When it comes to the esports industry, many different reasons are often pinpointed for its development and growth over the years. To us, though, it always comes back to one thing: the fans.

That’s why we’re always looking for ways to give back to the fans who keep Team Liquid afloat in all our different games. One of our most dedicated fans is Clemens “dragondrop” Wloczka, who traveled from Germany to Denmark to watch Team Liquid Dota put on a show in the Royal Arena — and eventually win the whole thing. 

Not only is dragondrop an avid follower of professional Dota 2, but he’s also a freelance caster (no TL bias in the commentary, we promise). We caught up with dragondrop to shine our monthly fan spotlight on him and discuss his journey in the world of Dota 2 and as a dedicated Team Liquid supporter.

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Thank you for taking the time to talk with us dragondrop! How did your gaming journey begin?

It all started around 32 years ago! I was born in Northeast Germany, in the small town of Wolgast and grew up on the island of Usedom. There wasn’t a lot to do in our small village, which got me into gaming. The first games I played included Settlers 2 and Gothic. The spark that was ignited back then has stayed with me ever since.

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How did you get into Dota 2? Did you play Dota 1?

I started with Dota 2! Before Dota 2, I played a lot of different games including PlanetSide 2. The game had a promotional event with John “TotalBiscuit” Bane who was representing my faction, and that introduced me to his YouTube channel. I enjoyed TotalBiscuit’s content, which at one point included a series called ‘Single Draft Disaster’ for Dota 2, which is how I got introduced to the game! Eventually, I started playing Dota 2 myself. I still remember my first game on Centaur Warrunner, where I forgot to buy Boots of Speed, but I bought a Blink Dagger.

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Well with the introduction of facets, you don’t really need Boots of Speed anymore on Centaur Warrunner. You were just a decade ahead of the curve!

[Laughs] That was long before facets were introduced to Dota 2. The game was still in closed beta back then. Once I started playing Dota 2, getting into the esports side of things did not take long. There was a lot of talk about The International. Initially, I wondered whether I could compete in The International, but realized quickly that that was not a possibility! But I decided to check out the tournament anyway. That was TI3, which was a tournament that was responsible for many others I know falling in love with the game.

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So you were at TI13 cheering for Team Liquid. How many more TIs have you been to?

I’ve been to four TIs – TI7, TI8, TI12 and TI13. I was supposed to travel to TI10 as well had it not been for Covid-19. It was an amazing experience to travel to Seattle for TI7, when Team Liquid won The International for the first time. I was already supporting them by then. The cherry on top of the cake was an amazing road trip across the United States in the week after The International ended.

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Oh wow! So you’ve experienced the glory of Team Liquid lifting the Aegis twice! Can’t ask for a lot more than going to your first TI in person and watching your favorite team win it all! When did your tryst with Team Liquid begin?

It started way before that! I was trying to find a team to cheer for while watching TI3. That was back when Team Liquid had the North American roster, and they pulled off an upset over LGD Gaming. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hAXEoXCEi4 

But that wasn’t the reason I started supporting them. One of my gaming clans was called ‘The Conquerors’ or ‘TC’ for short, and Team Liquid’s mid player back then was Tyler "TC" Cook. Perhaps subconsciously, that made me latch onto the team.

What ultimately kept me a Team Liquid supporter through the ages is that I always got the sense the organization cared about the players, which was important to me. They don’t necessarily try to do just the best thing business wise.

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Do you think that is also evident from the current Dota 2 roster, the majority of which was nurtured for a good five years?

Absolutely! I was very happy when Team Liquid picked up this Dota 2 roster. Naturally, I was sad when the TI7 winning roster led by Kuro “KurokY” Salehi Takhasomi left the organization. All of them are wholesome players, especially Maroun “GH” Merhej. I appreciate the team that puts their trust in these kinds of players [with good character outside the game]. That is the same way I feel about Ayodin “Insania” Sarokhi and Michael “miCKe” Wu. I’ve worked a little bit alongside Insania [as a talent], which is how I know he is a wholesome person. I was very glad Team Liquid kept supporting them!

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Did you always believe this roster would win The International?

I was hoping so. They were always a good team. For the first couple of years since they joined Team Liquid, I didn’t believe they would win The International. But I knew that the longer they played together, the more inevitable it became. Especially in the last couple of years, with the rise of this rivalry with Gaimin Gladiators and ending up just short while still making it to the top 4 in most tournaments, it felt like they were inching closer every time.

At TI13,  there were a handful of other teams like Team Spirit, Gaimin Gladiators, Tundra Esports and Team Falcons that made it an extremely competitive field. I knew from the start that Team Liquid had it in them to win it all and that they would finish quite high. But I was not sure whether they would get in their own heads like they did in previous tournaments. It was on the final day that it really dawned on me that this was their tournament to win. I remember seeing the Team Liquid coach, William “Blitz” Lee, smiling after the Game 2 draft of the grand final as compared to the tense faces in the Gaimin Gladiators’ booth. That was when I knew it was our time!

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Before The International 2024, Team Liquid had lost all their matchups against Gaimin Gladiators in the grand finals of tournaments. Did it make you a bit nervous when you realized they would be the final hurdle for Liquid to win The International?

Yes, I was very nervous before the game started. In the back of my mind, there was this nagging thought that history was going to repeat itself. I was just trying to mentally prepare myself, considering the number of times Team Liquid had lost to Gaimin Gladiators.

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What was different this time around against Gaimin Gladiators? What was the x factor that took Team Liquid across the finish line against their rivals?

Gaimin Gladiators did not play their best Dota 2 in the upper bracket final and grand final against Team Liquid. But besides that, Liquid were able to play their game. Liquid’s hero pool is so broad, that even with the strong heroes of the meta banned out, they could get their hands on a lot of comfort heroes.

A lot of credit goes to Blitz and the support staff for creating an environment where the pressure doesn’t get to the players. Obviously, they’re all professionals and have been playing Dota 2 for a long time, but I imagine the situation is completely unique when you are playing in the grand final of The International. Having a strong mental game exactly when you need it is a big strength.

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In the last few days, Team Liquid just announced that Neta “33” Shapira will be amicably leaving the team to be replaced by Jonas “SabeRLight” Volek. Any thoughts on that?

It is always weird to see roster changes after a team wins The International, and I was a bit confused on why 33 would want to leave, until I saw Blitz’s explanation about how 33 wants to build his own team. I’m glad to know that it was not due to any internal beef between the team. Saberlight was a standin for Team Liquid at one point in the past, and he did a good job. With the way the team has worked and created a cohesive unit even with personnel changes, I have no doubt that Saberlight will fit in easily with this Team Liquid roster. He is a very talented offlaner.

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You did mention that one of the factors that has kept you loyal to Team Liquid is how they treat their players. Are there any other reasons this organization is special to you?

The community aspect, of course! When Liquid Plus started, the Discord server was a great way to communicate with other Liquid fans. When Team Liquid participates in other esports titles, it is a great vehicle to discover new games and find ways to enjoy them. It is easier to watch a game you don’t know too much about when you have a team to cheer for. Having that connective tissue of Team Liquid around a new game helps a lot. I’ve watched some tense Liquid CS:GO games, which have been so close that they would require you to have your cardiologist on speed dial!

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Besides being someone who enjoys watching professional Dota 2, you are also a freelance Dota 2 caster. How did that journey begin? Is that something you still do?

I would, if people would hire me! [Laughter] I haven’t had a lot of work in the last couple of years. It started not too long after TI3, in the early days of the JoinDota leagues. I was lucky because Austin “Cap” Walsh noticed my stream and invited me to a JoinDota community stream. Before that, I was casting tier 4 and tier 5 games to get my start in casting.

The reason I decided to start casting was due to this one JoinDota league game, where the caster had such a terrible mic that you could not understand anything, and I thought if that caster got a chance, I could too! In the years to follow, I got more work from JoinDota and a little bit from Beyond The Summit (BTS).

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Do you have a favorite Dota 2 casting pair?

My favorite casting pair is a bit of tossup – I like Lyrical and Trend as well as SUNSFan and Synderen. Lyrical and Trent have a slight edge though. I’ve worked with Trent in the past. He is so good at what he does, that you can pair him up with any other caster and they would make a good casting pair, which is not something you can say about all casters. Lyrical is a wonderful person, and you can really tell his heart is in it. He is the kind of caster I aspire to be. I like when good things happen to good people, so seeing these guys casting at The International makes me very happy!

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What other games besides Dota 2 do you like to play?

I don’t play too many multiplayer games other than Dota 2. I play a lot of RPGs. My favorite games include the Gothic series, the Risen series and ELEX made by a now defunct German gaming company called Piranha Bytes. They are a very special brand of open world RPGs, which have great world building, exploration and character progression. After Dota 2, Skyrim and ELEX are my most played games. I have 11310 hours in Dota 2! Obviously, not all of that is playing the game – a lot of those hours have been invested in casting and watching as well. But it is a game that I have stuck with for over 10 years, so it has to be my favorite game.

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If you had to send a message to the Team Liquid organization, what would it be?

Thank you for all the work you have been putting in and giving us such great teams to root for! Keep trying to do the right thing.

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