The Man Behind the Legend: Milkfat

Milkfat: thanks for joining us here at Dotally Rad.  How are you today?

I am great! Long time fan of Dotally Rad and always happy to be a part of it.

Well let’s jump right into things. Now your name, Milkfat the Legend: what’s the story behind it? Whenever someone talks about you, it isn’t just Milkfat, but Milkfat “the Legend”. How did you attain the status of being legendary; what makes you so legendary?

Oh gosh… To be honest I don’t know your gonna have to ask my friends.

Being the spectacular bloggers we are here at Dotally Rad we did just that. By facebook stalking Milkfat we sent a question to some of his closest friends and members in the competitive scene and this is what we got back on what makes Milkfat a Legend.

“I always knew Milkfat was a great person based on his natural charm, quick wit, dashing good looks, and heart of gold, but I never took his claims of being a “legend” seriously. Really though, how could some kid who plays computer games for a living be a considered a “legend?” But as he has done with every one of my doubts about him, Milkfat proved me wrong a few months ago during a trip we took with our friends to New York City. After making quick work of a couple different rap battles in Times Square, Milkfat led the way to Jay-Z’s famous 40/40 Club, scoring us a private table through an old DotA connection. After being seated 30 minutes, we were approached by none other than Sean “Puffy” Combs, aka Diddy, who asked Milkfat for an autograph. While the rest of us were star struck, Milkfat calmly posed for a few pictures with the “Bad Boy” and signed an autograph. Diddy insisted that the autograph was for his son (a huge DotA fan).” -Borna Mohabbatizadeh

“Sam ‘Milkfat’ Braithwaite: the man, the myth, the legend. The man. Sam is the man because of the aura he exudes wherever he is. From parties to chat channels, whenever he enters a room heads turn in his direction and he becomes the topic of every conversation. The myth. Sam is shroud in a haze of controversy. So many rumors have been spread such that they have integrated with the true stories of Milkfat. When you hear an outrageous amazing story about Sam, you question its truth and say to yourself that it can’t be true. But thats what makes him a legend. Even the most ridiculous tall tales of Milkfat, you soon find out are the truth and you realize that this guy is a legend.” -Adam Martinazzi

“When I first met Milkfat I took him for a cocky white kid that sucked at HoN. Eventually he ended up bring pretty decent and an even better guy. For me Milkfat’s legendary status is from how he presents himself. Being a professional gamer is hard work and requires hours upon hours a day of training. The fact that Milkfat is as good as he is and maintains his physique in real life is jaw dropping. What other pro gamer models by day and crushes by night. Nobody, the guy is a Legend.” -`Pokedex from team LOADED

“Milkfat achieved legendary status in my eyes the moment he single handedly changed the meta game of DotA. Milkfat became so good and so precise with his bloodseeker that it was an instant ban no matter who he was against. I mean bloodseeker was an AWFUL hero in DotA. He was never picked once in a competitive game until Milkfat came along. My favorite memory of Milkfat would have to be at UCSD Winterfest Finals when MILK went against EG in the finals. Demon banned BS the first two games but forgot on the last and Milkfat rolled EG with his 37-3 bloodseeker and ended up winning the entire tournament. He will forever be remembered for that and in my opinion that’s what makes a Legend” -Bdiz of SK Gaming

Life of a Legend.

Okay, moving on then… So last time we talked you wanted to open up your own line of LAN centers across the US and have them focus and support competitive gaming. Any updates?

Everything’s going great actually. I was a little set back and stressed because this was my first time doing anything like it but I finally got everything on track and my first store is set to launch in September and the location is going to be in Fountain Valley, California. My main goal of these centers is to promote professional gaming in the USA. I have some contracts with some major companies and even have pledges from S2 to throw some pretty big cash tournaments over the next year or so.

Well let’s move away from gaming for a bit and focus more on what makes you… well you. When I was going through your facebook I saw a lot of pictures of you in Africa. What’s the story behind that?

After I graduated High School I moved to Kenya and lived with the Massai tribe for a bit. I went with a medical team and helped build an orphanage, administer medicine, and do some research on HIV/AIDS. Since I was a kid I have been actively involved in the fight against AIDS so I was finally able to live my dream and get a hands on experience helping the people that need it the most. Once my LAN center opens I will be having a yearly tournament called “Gamers Give Back” in which I will be raising money to send to the tribe that I stayed with but we will get into that once it opens!

Wow! That must have truly been a life-changing experience. So Milkfat, what is the most memorable thing a fan has ever done for you?

Hmmm…. The first time I ever realized I had a fan was pretty awesome. On Halloween a long time ago two kids came to my parents house dressed as Prince Arthas and Grom Hellscream. My parents laughed at their costumes and said they were almost as nerdy as their son and asked if they ever had heard of me(I often bragged I was famous and they never believed me). Once my parents told them that Milkfat lived here the kids went insane and rushed inside begging me to sign their Frostmourne sword. I’m not sure who was more excited me or them!!

While that was funny that most memorable experience I have ever had in my entire life was when I was contacted by the “Make a Wish Foundation”. One little boy(name excluded) wrote to the foundation and his final wish was that he could spend a day with me playing games and hanging out. The foundation made it happen and it was honestly the most humbling experience I have ever had in my entire life. He really was the sweetest kid ever. Rest in peace buddy <3.

What a truly touching story.  So I was recently reading your blog and saw the pictures of you at the Laker game 7 with floor seats! How did you pull that off?!

Shoutout to George Lopez!!! I was at E3 all week promoting my LAN and another company that I work for and I ran into George Lopez who interviewed me for his TV show called “Lopez Tonight”. I hooked him up with tickets to Videogames Live and in return he gave me Laker’s tickets.

Now this isn’t the first time you’ve been spotted with celebrities. There’s pictures of you with Jay Z, Magic Johnson, and numerous other celebs.  You were even in a couple of “The OC” episodes. I heard that your newest song is going to be recorded with a famous artist in the industry.  Is that true?

I am coming out with a couple new songs. My newest is actually called “Don’tcha” its a remake of the PussyCat Dolls song. It’s going to be a HoN parody song that will hopefully rival “I Love DotA”. But after that I am doing a song with someone big but it’s a surprise! I gave a hint about who it’s going to be in my gosugamers interview so we will see if anyone catches on and figures out who it is.

Okay, last question: You recently moved to HoN from DotA. How do you feel about the game and the community?

I love HoN! It’s an amazing game and I love S2 as a company. The community it ok… People don’t understand me or the sarcasm I bring to the competitive scene yet so they still see me as a huge douchebag which is pretty fun sometimes but once they realize what I am all about I think they will enjoy MILK a little bit more as a team. The competitive scene is great as well. Each team is unique and all the players are hilarious and fun to play with. Shoutout to trixi for raping me mid.

Thanks for stopping by Milkfat, it’s always a pleasure to have you! Any last shoutouts?

First and foremost shoutout to Jessica C. for allowing me to date her spectacular sister. Shoutout to the Kawahara family for the constant support. Shoutout to Borna for the lulz, my family, zabe, ace jr, and of course shoutout to the one and only Panman.

Dotally Rad exclusive interview with Milkfat of Milkfat’s House of Game

Milkfat artwork courtesy of Panman

Hey Milkfat, what’s Kraken?  Is that a Minor Totem in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

Wow that was the gayest joke of all time hahahaha.

Tell us about your recent Dota victory in Winterfest 2010 at UCSD.  Who were your teammates and your opponents in the final? How did you manage to come back from the loser’s bracket and twice defeat a team with such legends as Demon and Hilger to win the championship?

Every single year UC San Diego holds Winterfest which is one of the largest multi-platform LAN tournies in the nation.  I decided to reunite my old DotA team and make a comeback in the pro gaming scene to represent my LAN center.  My team consisted of the legendary CaKeS, the best hero picker in the nation Azeem “Bebop”, Trung “I-Carrynp”, and my good friend Erik “Idako” Wu.  The tournament was pretty much a pubstomp until we reached the finals where we faced the baddest boy in US Dota “DEMON”.  His team consisted of Hilger, Hammyton, Embrace, Fashostunna, and for a match or two Merc.  The first time we played Demon’s team we crushed them because they forgot to ban Bloodseeker and everyone knows my Bloodseeker is unstoppable.  We actually ended up losing the next two games because Demon is incredible and his Nevermore is sick.  After crushing the loser’s bracket we came back and with lady luck’s help and CaKeS amazing play we were able to beat them 2-0.  Overall it was an amazing tournament and it felt good to be back in the scene.

Have you ever lost a game as Bloodseeker?  What is the secret to your ownage with this hero?  In your opinion, what are the best possible items on Bloodseeker?

To this date I have yet to lose a game with Bloodseeker.  To be honest the secret is that the hero actually sucks I’m just the only person that is such a loser they would spend 6 months straight learning the hero.  My cookie cutter BS build is Midas, treads, radiance, mkb, heart, bkb, then later on sell midas when you get aegis for divine rapier!

Word is out that you are planning to open your own LAN center and also go on some kind of gaming tour.  Have you finalized the location and opening date yet, and what innovations if any do you plan to bring to your gaming center?

The rumors are true I am in fact opening up my own LAN center this Summer actually! Milkfat’s House of Game will be released in Costa Mesa, CA at an undetermined location as of right now.  I am going on tour the next couple months to not only promote my LAN center but to promote competitive gaming as a whole.  I will be in the South Feb 5th weekend, Norcal the 16th, and NY the 23rd.

Where do you see E-sports in the US going in the future and what will your role be in this?  Do think gaming can become as popular as in Korea with professional gamers making a living like professional athletes and games being watched on television or do you think it will remain a hobby and passtime in the States?

Within the next 10 years I see gaming taking off and being more popular and more watched than professional sports.  Gaming is only getting more popular and as more people play the larger the prize pools will be.  As the prize pools increase so will the publicity and so forth.  I see myself hopefully being the face behind competitive sports.  In the next couple months I will be launching a “Dream League” with Taku from Team GDT.  Our plans with this is to have a pay to play league that offers gamers from around the world thousand dollar tournaments weekly.

Are you interested in or play regularly any games other than Heroes of Newerth, Dota, and other Warcraft customs?  What games do you think will be big in the future?  Are you planning to get really involved in Starcraft 2 after it is released later this year?

Every now and then I dabble in Modern Warefare 2 but besides that MOBA games are my bread and butter.  Starcraft 2…. where do I begin.  Let’s just say I’ve tried it and the game is amazing.

Who would win in a 1 vs. 1 fight, Roshan or Kongor?  Icefrog or Maliken?  Milkfat or Suncrusher?

Kongor would crush Roshan with one hairy arm tied behind his back! IceFrog would also spank Maliken.  Maliken is a tool he just copied exactly what Icefrog has spent years making… but I guess he did the same to Eul’s and Guinsoo.  Word on the street is they are changing Dark Seer’s ultimate to be called “Wall of Newerth” [because it duplicates whatever passes through it].  I would beat Suncrusher- in a heartbeat.  In every single 1v1 tournament I have always won and will always win.  Some would say I am the best 1v1 player in the whole world… and I would agree.

What is the origin of Clan Milk and what does the name mean?

Clan MILK dates back to 1997 when I played my first game of Warcraft 1.  It is the longest lasting clan in the world and arguably the best.  The biggest names in US Dota have all made their homes in Clan Milk at one point because of the atmosphere it provides.  Clan MILK is more of a brotherhood than a clan.  One thing I have always focused on is providing a fun and easy gaming environment for all my friends and that is what the clan does.  The clan also extends outside the boundaries of the games.  Everyone knows that if they ever need anything they can always turn to their Warchief for help.

You recently won best looking male pro gamer 2009 by Game Informer Magazine; how do you feel about that?

Winning this award is like winning the Special Olympics. Hahaha but seriously I don’t know how I won it but thanks to all my fans for voting for me.

Thanks so much for taking the time to interview with Dotally Rad.  For all your lady fans out there are you single?

For some reason I seriously get asked this every single interview! For you Daggius it wouldn’t matter <3. But umm yea I am single hit me up if you wanna get carried by a pro.
Thanks for having me Daggius and I am a big fan of your website! Shoutout to Dylan Jeffery, Adam, Loc, Seth, my staff, clan milk, my personal trainer Tyler “JahCure” Knox, Jason Szabo and my boys over at GDT! GG!

Clan Milk "Swindle Squad" ripped up 58-39

Needless to say, talk of swindle was in the air when the DXD bot placed all three Clan Milk players on the same team. However, 21-4-20 and 22-5-10 performances by daggius and feared- elevated a heavily newb-laden Scourge team to a tremendous victory. The game was perhaps best characterized by the relentless pounding in the bum of daggius’s Viper on Milkfat’s Sniper, a rivalry that began in the middle lane before manifesting itself in ganks on all parts of the map as Milkfat searched helplessly for free farm. None could be found. Overall, daggius went 16-2 against Clan Milk players. GOT MILK? Feared-’s Weaver was equally impressive. Nurturing a spree 17 kills long for much of the game, he fed heavily on Sentinel players, especially the horribly incompetant NTD.ManhaE-, who went 1-10 in this individual matchup. The.new.me. played respectable support, earning 22 assists for the Scourge team with his Dagon Zeus. After a slow start, Milkfat found his footing later in the game, amassing 16 kills with a Lothar’s Edge and MKB in a surge that was, unfortunately for Clan Milk, too little too late.

Milkfat's early farming efforts were thwarted by ninja-ganks like this one at the nearest-to-base Creep Camp.

Milkasaurusrex spent 12 minutes dead, nearly one fifth of the game.

As the feed became insurmountable, excuses began to flow.

Pimp my Viper.

Replay: http://www.dota-allstars.com/replay/54364/index.html