In an interview with BLAST.tv, Cloud9 coach Filipe 'Astini' Astini discussed his move to the current team, his views on the South American competitive scene, and his opinions on patch 7.37.
On Joining Europe Entity
Astini explained that after leaving North American team nouns, he received several offers from different teams. He initially wanted to start his braproject with a fully Brazilian roster but struggled to make progress due to a lack of available players in Brazil. Consequently, he considered the offer from Europe Entity and joined the team.
On the Closed Qualifiers for The International 2024
Astini was confident about their chances of qualifying for The International from the start, despite facing strong competition. He noted their impressive performance in the previous online tournament and the qualifiers for Riyadh Masters 2024.
On Performance at Riyadh Masters 2024
Astini praised the team's performance in the group stage, where they finished with the second-best result, but acknowledged their struggles in the playoff stage, where they experienced pressure and lost confidence. He suggested that working with a psychologist, as they are currently doing with Europe Cloud9, would be beneficial.
On Differences in Coaching European vs South American Teams
Astini noted that coaching a European team is easier due to better practice conditions and lower ping compared to South American teams, which often have to practice with North American teams with high ping. He also highlighted the different types of pressure in South America, where losing impacts livelihood, compared to Europe, where the pressure is more about meeting expectations.
On Patch 7.37
Astini described patch 7.37 as a well-balanced update before TI, with some changes improving the game. He liked the adjustments to Faceless Void and Lifestealer, which simplified talent choices. However, he was less enthusiastic about the changes to Shadow Fiend, where an additional advantage was added to an aspect that previously belonged to an innate ability. He observed that Valve seems to be slowing the game down by weakening auras and line-dominant heroes and appreciated the changes to Bracer, which indirectly weakened strength heroes and encouraged playing carry-type heroes.
Previously, Astini shared the changes he brought to Europe Cloud9 as their coach.