Nix spoke about the impact of long breaks on his level of preparation in Dota 2

Alexander “Nix” Levin said that, unlike Counter-Strike, where a streamer's skill level drops significantly after a long break, in Dota 2 he feels confident even after several months of not practicing.

The streamer talked about this on Twitch.

"I always thought that you would forget everything if you didn't play something for a long time. But that's not entirely true. Every skill has a threshold. Once you cross that threshold, you won't forget what you've learned.

In CS, I learned smokes several times. For example, I learned them, threw them, played for two weeks or a month — I remember them. Then I come back six months later — I don't remember any of it. Maybe it's because I didn't throw them that much. But in Dota, I can open the shop with my eyes closed and buy Clarity because I've done it so many times. It's all in my subconscious: moving items, clicking, and so on. It's like there's a certain number — for example, 10,000 — and once you reach it, that's it."

The content creator attributes this to the presence of a certain memory that is formed after prolonged practice. According to Alexander “Nix” Levin, the brain remembers what to do and then sends the appropriate signals to the muscles. The streamer noted that this phenomenon is also characteristic of traditional sports. Summing up, Nix added that he always expects to fail after a long break, but as the game progresses, everything turns out fine.

"It's not exactly muscle memory, but more of a signal from the brain to the muscles. This feature is also present in sports. It surprises me. Every time, I think that I'll go into Dota and won't be able to hit the buttons, since I haven't played for years. But so far, it's not so bad."

Earlier, Alexander “Nix” Levin explained why Vitaly “Arthas” Tsal began to lose at a low rating after his return to Dota 2.