PSG Quest had one of the unluckiest Dota 2 seasons ever in 2023. The team went through three rebuilds, and despite the rocky road, their resilience led them to The International 2023, where Aybek “TA2000” Tokayev believes his team can now overcome every challenge.
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Throughout the year, Quest almost had a new offlaner in every major Dota 2 tournament, disrupting the team’s stability. During each roster move, Quest managed to fill the gap in its roster with a top player. Considering the team performed surprisingly well with each offlaner, Quest looked like it had a clear understanding of the position three role, or at least that’s what fans thought; the reality was actually quite different.
“We didn’t have must-have expectations from our offlaners,” TA2000 said. “We always built the team around the offlaner instead of asking them to adapt to the four of us.”
The diverse playstyles of Quest’s offlaners led to varying strategies. ATF’s greedy playstyle necessitated tailored drafts, while Wuiter and Tobi, being objective-focused, influenced the team’s style in a much different way.
The core members of Quest fostered an environment where newcomers seamlessly integrated. This contributed heavily to the team’s success, since offlaners could come into the team and play their game without worrying about adapting.
“We think our way is better, and it’s easier because the four of us know each other really well,” TA2000 explained. “So we help out the new player instead of asking them to adapt to us.”
While many players and teams could be unable to perform due to stress after going through what Quest lived through in 2023, the team’s chill attitude and problem-solving allowed them to constantly achieve improving results.
Before qualifying for TI 2023 with their latest offlaner, Tobi, Quest made a run for fourth place at the Bali Major, taking games from the most dominant Dota 2 teams of the 2023 season: Gaimin Gladiators and Team Liquid.
During this time, TA2000 recalled their last series at the Bali Major versus Liquid, where they had a chance to make it to the next round.
“We should have won versus Liquid, but we just made too many mistakes. But even after those mistakes, we had an opportunity to win,” TA2000 said.
Then he declared: “When we get going, it feels like we can beat anyone.”
While TA2000 is looking closely at his team’s upcoming campaign, the event also holds a special personal moment for him; with his appearance at TI12, he becomes one of the first two Kazakhstani players to ever play the event.
Expressing his pride, TA2000 told Dot Esports, “Representing my country on such a stage means a lot to me. I’ll do my best so the people of Kazakhstan will be proud of us.”
With TI 2023’s Road to The International underway, TA2000 and Quest are looking to get their game going to snatch an advantageous seeding before playoffs.
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