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Martin "Saksa" Sazdov, the North Macedonian professional DOTA 2 player, is a well-known figure in the current competitive scene for his prowess in the Support role. The player has represented a number of professional teams over the years and has recently joined EU outfit Tundra Esports.
With a professional career that spans nearly a decade, Saksa has a plethora of experience and deep knowledge regarding the popular MOBA and its nuances which he will be looking to bring to his new team.
In a conversation with Sportskeeda Esports' Angshuman Dutta, Saksa talked about his love for DOTA 2, the time playing with OG, scrimming with Tundra and his primary goals.
Saksa discusses his love for DOTA 2, playing with his new team Tundra, and his goal for the future
Q: Tundra Esports recently announced your arrival on their roster for DOTA 2. What convinced you to join Tundra? Did you use to follow their matches before?
Saksa: I followed their matches before, and it was pretty simple - I just liked all the players and how they played so I decided to join.
Q: How has it been with the new outfit? Have you gotten a chance to play with the whole team yet?
Saksa: Yes, we've been playing for a bit and things are good. We are improving and getting used to playing with each other.
Q: Your previous team was OG and you played with some of the stalwarts of the game like Ceb, SumaiL, N0tail, ana and Topson. What was that like? Have you seen the new OG roster and any of their matches?
Saksa: Playing with OG was a learning experience and I think during my time there I improved a lot and I'm happy I got to go through with it. I’ve watched the new OG roster and they seem pretty good and have a lot of potential.
Q: What did you do during the break after parting ways with OG?
Saksa: I took a week off to reset, after that I started working out a bit and was playing DOTA with the goal of getting better.
Q: You have been playing at the professional level of DOTA 2 for nearly a decade now, with different teams and various players. How has your experience been and what advice will you give for someone who is looking to get into the scene?
Saksa: I've played with a lot of players and had some varying experiences. My advice would be to create a team where people are comfortable with each other and have a learning mentality so that you can improve as a team. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy it, if it starts to feel like a tiring 'job' then things will go sideways fast.
Q: How early did you find your love for DOTA and how is the DOTA 2 scene back in your home country?
Saksa: I remember playing DOTA in the very early days when it came out in lan cafes with friends and I really enjoyed it. I'm the only professional Esports player in my country in general.
There have been some young talented players coming up over the years but it seems they didn’t get a chance to reach a professional level yet and join a good team.
Q: Patch 7.31 in DOTA 2 was a long wait and over the months, players expected a number of things from the patch. What is your opinion on it, especially the changes done to the infamous Techies and other reworks?
Saksa: I'm glad the old techies is gone, the mines were frustrating to play against and I think the idea of making the neutrals stronger is good but they are too strong at the moment in my opinion. Overall, I think the patch was a bit small and I wish they changed the map a little bit like they've done before.
Q: The first series in store was the Gamers Galaxy Invitation in Dubai. A number of exciting DOTA 2 teams were a part of the tournament. How did you prepare for it?
Saksa: We were playing scrims before this event and we were just looking at the patch and trying to understand what heroes are really good right now, so mostly just strategizing for the moment about heroes.
Q: To conclude, what will you describe as your goal with Tundra?
Saksa: My goal as always is to win TI, so I'm hoping I will accomplish that with Tundra.
