FLUFFNSTUFF: “All the beliefs systems I held so dear are slowly starting to crack”

 

 

Team Liquid captain Brian “FLUFFNSTUFF” Lee recently released a blog article on TeamLiquid forums expressing his opinions on the current DOTA 2 meta-game and how his team has adapted to it. FLUFFNSTUFF is a veteran in the scene and a staple of major online and offline tournaments (including The International 2 with Complexity).

 

In the beginning of his lengthy blog article, he stated that his experience as team captain has been a transformative process and more so lately. “Recently, I've been thinking a lot about what my role as the leader is. It's been changing, evolving even and that's scary,” FLUFFNSTUFF wrote.

 

               “All the beliefs systems I held so dear are slowly starting to crack and the underlying silhouettes are beginning to reveal themselves”

 

He related that his worries stemmed from the case of NoTidehunter’s EternalEnvy, when the player released a statement following his dismissal from NTH detailing how he had let his team down as a captain through inexperience and timidity. FLUFFNSTUFF’s qualms persist despite his team’s recent dominating streak in online tournaments. 

 

Later in the article, he recalled a quote that his ex-manager from Team Fire (later known as Complexity) had told him about when was just starting out as a captain. It spoke about what a leader’s responsibility was and how it connected with FLUFFNSTUFF’s role as the team captain.

 

 

“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant” – Max DePree

“I must follow the people. Am I not their leader?” – Benjamin Disraeli

 

Following the team’s poor performance at The International 2, FLUFFNSTUFF’s passion for the game slowly diminished as he lost interest in playing as support and acting as team captain. He noticed that “it is not the great sacrifice and ganks of the support that is being applauded but the farming capabilities and killing power of the carry.”

 

A two month hiatus ensued for FLUFFNSTUFF as he struggled to emerge from his despair even after a break from the competitive scene. It was then that the organization Team Liquid approached Bulba and him regarding the formation of a new roster. FLUFNSTUFF agreed and the team with Korok, ixmike, TC and Bulba was born.

 

FLUFFNSTUFF attributes his team’s success to the realization that ‘too much leadership can really hurt a team’. That was a lesson learnt from his experience with Complexity – and it has already proven to be effective, with the team recently clinching first place at Bigpoint Battle.

 

This in-depth post is an inspiration for all aspiring players and especially those considering going competitive. As FLUFFNSTUFF has proven, “A great captain isn’t all out for leadership.”

 

The full blog article from FLUFFNSTUFF is available here: http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?id=400083

 

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