During the BetBoom Streamers Battle 10 Dota 2 tournament, we had the opportunity to chat with Vladimir Vovapain Tolmachev, a member of the Stray Team roster. We discussed the tournament, his Twitch ban, appeals, and his alliance with stray228 against DkFogas. The interview was recorded before the start of the BetBoom Streamers Battle 10 playoffs.
— First, I want to congratulate you on taking first place in the group.
— Thank you very much.
— Compared to the previous BetBoom Streamers Battle, you started very confidently. How much do you think the new players in the lineup influenced this result?
— I think it was for the better. To be honest, no one knew how they played, who they were.
I was responsible for putting the roster together. I recruited because the guys were all in Cyprus; they were a bit busy with other things. I ran into some of them in pubs — like lowkez. As for Retsu… Well, his nickname just seemed familiar, and I hadn`t seen him play poorly, I didn`t know anything bad about him, so I thought he was our option. We took these guys, and they`re performing fantastically. Our team is just like that, you know — it`s much easier for a newcomer to fit in than in other teams, because we have healthy relationships within the group, so to speak.
— So, you bet on dark horses.
— Yes, exactly.
— After BetBoom Streamers Battle 6, you change your position 1 and 5 players every tournament. Why is that? Are you trying to assemble the perfect roster or find people for the right vibe?
— Well, we lost a tournament, so we looked for new players. Our core remains, there are three of us: me, stray228, and DkFogas. I don`t know why people play [terribly] for us. If we take someone like iLTW into our team, he picks the wrong Anti-Mage aspect, he buys a Pipe of Insight on carry Terrorblade – something just hits their head. I don`t know why, what happens to them, they turn into some kind of noobs. As a result, we change them, kick them out [for good] from the team in shame, and try to find some normal ones.
— Yeah, iLTW`s aspect choice was really something back then. It`s a shame the game restart strategy didn`t work.
— Yeah, yeah, it didn`t work, just a little bit unlucky there.
— And why did you switch to playing position 5? You always played with DkFogas and were on position 4.
— Well, after some time, we realized that when I first played with them, I played very well because I had just gained MMR, and I had heroes suitable for position 4 — like Grimstroke, and some other favorites of mine, and it worked out. But then, over time, I realized that their playstyle is very “passive.” DkFogas is afraid to go anywhere extra, Oleg [stray228] doesn`t want to move from mid at all, and I decided it would be better if I played position 5.
— Purely for map movements?
— Yes.
— How did you and stray228 connect with DkFogas? Because he fit perfectly into your mood and vibe, he really complements you.
— I suggested inviting him to hang out with us. I came to Voronezh and found out that DkFogas was there, and I thought, “Why aren`t you inviting him then?” So we invited him, and in the end, after two hours, he and Oleg went to wrestle on the sand. That`s how he arrived. And then they fell asleep together on one bed.
— So, the person passed your selection process?
— Yes, he passed, well, he went through it with blood and sweat.
— Speaking of which, when will the next “Budka” [a community cast featuring Vovapain, stray228, TpaBoMaH, and ybicanoobov — Editor`s note] be held? Should we expect DkFogas there?
— Mmm… No (laughs). This is business, you see, it`s business, [why] would he be needed there? He`s like media dust — I don`t [need] him there. You have to distinguish between real life and business, and here, sorry, there`s nothing to be done. In short, forget it, he won`t be there.
— Do you think your chemistry wouldn`t bring any impact to the stream?
— Yes, I think so… Listen, no one knows how it will be. Maybe with my ban, he will appear there, but… In short, it`s unclear for now, I don`t know how it will happen. Because “Budka” isn`t just mine and Oleg`s project, there are other people behind it, so we`ll see.
— You recently moved, and now you, stray228, and DkFogas live in the same city. How much more often do you interact in real life?
— We go out to eat somewhere every day before games. But we see each other and talk very often.
— So, you have team-building sessions like this?
— I wouldn`t say it`s team building, we just talk. Not for the sake of team building.
— You just recently moved to Moscow, and now you`ve changed cities again. You said there was no point in living in Moscow now because of the ban, and in Voronezh, you could create some joint content. Was that the reason for the move?
— Well, we haven`t started filming any content yet because the guys were in Cyprus for BetBoom Media Poker. In general, ideally, everything will start only after the Streamers Battle. We`ll do something on my channel, start filming IRL content — if interested, subscribe to my VK Play and Telegram channel, you`ll get details about these events.
For now, there just hasn`t been any, but I didn`t move for the content. I moved simply to have something to do. In Moscow, I was alone, it was boring, my friends from school are all from Krasnoyarsk, and the friends I`ve recently made, so to speak, live in Voronezh. That`s why I moved to Voronezh. I didn`t want to go back to Krasnoyarsk because the flight is long, it`s very far away, and Voronezh is вроде бы normal, not so far.
— How do you like the city itself?
— It`s fine, to be honest, I`m not picky. The only thing is it`s hot; the climate is hotter here, I prefer the cold.
— Air conditioning helps. What can you say about the situation with Rytruth? You stood up for him and even wrote in the chat after the victory over Stariy_bog Team: “For Rytruth.”
— Honestly, I don`t know this person, I haven`t listened to any of his songs. I only know that he`s a celebrity who was invited to Dota. To our Dota community, so to speak (laughs), which isn`t exactly popular and is often spoken of negatively. I don`t want people to think that way because of some individuals. If a celebrity is invited, and they play poorly… Well, that person isn`t supposed to play well. It`s you who should talk, explain, help somehow, so that everyone has fun. It`s cool when some collaborations happen, even if it`s not with the most — for me too — popular community of rap and Dota (laughs).
They didn`t treat the person very nicely, and I thought that… Not that I thought, I just wanted to somehow defend him, express my opinion that you shouldn`t do that, it`s not nice, and that`s it. Just as a matter of humanity, you see, he might free up some days, tell others that he can`t on those days, he has a tournament, and here they just take and [dump] him – that`s wrong. If the roster is complete, then that`s it, please, play with him. I can understand some funny incidents, but kicking is completely different.
— Tell us, which team in the tournament poses the biggest threat to you?
— Probably Ramzes Team. I think that`s it. Maybe Travoman Team too. We`ve played against others and won. I sincerely think that VooDooSh`s team can play well. They just decided for some reason that everything is very bad for them, but they need to break free from these negative chains and start playing. I believe that Cake is a universal person, he`s good at all games. I believe in him, I believe in Goodoq, in these guys, I believe in Sanya VooDooSh too. I want this team to get it together. As for the others — well, of course, RAMZES666 has a strong roster. Everyone noted them before BetBoom Streamers Battle 10, but judging by their game when I watched it, I wouldn`t say they play very well. I think they can be easily beaten.
— But you are aiming for victory, right? It`s the anniversary BetBoom Streamers Battle, after all.
— I don`t know, we`re just having fun. Of course, we want to win, because we`ve never won before. We played the last Streamers Battle with a lowered rating, just so you know, since someone is still trying to hassle us about it. We played with 47k rating when 50k was required, in the last two Streamers Battles. For some reason, no one was complaining, “Why aren`t you getting 50k rating?” you see (laughs)? And now we`ve stabilized, got our rating, and started playing. But we are counting on victory, we want to win. But at the same time, we are also enjoying the process.
— You have a working tactic, the essence of which is banning all of LenaGol0vach`s heroes. Yet, in the match against Rostik Team, he played his heroes and was simply crushed.
— I don`t know, I don`t like dyrachyo`s roster at all, what he put together. When I saw it, I immediately said that this team is the weakest here. I even placed bets on them, and they made me money. I`m basically happy, you see? But it`s unclear to me — why did they register for this tournament (laughs)? Just to get [beaten]? And it`s not about LenaGol0vach, to be honest. They just registered to lose. In short, roughly like we did in the last two Streamers Battles, but we at least reached top 4, our roster, even considering the low MMR. So it was even more capable.
— And even then, last time, the Anti-Mage aspect decided the game.
— Last time, yes, that wasn`t our fault anymore. Our carry player just ruined it for us.
— In the previous interview with our site, you said that you don`t have a persona on streams and you are the same person in real life. But your interaction with Oleg on streams seems somewhat put on, like a persona. Outside of streams, you communicate differently, right?
— No, we communicate exactly like that. Well, look, how it was. We talked like that every day, [teased] each other, wrote some [nonsense], and so on. We even called, talked — and in real life without cameras, exactly the same way. Now DkFogas has appeared. And it`s a necessary evil, you see? We`ve bonded. We`re trying to set him on the right path. And it just happened, like in Marvel, where the main enemies ended up uniting when there was some necessity.
— Against a common evil. But is DkFogas really an evil, or are you just hardening him?
— Hardening him, hardening the person. We`re teaching him life. I can tell you a story. We went to a rather expensive restaurant and offered Fogas to play “eshachok” — that`s rock, paper, scissors, like who pays the bill. In the end, he decided to play because he`s a “plate eater,” he likes to eat with our money — for example, I fed him crab yesterday. He decided to play for it and, naturally, lost. Personally, I didn`t want to burden the person too much, so I only took 200 grams of Chilean sea bass for ₽20k (approx $200). Well, and a couple of oysters there, wine — with seafood, of course. And Fogas, during all that time, only ordered a side dish, fried potatoes, because he didn`t have enough money to pay anymore. That`s how we cured him of greed.
— In general, that`s right, you are philanthropists of sorts.
— Yes, people don`t understand, they think we do it on purpose, they think we`re mean, you see? But we`re not like that at all.
— And you are setting the person on the true path. Driving out all his sins.
— Of course, since he got involved with us, he never [called escorts] again, he`s saving money. What else? Dota players often have problems with sex — I don`t know, they don`t discuss this topic. They sit at the computer, and then they get used to paying for sex. All the pro players who are there — they were all stuck on this [stuff], you could say, because they don`t have experience interacting with girls. So, we`re teaching him, teaching him little by little.
— You didn`t have such problems?
— No, never, I was active. I played KVN (Club of the Funny and Resourceful), studied at the institute, always hosted events at school. I talked to everyone. I like life more than Dota, to be honest.
— That`s good, because you should touch grass sometimes, it`s also useful to look at the sun. Vitamin D is generally what you need. Well, since you mentioned Dota 2, let`s move on to it. How do you like the latest patches?
— I haven`t read the patch, I don`t even know what exactly changed there, I just run around the map, the map got a bit bigger. It`s uninteresting, boring, I don`t want to play Dota at all [lately]. I don`t like it recently.
— Why are you playing then?
— Because I have to, it`s just a habit. I haven`t found my game that will replace… Although, no, I found one, I really like Warzone. But it`s boring to play Warzone alone, you see, because you get killed, some [jerk] sits in a house, kills you, and that`s it. It depends on the company, so you have to wait until everyone is free, or team up somehow and play.
— I remember you went to play as a stack after the last Streamers Battle.
— In PUBG, I think, we played back then, even during breaks. But that was PUBG then, now they brought back Verdansk to Warzone, and we jumped into Warzone.
— You held an auction for a game on your stream, didn`t you? Have you thought about doing something similar again? And maybe finding something new.
— Yes, I did, Resident Evil 4 won, I played it on hardcore. And that mustachioed [jerk] [lied to me], he said he had played this game on hardcore, but I opened his video on YouTube, and the difficulty was medium. He says: “I passed this game easily, [damn].” I say: “Why are you [lying] to me openly like this, why?”
And I started — you see, a person who hasn`t played any games other than Dota — just started the game on hardcore, naturally, I was shaking, but I finished it through clenched teeth. Well, not through clenched teeth, but some moments were tough — there was one tough boss there.
Well, that`s it, I held a game auction, finished the game on hardcore, done, everyone respected it. Then I start the next game auction, and I get some tedious “Lara Croft” that`s impossible to play, I don`t know. You see, sometimes you don`t want to let the viewers down, but you also don`t want to play something forcefully. That`s why my game auctions are quite rare. When I truly have the vibe to play some game, no matter what it is, I do it, but otherwise, I don`t want to do something I don`t want to.
— Haven`t you tried choosing a game yourself?
— I don`t know what interests me, I can`t choose a game, I just can`t, nothing interests me. It`s true. Maybe I like some cinematic games like Detroit: Become Human. Otherwise — I don`t know, nothing from games just interests me.
— You could ask colleagues for advice, to help you choose.
— I can`t, I don`t know, there`s just no interest, I can`t start a game. If it weren`t for movie auctions, I wouldn`t even watch movies, to be honest — movies don`t interest me either, I can`t choose which movie to watch. I like rewatching old movies I`ve seen before, I don`t chase new ones. If it weren`t for game auctions and movie auctions, I`d just be grinding this Dota.
— Is there any film from the movie auctions that you really liked?
— “Thursday” from 1998. I hadn`t seen it, hadn`t heard of it anywhere. But when I watched this movie, I thought: “[Wow, what a great] film.” It`s filmed similarly to Tarantino. A cool picture.
— Only one?
— Well, that`s the first thing I remembered. I have to check further — I have a document with ratings. And I`ve probably watched about 800 movies already. I`m not just naming some objectively good, you know, popular films that are genuinely good. I`m talking specifically about those that I hadn`t come across before but turned out to be worthy cinema.
— Let`s talk about your ban: your previous appeal was rejected, and you said you seemed to have a lawyer or someone who knows about this…
— No, I didn`t say I had a lawyer, but I have a person who handles these appeals, who is knowledgeable.
For now, the appeals have been kind of weak. When I saw the appeal, I thought it was kind of weak, I don`t know. For the next appeal, I`ll involve everyone I know. I just… you know, trusted blindly. This isn`t a jab at the person; it`s just… I just decided this way.
— No, it`s definitely correct to personally control it. This is an important point because a lot stems and is built upon it.
— So many projects could have happened, but because of this ban, it feels like I let everyone down. It`s unpleasant, I apologize to all the viewers.
— Lately, Twitch has gone wild and is issuing bans left and right. But considering everything you`ve said, what do you think are your chances of getting unbanned in August?
— I`m not counting on it, to be honest. It`s like I`ve already come to terms with it and… Well, there`s no, you know, hoping for the best. Whatever happens, happens, I don`t care. I`ll survive both ways. But I will put in maximum effort.
— And finally: Do you have a dream right now?
— To make at least one person outside my family happy.
— And who does this apply to? Can a random reader, say, count on this?
— Most likely, it will be a girl.
— How do you plan to make her happy? (Laughs)
— (Laughs) I plan to somehow. These are actually Nikulin`s words — I remembered them when I was going through dark times, so to speak, and chose this as a goal. I felt it suited me if I didn`t see meaning in life and little interested me. I think anyone in this world can set such a goal for themselves, and everything will be [great] for everyone.
— That`s a cool dream, not selfish, that`s strong. But would you be willing to break your rules to make someone happy and, for example, say, perform cunnilingus?
— Ew, ew, ew, ew, [damn], no-no-no, that`s without me. It`s like I just don`t need to do it. A woman takes time off work after being with me because she can`t walk. She says it feels like lightning struck her [there]. You don`t even need a tongue, understand?
— So, there are definitely some limits on the path to someone else`s happiness?
— Well, we`ll talk, we`ll talk, you need to talk, in relationships, the main thing is conversation.
— That`s right, of course, everything should always be discussed, and everything should be 50/50.
— Well, I won`t [perform cunnilingus], you can write that.
— That will go into the headline, as a quote.
— Your headlines on Cybersport.ru… When I see news about myself, it gets scary.
— Well, I`ve written a lot of news about you…
— (Laughs) Well, thank God.
— Because I believe people should know their heroes. Otherwise, they only write about dyrachyo and Yatoro…
— Thank you very much. Legends need to be revealed, that`s a fact.
Finley Holt