Quincy Crew’s Jack “KBBQ” Chen shares expectations for the Kyiv Major

Quincy Crew is one of the more exciting teams coming into the Kyiv Major. They have come a long way from their battles against the 4zoomers in the early pandemic era. Now, they’re beating out Evil Geniuses to secure the first seed and a playoff berth in the upcoming Kyiv Animajor. Jack “KBBQ” Chen, the manager for Quincy Crew, said the team has high expectations for the Major. Additionally, he shared his unusual plan to introduce coaching into live Dota.

Quincy Crew’s expectations going into the Major

Quincy Crew’s last season did not end well. Due to the pandemic, Arif “MSS” Anwar could not attend the previous One Esports Singapore Major. MSS tested positive for COVID-19 just days before their departure. Quincy Crew needed a replacement on short notice.

“The team felt some disappointment, but also encouraged and hopeful that they definitely belong,” Chen said about Quincy Crew’s feelings going into the Animajor, compared to the One esports Singapore major.

He also mentioned the belief that the team would have done much better at the Singapore Major if the circumstances were better.

In regards to the MSS missing the Singapore Major, Jack stated he appreciated MSS’ replacement, Wilson “Poloson” Koh Chin Wei, for helping them on short notice. However, Poloson was their third or fourth choice because of logistical issues with other replacements.

Our standin @milandota2 was on the same flight as @LeBronDoTa and encountered the same issue. He travelled for hours across national borders to even make this Belgrade flight, for that we will always be appreciative and thankful. We are still awaiting authorization on standins https://t.co/u0Z8HqyYhM

— KBBQ (@KBBQDotA) March 25, 2021

At the current Kyiv Animajor, Quincy Crew’s goal is to prove themselves, secure a spot in The International and get the best practice they can, according to Chen.

In a world where the Dota Pro Circuit only has three international events a year, the Majors are a chance for teams from all regions to play. Quincy Crew intend to use this opportunity to its fullest potential. Chen said that they aren’t any teams in specific that Quincy Crew want to play.

“The moment you ever think any team or region doesn’t have a chance or is bad is when they’re most likely to surprise you,” Chen said.

Teams can now travel to Majors

While most of the competition can be considered on an equal playing field, Chen mentioned Western teams might do better because the tournament takes place on European soil. The ample period of practice and adjustment will most likely benefit Western teams more than the last Major.

However, he also said these Majors bring factors that don’t appear when playing from home. Jet lag, travel delays and tournament scheduling all play a factor in determining who wins a game. As travel has been reduced, it would not be surprising to see outside factors in effect. While different countries and circumstances present unique challenges for tournament organizers and participants. Chen mentioned the WePlay Animajor has made sure there is ample time for every team to make travel and substitute related adjustments and a forgiving schedule that evenly spaces out games.

Coaching in Dota 2

Beyond the talk of competition, Chen talked about the recent coaching drama that involved Alliance two weeks ago.

“Once the draft ends, dota has traditionally always been a 5v5 game. As long as I’ve been watching and following Dota, which is for 15 of years, there’s never been any acceptable precedent for live coaching in a game,” he said.

He stated that five players, playing individual heroes while paying attention to the game, is how it is meant to be played. Despite not supporting of live coaching, Chen says he can see a world where limited, tactical timeouts to regroup in LAN situations are allowed. The goal of the timeouts is to allow a team to refocus and plan their next move. The timeouts might also allow for fans to listen in and add content for Dota fans to consume. However, he also recognizes these changes would be a huge adjustment, and will most likely be extremely unpopular among players for disrupting the flow of the game.

When asked about the existence of the Quincy Crew’s Crew Twitter account, a specific fan account made to support the team, Chen acknowledged the account caught the team’s notice and they have gotten a few laughs out of it.

Quincy Crew's Crew (this twitter account) is a proud fan group of @DOTA2's best unsigned, unsponsored, unbeatable team #QuincyCrew. Follow the players and manager for official team content–> 1. @YawaR_YS 2. @ccncdota2 3. @lelisdota 4. @MSSDota 5. @SVGDota
Manager: @KBBQDotA

— Quincy Crew (@Quincy_Crew) May 23, 2021

Quincy Crew will compete at the Kyiv Animajor from June 2 through June 13 on the WePlay Twitch Channel.