Zhanna "Radioactivebaby", manager of Natus Vincere's Dota 2 roster, commented on the team's coach, Ask "Cy-" Larsen, after the club published an interview with him. In a message on Telegram she outlined what the players had demanded from their coach and described the qualities they considered important for the role.
Radioactivebaby said she began assembling the roster in September, ahead of negotiations with Cy-. During that process the squad discussed what mattered most to the players and what a coach would need to integrate or emphasize in the training routine. She stressed that a coach's responsibilities extend beyond drafting alone and that the right specialist should cover many facets of team preparation.
Her general assessment of Cy- was positive: he is a pleasant, Dota-loving and intelligent coach, and the same straightforward, pleasant person in work as he appeared in the club's published interview. She also noted that what she shared publicly amounted to only a small portion of the full list of requirements, but that these general points could be useful to other teams as well.
Among the specific expectations players had for a coach, she listed the following: active support of the team captain; minimizing the loss of practice games while preparing for drafts; a deep understanding of midgame dynamics and the ability to realize new strategies; expanding and polishing the hero pool; identifying the strength of off-meta heroes and finding synergies with other picks; confidence in chosen strategies and the ability to evaluate and select the best option based on each player's strengths; avoiding excessive micro-control from supports that can lead to mistakes; accurate meta assessment and early identification of powerful heroes so the coach can provide timely, useful guidance; evaluating four-hero lane matchups and strengthening the team's lanes; clearly pointing out what should have been done during post-game discussions; being an independent, authoritative voice within the staff; and finding practical tricks and fixes to address areas where the team's performance slows down.
Earlier, Natus Vincere published an interview in which Cy- answered professional and personal questions and discussed the squad's strengths and weaknesses. His views on the team's strong and weak points were included in that material and formed part of the context for the manager's comments.