GAMING

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.

We sat down with Josh “oSee” Ohm to talk about his career, Liquid’s trajectory in recent months, what’s in store for the Pro League, and how all of it builds to the Major later this year.

Team Liquid are the talk of the town after dominating the Western Europe Division I League 7-0 in the 2023 DPC Winter Tour—that’s an undefeated streak in what could be the toughest region in the world! After an impressive third place finish at TI11 last year, the roster underwent one change—Nisha replacing the retiring MATUMBAMAN. The revamped roster took no time to hit the road running, and look to keep the momentum going at Dota’s first Major of the year, in Lima, Peru. If they can keep their form, they might just start 2023 off as the best team in the world.

On February 8th, the best 36 StarCraft II players in the world will descend on Katowice, Poland. There they will determine the next IEM World Champion—a title which comes with as much prestige and glory as any in StarCraft II. The IEM World Championship has held the reputation as the most difficult tournament in the game for years.