Supporter special with Kebap and aHCoS

The interview has not been held at the same time. fragster put the answers together in the end.

fragster: Let's start this very clear and easy: What are the main things a supporter has to come up with?

Rene 'Kebap' Werner: Above all the most important thing is to have fun with it, talking about you have to be willing to play the support role. Moreover it should not depress you running around with only one bracer and boots in your inventory for quite a long time. Now about the in-game things: I think a supporter should definitely know at any time whether aggressive or defensive wards wards are needed. In addition, he should have map-awareness for rescue teleports and things like that.

Frank-Marian 'aHCoS' Eilers: The point of view differs here. In my opinion the most important thing is that you are not a too ego-related person because you put the personal success behind the good of your team.

Do you eventually need kind of special traits for it?

Kebap: I dont think u have to show certain character traits at supporting. I have got to know various supporters so far and to be honest each is really different from any other supporter.

aHCoS: I doubt that you need a special character or even that a certain character has advantages here. Just as there are various approaches at every role in DotA, there are different possibilities how to manage your in-game task at supporting. Some sacrifice everything for the team, while others demand more for themselves. However, it is crucial that you work as a team. It can hardly work out if a supporter grants the team all of the farm when they dont understand how to use it or when they are not willing to use it.

Buying chicken, placing wards and stealing no lasthits - the most common tasks of a supporter. But it requires more, doesn't it?

Kebap: It sounds pretty simple but the most difficult things for a supporter is probably not to die and knowing how to react in certain situations. I also think that a really good supporter needs a decent amount of skill to know when it is time for anti-warding or teleporting if someone needs to be saved and yet depending to kill the opponent. Some people talk about supporters as if it does not require skill but in my opinion they are totally wrong.

aHCoS: Yes and no. In some teams you have to do more, for example if you engage in a more aggressive play-style but if your strategy aims on farming and carries, a level seven Maiden, with regularly played wards, can already be sufficient. If you pick Maiden / Alchi / Bristle / Shaker / PotM, and the opponent has got a very weak pusher-lineup, the Maiden player does not have to do more than to wait until his team farmed proper items. But if the enemy picked an offensive gang-strategy, one has to gang with his Maiden, to use his disables wisely in clashes, maybe being able to survive and other things. All this in addition to his supporting role.

What ratio should you consider if you buy wards and sentries? What does it take?

Kebap: The ratio of wards and sentrys is quite unbalanced. If you look at replays you will always see a lot more observers than sentries, except you have an invisible hero or PotM in the opponent team. I would say 80/20 is a good ratio for observers to sentries.

aHCoS: As much as possible and not more than necessary. It is important that your team is able to see as much of the map as possible, and the enemy as little as possible. Most important thing is that you can foresee the steps of the enemy, so you can counter them quite early. It is a way better to know where the enemy wants to go, as if you just see the position where he was going to.

How does this work? Is it just experience or can one go further with little tips and tricks?

aHCoS: Experience is significant! One has to able to judge what works and what does. A crucial tip: It is better if the opponent is not aware that you got vision on him. Sometimes it is more efficient to "hide" the wards and accept less vision so the opponent believes that your team can't see what he is planning.

Do you really always have to counter the opponent wards? How can supporter influence the way the game goes?

aHCoS: You dont have to put everything into countering enemy wards. But if you want to, you should do consistently. About the question on the game: I think nearly everybody has experienced so far that you lose a game because are afraid to leave the base due lack of vision.

Is it not sometimes more usefull to buy more wards or buy other items instead of trying to counter enemy wards?

Kebap: There should always be a good ratio between wards and items, meaning that you cant run around without boots after 12 minutes. Everything that happens after that should be decided by yourself depending on the situation of the game. If you lose the mapcontrol, I would recommend to buy wards other than items. Otherwise I am more likely to buy one or two bracers or such stuff.

In professional games the rune gets warded fewer and fewer, or? What are the most important ward-positions?

Kebap: The main ward-positions in the eary-game is the pullspot and in mid-game the upchoke-ward on the middle lane. Afterwards it depends on the game: if one plays passive rather use defensive wards; if one plays aggressive, you do better placing wards behind the tower or on the lane. In late-game a pretty decisive ward is the one at roshan.



aHCoS: I do not know where you got this information from, but at least one runespot gets warded in early up to mid-game and in late-game there is always one ward at roshan, so you could say that the runes are warded constantly. The main ward-posititions are totally dependent on the game. For one team a ward on the mid-lane can be decisive, others outward the jungle of the enemy and some prefer visible runespots. I estimate that I can think about at least 40 extremely important ward-positions plus another 30 or 40 alternative positions which could be important to hide some wards there.

When are lane-wards usefull? Or at least explain the term lane-wards for our readers.

Kebap: A lane-ward is, for example when viewed from sentinel side a ward behind the first top tower of scourge above the pullspot, so you can see heroes teleporting, heroes aproaching for ganks or what is happening around the tower.

aHCoS: Lane-wards can always be usefull, but sometimes they are just wasted. For instance it makes sense to have a lane-ward if you got an own carry on this lane who wants to farm. Lanewards are, as the name implies, wards placed on the lane, and obviously on the side of the opponent.

Such wards are a must especially in mid-game, or? Probably on the lane of the carry to protect him from incoming teleports of the opponent.

Kebap: They need not be placed for the carry but more likely on the side where you want the game to be shifted or you intend to take down the tower. In my humble opinion these wards are a must-have if a team really wants to play at high level.

Following example: You are playing Dazzle and on your lane you are "baby-sitting" a Spectre versus Lion and Axe. How do you act, when do you last hit, when deny, when and especially how do you harass?

Kebap: I am always handling it this way: I last hit Creeps, the carry cant reach. Otherwise I just deny. Against Lion/Axe I think I would play rather passive, skilling heal, poison, poison, ank, poison, ank, poison, ank, ank, weave. Our lane is weaker than the other and i would lose it anyways with ganks! Of course I hit Axe everytime he moves forward or even Lion when he is in a good position.

What distinguishes a good from a bad supporter?

Kebap: A bad supporter places the wards indiscriminately, prefered on both rune spots, does not teleport to save a teammate and for sure he will not do more in the game as dying and warding. Therefore a good one can participate actively in the actions and sometimes rescue one or another hero, furthermore he goes for ganks as well and his ward placements depend on the game situation.

aHCoS: A good supporter plays his heroes well, a bad one not. It is impossible to make a clear statement on that. Even a "bad" supporter is able to place perfect wards but may fail in the game.

Probably the most difficult decision is to determine the best position for the wards, is it? There is only a limited number.

Kebap: As a good supporter you know plently enough wardspots and of course the position of the ward matters if an allied hero will survive or whether a gang works out without being countered by teleports.

Inhouses tend to leave the support role up to the worst player. How comes?

Kebap: Because a well played carry or ganker is much more important than a bad supporter who is still able to buy wards and dies sometimes.

aHCoS: Because most players are only capable to play farm-games. Then it is logical that the best players who got the best last hit skills are playing the important heros for the decisive late-game.

That means supporting requires the slightest skill?

Kebap: I would not call it that way. Bad supporting can hardly make you lose games, but bad ganking or carrying can.

aHCoS: You did not understand me correctly. I said: in low or mid skilled games players are not able or even not willing to go for a fast and gang-related game. Therefore many farmers are being picked - ultimately resulting in a farmwar. And these farm-depending heroes will naturally be played by strong players.

On a professional level, is a good supporter just as important as a good carry?

Kebap: He does as much for the game but he cannot shine like the one that gets beyond godlike.

aHCoS: To play at the top every single player must be able to show outstanding performances, including the supporters.

Wards, Boots, Bracer, Crow, Town Portal. What should one buy or favour in the first minutes of the game?

Kebap: Crow is very important at the beginning. After that comes wards and teleport, followed by boots and at the least bracer. With the first 200 gold I would upgrade to Crow immediately, because around that time the solo hero is in need of his bottle and such things. The second pack of wards should be bought from the 6th minute on because the old wards expire there and you got no more vision. If you think it's necessary, you can always buy a teleport at the sideshop, the rest depends on the game. Moreover I should mention that you should send the second package of ward to your heroes on the mid lane as you need one ward at the runespot.

What about the wards at start? Creep-spot blocking, mid-choke, rune-wards from 6min and from here on completely game-depending or are there more marks?

Kebap: One of the second ward pack is located at the runespot and in most cases I place the second as an initial tower ward on the long lane from the own view. The placement of the third package depends on the situation. It is always important to keep an eye on the behaviour of the enemy. You need to consider how he plays and how your team wants to play.

Maybe you could give me one example?

Kebap: For example: gamescom 2009, ravens vs fnatic: Ravens is a team that likes to hold their first towers as long as possible and therefore they teleport around a lot. So I have put the wards always behind the towers to avoid getting outnumbered or that they cant start a go which nobody would expect.

How did you find out: "I am the born supporter!"?

aHCoS: I did not realise this, but I decided that before I started to play DotA.

i.e. in Diablo 2 you are rather playing Paladin, in WoW Priest?;)

aHCoS: In Diablo 2 my favourite character next to a Sorc was really the Paladin, in WoW a Heal-Priest, in strategy games I tend to pick a "soft" version with the economy and I am pleased when I am able to avoid warlike aspects.

Do you think that you could play carry or gank as well, if you would train enough?

Kebap: I have been playing support because of the teams opinion, the supporter role would fit me best. So we decided to make me the supporter and I was fine with it. On the question, whether I could carry or gank as well as I can support: I dont like to rate myself. My answer would be: I really dont know.

aHCoS: Definitely no carry, because I would not be able to train enough for that; I would lose the pleasure for the game. Probably gank, because on the one hand I am already doing this job sometimes even as supporter and on the other hand I enjoy playing aggressive heroes. But I can't see a reason for that and moreover I am lacking time.

Since many versions the purchase of wards is limited. A good decision?

Kebap: It was a good decision to limit them. Earlier on there was a real ward-battle where supporters had about 6 to 8 wards in their inventory and as soon as they were placed, the whole map was visible and one played without or only a bit fog of war.

aHCoS: Yes, because otherwise the superior team would have to much mapcontrol, and you would have no chance to win when the enemy is able to ward the whole map.

What is your favorite support hero and which one do you hate like the plague?

Kebap: My favorite supporter is definitely Shadow Priest simply because you can still gank. Abaddon is probably my most hated support character because he is just lame.

aHCoS: It changes almost daily. If you want to consider Bane as support hero, I would call him hatred hero, but I do not play him anyway. I do not have a favorite hero.

What do you think of 6.63? Hope you could form an opinion in the first games.

Kebap: I think the heart and bloodstone change is very well done. As well as Phase Boots and Power Treads. Heart of Tarasque, because now you won't get HP regenerated in an active clash, so there is a chance to die and Bloodstone, because it is better for int-carries or heroes dependent on a lot of mana. Phase boots speed up the game and Power Treads are very supporter friendly now due to their low costs. In contrast, I don't like that the Pipe was actually not really nerfed, except that one does not get an armor bonus any longer. But it grants you plus 2 hp per second. Additionally the base damage of the Batrider got decently nerfed and the spells of Tauren Chieftain are quite balanced now as well.

Who do you think are the three best supporters in the world?

Kebap: Papaxiong, NS and Miracle.

aHCoS, you once said you would be one of the best european supporters and after that people, especially from dmZ, made fun of you. Are you still convinced of that statement?

aHCoS: When I am in top shape, then yes. At least if you define support the same way as I do, and then I do not see many good supporters. In addition with Kebap's latest retirement, one of the best went inactive.

Just a little about you personally, Kebap: You stated that the relationship in team fnatic did not work out. With whom do you have problems and why?

Kebap: Many people know that I am quite a difficult person to play with in a clan and actually there were no real problems. The characters just did not fit.

Did you have a certain offer from Razer? How would that have worked out - they would have added you and both of the Pakistanis?

Kebap: Yes, I had an offer from Razer. But how the things would have gone, one can only speculate because I denied it in the end. I did not have any motiviation left to play DotA at such a level.

And what is Rene doing at the moment, when he does not play actively in a clan?

Kebap: I got more time to hand around with my friends and I am doing some sport to get fit again. Besides my civil service is starting soon.

Thank you for the interview.

Kebap: I would like to greet all the German DotA players and of course Razer who are all really cool people and of course I wish them a lot of luck!