At the height of his Dota 2 career, Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao was an excitable wildcard. He was a player who could turn a game around off the back of a delightfully absurd play, or throw it.
The Canadian carry and midlaner famously won The Shanghai Major with Team Secret in 2016. But after that, it was all downhill. He had unsuccessful stints with Cloud9, Fnatic, compLexity, beastcoast, and more, and eventually retired in July 2022.
His absence from the pro scene left a bit of a void. After all, there was no other player like him—for better and for worse. But a spectacular return could soon be on the cards.
“I mean, I’ve thought about it,” he said during his stream on Oct. 17. “I’m basically already out of retirement in a way, right? Because I’m not opposed to it. It’s just, I’m not aiming for it, you know?”
EternalEnvy clarified his stance, explaining he’s open to returning to the pro Dota 2 scene but isn’t going to force it.
“It’s kind of like a thing that just happens if it happens,” he said.
He’s decided to “play hard” again, implying he’s taking it more seriously. But, he still won’t put in as much effort as he used to because competing isn’t his number one priority.
One thing he has been working on, though, is his mindset—which was arguably one of his shortcomings, especially when he found himself at odds with teammates. He said, “I just feel like my overall mentality is better.”
So, it sounds like he’s somewhat committed to edging towards a return, and those efforts could increase tenfold if an opportunity presents itself. But at the same time, he’s not desperate.
“If it happens, it happens,” the Dota 2 star reiterated.
Published: Oct 17, 2022 11:03 pm