With ATF, Team Falcons set a new record for the number of maps together as a five-man Dota 2 roster at ESL One Birmingham, overturning Alliances’ record that had stood for 10 years.
Insider Gaming caught up with Ammar ‘ATF’ Al-Assaf to talk about how Falcons have lasted so long as a team, and how the team aims to find form again after another disappointing exit at ESL One Birmingham 2026 for the TI 2025 champions.
Do you have any reflections on your elimination vs Parivision?
Just a bad day, I would say. Bad read, kind of. Bad drafting. It was one of the worst days I think we’ve had, that we got so destroyed. But, you know, it’s just a one series.
Overall, that’s just really how it is, you know. You can win a tournament in just one series; you can lose a tournament in one series. That’s just what happened. Grateful to be here anyway.
Did you enjoy playing in front of the crowd?
I love the crowd, it just, that was one of the few times I never felt that. That’s why I wish to go back, but I’m also happy that it happened, so I can get a wake-up call.
So, overall, I remember this crowd. I played in front of this crowd. I won a tournament in front of this crowd [ESL One Birmingham 2024]. It’s just sad that I couldn’t perform.
I would not have a problem losing, but I did not get to perform, and that’s what I will make sure to do again.
Parivision grew with the tournament and with the patch. Did you not know where they were going with the draft, and where to go because of the patch?
I mean, it’s not mainly about the patch. It’s mainly about the gameplay, I would say, at the end of the day. But they definitely had a good read, and they definitely have something that is making them play better.
When the draft is easier, it’s easier to win. That’s just default.
So, they had that. But overall, they’re also good players. You know, they won the last two ESL tournaments. Much respect to them and super high potential.
How are you feeling as a group inside the server?
As a team, it’s very hard to tell. I would say, I mean, we’re definitely, after winning TI, we still were on the uphill. And then suddenly, we just went downhill for four months, I would say, which happens, but it’s not what I want.
I mainly focus on myself because that’s the only thing I can really have control over. Overall, I was happy with my performance.
I still want to do better. It’s just because I also downhilled a bit. So, I still want to look to become the best in everything.
As you say, you won TI. You won the FISSURE tournament, but then you didn’t do as well. Is it possible the last meta didn’t suit you?
I mean, patches come and go, you know. There are patches that are better for someone, and there are patches that are worse for someone. At the end of the day, I’d say, yes, patch makes it easier for someone else to perform.
But at the end of the day, last patch, even though it was not suitable for me, I just played my heroes anyway and just destroyed everyone.
It was all about safe lane and being super strong players, and I was still beating them with my own heroes. You can always make the impossible possible, I would say.
In terms of the new meta, there was a change in offlane for creeps. Do you think that will help?
I think right now Offlaners are much stronger on lane. I don’t know if the safe lane is still the strongest in terms of picking heroes and laning.
But definitely Offlaner is much more capable of trying to win lanes. Not like before, where it was almost impossible. They just picked Jakiro, Warlock, all these heroes.
Now the heroes are weaker, the lane is much further for the Offlaner. I don’t know if the offlaner heroes are stronger; they’re kind of weaker in a way, but the change for the Position 5s and the laning players has changed.
You guys set records at this event for most games played together as a 5. You have made jokes about toxicity, but it seems like there’s no way the toxicity exists in the team because you guys have stayed together for so long. How do you find solutions in the team?
I would not say the toxicity doesn’t exist. I would say it comes and goes.
I think us setting the record, I think people don’t understand how hard it is actually to play together consistently for so long, and being able to handle the past things that happen.
Because there’s always some shit that’s going to happen in the team. I wouldn’t say we’re, like, the five best friends in the world. We’re just the five best colleagues, the five best teammates ever.
We’ve set a record where nobody can do it, and nobody will ever do it for the rest of eternity, I hope, I believe. There will be no way that anybody can do this because we have wanted to kill each other so many times.
So problems do exist everywhere. It’s just we were the best at handling them, I’d say. That’s why we won so many tournaments, why we were so consistent. Maybe we’re dog shit now. But I believe we will bounce back.
So, yeah, that record does feel amazing. It just feels amazing. The moment we reached it, I was like, ‘Phew,’ I’ve never been happier ever.
Do you think there’s a team play thing you need to change? Or do you think it’s a matter of confidence to get back to winning?
As delusional as the excuses are that people do, at the end of the day, I do think it’s all about gameplay. Confidence comes from being able to play well. And if you don’t play well, you’re automatically less confident.
So I would say as long as you play well, you believe. Five people strong, one ball. Yeah, I think, like, it’s all about gameplay at the end of the day.
Do you mean that all five players have to play well individually, or is it more the teamwork aspect?
In both the individual and the team. The easier it is for your teammate, the easier for you to also play – the same as draft, right? The easier the draft is, the easier the team plays.
Sometimes you’re going to have a bad day. Sometimes you’re going to f**k up this. Sometimes you’re going to f**k up that, but if your team has you, you’ll always be able to play better.
Of course, ideally, you’re the best in the world, and you can perform in every single way and never play badly. But, you know, we’re also humans.
I definitely look forward to becoming like that, becoming like a robot, and actually never f**k up.
Can Falcons turn the corner and maintain their five? Discuss on our Discord!
For more ESL One Birmingham views, see our interview with Tundra’s 33.
Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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