«I Turned Down 33 and Skiter – It Was My Biggest Mistake»: Exclusive Interview with Mellojul from Team Lynx

Team Lynx is one of the most promising Ukrainian Dota 2 teams right now: top spots in the EPL and a strong, albeit unsuccessful, fight to qualify for DreamLeague Season 29. Behind these results are players, each with their own story. Maksym Mellojul Pnov told CyberScore about how he decided to pursue Dota esports career despite stereotypes, what decision he considers the biggest mistake, and gave some advice to young talents who want to play competitive Dota 2.

PATH TO THE PRO SCENE

1. First of all, I'd like to introduce our readers to you. Tell us how you got into Dota 2 and when you realized you wanted to pursue it professionally?

- When I was still in school, a friend told me there was a game called Dota 2, but it had a bad reputation as "Dota for nerds," and I thought playing it was a bummer. Then, miraculously, he convinced me to play it, and I was immediately hooked. Around 9th grade, I saw The International for the first time and realized it was a possibility to make money, so I started playing consciously.

2. What was your path from a casual player to the pro scene like? Was it a gradual progression, or was there a turning point that changed everything?

– My journey was very long. When I entered college after school, my parents and I made an agreement that if I couldn't become a professional player within four years, I would continue studying in my field. So, for those four years, I played pubs, played on teams with my 5,000 MMR, and tried to build something there, even when it was completely unnecessary. And when I was finishing my fourth year, I received an invite to the Nemiga team with a professional contract.

3. What was the most valuable lesson in your career – and how did it influence you as a player and a person?

– I can't single out one valuable lesson in my career. I believe that each team was special, and in each one, I always learned something.

4. Are there any situations or decisions in your career that you regret? Or, conversely, experiences that noticeably made you stronger?

– Probably my biggest mistake in my career was when I refused to play with 33 and Skiter. I think I was scared then, although it was worth trying.

THE LIFE OF AN ESPORTS PLAYER

5. What's a typical day like for a Team Lynx player? How long do training sessions take, how do you relax, and do you have an offline bootcamp with the team?

– I'd say my day is pretty typical: I wake up, eat, play pubs, and then go play QB games (depending on the number of games: 4 hours for 4 QB games, 6 hours for 6 QB games). I might also play pubs in the evening.

TEAM LYNX: ATMOSPHERE AND ACHIEVEMENTS

6. Tell us a little about Team Lynx from the inside: what's the atmosphere like on the team, who takes on leadership responsibilities, and how are responsibilities distributed among the players?

– The team atmosphere is collaborative: everyone tries to do their 20%. Leadership skills are most often on the shoulders of our coach (CEMATHESLAYER) and QBFY, but everyone brings their thoughts and ideas, and we try to adapt.

7. 2026 started off quite well for the team – two second-place finishes at EPL 34 and 35, and the most successful performance in club’s history at the DreamLeague 29 qualifier. How do you rate that stretch?

– If we had won three EPL titles in a row, that would have been very successful. As it is, the results are simply good. We're always just a little short of beating the big guys, but we're always very close. I hope we will make that final step and close this gestalt.

8. The match against Team Liquid – do you consider it the biggest test of your career so far? What went wrong then, and what conclusions did you draw from it?

– I wouldn't say it was the biggest test. For me, it was just a regular game. The opponent was simply stronger, some players were afraid of them, and that's why the games were so weak.

9. How do you prepare for opponents? Is it the coach's responsibility to do all the preparation, or do you watch replays and develop strategies together?

– The coach prepares completely for the opponent: watches replays and prepares drafts, and then tells us the results 15 minutes in advance.

10. How do you usually structure your game? Do you stick to a pre-prepared plan, or do you rely more on teamwork and the ability to improvise in difficult situations?

– We try to draft our comfortable heroes and communicate before the game starts how we'll implement them, and then it's up to us to improvise.

DEVELOPMENT OF DOTA 2

11. Patch 7.41 with the removal of Facets – how much did it impact the team's playstyle? Was it easy to adjust?

– The removal of Facets didn't impact the team at all because Dota hasn't changed dramatically. It's just that some heroes have less variety than before.

12. If you could change anything in Dota 2 – add a new mechanic, rework the map, or rethink some gameplay element – ​​what would it be?

– I think it would be cool to be able to restore barracks to make comebacks easier. But that would create a problem because it's already difficult to get into the high ground, and it would be incredibly unbalanced.

13. How strong do you think Hydra's Breath is? It's quite controversial in the community.

– I can't say I fully understand its strength, but I enjoy using it on Razor.

LOOKING AHEAD

14. How do you see Team Lynx in a year? And for yourself, what are your goals for the coming season?

– I'd like us to become a stable, at least tier 1.5 team, and qualify for tier 1 tournaments.

15. And finally, what advice would you give to players wanting to break into the pro scene? Where to start and what should they pay attention to?

– As trivial as it may sound, if you want to play professionally, you need to play a lot. And not just play, but do it mindfully: watch professional games, analyze them, watch streams of professional players, and review your own games. That is, work as hard as possible on being mindful of your actions, not just mindlessly crushing pubs. It's a very difficult path, and you need to dedicate all your free time to it.