“There’s a need for an overhaul with how community figures are allowed to treat pubs in NA”. Aui_2000 about patch 7.33 and why Europe is so strong

During our exclusive interview at ESL One Berlin Major 2023, we sat down with Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling, the legendary Tundra Esports coach who achieved the unprecedented feat of winning The International both as competitor and strategic leader. Our discussion delved deep into the revolutionary 7.33 update, the shifting competitive landscape, and potential solutions for North America’s systemic issues.

— Tundra has earned recognition for exceptional game comprehension, consistently uncovering unconventional hero strengths and innovative mechanics. What’s your methodology for these discoveries?

— Our approach combines systematic analysis with creative exploration. We maintain rigorous scouting of emerging strategies while preserving intellectual flexibility to challenge established conventions. This dual-track approach, combined with extensive dedicated practice hours, enables us to identify overlooked opportunities that reshape the competitive meta.

— Has the recent patch specifically amplified Tundra’s competitive advantages?

— Rather than providing specific benefits, the patch revitalizes our engagement through its sheer scope of changes. The current meta remains in active development, making definitive assessments premature regarding patch-specific impacts on our performance trajectory.

— How did your team approach mastering this massive update, and what aspects generated the most strategic excitement?

— What was your approach to this update, and what was most interesting about it?

— The defining characteristic of 7.33 is the explosion of viable strategic pathways. Players experience unprecedented decision-making autonomy—supports can aggressively invade jungle territory to disrupt enemy farming patterns while coordinated teams can prioritize early objective-focused engagements. While optimal patterns remain undefined, the current environment rewards creative problem-solving and adaptive thinking.

Regarding our preparation framework, we competed in a pre-Major tournament with substitute personnel, limiting our coordinated practice sessions with Saksa. Consequently, we arrived with limited team-specific preparation, relying instead on individual pub experimentation to generate strategic concepts for collective evaluation.

— How has the macro strategic landscape transformed, particularly regarding tower prioritization and map control dynamics?

— How do you think the macro game changed and what about the balance of towers?

— Tower valuation has undergone fundamental recalibration. Mid lane structures have diminished strategic importance despite remaining crucial choke points. Conversely, side lane tier-1 towers now command significantly higher priority while tier-2 defenses have lost substantial value. Previously, T2 captures unlocked critical outpost advantages, whereas current outposts provide comparatively marginal benefits.

The meta remains largely unexplored territory. Previous patches established clear optimal progression flows, but current strategies resemble uncharted wilderness where established assumptions frequently prove unreliable.

— Multiple professional players have expressed concerns about excessive kill gold inflation. What’s your assessment of the current economic systems?

— I talked to other players and they say that there’s too much gold for the kills now. What do you think about the economy of the game right now?

— Current comeback mechanics demonstrate significant calibration issues. When teams establish substantial leads, enemy eliminations yield minimal economic impact beyond temporary numerical disadvantages. However, teams facing deficits sometimes receive disproportionately large gold injections that dramatically alter game momentum. The revised calculation formulas appear misaligned with inflated net worth values and imbalanced kill reward scaling relative to experience gains.

— Let’s examine the competitive ecosystem. European dominance persisted through the previous meta cycle and continues unabated. What underlying factors drive this regional supremacy?

— Let’s talk about the competitive scene. Europe was dominating in the previous patch, and it seems that hasn’t changed. Why do you think this region is so strong?

— Regional strength disparities primarily originate from public match quality and player base characteristics. North American squads face insurmountable competitive disadvantages unless geographically positioned to access European servers. Chinese competitive environments demonstrate similar weaknesses, while Southeast Asian conditions have deteriorated further.

The practice quality differential creates substantial developmental gaps. European servers host specialized hero masters achieving elite rankings through deep mechanical expertise and strategic innovation. These players actively share knowledge through constructive dialogue, creating collaborative learning ecosystems absent in other regions.

North American and certain other regions have cultivated cultural norms that normalize premature surrender and competitive apathy. This indifference has become socially rewarded, creating environments where player development stagnates and competitive practice becomes fundamentally compromised.

Yatoro: “I don’t like dyrachyo as a carry player. I just don’t like that kind of playstyle”

— What systemic interventions could address these deeply entrenched issues?

— How can it be fixed?

— The solution remains unclear, but fundamental reform regarding how influential community personalities approach public matches is essential. I frequently reference NA because I compete extensively within that ecosystem.

Prominent figures consistently demonstrate that destructive behaviors carry no meaningful repercussions. Players can intentionally sabotage matches through deliberate feeding, item destruction, or premature abandonment without facing appropriate disciplinary measures.

This normalization of toxicity creates cascading effects throughout the competitive pyramid. Addressing this issue would generate substantial improvements. Higher skill bracket NA matches approach European quality benchmarks, but occur less consistently. Single disruptive participants can irrevocably undermine otherwise productive practice sessions.

Implementing robust systems to penalize match disruption represents the most viable solution. While expanding player bases would theoretically help, practical implementation challenges make this approach unrealistic.

You come to the Major, and you are actually playing WEU DPC again

— Ongoing debates question Major slot allocation fairness. Should China receive reduced representation while Europe gains additional qualification opportunities?

— People talk a lot about slot distribution at the Majors, do you agree that there should be less slots for China and more for Europe?

— Current competitive realities don’t justify China maintaining four qualification slots. The region’s demonstrated performance doesn’t warrant current representation levels. I acknowledge the DPC’s role in International qualification, but the system demonstrates structural inconsistencies.

Examining DPC standings reveals perplexing scenarios where highly ranked teams haven’t secured single elimination stage victories at Majors. Organizations like BetBoom and TSM achieve high standings despite limited LAN demonstration of competitive capability.

European teams finishing fifth and sixth positions receive minimal point allocations while potentially superior competitors from other regions qualify automatically. Western Europe’s competitive density approaches absurd levels. My conversation with Quinn highlighted how Major tournaments essentially replicate Western European DPC competition.

— What specific modifications would you implement to create a more equitable system?

— How would you change this system then?

— Performance metrics suggest Southeast Asia shouldn’t retain three slots currently. China’s four-slot allocation appears similarly unjustified. However, allocating additional slots to Western Europe would exacerbate existing competitive imbalances.

Skill-based justification suggests Western Europe deserves approximately two additional slots. South America demonstrates promising development trajectories—if EG defeats OG [interview conducted pre-match], arguments emerge for expanded representation. However, conclusive evidence supporting additional SA slots remains limited.

Previous International performances saw SA teams primarily defeating regional counterparts rather than establishing global competitive supremacy. The region hasn’t yet achieved premier Major tournament placements. Should EG deliver strong performances, they could substantiate claims for increased regional allocation.

Best heroes to gain MMR in patch 7.33 by SumaiL, Dyrachyo, MinD_ContRoL, 23savage and others

No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » “There’s a need for an overhaul with how community figures are allowed to treat pubs in NA”. Aui_2000 about patch 7.33 and why Europe is so strong Aui_2000 reveals why EU dominates Dota 2, NA's toxic culture, and 7.33's revolutionary changes