Hi, Vova! We've prepared some fan questions for you. We got them from VP's social page, and I'm going to ask them now.
Are you ready to answer?
What if I say no? – You don't have any options. Let's go, shall we? – Let's go.
First question, very odd and interesting.
When you're playing in tournaments, do you have any specific favorite places in the booth or onstage?
Does someone make a point of sitting in the same place?
A special sitting arrangement was made for us—it probably just happened to be what it was—
which we find comfortable sitting in. We stick to it now.
Who do you always sit between? – Between Pasha and Lil.
Who among your teammates has become your biggest friend in the time that you've been playing together?
I guess it's the same for everyone, but if I have to mention someone in particular, then Pasha, I guess.
Simply because it sometimes happens that we share the same hotel room.
Or, more precisely, it always happens.
Pasha himself told us that he lives and hangs out with you because there's always something to talk about with you.
That's why you two get on well together, it turns out.
Please tell us about your first games as a professional player.
What team were you on perhaps, what tournaments you were in: your first steps in the pro scene.
It's quite hard to remember. It must have been with Team Ask, against MYM—Meet Your Makers.
I no longer remember exactly what happened there, when, or how. So I'm sorry. I just can't remember.
And how many years ago was it?
I don't know. Three years, three and a half.
How did your esports career affect your life? What changed?
We travel around the world all the time—for tournaments, for bootcamps—so naturally
I haven't spent a lot of time at home lately.
Over the past six months, I was only [home] for one month out of the six.
Essentially that's all. It's the only difference between me and a regular Dota player.
That, and the fact that we play all the time, always sitting in front of computers. Compared to a normal person.
I've just thought of a question myself. You see, just the other day, I came across this discussion, about how–
–a professional Dota player, when walking up onstage, is thinking,
"right, I'm going to make a million now." And it's the only thing driving them.
Could you add to that idea?
I feel it's completely untrue, a bunch of lies, and what actually happens is altogether different.
What do you guys really think when you're walking up onstage?
Not sure about "you guys", it'll just be what I think, as everyone is different.
I can't know what some other player is thinking during their entrance.
Personally, I think about how to win, and how cool it would be if I won.
The money—well, obviously, it gives the game significance, as we all play to win.
And the money is just a prize, which is what we essentially play for sometimes.
How can I put it. The money always fades into the background. Compared to–
You don't think about money in-game.
Thinking "right, I'm going to last-hit this creep now and get a million dollars for it"—it's certainly not like that.
What you're thinking is, "I'm going to last-hit that creep, then this or that happens, and we win, awesome, a team, victorious."
Pity we didn't win.
You'll win yet, it's going to be fine. A phrase or a quote that motivates you?
Some famous words perhaps, or something personal of your own, some motto in life.
I guess, "to live in spite of all, welcoming whatever there is".
Interesting, philosophical. Profound.
"What are your plans for your future life if you win The International?"
is what people want to know in the comments.
No particular plans really. You never think about, well–
I have a dream. I generally feel that a dream must be unattainable.
But it's not a problem if it is possible to attain.
Because you put all your effort into getting to it, achieving it.
And if I do win, then we'll see.
I don't think about it. Perhaps I'll even go on playing, I don't know yet.
Perhaps I'll end my career and start doing something else. Who knows.
Another question. What hero and what player are the most difficult to oppose on mid?
A difficult question, as it doesn't have a specific answers.
There is probably no such hero o player. It depends on our hero setup against the opponent.
On the combo. – You can put it like that too.
Why has your skill increased so much on this particular roster, the Virtus.pro roster?
I've actually always played at roughly the same level.
It's just that this roster doesn't have any weak spots—well, almost none, and our stronger sides prevail over them.
And we win.
We've been on an upward path so far. When everything is bad—which hopefully doesn't happen, fingers crossed—then we'll see.
What does Virtus.pro mean to you?
Is it your team, or has it become more than just a team?
Are there moments when you feel like sharing something with your teammates even more readily–
–than you would with your close friends or family members?
Well, essentially they're my second family. In a manner of speaking, of course.
We constantly spend time together, hang out, crack jokes, etc. etc. That's the answer, essentially.
Do the guys help you get through some depressing moments, or some ups and downs?
You know, when you're feeling really down, and you can truly find support among your teammates.
I do everything myself.
If I'm feeling down, I confront it on my own and sort it out, if that's the right term.
Volodya here is a rock-hard man. A question from the town of Voskresensk; my favorite question actually.
How do you prefer to eat sandwiches: ham side up or down?
Never thought about it. That's my answer. – All right. We'll be sure to tell.
Vova, how did you decide that the mid lane was your thing? Have you tried other roles?
I've answered this question many times before. When I was just beginning to play Dota, I saw Na`Vi,
I saw that Dendi was super-popular on mid.
Winning against everyone. And essentially all midlaners are like that; they're always popular when the team's doing well.
Well, almost always.
That was why I decided to play in that role. And it worked for me somehow.
I went on and on and on. And here I am.
Could you recollect some really funny thing that happened during a game, a match, a tournament–
–one that you remember to this day and laugh like crazy about it. The hands-down funniest moment of them all.
You don't get funny moments in the booth. It's all serious. Well, except when–
Nah, there hasn't been anything that would make us literally laugh and so on, and keep thinking back to it. No such thing.
What book or event influenced you in a formative way,
and how do I avoid tilting during important games? That's all one question.
A book, Three Comrades by Remarque. A very good book which I read about a year ago by now.
It was a significant influence.
An event… I'm not going to talk about it. What was the third question?
What helps against tilting during important games?
I never tilt. Only in CWs.
Official statement: Vladimir Minenko never tilts.
How long does it take on average to practice a strategy?
It's different every time. There was the strategy we played against iG in the Boston Major semifinal
—that time, we only practiced it three times–
–before realizing it was a super-strong strategy that would only work once in the tournament, but it would work 100%.
Other strategies can take ten to twenty games to hone.
And a final question, a shiningly optimistic one.
What was your dream as a kid, and has it come true?
There was a lot in my childhood, I can't remember everything. No, it hasn't. I suppose.
And did you perhaps dream of getting to the pro scene as a kid?
All right, this one has come true. I didn't dream of it as such, I just thought I had what it took to do it. It wasn't a dream.
Thank you, Vova. I think our fans—was this what you meant to show?
No, no. – What's up with your finger then? – My finger? Well, I cut it this morning.
Accidentally peeled some skin right off it with my razor.
Stay whole, Vova. Now hurry up and go prepare for the next games, heal your finger, make sure
no enemies attack your playing hand anymore.
There. And good luck to you in the rest of the group stage. Thanks for your answers.
#GoGoVP!
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