Daxak speaks up about playing with SoNNeikO: “After few days at TI11 bootcamp he just stopped talking during games, only pinged on minimap”Exclusive

In the competitive Dota 2 landscape, Akbar “SoNNeikO” Butaev has established a reputation as a complex team leader—effective at building squads from scratch but struggling to maintain long-term cohesion. The BetBoom Team during the 2022 DPC season exemplified this pattern, demonstrating initial competitive promise before internal conflicts derailed their progress. Nikita “Daxak” Kuzmin, frequently scapegoated by the Eastern European community for the team’s shortcomings, provided Escorenews with unprecedented insights into the specific leadership challenges that made collaborating with SoNNeikO particularly difficult.

During our initial collaboration phase, SoNNeikO’s approach felt balanced and productive. We maintained distinct strategic perspectives while actively considering each other’s viewpoints, creating an effective working dynamic. Every team member’s input deserves evaluation when presented constructively. When suggestions are communicated effectively, they provide genuine value to team development. When players identify potential issues, they should feel empowered to voice concerns. Successful teams require thorough discussion, testing different tactical approaches through debate, but eventually reaching consensus with Akbar became increasingly challenging. He gradually ceased providing explanations for his decisions.

Kuzmin recalls the first significant disagreement occurring during the Stockholm Major tournament. The conflict originated from a straightforward in-game strategic difference, not during an official competitive match—merely during practice sessions.

We observe five enemy heroes defending their base. Since they lack crowd control abilities, I’m applying tower pressure solo. Akbar instructs retreat—but I recognize they cannot eliminate me effectively. I question the reasoning and maintain offensive positioning.

Following the match, I receive comments like “You joined an established, practiced team and contributed nothing. You’re essentially irrelevant here, you need to follow my directions”. This became his recurring statement, repeated three to four times throughout our partnership. When I attempted to explain my decision-making and the actual preparedness level of this roster before my arrival, he would immediately retract: “No, I value your input, that’s not what I intended to convey”.

Daxak characterized SoNNeikO’s captaincy approach during the team’s final months as equivalent to demanding players leap from rooftops. When attempts failed and players sustained injuries, they received criticism about improper execution technique. They would adjust their approach and repeat the attempt, yet continue experiencing negative outcomes—losing crucial teamfights, failed base assaults, match defeats. Rather than acknowledging flawed initial strategy, the captain insisted on repeated attempts using the same methods, essentially ramming against obstacles instead of developing alternative tactical solutions.

I addressed these concerns multiple times, but Akbar consistently responded, “Simply have faith in my judgment. You must comply because I’m the designated leader, follow my instructions”. I countered, “But I already placed trust in your leadership previously, with no positive outcomes resulting”. Yet he repeatedly demanded blind trust in his decision-making. This created an increasingly perplexing dynamic for me.

The situation escalated to critical levels between the second and third Major tournaments. Daxak even attempted departure from the roster, but SoNNeikO assured him that operations would follow “his methodology” and that he would become more receptive moving forward, prompting him to remain. These promised changes never materialized.

We commenced bootcamp preparation before The International 2022 qualifiers, and disputes emerged immediately within the first forty-eight hours. Even professional psychological support, arranged in advance, proved ineffective. We experienced daily confrontations, despite his commitment to adopting my preferred approach. After several days of intensive training, SoNNeikO ceased verbal communication entirely during matches. He exclusively utilized minimap pings for coordination, nothing more. This communication pattern persisted until our upper bracket defeat against NAVI.

We conducted discussions following that elimination. We consistently coordinated in-game communications collaboratively, but approximately ninety percent of our disagreements surfaced during post-match replay evaluation, leading us to eliminate this practice entirely. We completed the remainder of the qualifiers without collective replay analysis sessions. However, he eventually resumed verbal communication during competitive matches.

Despite these persistent internal challenges, BetBoom successfully secured qualification for TI11. This competitive achievement temporarily boosted team morale, but the positive atmosphere proved short-lived. Shortly after arriving at The International venue, conflicts reemerged, prompting Daxak to adopt a more reserved approach.

Previously, I contributed extensively to training preparation: analyzing match replays, evaluating item builds and strategic calls for the team. However, I discontinued these contributions because initiating discussions would trigger defensive reactions from him. During TI preparation and competition, I minimized involvement: focusing exclusively on individual performance and providing in-game shotcalling. I became significantly more measured, adapting my approach by transferring decision-making authority to his control. When he proposed strategies I disagreed with, I implemented them rather than countermanding his decisions. We essentially competed while tolerating each other’s presence.

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When questioned about teammate responses, Daxak clarified he remained the sole member consistently challenging Butaev’s decisions. “Approximately ninety percent of inexperienced competitors remain completely silent, with nobody willing to assume decision-making responsibility”, Kuzmin states. “If I didn’t intervene when SoNNeikO proposed questionable in-game strategies or during post-match analysis sessions, no other players attempted intervention”. However, he suggests that insufficient initiative or conflict avoidance might not fully explain this dynamic. Possibly they simply failed to recognize problematic patterns until reaching critical mass.

During TI11 group stages, I observed other roster members beginning to echo previous concerns I had raised. Midway through the Group Stage we conducted a team meeting not initiated by me. Participants started commenting that Akbar significantly damages team atmosphere through his communication style and actions. I maintained silent observation, witnessing the situation with quiet satisfaction. Everything I previously identified, anticipated and attempted to prevent earlier, they finally recognized as well.

At TI11, BetBoom failed to advance beyond the group stage. They secured map victories against multiple opponents, reached tie-breaker scenarios, ultimately losing to BOOM Esports. Following the tournament, SoNNeikO and RodjER continued their competitive partnership, while remaining squad members pursued separate opportunities. Daxak joined HellRaisers, qualified with that organization to the Lima Major, then unexpectedly received dismissal without formal justification. The interview continuation will explore Kuzmin’s perspective regarding his HellRaisers experience and subsequent removal.

No reproduction without permission：Game Guides » Daxak speaks up about playing with SoNNeikO: “After few days at TI11 bootcamp he just stopped talking during games, only pinged on minimap”Exclusive Insider perspective on SoNNeikO's leadership challenges and team dynamics from Daxak's revealing interview