DotA GIF of the week is care of this crazy crazy crazy but awesome guy named XBOCT and his crazy crazy crazy but awesome Lina at Alienware 2013’s Group Stages.

Can you feel how much this guy, on a support, wants a kill? This is a 700-hp support, Lina of all things, inches away from a Radiant tower that Zhou’s Lifestealer is defending and she’s dropping spells trying to find Faith’s full-health Silencer juking in the trees! That’s baller. (Or suicidal.)

So he retreats temporarily to the jungle where Funn1k’s Viper and Kuroky’s Windranger are waiting…

But then he goes in again, on his own 700-hp lonesome, doesn’t even take Funn1k with him. (As LD said in the commentary, “Even if he’s Lina, that’s not gonna stop him from strutting up to your team.”) I mean, if he was on Alchemist and he strut up to trees against five heroes, I would be cheering because I know he can get at least a triple kill out of that. But since he was on Lina I just hugged my pillow.

Now this is what gets to me. He knew that Silencer was somewhere in the trees. He also knew that Lifestealer was coming for him. And he also knew that Viper and Windranger were in the jungle nearby. So why did he turn back to the trees instead of running for the jungle where Funn1k, Kuroky and maybe even Dendi could help him?

Lina vs Lifestealer – I don’t care if this is Vigoss Lina vs a pub Lifestealer – it’s just not gonna happen. Lina of course dies, no help from Silencer needed.

***

I’m not really sure why XBOCT went back to the trees. But the thing about his plays in this game is that while he is so aggressive that he gets caught out of position so many times, he does try not to die if he can help it. I think it’s just that between surviving with half of his team dead and dying but taking at least one other enemy hero with him, he’d rather go down. He was second in kills for Na’Vi in this game (and first in deaths) which is pretty crazy considering Lina was supporting.

(You know what LD said about this play? “XBOCT throws out a VERY ANGRY Laguna Blade –”)

Thankfully XBOCT rarely plays Lina during pro games (or I’d have to be scared for Na’Vi) but I’m definitely looking forward to some XBOCT Lina hard carry games. :) After all, we’re talking about a guy who said in his DreamHack interview that Lina is not a support but a carry. 

To which AdmiralBulldog grinned adorably. :)