Original: http://dota.replays.net/page/20120929/1731493.html

Short interview with xiao8, gives a bit of insight into LGD, etc.

Interviewer: Hello xiao8, thank you for doing this interview. LGD has a lot of fans, go ahead and say hi to everyone.

xiao8: Hello everyone, I am LGD team’s xiao8.

Interviewer: Lately you haven’t had much in terms of competition, is LGD as a whole on break? What have you been busy with?

xiao8: Yes, after ACE everyone’s been on break, probably all spending time with friends, girlfriends, and family.

Interviewer: TI2 has just ended recently, and after going undefeated in the group stages, LGD ended up losing to iG, and then shortly after that lost to iG again in the ACE finals. For LGD, this must have been quite sad, what kind of analysis or reflection did LGD do as a team afterwards?

xiao8: We failed to maintain our own form, so our execution ended up being worse than the other team.

Interviewer: What gave you the biggest impression in TI2, did you meet IceFrog, and was he as tall and handsome as legend has it?

xiao8: I did meet him, he is indeed pretty good looking

Interviewer: This time at TI2, matches were very clustered together in the loser’s bracket, resulting in many teams needing to play a lot of games each day, is this something you feel needs to change?

xiao8: The organizers must have their reasons for this arrangement, and I don’t feel changes are needed, though it certainly challenges the players.

Interviewer: Do you have any hopes for the next International, or anything to say to your opponents for next time?

xiao8: Do my best to play well, so there is no reason to feel regret.

Interviewer: According to rumor, G-league will be picking up Dota2 officially very soon, and it looks like there will be more and more Dota2 competitions coming up. Will you guys be focusing more on Dota2? Talk a bit about differences between Dota 1 and Dota 2.

xiao8: We’ll look at which version has more competitions here in China, and we’ll focus training on that. As for Dota2, it’s relatively easier to new players to learn. For professional players, it feels like it’s a game with faster pace.

Interviewer: Before, as a Three Kingdoms (a Dota-clone based on Chinese Three Kingdoms lore) player you had already achieved fame, then what was it that brought you to Dota and ultimately become a professional Dota player?

xiao8: Because originally there were some top Three Kingdoms players that switched to Dota, and got some good results, so I also wanted to give it a try and see if I could do it.

Interviewer: Since joining LGD, Sylar has made big strides forward, and now is ranked amongst the top three big carries alongside Zhou and Burning. What do you think are his relative strengths and weaknesses compared to the other two?

xiao8: In terms of strengths, he’s younger, and has very good mechanics. In terms of weakness, he needs to continue working on mentality.

Interviewer: After ZSMJ retired, how was it that you came across Sylar and ultimately invited him to join LGD?

xiao8: Back when ZSMJ retired, we were just about to recruit as well. Sylar also was interested in joining, so we eventually came to an agreement.

Interviewer: In LGD, who ladders the most on 11 (Dota1 matchmaking service)? Who has the most ladder points? What does LGD do for fun in their spare time?

xiao8: I can’t recall… everyone’s about the same… I have over 2300 points. Because of training, I often need to quit halfway through a ladder match… the points loss is hard. As for stuff in spare time, there’s KTV, gym, basketball, etc, a bit of everything…

Interviewer: What is your favorite hero in Dota, why?

xiao8: Sniper… he looks simple, but to play him well is quite hard.

Interviewer: From Three Kingdoms to Dota, xiao8 can be considered an old player, have you ever considered retirement?

xiao8: Not yet, at least until after next year’s International.

Interviewer: Has playing professionally brought added pressure from friends and family, do you get much time every year with family?

xiao8: There’s not much time with family, but they’re all very supportive of me, and will even watch some of my matches… though they don’t know what’s going on..

Interviewer: Who do you think is most good looking in LGD, who is the best solo player?

xiao8: This is really hard to say, we each have our own style… there’s all kinds (I’m the kind that tries to act cool). As for best solo, it’s whomever is playing solo more at the time, I think.

Interviewer: Apparently Captain 8 you already have a girlfriend, what kind of girl do you prefer?

xiao8: Yes, and I like girls a little chubbier!!!

Interviewer: Thank you to xiao8 for the interview. We hope LGD will continue posting good results. Do you have any words for your fans?

xiao8: Thank you for all the continued support for LGD, thank you to our sponsors LGD, Taobao, and Razer. We will work even harder to repay all of you.