Meet XtC MichaeL

Team XtC has been in the Singaporean cybergaming spotlight for what seems like forever. A clan with highly successful divisions in many games, XtC forayed into the DotA scene in 2007, and have been one of the rare names that have had consistent showings in all the DotA competitions after that, with a few memorable victories spaced evenly across the time period.

Though the name has been a constant presence in the DotA scene, XtC's DotA division has gone through a myriad of roster changes, which is unfortunately the exception rather than the norm in the local DotA scene. Recently, news was released of 4 out of 6 of XtC's DotA members deciding to quit the team for various reasons. Not the first time the team has had a sudden roster change, but perhaps an indicator that something had to be done to curb the volatile nature of DotA team rosters.

Throughout XtC's long DotA history, filled with roster changes, the only consistent people are those that aren't playing. Michael, or XtC.XtReM1St, has been managing XtC for over 2 years, and has been part of the competitive scene for even longer. Catching him on MSN, he is perhaps the easiest interview candidate so far. He readily takes questions and answers them in full sentences that make putting up an interview a breeze. He readily offers responses to all my questions, and even has a picture ready to send to me on request, which is pretty fair, considering the heightened demand for his opinion about the recent news on XtC.

Name: Phee Keng Seng Michael
Nickname: XtReM1St (or MichaeL)
Age: 20
Date of birth: 06/02/1990
Game(s) played: Counter-Strike / Dota
Year started competitive: 2004, ended 2009
Country: Singapore
Favourite gaming hardware: Steelseries 7G (keyboard), Steelseries Ikari Optical (mouse), Steelseries Siberia usb red

Asking if he is free to answer all my questions rather than just those on the recent team breakup, Michael responds promptly. “Don't worry, I will answer all your questions.”  Which gives me the green light to probe for a summary of his DotA team's history.

Tell me about the history of XtC.DotA and how many generations you think it has gone through.

Michael: XtC.DotA began in 2007 as an expansion off to other divisions. In total we have 3 generations of roster changes. 2007 we had the Nam* & and Skele generation, 2008 we had the iceiceice & Ant generation, and 2009 we had the xy generation.

Between generations, there do seem to always be common players. WaN was part of the first generation of XtC, and was part of 2008's XtC.DotA generation. xy- and gGg- were brought in at the end of 2008, and when the rest of the team left, were the only remaining players to create the 3rd generation of XtC.DotA. In fact, many of XtC.DotA's players in 2009 have been part of previous generations. XtC has always seemed to persist in finding great players with just a few players shared between generations.

How long do players usually stay in XtC.DotA? Do you usually expect this?

Michael: There isn't a definite timeframe as to how long a player stays in XtC.DotA and I do not expect a player to stay especially if he is unhappy.

Perhaps too politically correct an answer, seeing as how Michael has been through 3 years of XtC.DotA with countless roster changes. I probe for something more specific.

But based on previous experience, how long do players stay?

Michael: On average, 4 months.

Which is pretty short. Michael's experience with other teams of different games makes him much more suitable to answer the next question.

So, are DotA players less stable than those in other games?

The word 'stable' here, as understood by both parties, meant their ability to constantly be part of the same team, in case anyone misinterprets the question (not to say that the misinterpreted version is not a good question).

Michael: Yes, so far the XtC.DotA division has more roster changes than other divisions, probably due to its intense competitive nature.

Intense competitive nature?

Michael: By “intense competitive nature” I meant that it's the most competitive game in Singapore at the moment.

Michael is one of the few long surviving managers of a Singaporean E-sports team. To top that off, he is unique in the duration that he has survived as a manager and the significant results that his team has achieved.

So, what makes you want to be a manager? For so long too!

Michael: My main reason for managing is because it's challenging. Hardly anyone in Singapore likes to manage because it's seen as being a “sai-kang warrior” and there are huge responsibilities. Moreover, I'm happy when I see that my work has helped the players in one way or another.

Are you usually part of the team decisions, or do you usually let the teams handle themselves?

Michael: It works both ways. I'll give suggestions and together we'll come to a decision. However after seeing the recent turn of events I'm looking towards fully controlling everything, but the downside is that the players may be unhappy especially if they do not like certain decisions made.

Since he has brought up the topic of XtC.DotA's recent events, I decide to probe more into XtC's reactions and future plans.  

Do you think the players that left are going to play DotA again?

Michael: I think that the players that left might still play occasionally as a mixed team whenever they are free, but not on a regular basis.

4 players do not decide to leave the team for different reasons at exactly the same time. I probe further into what set off the chain of events.

So, why did everyone suddenly leave the team anyway?

Michael: Actually from 2 months back, xy- was already notified about his attachment in China and he will be entering his final year of studies, as well as XuL- [deciding to focus on work and studies]. After losing to Aeon on the first round of the recent Alienware competition and since there aren't any major competitions coming up before xy-'s attachment in China, the move was made. ZhamQtreeS and WarNutZ are close to xy- so it's a chain reaction.

What about Alan (alanter) and Willy (d4rkw1sH)?

Michael: I have discussed with Alan (alanter) & Wilson (d4rkw1sH) and they both have decided to stay & continue on. We have drawn up 3 'plans' to carry out, but there is a lack of good players in Singapore now.

What do you want the future of XtC.DotA to be and what do you think it will be?

Michael: After this incident, I've decided that i will take full control of all team matters & reduce the freedom level. Currently, i want the next XtC.Dota to be stable and passionate. I am not looking for fantastic results at the moment. There are pros & cons in everything. For example, 5 decent friends in XtC.Dota may not have high firepower & skill, but logically speaking its teamwork, chemistry & stability should be on a high level. If I were to just scout for very good players to fill in the 3-4 vacant positions, the results may be there for the short-term basis. But in the long run, I predict major lineup changes especially when the players cannot get along with each other outside the game as well as losing a few competitions might trigger that too.

So personally how do you feel about the players leaving?

Michael: Actually there was enough notice. I was told about it 2 months ago.

So there's no surprise or anything?

Michael: I'm a bit surprised that ZhamQtreeS left.

Anything else you would like to add?

Michael: Nothing much... but hope our 'fans' & 'supporters' can be patient as I'm looking for stability & not results currently.

And so that wraps up my short interview with Michael about XtC.DotA. Michael himself is a veteran in the competitive community though, and perhaps in the future, when he is less concerned with the uncertain future of his team, it would be worthwhile into finding out more about his person.

I shall end with a quote by Eryc, the manager of team KingSurf then (and perhaps the only other dedicated e-sports manager based in Singapore with a successful DotA team) from about half a year ago. Most people in the DotA scene should have already seen this quote, but I bring it up due to its partial relevance to XtC.DotA's current affairs.

“Before ACG was held, I divided Ks.DotA into Ks.sg and Ks.my. Both Yamateh and Hyhy were appointed as captains. They could handle everything, including recruitment, playing style,and training method. I chose the members and leaders by their performance. However, both teams disappointed me, so Ks.DotA must be recomposed. So after ACG, I proclaimed that I would reunite Ks.DotA and supervise their training in person. The people I needed were not superstars, but those who could do lots of things for the team.”