A Sit-down with Jacko

Six years after the 322 match-fixing fiasco, we sit down with one of the players involved in the controversy.

The term 322 was first coined in 2014, when Alexey Berezin, better known in the scene as “Solo”, won USD322 after betting against his own team in a StarLadder Dota 2 event.

A promising young player in the Dota 2 scene, Jacko Soriano played with Mineski as their Position 2 Carry. However, his supposed epic journey was intercepted when he was entangled in the match-fixing controversy now famously known as the 322 incident. 

Jacko had to leave Mineski, together with him banned from ever participating in Valve-sponsored games and tournaments. He now plays with Amihan Esports as their carry and team captain.

Today, we sat down with Jacko and did a little “kumustahan” with him.

South.gg: How has your pro gaming career been going after the Valve ban?

Jacko: Everything is still good. Although I still have high hopes that I can play in Valve tournaments, I’m still doing what I can do as of now to prove that I have a place in the Dota 2 pro scene.

South.gg: What things have you realized after the ban was implemented? Do you think Valve is fair in giving out punishments?

Jacko: I regret everything, even until today. Honestly, Valve’s decision is fair to everyone, but I really am hoping that they would give me another chance.

With the 7.28 patch shaking things up in the meta again, we also asked Jacko his thoughts about it, to which he replied with, “[For me], things are still intact. After all, a Dota match is all about team chemistry, and teams would have to go through various adjustments, practices and possibly even roster changes with every patch update.”

When asked which team he deemed a threat for him if he ever competed in the Dota Pro Circuit this year, he said that, “every team is a threat, but if I were to pick one, I’d go for 496 Gaming. Their style is very unpredictable, [and] their plays were executed well.” 496 Gaming is a Dota 2 team hailing from Vietnam and is currently second place in the Closed Qualifiers for the Dota Pro Circuit 2021: Season 1 for Southeast Asia.

We asked Jacko one final question: his words of wisdom for aspiring esports players. This is what he said:

“Everyone can be a pro player someday, they just have to pursue their dreams and most importantly, properly carry their attitude in and out of the game. Be humble always, and just enjoy the game.”