two members of the team: Captain and position 5 support Simon "Handsken" Haag as well as coach Niklas "okcya" Koskinen.
In a statement released by Loda, he mentioned how the team weren't hungry to win and needed to make those changes.
Twitter user hybridyash_1 told Loda to look for strong replacements "with an edge" for the role of captain and coach.
You have got to sign a strong captain and a coach with an edge. Positions 1 through 4 are highly skilled players who can compete at the top level of the dota scene.
Based on season 1 the biggest let down was the drafts. There was no cohesion in the drafts.
All the best sirs.— yash1_bee (@hybridyash1) January 22, 2022
Captains and coaches in professional Dota 2 are often the tone-setters for their teams, being responsible for both their drafts and the team's overall style. Some of the most successful teams in the game have been led by legendary captains and coaches, such as Team Secret with captain Clement "Puppey" Ivanov or PSG.LGD with coach Zhang "xiao8" Ning.
On the other hand, user mfr_fauzirahman advised to focus on the team as a whole instead of potential roster changes.
The user stressed that a deeper bond within the team can help them work more effectively together in the game, even pointing out that the team seemed disjointed during the Winter Tour.
for goodness sake ppl, it is "honest advice on our dota2 team", not "honest advice on our dota2 roster"
maybe some deeper bonding/communications between players
I remember watching a game of the team and it feels like (1 & 1 & 1 & 1 & 1) vs 5 rather than 5v5— Fauzi Rahman, Muh. (@mfr_fauzirahman) January 22, 2022
With Dota 2 being a team game, players need to have trust in their teammates and work together to win. The past couple of TI champions, Team Spirit and OG, were both known for their unparalleled teamwork and chemistry.
Believe in yourself
Loda…
It’s all good to read and receive feedback from the community and the fanbase you guys have.. But.
What does your mind, heart tell you? You’ve been here for a very long time and I know your a passionate owner, the most important thing to know from an outside stand point— Christopher Alesund (@GeT_RiGhT) January 22, 2022
Perhaps the best piece of advice came from Swedish Counter-Strike legend Christopher "GeT_RiGhT" Alesund, who told Loda to trust in himself and keep doing his best.
The tweet struck a chord with Loda, who replied to it personally to tell him that it is exactly what he needed to hear to keep going.
Alliance still has plenty of time to get their team ready in time to compete in the Western European regional league's Division II for the 2021-2022 DPC's Spring Tour, which kicks off in March.
It is a long road ahead for the team and they will need to work hard if they hope to make it to The International 11. Alliance have made incredible comebacks in the past, they can surely do so again.
Otomo is a long-time gaming enthusiast and caster. He has been playing games since he was 10 and is the biggest Dota 2 fan.
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