Fnatic - A profesional gaming team

Name: Yana Andreychikova Yurievna
Date of Birth: 23.04.90
Location: Perm Russia (region 59 - Urals)
Marital Status: dating
First RTS Game: Starcraft <3
Likes: I like cakes, baked by my granny, pine-apples, beach, chilling, court tennis, computer games, big companies, summer, mojito, music like *dance* 8), getting presents...
Dislikes: I don't like it when; when mother is angry, when brother is irritating, bad mark, when brother is irritating, bad marks, bad weather, exams, pink colour, Russian music...
Food preference: sushi
Favourite Song: move (Thousand foot Krutch), mesalina (Jane air)
Favourite Movie: butterfly effect, angel - a, sin city
Favourite Model / Actress: jessica alba
Favorite Actor: Ashton Kutcher
Favorite Hero to kill: Zeus, shadow priest
Favourite Player: smile (VP.ars-art)
Motto in Life: I tend to smile even if I fail

The Origin

A long time I had a weird nickname, aka: ki$k@ you'd better not know what it is in Russian...well frankly speaking it means 'cat' ^^ afterwards I started playing magic - the gathering (collection card game) and my card deck was in black colour destruction deck ^^ there was a card called VisarA (it still exists and I have a foil one) so some time my elder bro started calling me Vis, nothing more to say after that.

The Hotkeys

Ehm...playing dota I use default ones O_O

VisarkA!

The Config

One word - wooden

The First Game of DOTA

I remember my first game, we all with my company where playing random custom games and joined one named dota...it was fun...the ones who already knew how to play...made their best to gang me wherever I was going. I was solo - maiden vers lich (a very good player). I didn't know what to buy, etc...so I bought the same items I knew in warcraft 3 and the skills were not the problem... as I was engaging in battle, I wanted to beat some guys in dota, so I got used to playing and I entered b.net where I got acquainted with sp. Say_plz clan then some members of vp and the Russian community on the whole...that was right 3 years ago.

Introduction

Hey can you introduce yourself to us give a little bit of trivia that no one knows about you?

hey I'm Yana, Visarka, 17 years old, at the moment I'm keen on studying, because I'm already in university in the language faculty... I'm actually a DOTA judge and the only female playing dota in my city (Perm). I like listening to a great variety of music: +44 yellow card, mxpx, thousand foot krutch etc and I enjoy partying and going to clubs and cinema. I'm going to travel much and visit LAN events, even if I stop playing some time, I won't lose interest in Cyber sport in any way.

VisarkA posing for the Camera

How did you get into computers?

As I've already said I got an elder bro, his name is Denis he is 21 and he always aroused my interest because he played all the games on the computer and some board games and I was always interested in what he was doing! the first game he taught me to play was GTA2 I won 1 versus 1 at LAN and started thinking of playing more...also I liked heroes 12345 and many others. I was involved in cyber sports, made some achievements in counter strike, starcraft and wc3 ladder, I even was top3 in my city some years ago *so proud*

What attracted your fancy to gaming and now pro-gaming?

I was attracted to it because cyber sports lack females. I liked the attention I had and my brother was boasting because his sister was playing...I wanted to compete, to show that we, girls, can make our best and be even better than boys.

Which clans have you been part of?

I was in a lot of clans in b.net just for fun, I actually don't like being in any... But there was a case I was in an all female dota clan PpG (now PMS-miss) but I left, I don't feel like playing with people of the same level, I must be the worst one in the team for me to learn something and improve my skills.

VisarkA posing again!

You were in PMS-Miss, or Excuse me Miss as it was known as earlier, why did you leave it?

Well I played only one clan war with them. I couldn't play any more because the girls were average to middle skilled players. Maybe they are better now I hope but I like I said I want people in the team who are more experienced and play better than me for sure. And practically everyone lives in the USA, 10-11-12 hours difference = impossible.

I see, so there weren't any internal conflicts that lead you to leave them?

This was the main thing, I had a conflict with their 'leader' well lots of misunderstanding well never mind, I made a good decision for sure for both sides and anyway I'm not fond of calling myself PMS ...sounds attractive, doesn't it?

LAN Gaming & More

Can you tell us which LAN events you've attended so far?

As you already know, I'm only 17 I'm not let going anywhere on my own, so I've been only to such events as: 'perm period 2005', same 'Perm period 2006 and 2007' exactly 3 years while I was playing the games online. But I wasn't participating, I was working there as interpreter, news-maker and journalist and of course was supporting my friends and acquaintances playing Counter Strike, Quake 3 and 4, C&C generals and Warcraft 3...too bad we didn't have DOTA that time...also I managed to visit LAN DOTA and the three corridors FBFT 5.91 championships(though not big, in my city) participated and won also.

VisarkA - Interview Picture

What according to you has been the most funny situation in a LAN event?

Well I like the way LAN events are organized, people running here and there to make an interview, to make a group shot, if computer isn't working or has some problems etc... it's funny to look at line administrators who are to look after all the gamers and of course it's much more exciting than some online championship you see everyone's face..how everyone is acting, I want perm period 2008.

Do you play poker when you meet other gamers?

Mm no, I don't play poker at all 8) I'm fond only of board games: MtG, berserk, star wars...

VisarkA with Silena from CoreGamer and some admins

Who are the fun DOTA pro-players?

All the russian ones in my opinion.

What is your impression of Asian players? Their manners and skill?

Only 2 words - they own

Which LAN event you think you will remember for the rest of your life?

I already have plans for this winter (Austria) and summer (USA)... But I'm thinking about going to DreamHack winter 2008. I think I will remember it for sure!

Real Life

Which is your favorite book/magazine?

Ehm book, I guess it is 'dead poets society' but I also prefer reading diaries, because I write myself and magazine... I like illustrations in glamour, cosmopolitan, but I read YES from time to time.

What is your choice in cars and why?

Hah, only Jeeps my father has Land Cruiser, mother has a Raff4 and brother has a Suzuki Grand Vitara, mostly because of our roads Ural region -35 in winter for the win. On 23rd of April when I'm 18 I get the Suzuki Jimny as a present

VisarkA Again

What kind of music do you like listening to?

It depends on the place I am... At home when I'm playing DOTA I like alternative, indie, pop punk, even emo ;D when I go out I like trance, dnb well anything that can let me dance^^

Do you play any sports? Till what level are you in them?

I've been playing court tennis 7 years but only for myself, also I'm fond of role skating and snowboarding

What do your parents mean to you? Are they encouraging of your e-sport activities?

Ehm... My parents... They are absolutely against it !! They are doing their best so that I don't come close to the PC! But of course they wish only best for me, they want me to travel to different countries, I will and I will visit LAN events there, haha!

Have you ever given thought to becoming a SC2 player?

I will... I will finish playing counter-strike and Warcraft 3 (DOTA) when I get Starcraft 2 at my home. I will definitely play and try to be imbalanced pro.

Basics of DOTA

What are the basics of DOTA, I have no clue about this game, educate me.
Basics, the thing I like mostly is that it's a team game, sentinel and scourge, both teams have 5 players in each! You start the game with some hero, you can choose it from the taverns or you get it randomly (it depends on the mode) you start playing with buying items (there are several shops and some buildings where you can read scrolls with instructions what to buy) afterwards when you know what to buy and you do
You make some items and go to the lane (there are 3 lanes and also a hero can get experience in the forest with neutrals)
In the lanes you face the opponent heroes and the scourge creeps(if you are sentinel you got sentinel creeps with you) the more creeps you kill the more money you get and the more IMBA items you can buy. If you deny your opponents creeps they don't get much experience so they can't get some spells before you; usually heroes are at lanes try to harass you or just casting spells on you so that you have low Hit Points.


It's not only the thing that you play with 4 people. It's a team! so you should say when one of the opponent heroes is missing and say if you saw something strange on the map! there are 2 places in the middle of the map on the river...Where you can take power ups: invisibility, illusion, haste, double damage that can help you if you got a 5vs5 battle on hand.
There are 3 types of heroes as you should know... Based on strength agility and knowledge so you should buy items suited for them! so don't forget to find out what each item/artefact does. You win if you destroy the tree or citadel (the main building at each side) which is surrounded by 3 levels of towers which you should kill beforehand but it's really not easy! because you face the opponent team who has the same mission each hero has some specific spells, and moreover some ultimate are really good.
So you should start playing and skill will come to u after lots of games, flaming of mates if you want to be good at this game...watching replays of so-called gosu players is worth it, people can play this game as a clan war or just typical custom game...usually it lasts 30 minutes- 1 hour and 30 minutes..it depends if the players are good or if the heroes are the ones who are not strong at the beginning but rocks after 'farming' in forest late game.

Basics of DOTA - II

What are the main words used in DOTA? Can you explain them to me?

Lots of words are practically the same as any gamer knows...'wtf are u doing?' 'dumb' 'hf gl gg n1 woot ftw wtf wth...' etc there are a lot! but some words explain the heroes and spells...lina = slayer maiden = sexy girl etc. Russians are keen on using these names A LOT like ox = earth shaker, pig = barathum, spider may be used for brood mother or weaver
Some people can't forget their favourite MOUNTAIN king and continue calling Zeus "MK"
"Ganking" - It means when you gather with some other heroes and go killing an opponent when usually he isn't expecting that. After that an opponent in team chat usually writes: "WHERE WAS MISS!????''
From the beginning of the game you may see in chat or hear on vent 'some hero' missing, means he is not in a lane where he should be!
"Re" - means the hero has returned (or it's illusion hehe)
"Push" - means (if possible) all heroes gather at one lane or forest and go ganking!
"Pushing the lane" - killing towers and trying to reach the base.
"Foresting" - usually means some of heroes who is killing
neutrals...
"nets" - the same neutrals, so that you can see 'checking nets'
Also there is a sacred word 'rosh' means Roshan a big Golem standing right to the middle of the map, whom if you kill you get ankh - a possibility to revive.
You can kill him several times (though it's not that easy) then you can get cheese (restoring Hit Points and if my memory serves me right...mana too )

VisarkA with friends- Partying!

[b]Do you think DOTA is a real 'pro-gamer' game? From where I see it, it's just a mass game, that doesn't mean it's pro-gaming material. What do you have to say?

It's not an old game (though it's just a custom one) but it will prosper for sure and be on a same level as any other one. My opinion. dot ->.

Conclusion

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Well ... in 4 years I finish university and move to some European country (Holland or Germany) will be a business lady!

Do you want to concentrate on college or do you want to play more computer games?

I guess I'm keen on studying more, but even if I stop playing games I still will be interested in Cyber sports.

VisarkA drinking it up!

Whom do you consider to be your role model in the online world?

I don't have some definite online role model. I got too many people who are good online friends/Acquaintances maybe... 6ap6u...a female DOTA player from Moscow, very nice girl I like talking to her and it's great when you can have a friend speaking the same language..and able to speak ABOUT everything such as computer games

Would you consider moving to China to go after a more lucrative career in gaming?

I'm thinking of going there but not because of gaming career i think..just my family goes there 2 times a year.

VisarkA with her female friend

Any last words/praises/comments/shoutouts?

Shout outs to very good female dota players: pesmerga, d0t4bunny, Aya and my friend list, you are the best ehm...last words, thx for my first interview, my hands were trembling