Player Tales #1 | 23savage — “Before, I thought I was the best. Then I hit rock bottom”

23savage is one of the most talked-about carries in SEA Dota.
In this interview, we cover his early days, the struggle to balance real life and Dota, his peak years, the moment he calls “rock bottom,” and everything in between.

We break down the full Riyadh hands-up story from his perspective, talk about who helped him the most to get through it, how he changed as a teammate, and what really happened during his time in OG.
Plus: Whitemon synergy, the “Kingslayer” nickname, Arsenal pain from of a lifelong football fan, pets, and his top 5 carries of his generation!

Editor: mikemavo
  / mikemavo  
Background pattern: kopibrian
https://x.com/kopibrian

0:00 — Sayang’s message
0:18 — How to pronounce 23’s name & his family nickname
0:53 — Rap battles
1:31 — How 23 got good at Dota
2:12 — The MMR bracket he was stuck at
2:41 — About his girlfriend
3:41 — The origin of the “Kingslayer” nickname
4:37 — Struggling to balance Dota and real-life fun
6:05 — Why he loves football so much
8:10 — Riyadh Upper Bracket Finals story
13:28 — Which position 5 he had the best synergy with
15:00 — Expectations in OG & what went wrong
17:25 — How he felt about leaving OG
17:54 — What went wrong after the top-3 DreamLeague finish
20:26 — What OG needed more during his time there
24:45 — 23 on being “moody”
26:50 — What he meant by “I only care about myself”
29:05 — Does streaming harm the SEA Dota scene?
30:57 — What kind of player 23 is
31:55 — 23’s rock bottom
32:05 — The state of SEA servers & moving to Europe
33:47 — Comparing players: who does he compare himself to?
34:20 — How he became a better teammate
35:10 — Best five carries of his generation
36:10 — Introvert or extrovert?
37:50 — Why he moved out of his parents’ house
38:33 — Pets
39:35 — Why he wakes up early
41:00 — On expensive designer clothes & what they mean to him
42:50 — Would he settle outside of Thailand?
43:35 — Staying in Dota after his playing career
44:25 — How he started playing
45:47 — Was he ever close to giving up?
46:38 — What he would say to his younger self
46:56 — Why One Piece is the best anime
47:50 — His Steam profile movie display
49:00 — What he wants to improve most in himself
49:51 — Blitz

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