"A good coach is not just about the game", — coach of Asian team GLYPH

According to Leon Arthur Lee, the key role of a coach is not only working on the game, but also managing the atmosphere within the team:

A good coach should not only focus on the game, but also on what happens outside of it. It is important to understand what is going on in players’ lives, how they think and make decisions. Without this, it is impossible to build trust within the team and achieve consistent results.

He named one of the main problems of the Southeast Asia region the poor execution of advantages in the late game:

Many teams lead by 20k gold and still lose because they make wrong decisions. For example, they go high ground without Aegis and throw the game.

Teams often ignore basic principles and take unnecessary risks. In such situations, a lot depends on the core players, who set the tempo and make key decisions in the game.

Arthur also spoke about the transition from his former team Execration to the new project, highlighting the difference in approach to the game:

At Execration, much was built around atmosphere and team-based decision-making. In Glyph, the game is more often driven by individual calls from core players, who clearly understand their roles. The roster was initially formed with a focus on discipline and personal responsibility from each player.

He also highlighted teams that could compete in the region, naming Ivory Team and REKONIX as squads with high potential. It is worth noting that Ivan MinD_ContRoL Ivanov, a The International 2017 champion, recently became the new coach of REKONIX.

Additionally, Leon noted that the region is generally lagging behind others due to limited conditions for high-quality practice, which forces teams to catch up with opponents from other regions.

According to him, the key difference in Europe lies in a deeper understanding of the meta and drafting:

European teams understand the game much better. They have clear logic behind every decision, starting from the draft. Strategic preparation is becoming increasingly important in modern Dota 2, while we have less time and fewer opportunities to develop it.

In conclusion, the coach spoke about the goals of GLYPH, stating that the main objective is to qualify for major tournaments and continue improving as a team. At the moment, the players are not setting high expectations.

The team’s latest achievement was winning EPL World Series: Southeast Asia Season 13. Their next tournament will be BLAST Slam VII, which will take place from 26.05.2026 to 07.06.2026 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Twelve teams will compete for a $1,000,000 prize pool.

Earlier, Cyberscore reported on a podcast featuring Maurice KheZu Gutmann and a BLAST producer, where they discussed the challenges and real costs of tier-1 tournaments.