- In an appearance on the Position Six podcast, Fnatic Dota 2 coach Lee “SunBhie” Jeong-jae shared insight into how Asian and European players differ
- Asian players need more structure that is usually forced on them to reach their full potential
- SunBhie will have the opportunity to bring his European experience to the Southeast Asia region as part of Fnatic
Asian and European players are both talented but one group tends to be more creative whereas the other needs more structured guidance argues Fnatic coach Lee “SunBhie” Jeong-jae.
Asia and Europe Dota 2 Players Have Different Styles
Fnatic Dota 2 coach Lee “SunBhie” Jeong-jae has brought in some interesting insight into the key differences between European and Asian players, having had some experience competing with and mentoring both groups.
Courtesy of his careers in Southeast Asia and the European region, SunBhie has found some common denominators, but also notable differences. In his opinion, Asian players are very talented, but they need more direction than their European peers who are more inclined to improvise.
Speaking to Daniel “MrBigJams” Offen on the Position Six podcast, SunBhie talked about how European players seemed to fare better without guidance whereas Asian players tended to underperform in similar conditions.
SunBhie has just returned to SEA after a two-year stint with Team Secret, one of the strongest and most talented Dota 2 franchises in Europe. Even though Team Secret has not yet won The International event, they are known for their outstanding plays and ability to upset the plans of “more successful” Dota 2 teams.
Asians do have discipline, SunBhie explained, but it must be forced on them and it's always a top-to-bottom structure. Conversely, European players tend to be more artistic and better self-starters where they understand their weaknesses and work on those diligently.
Give Them Structure, Watch Them Thrive
Asian players, though, prefer structure and someone telling them what weaknesses to work on and how much they ought to play to improve. SunBhie argued that in no way reflected on the quality of the play, provided that Asian players do listen to their coaches, which they are keen to do.
SunBhie returning to Southeast Asia is an important decision for him as he wants to tap into the raw talent in the region, arguing that players need guidance and direction – something that SunBhie is ready to provide.
The coach argued that one thing that could significantly improve the local scene is to have the local teams get more into more international competitions that would allow them to quickly improve.
However, the self-contained nature of the SEA region also provides Asian players with some competitive advantage and when there is a skilled coach on the job of guiding entire teams, Europeans would need to be a whole lot of creativity to overcome the unflagging discipline Asian teams demonstrate.
An ultimate test of how Asian and European players have prepared this year would be The International which will take place in Bucharest, Romania this October. Fnatic had a bit of a tough run this year but did succeed in securing a spot in The International 10 after displacing TNC Predator in the process.
