Interviewing Eosin from E+4!

In this interview we get to know Eosin, an 8 year DotA veteran and also captain of the team E+4. We will dig into his accomplishments and goals for the future. On top of that we asked him about his teams, more recent play styles and picks in tournaments. Enjoy!

Hello Eosin, thanks for joining us. So how long has it been now that you've been playing Dota?

Eosin: Hello everyone! I have been playing dota for about 8 years on and off. My teammates are 04, kikoni, guanzo, and Roragok. It wasn't until dota 2 was released that I decided I wanted to enter the competitive side of things.

 

Do you have any hobbies outside from playing dota?

Eosin: I just play other games, I’m very interested in fighting games and watch streams all the time. Too bad I’m not very good at them.

 

You say that you wanted to go into the competitive side of Dota when Dota 2 came out, what gave you that strive that you have now to play competitive dota?

Eosin: I’ve always wanted to play competitively but before Dota 2 came out I never had a chance or connections to do so. However when Dota 2 came out and I saw how fast this game was growing I decided to give it a shot. It’s always something I’ve wanted to do and now is a good time for it and I believe my team shares the same feelings I do.

 

So your team, Eosin + 4, were you the one that put everyone together? How long have you guys been playing/practicing together for now?

Eosin: I suppose I was the one who set things in motion, not the reason for our team name though. Our team originally started when I suddenly decided I wanted to make one, it was originally kikoni and myself for a very long time, after many roster changes we finally settled with our roster about 3 months or so ago.

 

And generally how do you guys practice? Do you guys have specific days where you scrim and like set up scrim times with other teams or how do you do it?

Eosin: As much as I hate to admit it we almost never practice, maybe 8 games a week at best or less. We’re working on a solution though, scheduling is never easy.

 

So for those that don’t know E+4 has just won the smoke of defeat tournament defeating many teams including pain gaming. The finals were streamed to over 3,000 spectators. Was that one of the largests number of viewers you guys have gotten? Also aside from Smoke of Defeat what other tourneys have you guys participated in and/or won?

Eosin: Our team has actually been on a larger stream with around 7000 viewers I believe for a 4PL tournament, I wasn’t there though sadly. Our team first made a name for ourselves in the first gosucup america where we placed 3rd after losing to Root Gaming. Apart from these we have entered several other small tournaments.

 

So I have to say one of my favorite moments at the smoke of defeat tournament was in the Bo3 finals you guys picked meepo in one of your games! Meepo is such a fun hero to me and I would love to see him used in the competitive scene. Do you think that Meepo truly has a spot in the competitive scene? Is there any way to make him work?

Eosin: I think meepo can be used but its extremely difficult to use and extremely situational as well. The lineup we used was something we developed through theorycrafting but as most people saw, definitely failed hard. I’m pretty sure there is a way to work him into a lineup but it’s probably best to ask notail about it.

 

And what upcoming tournaments are you guys going to be playing in?

Eosin: We will be attempting to qualify for TPL and ESL and are currently playing in the playoffs of the first season of MLG as well as the Alienware ladder. There’s also the next gosucup america and cevo ladder. Pretty busy schedule!

 

I think of the most importants things for a team is to find themselves some sort of sponsorship, if you don’t mind me asking have you guys been contacted by any sponsorships at all already? Any plans for future sponsorships?

Eosin: So far none at the moment, I think it would be nice to have a sponsor though but we rather not rush into one just for the sake of having one. Although having a sponsor willing to be patient with us would be nice and perhaps motivate the team a little.

 

As far as the current metagame goes, what are some of the heroes that you find your team often using or experimenting with when you scrim? What about those heroes give them that edge that you choose to play them?

Eosin: Meepo and spiritbreaker. Be sure to ban them against us! But honestly we’re still trying out a lot of things and learning together. We have these periods where we find a new strat and practice it for a week straight and then shift to another the week after. The heroes we play are just ones we have fun with and can take control of the early game.

Now I know Guanzo is currently playing with Bulba for his college team in the Collegiate Dota League, in the finals too if i’m not mistaken, but are you also participating in any other teams or tournaments aside from E+4?

Eosin: Yes actually, I recently attended the UCSD Winter Gamefest with Blitz, Fluff, Luminous, and purge. Be sure to check out the games purge recorded, was a great time. Other than that I don’t think anyone else is participating in other events.

 

Ok last question here Eosin and we can just about sum things up, realistically where do you want to be by the end of the year 2013 in terms of E-Sports and do you think you and your team have what it takes to accomplish those goals?

Eosin: I think by the end of the year we hope to establish ourselves in the professional dota scene and contend with the best in the world. Hopefully be able to attend a big lan overseas, yeah, that would be nice.

 

Any Shoutouts?

Eosin: I’d like to give shoutouts to /vg/, my team, my friends, Hamsandwich and Anacletus for helping us. As well as Blitz, Purge, Luminous, Fluff and Brax. Big thanks to Fluff and Brax for teaching me a lot of dota. Also #kaidota