How Jabbz Stepped up for Liquid at Lima

Mathis "Jabbz" Friesel is an integral part of the Team Liquid’s Dota 2 lineup—but not in the way you might think. He doesn’t (usually) compete with the team, in the game, but works behind the scenes, as an analyst. Since 2020, he’s worked as an analyst and coach, building out Team Liquid’s drafts and strategies.

It was only recently at the Dota 2 Lima Major, he found himself playing in the server, and in front of a boisterous crowd. The sudden illness of the team’s position 4, Boxi, meant that Jabbz, who had not played professionally in years, needed to step up for the last few series of the Lima Major These were no easy series, either. They were contests against two of the best teams at the Major. All the same, Jabbz stepped in and helped the team to beat Talon Esports in Losers Finals and meet Gaimin Gladiators in Grand Finals.

We caught up with Jabbz to talk about how the situation unfolded, his experience of playing in front of a large crowd, the new patch, and the new Dota 2 hero Muerta.

How are you doing Jabbz? Are you taking some time off after the Lima Major?

I’m doing alright, but I am slightly ill. After the event, the stress just came crashing down on me, and now I’m trying to recover. It was mentally taxing, but we don’t have any time to take off as the 2023 DPC Tour 2 starts right away. It is a bit unfortunate as some of us needed time to recover physically and mentally, but we had to play Gaimin Gladiators again for the 2023 DPC Tour 2.

How was the experience overall at the first South American Dota 2 Major?

It was also the craziest experience I ever had with respect to fans. The Peruvian [Dota 2] fan base is absolutely incredible! The crowd shouting and chanting made it feel like we were playing in a football [soccer] stadium. They would be at the hotel asking for pictures, and we would have to hide from them to get some space. But at the same time, they were very respectful of us. If we asked them to come back later for pictures, the fans agreed without any hesitation. We also got gifts from a few fans.

They really are passionate about Dota 2 down there! Final two days of the Major, Samuel "Boxi" Svahn took ill, and you had to step in. What was that conversation like amongst the team?

Right after our upper bracket game with Shopify Rebellion, Boxi fell ill. We ended up going to the emergency room with the manager of Gaimin Gladiators [Alex Cuccovillo], who speaks Spanish. He was a massive help. As more information came in about Boxi’s condition, we had to start thinking about who to replace him with for the final two days.

No player who had participated at the tournament with another team was allowed. I put myself at the bottom of the list, as I would have preferred a professional player take Boxi’s place. The only issue was, we were in Lima and there weren’t too many options.

You mentioned that Lima had one of the most insane crowds you have seen at a Dota 2 event. Was it the first time you played in front of a big crowd? Were there nerves?

Yes, it was the first time I played in front of a big crowd. Back in the day when I was a player, I played at small LANs in front of 10 people or so. I was quite nervous. But for the Lima Major, I had to step up to not let my team down.

I was quite calm on stage in the games. The night before I had to play for the first time, I was extremely nervous and could barely sleep. But when the games began, I ended up surprising myself because of the lack of nerves. What helped me a lot with that was my team, who supported me through it. I could tell they were trying to make the most of the situation we were put in. They were smiling and being supportive, even though it must have been tough for them to not win the grand final of the Lima Major.

Good to know you weren’t nervous! Did you actively enjoy donning the mantle of a player once again after many years?

It depended on the game. Some games felt tough, and that made me feel bad as I couldn’t replace what Boxi brought to the team. But the two against Talon Esports felt incredible! Winning the lower bracket final on the main stage was an unreal experience. Hearing the crowd chant my name was surreal; I never would have thought that would ever happen with me.

The new update dropped a day after the Lima Major. What were your thoughts on it?

It’s public knowledge how most of the Dota 2 community feels about the update! I don’t know the internal workings of Valve, but to me, it is extremely surprising that a Dota 2 patch can go on for this long with barely any changes. As a player and as someone who is passionate about the game, I would have loved to have a bigger patch. We had the Major before TI11 on the same patch, and that tournament feels like centuries ago. Now they’ve promised the next big patch will arrive at the end of April, but that clashes with the second DPC Major of the year, so no one really knows when it will actually drop. I wouldn’t even mind if they released it one day before the Major. At this point, who the hell cares?! Might as well just go for it!

What do you think of the new hero Muerta? She was probably the one thing everyone was excited about in the new update.

I’ve played five games with her since returning from Peru. I’ve played her as a carry and support, and I have a feeling a lot of people misunderstand what the hero actually does. Players buy magic amplification items on her, but I feel her ultimate [Pierce the Veil] is good because nothing in the game deals magical critical damage. In the late game scenario, she can destroy any carry with high armor, because carries will have a BKB, but nothing like a Glimmer Cape built on them. And if a support has to use their Glimmer Cape on the carry, they end up dying instantly.

When Muerta is played as a core, you should build a bunch of right click damage on her, play slow team fights and destroy enemies with your ultimate when necessary. Muerta deals a lot of damage without her ultimate as well, with the passive [Gunslinger]. The other option is playing her as a support. She can be played as a position 4 or a position 5 support, while abusing her nukes. Her first two skills [Dead Shot and The Calling] are really strong, with the mana cost being the only downside. As players get better at playing the hero and learning her spells, Muerta’s win rate will go up. I’ve won every single game in which I picked Muerta.

Thank you for taking the time, Jabbz! Any shoutouts?

First and foremost, shoutout to my team for making me feel comfortable when I had to play on the main stage of the Major out of nowhere, as well as all the fans who reached out to me to help me get through it. And of course, shoutout to Monster Energy and our other sponsors.

Though short-lived, Jabbz’s time on the starting roster was interesting! After helping the team rally on to Grand Finals of the Lima Major, he has returned to helping the team as an analyst. You can see how he and Liquid will fare on March 26th, where the team will play in Week 2 of the WEU DPC. Catch their game against Entity at 6:00 AM PT at the PGL Dota 2 Twitch or YouTube channels.