[NEWS] Fragster.de - Interview with Maelk!
Jacob 'Maelk' Toft-Andersen and his team have been part of MeetYourMakers for more than two years. In collaboration with MYM's bankruptcy they have been released from their contracts, which lasted till April 1st. In this interview with fragster the Danish Leader talks about the past, present and future of his team.
fragster: So how does it feel to not be wearing the MYM tag anymore?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Jacob 'Maelk' Toft-Andersen: It feels a little weird, haven't really settled to the thought just yet as we're still perceived by most as MYM, and we probably will be until we join a new organization. We have been a part of MYM for a long time, and pretty much everything we have achieved have been under this name. They helped us alot and in my eyes took DotA to another level.
fragster: Have you been informed beforehand, or was the downfall of MYM a suprise for your team?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: I wouldn't say we were directly informed of the bankruptcy, but we suspected that something was wrong for quite some time and in the weeks before they made it official, I was quite sure that it was going to happen.
fragster: The MYM Counter-Stike Team are missing two months of paid salary. Did you receive yours till the end?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: I would prefer keeping that information private. I don't think the guys from the CS-team actually confirmed the rumor of their alledged missing salaries, either.
fragster: You seemed quite sure that FrontSpawn would be signing your team with same terms as MYM. Is FrontSpawn still an option for your Team?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: At present time we are still with FrontSpawn although our contracts officially end tomorrow, April 1st. If it is possible, we wouldn't leave out the possibility of building up something new with FrontSpawn and the other two sections from MYM, since we're all some of the best within our field and the two guys behind FrontSpawn, Ronnie 'Twaizz' Jelsbak and Nicolas ‘pops’ Estrup, are two really great individuals. We have been with MYM for a long time, and we have always been honored of being under the same roof as players such as Manuel 'Grubby' Schenkhuizen and Lukas 'LUq' Wnek. I can't tell whether we'll continue with FrontSpawn for the future yet, but if not, its definitely not because of the people involved.
fragster: Would it be FS|Maelk if you stay with FrontSpawn or would any other brands be possible? Just being curious.
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: The management has focused on creating a healthy financial environment rather than rushing a new name without any actual future. Should FrontSpawn continue its endeavours within e-sports, its yet to be determined what the teamname will be.
fragster: Have you made alternative plans if it isn't going to work out with FrontSpawn? Any worthwhile offers?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: We have received some offers, some more serious than others, but I wouldn't say it's been raining with organizations wanting to sign us. However, we have also made the choice to stay with FrontSpawn until the companies future has been sorted out and we know if a future with them is possible. With that being said, should the right offer come along I can't deny the chance of us grabbing it. It's not all about what is more lucrative for us, but of course it does play an important role when joining a new organization. First and foremost we want to make sure its a serious organization that we can proudly represent.
fragster: Would you take into consideration to travel to DreamHack on your own account?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: Dreamhack is over a hundred days away, I have no doubt we will have found a suitable home by then. If we would absolutely have to, I would have to say no.
fragster: When Jonathan 'Loda' Berg joined your Team, did he know about possible contract difficulties?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: Yes and no. Loda knew our contracts expired on April 1st, but not that ESNation/MYM would go bankrupt. Neither he nor us have been too concerned with this, though, as we have some of the biggest names within DotA and possibly the most successful team throughout time of competitive DotA. It shouldn't be too difficult finding a new home nor guaranteeing going to future events.
fragster: When Loda left SK-Gaming he said he doesn't want to be leading a Team again. Does he have an usual role within the team or is his status kinda special?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: Loda prefers to play the role that farms up items and wins the game through use of these, usually defined as 'carry', but as with rest of the team he mostly plays the hero that he prefers to regardless of role, which is what is so great by this team. Most of our players haven't got a locked down role per se, granted you'll see Pusher play support most of the time. Just like Merlini and Loda will probably tend to play solo and carry for the most part. He is still fairly new to the team despite the fact that we have known and played with him alot in the past, but I don't think its neither our nor Loda's intention that we should play around him the same way SK has done in the past and Ks.int currently does with KuroKy.
fragster: So you think that the key to success of Kingsurf International is only the youngster KuroKy?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: No, it takes five people and team effort to create a team of their stature and level. I think all of them are a key to victory in each their way. With that being said, most of their strategies revolves around giving KuroKy as much space as possible, which works, and without Kurokys gift for the game and if they had to replace him, I don't think they would be as successful. Then again, that could be said about alot of their players as well as our own.
fragster: When Clinton 'Fear' Loomis left the Team because of time-zone issues, Ben 'Merlini' Wu is the only American left. Will he be part of the new Team?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: Yes, for as long as we continue playing DotA, Ben will be an integral part of the team. When Walter 'p0c' Lu was inactive and later on ultimately parted with the team, Ben continued as sole American, and he will continue doing so now that Fear is gone. He isn't interested in playing with anyone other than us, nor are we interested in letting him go. We are planning on flying him to Europe for the summer for the tournaments then as well as just meeting up again for fun and laughter. We haven't seen him since the ESWC finals in August, and I know that especially Pusher has a craving for feeling Ben close to him again.
fragster: The former Rush3D Team got an unorthodox chinese sponsorship and are now bootcamping together in Asia. Do you think this will help them alot and they will be a serious contender in the future?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: If we'll ever get to face them on LAN, yes, but I doubt we'll see them compete much on the international scene considering lag between China and the western part of the world. Any team playing together on LAN every day for 6 months will eventually become a serious threat, and with Rush3d already having some of the most talented players in the world, there is no doubt that they are a force to be reckoned with. They could easily become the team to beat, if all of their players picked up the pace and played on par with the rest. Although I don't know about the Asian scene, I could imagine that both Malaysia, China and Singapore has alot of competition on a national level, but with the knowledge I do have, I think the European scene has more teams at this level than that of Asia. No way to tell for sure, though.
fragster: Is that an option for you, going to bootcamp in Asia on LAN, instead of playing in Europe online?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: I'm not going to leave out that option, but as of right now we haven't received anything that comes close to a chance to be playing in Asia, so I can't really say whether its an option. I'm sure that if we were given the chance, we would probably take it, but it isn't something we are going to consider until such an option is presented to us. We are at different stages of our lives, some in the middle of their education, some just having a 9-5 job and some having plans to either study or taking a longterm job opportunity when the summer is over, so which five it would be is impossible to say.
fragster: Your team has been in the competitive scene for a long time and its almost 'oldschool' compared to the young-guns like Ks.Int or Ravens. Have you ever thought about quitting playing video games?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: Quitting DotA competitively, yes, but video games in general, no. I don't think any of us have. Most of us wouldn't know what to do with all the extra time on our hands that we usually spend on playing computergames. Personally I don't play any games besides DotA, and I rarely play any DotA-games besides our clanmatches or an occasional inhouse-game. I suppose adulthood and responsibility is slowly catching up to me and I find other things more important. I'm trying my best to keep the reallife to a minimum though and give the team as many hours as I can.
fragster: Would you switch the game and start from the scratch if similar games to DotA like League of Legends or Demigod gonna be a hit and more successfull than DotA?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: Depends whether I like the particular game or not. Before I tried DotA, I played WC3 on a somewhat serious level and loved doing so, but DotA caught my attention and I instantly enjoyed playing that more than WC3. Right now, I couldn't imagine switching over, but leaving out the possibility would be ridiculous. It also has a lot to do with what my friends choose to do. I started WC3 cause of my friends, I started DotA cause of my friends, and I continued with both games cause of the friends I made through the game.
fragster: The European Nations Championship will be starting soon. Without prizemoney for DotA though. Can you figure out why?
Maelk: I can understand why, but that doesn't mean I think its justified. The competitive scene has shown it can be every bit as serious as the WC3 and CS-scene, and we have done so for a long time now. Most teams both practice more and play more official matches than any CS or WC3-team. I'm disappointed with the ESL, especially considering they are running on their 4th season of the EMS. We are going to participate ofcourse, and regardless of prizemoney we will be going to the finals as well.
fragster: Who will be part of Denmark.DotA and what are your predictions for the tournament?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: Off the top of my head, the overall team will consist of 4 MYM players, 3 Ravens players and one or two additions from other teams or possibly freelancers. As for our opponents, with Rush3D being in China, I think Germany and Sweden will be the hardest opponents, but I can't leave out the ever so strong Slovakia and Serbia. Needless to say, I think Denmark has what it takes to take home the gold and I honestly consider us the favorite.
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: Oh, and we shouldn't forget Ukraine either.
fragster: What do you know about the future of myMYM as a community page? There were hardly any news in the past weeks - can it survive?
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: I know as much as rest of the world does, but I doubt it will continue. It has already died out the past couple of weeks, and apart from DotA the site in general never really took off the same way SK-Gaming.com did.
fragster: Maelk about the April Fools' joke from yesterday in a myMYM-Comment:
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: Should this really be an Aprils Fool, I'm not sure whether DL grasps the consequences of leaving the competitive teams with a bitter taste in their mouth. It's despicable and tasteless to make a joke on something as fragile as the future of the scene in its current fragile state.
fragster: "The competitive scene has shown it can be every bit as serious as the WC3 and CS-scene" - these were your words. At the moment the F4F-Final takes place - announced 30 minutes earlier by the Dota-League. Don't you think that those bad timings could stop the developement of DotA? This is just one current example out of many others in the last weeks.
http://indogamers.us/ftpidgs2/rtt/flag2/denmark.gif Maelk: Yes. The only thing that is missing in the competitive scene is stricter rules on scheduling. I think DotA would go further with fixed matchdates and default times that were non-negotiable, but with the scene being international, most teams playing in several leagues and tournaments at once and very little prizes to win, its hard for teams to find the time to play on schedule. I wouldn't have anything against trying default dates and times, just like in the sportsworld, but it is at the risk of several teams dropping from the leagues and tournaments. I think it is a sacrifice worth to be made though.
fragster: Thank you for the interview.
source: fragster.de
