When T1 picked up two-time TI champions – ana and Topson – for their Regional and Last Chance Qualifier run, SEA fans gave them top odds for making it to the TI.
But a series of missteps, bad drafts and poor team chemistry meant that last year’s top SEA team fell short. And the team captain, Carlos “Kuku” Palad, has raised his hand to take full responsibility for the poor performance of the South Korean team.
Speaking during his recent Dota livestream, Kuku said that he didn’t like that fans were blaming his team coach March and managers.
“I was the one making the calls during the drafts,” he said.
Critics said that T1 picks were off the meta, resulting in poor team fights and eventual losses. For instance, T1 kept picking Venomancer, which fans called out to be a meme strategy.
But Kuku defended his choice, saying that Venomancer was “unbeatable” during scrims in both the offlane and the position four, which Kenny “Xepher” Deo also played.
Likewise, Kuku said the decision to take Oracle in the mid lane for Topson during their Upper Bracket battle against Team Secret was supported by the fact that Topson was 4-0 during scrims. But somehow Team Secret, who is now fighting for a spot in the Grand Finals of TI, managed to outsmart T1 on their draft.
In fact, both Team Secret and Team Liquid, who made it to TI through the LCQ, are now top four. This, said Kuku, showed just how competitive LCQs were.
He also praised Topson and Ana for their professionalism and singled out Topson for being a “beast’ in their play. Ana was a strong carry but needed a strong captain in the mode of NoTail or Ceb, his former teammates from OG, to play at his best.
But while the criticism has stung, with Dota fans continually making fun of him in the livechats of the TI streams, he is taking it all in his stride. Whenever Venomancer, for instance, is picked, he now gives a small chuckle.
The poor performance has led to the dissolution of the current T1 team. The team’s coach March has left, while Xepher has said that he is looking for a new team. Kuku also confirmed that his “mutual contract with T1 has ended although I’m still open in discussing my contract renewal with T1, I want to explore other opportunities.”
The region’s poor performance at the TI is also likely to see massive changes in rosters, said Kuku. Boom, the region’s best hope and performer, fell out in the 9th to 12th place, while Fnatic and Talon were placed even lower.
For now, Kuku is simply happy to have played at T1 over the past two years, especially with ana and Topson, as well as the rest of his former teammates.
His future remains unclear. Kuku has said he would like to play for a team with a position five captain but has not decided on where he should go. But whatever he does next, his status in the game will forever be sealed.
All hail the venomlord Kukumancer!
