MagicaL: «I wanted to play with SoNNeikO, even without an organization»

Interview with MagicaL

The entertainment website «Kanobu» talked to Idan «MagicaL» Vardanian about the transition to  NAVI.GG.BET, getting to know Dota 2 and the new patch 7.20.

— How did the passion for games start?

— I once told that my brother got me hooked to the games. We went to the computer club and game out, back then it was the first Dota. It was a long time ago…

— Tell me how did you end up in NAVI?

— It was like a job interview — I was asked about game preferences, habits, life views, how I behave with other people.

— Is it so important?

— Actually, it's very important. At that moment,  Vega Squadron were considering me, but some day Akbar wrote to me and offered to play together. Back then I did not know that it was NAVI that we are talking about. I was ready to refuse "Vega", even if we were without an organization. But one day he added a manager on Skype, supposedly discuss the details, and I look at the avatar and he is in the NAVI cap. At that moment I, of course, began to guess what was going on.

— You said that you were ready to refuse the  Vega Squadron offer, even if you had no organization with  SoNNeikO. Why?

— I did not want to just sit on the salary and leave the room without the opportunity to progress and win trophies. Competitive results and victories are important for me, so I was ready to play with SoNNeikO, even if there was no organization behind him. Besides, I knew Akbar very well as a player, and I wanted to play under his leadership.

— Did you change after joining NAVI?

— Previously, they knew me only at the expense of my streams, maybe someone heard about me as a player with a high rating, but, obviously, this doesn’t compare with the attention and the number of fans that appeared after joining NAVI. But has it somehow changed me? No, I am still the same, I think.

— Did your parents understand what  NAVI is and how important this transition is for your career?

— No, of course not, they are not aware of esports organizations. But I tried to explain to them the whole situation, and how important and valuable it is to me. They fully supported me.

— Have you been waiting for a new patch? Managed to figure it out already?

— No one has yet fully figured out the patch and won't do it soon. I waited for patch 7.20, because it felt like the game needed something new and fresh. Of course, I would not like to have frequent patches, but occasionally shaking up the meta is beneficial.

— On which hero in the new patch you feel most comfortable on?

— My old heroes and Outworld Devourer — he is very strong in this patch. I also want to practice Tinker, but I just don't have enough time for it. I hope that in the near future I will get to him.

— You named Outworld Devourer, but many said that he was nerfed.

— When I read the patch notes for the first time, I didn’t understand how the third skill worked and decided: well, they have killed the hero. And then, when I tested it, I understood how everything works. For example, you can recover almost all mana in a second.

— Before NAVI you played in tier-3 teams. Did you then have a moment of doubt: “I won’t succeed, maybe I should quit ...”?

— Yes, to be honest, such moments were often enough. Almost everyone persuaded me to leave Dota — from parents to classmates. In this regard, it was difficult. But I wanted to do what I loved, enjoying my work. I didn’t care about the financial aspect and money, the game itself was important to me.