“We don’t feel the pressure. We are confident!” – Fbz from BOOM ID

Tug of War: Dire is less than a week away from the start, and we’ve decided to have little chats with the teams that are participating in the tournament. While they obviously have plans for the coming event, the players are mostly dreaming of The International and are discussing the recent changes to the meta.

We’ve talked about that – and much more – with BOOM ID, the best local team from Indonesia. The spokesperson on behalf of the team was Saieful “Fbz” Ilham – a promising offlaner and an overall joyful player.

1. WePlay!: What are your plans for the current Dota Pro Circuit season?

   Fbz: Our plan, of course, is to qualify for The International 2019 – that’s pretty much it, that’s our major goal.

2. WePlay!: Our tournament, Tug of War: Dire, is not the part of Dota Pro Circuit. With that in mind, what does the participation in our event mean to you?

   Fbz: I think, it mainly means that we can gain more experience. In a short time, we are going to play qualifiers for TI, so Tug of War: Dire is a great chance to have more practice before we go back to DPC.

3. WePlay!: Your team is among the ones that represent Asia in our tournament. Do you feel the pressure to be among them?

   Fbz: No, we don’t feel any pressure. We are just confident!

4. WePlay!: Do you have any specific plans for our tournament? Perhaps, you fancy a victory.

   Fbz: I think so too, yeah, we want to win since we’ve never won a single international tournament before. So yeah, we really look forward to winning this time.

5. WePlay!: Do you know any particular teams in our tournament? Do you want to play with any of them specifically?

   Fbz: Well, I’ve heard that Ninjas in Pyjamas are participating in the main event [the LAN event Tug of War: Mad Moon – editor’s note], so we really want to play against them since they have a lot of expertise in Dota 2.

6. WePlay!: BOOM ID has won a number of tournaments in both Indonesia and South-East Asia. Do you believe that your team is one of the strongest in the SEA region?

   Fbz: Honestly, I’m not sure if we are among the strongest teams in the South-East Asia region. Perhaps, we are like top-5, that’s it. But in regards to Indonesia, we are definitely number one!

7. WePlay!: Do you find it hard playing against Western teams? Are there any differences in tactics, play style?

   Fbz: Yeah, of course, there’re a lot of differences. Speaking of major ones, in South-East Asia, teams are traditionally stronger at the laning pace. Western teams, on the contrary, are better at making strategic decisions in mid-game. I think that’s the main difference.

8. WePlay!: You must be playing scrims a lot; when you are, what do you focus on more? On the individual skill of your opponents – or the overall team play and tactics?

   Fbz: I think that during scrims we are more focused on ourselves. We tend to try out something new for us, to find new heroes and tactics for them. We also test some key moves and the overall synergy in the team between new heroes.

9. WePlay!: You’ve mentioned that you want to get to The International this year. What do you think about the idea that The International is being held in China? Do you like that?

   Fbz: Well, I personally like the US as the location for The International – just because I really want to get to the US and spend some time there [laughs – editor’s note]. But I guess China is a great option since they must have one of the largest Dota 2 communities there. So, it’s fine for professional players to be there.

10. WePlay!: And what do you think of the current meta?

    Fbz: I think that this current meta is more balanced than the previous one. Right now, it is more about how you farm – not how you handle the laning stage. Also important is how you move as a team, especially in mid-game. And there’s a new patch coming, I think. I’m really excited about it.

11. WePlay!: I know that you are on offlaner, but there’s an opinion that the recent patches favour mid-laners more. The game becomes easier for them with every update. Do you believe it’s true?

    Fbz: Yeah, I think it’s true since right now a middle player is more like a duelist playing 1v1 – unlike the previous versions of the game where supports were often coming to the mid-lane. So yeah, it has become much easier for mid-laners – and much harder for offlaners since there’re always enemies guarding the safe lane now.

12. WePlay!: Do you think there’re any missing heroes in the current meta? Can you also name any personal favourites – and the worst heroes?

    Fbz: Yeah, I think a lot of heroes are missing, actually. I can’t name them all at once, I need to open Dota 2 client for that, but there’s plenty of them. Regarding my absolute favourite for the current meta as an offlaner… I think it would be Sand King. And for the worst – well, it’s hard to say. Maybe Axe, because people already know how to abuse that particular hero, which makes him really pointless to pick in my opinion.

13. WePlay!: And why do you prefer Sand King as an offlaner?

    Fbz: For me personally, it’s a matter of team play. My teammates love to farm, and Sand King is perfect and fairly strong to hold the lane in their absence. If you stick close to the tower, the enemy will be most likely scared to push you. And he’s not just a good laning hero – he’s also a great initiator, which overall makes him perfect for me.

14. WePlay!: You’ve been with BOOM ID for more than a year now. How has the team changed?

    Fbz: I think we’ve really improved a lot. We now have The International LAN experience; we are much better at how we play together as a team. As for me, I’ve been playing off lane for only four months now, so I’m continuing to learn my role, but I really feel comfortable and confident with my team.

15. WePlay!: What do you think about your captain? Are you satisfied with him?

    Fbz: He’s definitely a good leader, and he’s the oldest in the team. He teaches us a lot based on his experience, so he’s really great as a captain.

16. WePlay!: And is there anything that you like doing with your team besides playing Dota 2?

    Fbz: A tricky one! Sometimes we go to play Fortnite, maybe go to the gym or to the mall – we are just generally hanging out together, you know.

17. WePlay!: Do you consider a professional career in Fortnite?

    Fbz: No, of course not! This is just for fun. We play like once a month, maybe, so that’s really just a way to spend some time together.

18. WePlay!: What can a usual public player do to be noticed by a professional team?

    Fbz: I think that they must have a high rank, of course. And to be friendly in public – there’s no place for toxic players. I honestly don’t know how I ended up in BOOM ID – I was just playing pub at high rank, that’s it.

19. WePlay!: Do you want to give any shout-outs?

    Fbz: I’m really thankful to BOOM ID, of course, for the opportunity they’ve given me, for the fact that they believe in me. And obviously a shout-out to our Asian fans who keep supporting us. We promise that we’ll try our best.

*****

We wish BOOM ID all the luck and hope that they’ll fulfil the dream of playing against NiP. We’d like to remind you that Tug of War: Dire starts on Tuesday, May 28, and you can find all the necessary information regarding the tournament using the following links:

• Tug of War: Dire list of participants announcement
• Tug of War trilogy will end with a LAN final
• Tug of War: Dire teaser

You can find Saieful “Fbz” Ilham via links to his social media channels:

• Instagram

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