Category Archives: Interviews

DK.iceiceice interview: talks career choices, teammates, DK so far

It would seem that this was an interview for an esports magazine in China, conducted last month (prior to DK’s WPC-ACE win).

Q: After coming to China, you have used your excellence in conquering the hearts of many Chinese fans. Do you recall how you first came to play Dota?
iceiceice: I’ve played games from a very young age. Later on I got into Warcraft 3, as well as various custom games. After that, more and more people began going to Dota, and thus I became one of them.

Q: What is it about Dota that most attracts you?
iceiceice: There isn’t really anything that specifically attracts me. For me, Dota just generally is a game that can get my attention, and if there are other games that can do the same while providing opportunities for me to earn money, I would try them as well. For example, I played League of Legends for a period of time earlier, at first I was very into it, but after a while I stopped liking it. So even if League of Legends potentially has more money, I wouldn’t go play it.

Q: What led you to becoming a professional esports competitor?
iceiceice: Because I’m good. And also, because I’m really good!

Q: How does your family view your career?
iceiceice: They are very supportive, because they want my prize money. Yeah, they’ve taken half of my prize money.

Q: In the past, you’d expressed on many occasions that your desire was to come to China to continue your career. When you finally had the chance to make this come true by joining DK, what did that feel like?
iceiceice: I’d already wanted to join DK last year, but they rejected me. Now my wish has come true, so of course I’m very happy. But on the way to China I was constantly thinking, would I be able to live healthily? Because I’d always felt that living abroad might be dangerous for me. Upon arriving in China, the team sent someone to pick me up, it was an old person, and at one point I thought he was going to kidnap me.

Q: Apart from Dota 2, you once were keen on becoming a professional Starcraft 2 player.
iceiceice: I have a lot of interest in all games. At the time I was feeling that Dota wasn’t as fun anymore, so I picked up Starcraft 2 and began practicing that. I had always really liked watching Starcraft matches, for example Jaedong and Flash, their matches are great to watch, you can see their skill.

Q: Why give up on Starcraft 2?
iceiceice: That period of time was when I had to fulfill my national military service (for Singapore). Even though the plan was to go to Korea to play it professionally, but in the end because of the military service I gave up on that. During the service I had thoughts about continuing on this path, but it wasn’t realistic. To become good in Starcraft 2 requires large amounts of time, and I completely lacked that kind of time, plus I felt that there was no future for Starcraft 2 in SEA, so I gave up on it.

Q: Outside of Dota 2, what are your biggest hobbies?
iceiceice: I have very wide interests, such as photography, cooking. Apart from those things, I also like to travel, especially going to those places I haven’t been to before. Even though I’m very afraid of flying, there are no alternatives. Who can I blame for me liking to try new things? Although, in terms of girlfriends, one is enough.

Q: We’ve seen you wearing an AC Milan shirt during events before, you are a big fan of football (soccer)?
iceiceice: No, I don’t like it, I just think their shirt looks nice.

Q: After training every day, what do you do?
iceiceice: Usually, go out to eat, or play some pubs. If possible, I definitely try to get out and relax a bit. But right now, there are more and more events, and we must work even harder, thus I don’t have much time to go out and relax. Even though this is the case, I still feel that being able to have time to unwind is very important.

Q: During TI3, you defeated all other world-class solo players to win the solo mid championship. And after coming to China, you’ve proved your ability time and time again through making spectacular plays. How do you do it?
iceiceice: I feel that the TI3 solo mid title doesn’t really say that much. There, it was about everyone having fun more than anything. As for having good performances after coming to China, I think this has a lot to do with my teammates. They’re very strong players, and allow me to focus more in games.

Q: During your time with Zenith, we saw you mostly as a 1 or 2 position player. After coming to DK, you’ve transitioned to a 3 position. How would you rate your performances in this new position so far?
iceiceice: I really like my new position. In the 3 position, my advantages are that my mechanics are relatively strong, and thus if I get a solo matchup then I can usually gain an advantage. But in a suicide offlane situation I often die because I underestimate the opposition, and then sometimes if I die a few times I go on tilt and die all game.

Q: DK’s recent results in various tournaments have all been quite good. What do you feel has been the reason for these victories?
iceiceice: Currently we haven’t won anything, so for us all these tournaments are just practice, they don’t count for anything!

Q: Before you and Mushi joined, it could be said that BurNIng’s play played a part in DK’s losses. But after you two joined, BurNIng seems to not be as important in dictating the team’s results.
iceiceice: I feel that this isn’t because BurNIng plays badly or whatever, more that our opponents are too weak, and don’t do what they should do. In the future I think BurNIng’s value will definitely show. Everyone’s role on the team is important, except MMY.

Q: Talk a bit about your impressions of each teammate.
iceiceice: LaNm is old; MMY is handsome, but has too much pressure, and has gotten fat; BurNIng and Mushi go to bed together every day.

Q: For the future, what are your hopes for DK to achieve?
iceiceice: To win all the titles!

Q: Lastly, some words to our readers.
iceiceice: Thank you to all our supporters, especially those who come from faraway to watch us play. We will work even harder to do even better! Hope everyone can lend DK even more support! And thank you to our sponsors Tt Esports for their support!

Source links (but not original magazine source, which I can’t find after a brief search): http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201401/154337.html — http://dota2.uuu9.com/201401/459824.shtml

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WPC-ACE 2013 post-Finals interview with Team DK

After their remarkable comeback victory in the 2013 WPC-ACE League, taking the 1 million RMB (165k USD) top prize, Team DK were interviewed collectively. Some insightful answers, some jokes and laughter; this is DK after winning their first major Dota 2 title.

Video source: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjU2MjA1NzE2.html

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The Team DK Files

The Team DK Files

Learn more about Team DK, circa December 2013.

Name: BurNIng

Naming Anti-mage has been most important for me

Birthdate: Feb 16, 1988
Nationality: China
Height: 180cm
Weight: 68kg
Clothing size: XL
Favorite star: Leonardo DiCaprio
Games played in past: Warcraft 3
Biggest esports career achievement: Getting Anti-mage name
Most important person in esports career: 71 (former manager of EHOME)
Mouse: Ttesports Saphira
Headset: (I can’t find the set I was given)
Keyboard: Ttesports Poseidon – Brown MX switches
Mousepad: Ttesports Dasher
Single?: No
Favorite Dota version: 6.78
Favorite Dota item: Battlefury
Hero you most like seeing on your team in pubs: Heroes with crowd control abilities
Hero you most hate seeing on your team in pubs: Bloodseeker, Weaver, Meepo
Hero you most like seeing on opposite team in pubs: Meepo
Hero you most hate seeing on opposite team in pubs:
Most important person in life: Mom
Dream career when little: Scientist
Current goals: Play well professionally
Plans for after retirement: Work in a more ‘free’ (flexible) career
Biggest challenge/opposition in the future: Self
Most important gaming gear: Mouse
Favorite keyboard switch type: As long as it’s mechanical then it’s okay
What happens if girlfriend calls while you’re playing Dota: Don’t answer (she understands)
What do you do if your pro career causes a lack of time to spend with family: Make more phone calls
What kind of girl do you like:
Would you play games with girls?: Refuse
Do you like your new uniforms?: They look better than the old ones
Who’s funniest in the team?: iceiceice

Name: Mushi

Most hate iceiceice playing Invoker

Birthdate: Nov 27, 1990
Nationality: Malaysia
Height: (Forgot)
Weight: (Never measured)
Clothing size: XL
Favorite star: Lots
Favorite athlete: Lee Chong Wei (Malaysian star top-ranked badminton player)
Biggest esports career achievement: The matches I’ve won
Most important person in esports career: A lot
Mouse: Ttesports Saphira
Headset: Ttesports Isura
Keyboard: Ttesports G-1 – Brown switches
Mousepad: Ttesports Dasher
Single?: Yes
How did you spend Singles Day?: Training
Favorite Dota version: 6.78
Favorite Dota item: Blink dagger
Hero you most like seeing on your team in pubs: Chen
Hero you most hate seeing on your team in pubs: (iceiceice’s) Invoker
Most important person in life: Family
Dream career when little: None
Current ambitions: Take my whole family and emigrate to Australia
Plans for after retirement: Do investments. Not in esports
Biggest challenge/opposition in the future: None
Most hated thing: Losing matches
Most hated esports thing: Losing matches
Most important gaming gear: All are very important
Favorite keyboard switch type: Red MX switches
What happens if girlfriend calls while you’re playing Dota: Don’t answer
What do you do if your pro career causes a lack of time to spend with family: Have family watch me play televised matches
What kind of girl do you like: Good personality
Would you play games with girls?: If they’re friends then yes
Do you like your new uniforms?: Not bad
Who’s funniest in the team?: iceiceice

Name: LaNm

Dislike MMY playing mahjong

Birthdate: Dec 25, 1989
Nationality: China
Height: 181cm
Weight: 55kg
Clothing size: L
Favorite athlete: Li Na (Chinese star tennis player)
Favorite Dota hero: Pudge
Games played in past: Warcraft 3
Most important thing in esports: Winning titles
Most important person in esports career: 71 (former EHOME manager)
Mouse: Ttesports Saphira
Headset: Ttesports Isura
Keyboard: Ttesports Meka G-Unit White version
Mousepad: Ttesports Conkor
Single?: No
Favorite Dota version: 6.78
Favorite Dota item: Mask of Madness
Hero you most like seeing on your team in pubs: Heroes with crowd control
Hero you most hate seeing on your team in pubs: Invoker, Shadow Fiend
Hero you most like seeing on opposite team in pubs: Crystal Maiden
Most important person in life: Grandma, Mom
Dream career when little: Scientist
Current goals: Achieve good results and prove myself
Plans for after retirement: Be a coach
Biggest challenge/opposition in the future: Self, mentality is very important
Most hated thing: MMY playing mahjong, iceiceice being with his girlfriend (because both are very annoying things)
Most hated esports thing: Being unable to find that tempo in a competitive game
Most important gaming gear: Feel like they’re all similarly important
Favorite keyboard switch type: Black MX switches
What happens if girlfriend calls while you’re playing Dota: Don’t answer if during pratice
What do you do if practice leaves you no time to spend with girlfriend?: Don’t care
Would you play games with girls?: If I know them, yes
Do you like your new uniforms?: That white area on the chest…
Who’s funniest in the team?: ice

Name: iceiceice

Don’t like girls that play games

Birthdate: June 17, 1990
Nationality: Singapore
Height: 191.5cm
Weight: 75kg
Clothing size: XXL
Favorite athlete: Messi
Favorite Dota hero: Invoker
Games played in past: Starcraft 2, Warcraft 3, LoL (participated in WCG before)
Mouse: Ttesports Saphira
Headset: Don’t use
Keyboard: Ttesports G-1 – Brown switches
Mousepad: Ttesports Conkor
Single?: No
Favorite Dota version: The earliest version
Favorite Dota item: Support heroes
Hero you most like seeing on your team in pubs: Anti-mage
Hero you most hate seeing on your team in pubs: Anti-mage
Hero you most like seeing on opposite team in pubs: Anti-mage
Hero you most hate seeing on opposite team in pubs: Anti-mage
Most important person in life: Girlfriend
Dream career when little: Aviator
Current goals: Travel around the world
Plans for after retirement: Make money, commentate/cast, stream, stock market
Biggest challenge/opposition in the future: Self
Most hated thing: No toilet paper whilst in the bathroom, talking behind others’ backs
Most hated esports thing: Coming to bother me when I’m really busy
Most important gaming gear: Keyboard
Favorite keyboard switch type: Red MX switches
What happens if girlfriend calls while you’re playing Dota: Don’t answer
What do you do if practice leaves you no time to spend with family: Practices are more priority
What kind of girl do you like: Don’t like girls that play games, don’t like unfaithful girls
Would you play games with girls?: Depends on mood
Do you like your new uniforms?: It would look better if it was leather
Who’s funniest in the team?: Myself

Name: MMY

The white area on our new uniforms looks like a bra

Birthdate: Sep 10， 1989
Nationality: China
Height: 182cm
Weight: 80kg
Clothing size: XL
Favorite Dota hero: Wisp
Games played in past: Zhensan, Warcraft 3
Mouse: Ttesports Saphira
Headset: Ttesports Isura
Keyboard: Ttesports G-1
Mousepad: Ttesports Dasher
Single?: Yes
How did you spend Singles Day: Played Dota
Favorite Dota version: 6.78
Favorite Dota item: Magic Stick
Hero you most like seeing on your team in pubs: Crystal Maiden
Hero you most hate seeing on your team in pubs: Anti-mage
Hero you most like seeing on opposite team in pubs: Crystal Maiden
Hero you most hate seeing on opposite team in pubs: Anti-mage
Dream career when little: Scientist
Plans for after retirement: Haven’t thought about this before
Biggest challenge/opposition in the future: Alliance, NaVi
Most hated thing: Playing mahjong
Most important gaming gear: Mouse
What happens if girlfriend calls while you’re playing Dota: Don’t answer
What do you do if practice leaves you no time to spend with family: Call home
What kind of girl do you like: Cute (moe) girls
Would you play games with girls?: Refuse
Do you like your new uniforms?: The white area on the uniform looks like a bra
Who’s funniest in the team?: iceiceice

Source: http://dota.uuu9.com/zt/teamdk/

Interview with Speed/RattleSnake investor Weir

Q: Hello Weir, congratulations on Speed.int taking the MLG Championship.
Weir: Thank you.

Q: On the official RattleSnake Weibo, it was mentioned that Speed.int was sponsored by a ‘Speed’ (思必得）company incorporated as such. Fans looked into it and discovered that this is an IT company based in Chengdu, China, is this your company?
Weir: Actually, our previous RattleSnake Software company changed its name to this, and currently it is based in Nantong, Jiangsu, working in the realm of hardware and accessories. We changed our name at the time because there used to be another club with the RS abbreviation (RisingStars, recently disbanded).

Q: Already having a Chinese team, what caused you to sponsor an international team?
Weir: Myself and a friend, named Baoxiang, the two of us are all passionate about Dota 2, we really love the game. To be honest, the Dota 2 market has a lot of room for growth outside of China. There’s room inside China too, but it’s a bit slower, and at the time we felt that there was more potential and flexibility outside of China. So we shifted our gaze to the international scene. It was just at that time that Kaipi coincidentally were showing their potential, so we signed them as Speed.Gaming.Int.

Q: Before signing Kaipi, had you guys very thoroughly looked into the team?
Weir: Not really very in-depth. We watched their matches and replays, found we really liked them, haha.

Q: At the time you guys signed them, some fans expressed their belief that you had signed a ‘circus team’ (ie an inconsistent, unproven team that gets wins more through pocket strats and unpredictability than anything else).
Weir: Well it was pretty fun to watch, and can be considered a way to innovate and put on a show for viewers. There is a place in competitive for this element, so personally we fully embrace this label. Just sometimes something doesn’t work, and I feel like it’s a pity they couldn’t win that one, haha.

Q: Did you think they would win something like MLG when you first signed with them? What was the expectation for the team before MLG?
Weir: We hadn’t thought that they would win something like MLG, but for them to win, very excited. We originally wanted to gather them together in the US to train together, but considering the fact that they would soon come to China, the decision was made to let them stay with their respective families and spend some more time with them. Before MLG, we thought they would be able to advance from group, maybe get 4th. After the first day, I said to Baoxiang, we’re basically done, we’re gone! It’s 0-3, and we still haven’t played against NaVi or DK. But unexpectedly, the end result came, and it brought us such a happy surprise.

Q: Have you met your Speed.int players, can you tell us a bit about each of them?
Weir: I actually haven’t met them face to face before, there’s just frequent communication via Skype. EE and Aui are Canadian-Chinese, and EE-sama knows a little bit of Cantonese. Singsing is Dutch-Chinese, bone7 is from Romania, and pieliedie is from Sweden. They all seem relatively humorous and interesting. They’ll be coming to China in December to train together, at which time we’ll all get to know them more.

Q: What do you think about the frequently-discussed topic of EE-sama getting revenge over Loda?
Weir: Haha. I think it might not be that big of a deal, I’ve never heard EE-sama talking about it. So it might just be a casual topic that everyone talks about.

Q: Will it be Arteezy or bone7 coming to China this time?
Weir: Bone7, I’m already arranging for his visa, Arteezy still has to go to school.

Q: Fans are all wondering — is the Chinese RattleSnake squad facing disbandment?
Weir: No, it’s just a temporary thing. Through WPC we found that our Chinese squad needs adjustments in both management and players. We don’t want to see the same problems occur with the international squad, after all it’s their first time in China. So we want to focus more resources on them first, but no worries, it’s just temporary and after a short while, you will all see a brand new Speed.Gaming.CN squad as well.

Q: What are your thoughts regarding the club’s future growth?
Weir: I think it should be to encourage cross-training between the international and Chinese squads, and have both teams able to qualify for events. The international team will stay long-term in China, I think in this way the club as a whole can continue to improve skill-wise.

Q: Any hopes for Chinese Dota 2?
Weir: I hope to see wider promotion, and steadier servers.

Thank you for the interview. We hope Spg.int continues their glory, and hope to see Spg.CN sooner than later!

Source: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201311/153805.html

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DK.BurNIng post-MLG interview

Q: Thank you B-God for accepting our interview, go ahead and say hi to everyone~
DK.BurNIng: Hello everyone, I am Team DK’s BurNIng.

Q: You’ve just gotten back from your trip to the US in the past few days, how have you adjusted?
DK.BurNIng: We had a two day break after, and now have mostly adjusted back physically and timezone-wise.

Q: Yesterday was Mushi’s birthday, but he was back in Malaysia. When will he be back with the team? Do you guys have any plans to celebrate his birthday as well?
DK.BurNIng: He’ll be back with the team in two days. As for celebrating, since he’s away there’s no physical way to celebrate together, we can only send him birthday wishes on Weibo, and then have a birthday meal together once he’s back.

Q: Let’s chat about MLG — You guys advanced from group stages as the top seed, but sadly lost in the finals to Speed. What were the main reasons for the loss? Was the biggest issue stamina?
DK.BurNIng: This time at MLG, our form never managed to get past the jet lag, and we only slept 3-4 hours every day. There was also a lot of getting-used-to with the food, so our overall stamina was very poor. Normally for us, playing three BO3s in a day isn’t a problem. As for our mentality, in the finals we were indeed less focused than during the match against NaVi, and this was also connected to stamina. Communication was poor, drafts weren’t done well, and we hadn’t done much analysis of Speed as a team.

Q: In the end, you sent out a post on Weibo, sighing that “Champion is not in your fate”. Why is it that you posted that? Was it because you were completely exhausted physically and mentally by then?
DK.BurNIng: This should be the closest I’ve been to a title in recent times. It’s been two years, lots of events, but never any titles, so it’s hard to avoid expressing some negativity, I guess.

Q: Then, for you, what were the biggest takeaways from this MLG?
DK.BurNIng: For me I think it is in terms of mentality — previously I had given myself so much pressure, it was exhausting. Honestly it’s just that saying, “As long as you’re happy”, I won’t ask too much of myself in striving for champions, as long as I can play to my best and leave no regrets, then that’s okay.

Q: Okay, let’s talk about the Sina Cup then. One thing everyone is rather interested in is your team’s drafting. After Mushi stepped down from the duties, who is it that drafts for the team now?
DK.BurNIng: I do the drafts recently.

Q: It is likely that your team will face VG in the second round here. Speaking of VG, your team has rarely won against VG’s Pugna, have you gone and looked at ways to counter their Pugna strategy?
DK.BurNIng: Our analysis probably isn’t in-depth enough, our counters for it only sometimes work, sometimes don’t work, so we probably still need much more practice in order to deal with Pugna.

Q: In games where your team chooses Pugna, your results have been mixed as well. Is it a lack of practice with this? Or is it just some detail that is missing?
DK.BurNIng: Not enough practice, and we’ve not been able to get comfortable with pushing lineups so far. This has a lot to do with the details and execution.

Q: The prize pool for this iteration of the Sina Cup is quite high, and the event schedule is pretty condensed, B-God what are your thoughts on the tournament?
DK.BurNIng: A very good online tournament, I hope it can continue on.

Q: A question about iceiceice — In an interview he complained that he has no one to go to the movies with, as well as the fact that training every day is dry and boring, have you considered adding some programming to your team’s daily life to appease iceiceice?
DK.BurNIng: I somehow don’t recall him talking about going to the movies, but I do agree that we are lacking activities outside of training, so this is something that we will improve on in the future.

Q: Another question that lots of fans are curious about: who is the strongest solo player in the team?
DK.BurNIng: Iceiceice and Mushi. Depends on the hero.

Q: Thank you B-God for the interview. The floor is yours to say anything to your fans~
DK.BurNIng: I sincerely thank all the fans that have supported us all along. And thank you to our sponsors Ttesports.

Source: http://dota2.replays.net/news/page/20131129/1867076.html

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Interview with new team New Element Gaming manager

Earlier DOTALAND reported on a new Chinese Dota 2 club — New Element Gaming. Now check out this short interview with their manager Tony…

Q: Hello Tony, thank you for the interview, say hi to everyone~
NE.Tony: Hello everyone, I am Tony, currently the manager of NE Club, and occasionally also cameo as a commentator on the Sina Cup.

Q: NE is a fairly new entity to viewers, so can you describe the club’s situation for us again?
NE.Tony: Our club was founded in August of this year, and the team house is currently in Shanghai. Of our five players, there are three who have only begun playing Dota 2 this July. These three are previously top 10 players on the Dota 1 ladder: Shiki, Longlong （龙龙）, and Zcd. The other two are our support players and have played Dota 2 for a long time: the 4 is our oldest player, Wil (上头是常态, a name that followers of high level Chinese Dota 2 pubs will be familiar with), and our role 5 is our lovely Shana.

Even though no one has prior experience playing professionally, we’re all very united and work hard together to practice and build teamwork. The team has been scrimming together now for nearly three months, and have participated in some online events, the results of which have been average.

Q: NE has advanced in the current Sina Cup, yet you still say they’ve only played average, why is this?
NE.Tony: In my opinion, the players’ individual ability is pretty good. They’re all fairly calm players and don’t easily tilt, even though Wil’s [Chinese ID] would suggest the opposite! Their weakness is that they’ve come to Dota 2 relatively late, and are lacking in execution. Their playing style doesn’t have any particularly unique aspect, and also isn’t specifically rigid.

Q: The Sina Supernova Cup has gathered second-tier and new teams from across China; you guys probably scrim with these teams pretty often, who do you think are the strongest amongst this group?
NE.Tony: Amongst the ones we often scrim with, everyone’s probably around the same level, but I do think that ForLove and DT Club are a bit stronger.

Q: In appearing as a caster for this Sina Cup, you’ve made a small comeback since fading from the public eye a bit after the last G-1 season, how does that feel?
NE.Tony: G-1 was actually my first major event casting experience, so thanks to G-1 and 17173 for the opportunity and learning chance. For casting Sina Cup I made a lot of preparations, and because I’d become pretty familiar with all the participating teams, along with watching my team scrim and compete, so the main challenges in casting here aren’t issues for me. I hope to get everyone’s support, but will everyone still like me even without my amazing hair from G-1?

Q: Without that hair, it will indeed seem like something is missing. When will we see its triumphant return?
NE.Tony: Wait ’til my hair reaches my waist, we shall meet at TI 1006.

Q: Okay let’s talk a bit about tonight’s match (this match has since been played), your opponents HGT are also a new team, how well do you know them?
NE.Tony: We’re something of a sibling team, we scrim with them quite a bit, and the players all know each other pretty well now.

Q: Since you know each other so well, then how about a simple prediction of odds?
NE.Tony: 50/50, in scrims we both win and lose, so for the match it’ll depend on execution and performance as well as pre-match preparations.

Q: Once again, thanks Tony for the interview, you get the last word.
NE.Tony: Thank you for the interview, and I hope new teams can all achieve good results, and for everyone to lend their support to NE.

Source: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201311/153767.html

WPC-ACE 2013 iG and TongFu post-game interview

SCNTV: Alright, let’s interview the two teams’ captains. This is iG’s YYF, and this is TongFu’s ZSMJ. First question for YYF, you won a game then lost a game, what did you think you lost on in the second game?
iG.YYF: I feel that mainly I didn’t play very well, the fight right after the opposing Lone Druid finished Radiance wasn’t a good fight for me. We actually could’ve won that fight but didn’t get the details right, and then things went out of control afterwards.

SCNTV: Next question for ZSMJ, in the first game your team had a small advantage at times in early game yet still ended up losing, where did you think you lost the game?
TongFu.ZSMJ: I feel that Lone Druid mid might’ve actually been better. And then it was our roaming supports trying to gank mid without much success, and YYF got really fat in top lane, so fat that we didn’t even want to try ganking him, and then we gradually couldn’t compete any longer.

SCNTV: We’ve seen that YYF recently has really favored using Bristleback, so why do you feel that Bristleback is able to be used on the competitive stage?
iG.YYF: Because this version tends to favor teamfights and face-to-face fighting, and Bristleback is just the type of hero for this. He’s excellent in head-on conflicts, can get Mek for the team, so it can be said that he is able to ensure a team’s mid game.

SCNTV: Let’s ask ZSMJ: we know that currently, Alchemist can fit into the 2, 3, and 4 roles, so can you tell us what is so special about a support role Alchemist?
TongFu.ZSMJ: I’ve felt for my entire career that this is a hero that can play everything from the 1 role to hard support, because he has strong abilities, and is also suited for fighting, so he can play in many roles. For a support Alchemist, his stun and acid are both very high damage in early game.

SCNTV: YYF, there’s been a pretty dense line of matches recently, how have practices been for the team, what is the team’s form like right now?
iG.YYF: Just continuously exploring [new tactics], the main purpose of which is to get familiar with things. There are lots of matches right now, so the matches are our main form of practice currently.

SCNTV: ZSMJ, your coach sydm, has been playing as a standin for VG recently, what do you make of his performances?
TongFu.ZSMJ: Even though I didn’t really watch that match, but coach came back and said that they almost made a big comeback with Spectre, so it seems he’s been pretty good.

SCNTV: Okay, thank you to both for the interview, and we hope that you can bring us even more great matches in the future.

Sources: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjM0ODM2OTAw.html – http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201311/153560.html

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TongFu team interview after Round 9 WPC-ACE 2013 match against DK

TongFu takes a well-earned 2-0 victory over the previously-undefeated DK in WPC-ACE League. TongFu talks about their new tactics in 6.79…

Q: Here we’re on-stage for an interview with TongFu. First question is for Zhou-god: last time I asked you if you guys had any confidence in encountering DK. Today you got a 2-0 result, are you satisfied?
Zhou: I can count it as satisfied. Last interview, I had said it, we have a chance to win over DK, even though DK is very strong.

Q: We know that in the first game, you guys last picked Pugna, what thoughts went into this choice?
Zhou: In the draft, the process was a bit of a gamble. We actually weren’t planning on picking Pugna in the first game, but they banned all our wanted heroes, so we ended up with Pugna.

Q: Okay, let’s ask Mu the next question: [in the first game] you used Pugna. It feels like Pugna hasn’t been seen in quite a while, and you definitely haven’t played him in a long time. So what were your considerations going into the game when you were given the hero?
Mu: Having picked Pugna, we were mainly going to be pushing. Try to get an early game advantage in laning, and avoid their tri-lane. Pressure towers. Pugna as a hero is one that I haven’t used in a long time, none in practices, so that was the first time trying the hero (in competitive).

Q: You guys built many Necrobooks, let’s ask Xtt: your Nature’s Prophet built Necrobook quite early on, and while the rest of your team were pushing as four, you and your Necrobook pushed bottom. Was this a tactic that was solidified as a mid-game decision for your team, to endlessly push, going as far as dying to trade for high ground?
Xtt: With our lineup, we could only play this way. It was safer this way. If we went head-on, they (DK) still had the potential to turn it around.

Q: Alright, next question for ZSMJ: in the second game, your Enchanctress earned MVP recognition. You got a great start early on, helped push towers efficiently, and even had an amazing Aegis steal. What inspired you to be so bold in pushing yourself in to steal the Aegis?
ZSMJ: That kind of thing is definitely a gamble — if you have the nerves for it then you’re bold enough to try it, and if you try it, then there’s a chance of success.

Q: Okay. Let’s ask Sansheng a question then. Both games you guys picked pushing lineups, so it could be said that your team is one step ahead currently in your understanding of version 6.79. Perhaps you feel that pushing is the new trend in the metagame. How have your team’s practices and brainstorming been these past few days?
Sansheng: It was just an attempt at trying something. As for pushing, really, Zhou tends to prefer pushing lineups. As for systems, we can play a good variety, and this pushing one is one we’ve just begun trying. We could be able to execute it better in the future.

Q: Let’s ask Zhou-god one last question: with the arrival of 6.79, it would seem that the balance of power has shifted a bit. In your 2-0 over DK, it would seem that you guys have a more advanced understanding of the version, so do you think that the new version has reset things for teams so that they’re all on the same starting line again? Or did you feel that your team simply was ahead in understanding today?
Zhou: I think it’s not necessarily about the version. The heroes we used all didn’t see huge changes. It was just that in the previous version, we weren’t daring enough to try them. But with this new version, we’re willing to try anything out. And in practices, we’ve had excellent results with these heroes, so ultimately we used them.

Alright. Big congratulations to TongFu here, successfully taking DK down and breaking their undefeated streak.

Original vod at: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjI1Mzc2OTUy.html

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UUU9’s Players Pantheon interview series: DK.BurNIng

Pretty cool interview of BurNIng from a few days ago, part of a “Players Pantheon” series from UUU9.com…

BurNIng at a glance:

Name: Xu Zhilei
ID: BurNIng
Birthdate: Feb 16, 1988
Horoscope: Aquarius
Hometown: Tongling, Anhui Province
Nicknames: B-god, Xu-lardar, Xu-Nessaj, Prof Xu
Past teams: 7L, KS.cn, CH, EHOME
Fav heroes: Weaver, Anti-mage
Fav actor: Wentworth Earl Miller
Fav band: Linkin Park
Fav movie: Batman

UUU9: Hello, today we have the honor of interviewing DK’s BurNIng. Say hi to everyone first.
DK.BurNIng: Hello everyone, I am DK’s captain BurNIng.

UUU9: For WPC this time, DK has come from Yunnan all the way to Shanghai. Anything that has needed getting used to for your team?
BurNIng: Only a little bit when we first arrived in Shanghai. We first just checked into a random convenience hotel. And then the training facilities provided here had limits on time, we could only train until 9pm whereas our normal routine would be until 2-3am. But now all these things have been resolved.

UUU9: Oh. Regarding the recently concluded Starladder season, NaVi won 3-2 over Alliance. Did you guys follow this tournament at all, what did you think of the two teams?
BurNIng: I watched the entire tournament live via streams. The two teams felt very close in terms of ability, NaVi gave me the feeling that they spent a lot of time in analyzing Alliance. Their playstyle and drafts were very focused on countering Alliance, so they were able to take the win.

UUU9: If you guys were to face them in a match, what chances do DK have to win?
BurNIng: At the moment I think maybe 30-40% chance. But with further improvements from practice, our chances will rise.

UUU9: Let’s talk about your new teammates. Iceiceice always gives people the feeling of a jokester, does he have a serious side in real life?
BurNIng: When he first came to DK, my impression from him was that he is a player that truly loves Dota. He’s very hard working, we started off when he first came by playing lots of pubs and watching lots of replays.

UUU9: How do you guys normally address him? Cousin (iceiceice once joked that it was his cousin playing for him in a particularly feed-worthy game)? iceiceice?
BurNIng: Usually either ‘cousin’ or ‘ice’.

UUU9: LaNm and iceiceice often show off their affection for each other publicly, what is their relationship?
BurNIng: They are just normal teammates O_O… It’s just iceiceice’s love for being flamboyant on camera, I think.

UUU9: In your eyes, what kind of player is Mushi?
BurNIng: The impression that Mushi gives me is dedicated and humble, and has a great thirst for winning. I think he’s a very good person.

UUU9: DK’s recent form has been excellent, and we’ve heard that you guys have been hard at work training daily. Some fans have suggested that you guys reaching such heights right now might mean that you peak too early and drop in bigger engagements, what do you think?
BurNIng: I feel that form is something that you maintain, you don’t really suddently lose all your form in one day. Form is the result of training and practice, so as long as we can continue on with our effectiveness in training, form is not a problem.

UUU9: All of DK can be considered veteran players, what is your secret to keeping your performances going?
BurNIng: There isn’t really a secret, it’s just staying interested and dedicated.

UUU9: In recent matches, Elder Titan has been either picked or banned almost always. Can B-god share with us some thoughts on this hero’s strengths and weaknesses?
BurNIng: This hero can be said to be the hottest hero in this version (6.78). His main feature his powerful teamfights, as well as his ability to defend towers. He’s good offlane as well as solo mid, has strong laning, doesn’t lose 1v1, and can get a lot of farm for himself in a 1v3 as well. I feel he’s just a very strong hero.

UUU9: Foreign players like to alternate second and third skills, while Chinese players prefer alternating the first and second skills, which do you think is better?
BurNIng: Originally the Chinese style was first and second skills alternating, but recently under a European influence, Chinese players have been going for the second and third skills as well. I feel it’s not bad, but requires more crowd-control from teammates. The aura is really very imba.

UUU9: In the recent DK vs HGT WPC-ACE match, iceiceice’s level 5 ET never got a level of Stomp, and he ended up getting killed over and over, what did you think of this?
BurNIng: I think he was a bit careless. Leveling Stomp or not makes no difference, getting caught meant death regardless.

UUU9: Apart from WPC-ACE, we have G-League, D2L, MLG all starting or about to come, does DK have any big goals set for winning these?
BurNIng: Our goal is of course to win these titles, and we will continue working in training to keep our form going.

UUU9: What do you think of the two newcomer teams in WPC-ACE League — HGT and TongFu 2nd team? What advice would you share with them?
BurNIng: Their ability is quite decent, but there’s still some space between them and professional teams. I’ve watched a few of their replays, and HGT has even taken a win over a pro team. They do pretty well in early game, but towards mid and late game they have a lack of experience. Every professional player undergoes a similar process. Without experience in these situations, they don’t know what to do with an advantage and end up losing. So they need more practice and experience before they’ll be able to see some results.

UUU9: In DK’s games, you guys sometimes move your farm priority down a bit. Has this taken some adjusting to for you?
BurNIng: In forming this team, I’d already established this for myself, if I took this new team and tried to play the same way as before then the results might be even worse than before, so I decided that I should play a bit more aggressively and offensively. Share farm and resources a bit more evenly, not just focus everything on my own hero. This was the way to making the breakthrough, and from current results it would seem that it’s going decently.

UUU9: In the past it was always BurNIng plus 4 protectors. Ever since Mushi and iceiceice joined, your team’s style has changed, so how would you describe your current system?
BurNIng: Our system now is basically: Attack, overwhelm, multi-core.

UUU9: Watching you in the past there was always the feeling that your play was very steady and reliable. Nowadays, it would seem that you’ve gotten more ‘floaty’, what do you think?
BurNIng: I think this has a lot to do with the hero I’m on, and I’ve also been trying to make adjustments myself. I don’t think it’s ‘floaty’, more that it’s type of change.

UUU9: How do you think resources should be shared to supports?
BurNIng: Usually it would depend on the hero. If I don’t need farm or levels that much at a certain time, then I let supports get some to catch up on core items and levels, and then I return to lane afterwards.

UUU9: In WPC-ACE, DK has yet to taste defeat. Many people are guessing at which team will be the one to break your streak, so who do you think is the hardest team for you to face?
BurNIng: Many teams are very strong. VG fought us very hard and it was very close before we made a comeback, iG against us was also a comeback for us. There isn’t as large of a gap between Chinese team as some may think, a lot of things are down to form and execution.

UUU9: Outside of training, what things do you like to do?
BurNIng: Watch some movies, listen to music. I still prefer to stay at home more.

UUU9: When was the last time you visited back home?
BurNIng: After TI3 I went home for a half month break.

UUU9: Now with training and competitions all packed in your schedule, it must be pretty tiring, how many days each month do you have to spend with your girlfriend?
BurNIng: It’s hard to even get a few games of pubs with her every week, much less have time to meet up. Sometimes I feel sorry to her.

UUU9: We saw on weibo your profession of love towards her, so surely she can understand you. Alright, thank you to BurNIng for this interview with us, and we hope DK can continue achieving good results in the future. Anything to say to fans?
BurNIng: Hi UUU9 fans, I am DK’s BurNIng, I want to thank all our fans for their support of DK, and for following DK’s matches. We will strive to continue working hard, and play well in every game and bring exciting performances to repay you all.

Source: http://dota.uuu9.com/zsd/burning/