Category Archives: Interviews

LGD.cn wins The Asia 2012 — post-win interview with xiao8

Dotaland note: This was a joint interview by Sgamer and GGnet; GGnet has a translation up too but I feel that that translation doesn’t suit Dotaland, so I took a few minutes to translate it myself…

Original: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201212/148500.html

In the finals of The Asia in Malaysia, LGD.cn defeated MUFC 2-0 to take the title, thus avenging their earlier defeat to MUFC in group stages and taking home $15000

Afterwards, Sgamer and Gosugamers interviewed LGD.cn’s captain Ning “xiao8” Zhang, and director 8 expressed the feeling that there was extra pressure on them being the only Chinese team present. Their loss in the first match of the tournament to MUFC allowed them to cool down a bit and re-analyze their opponents and themselves, ultimately allowing them to get revenge in the finals. After winning they feel great; and in the interview he analyzed a bit on what happened in the finals matchup, explaining that Nyx Assassin is very fearsome in this patch, to the point of being a must-pick hero. Let us delve into the details below~

Q: xiao8, first of all congratulations to you and your team for taking The Asia championship. Thank you for accepting this join interview from SGamer and Gosugamers. Please introduce yourself first?

xiao8: Hello everyone, I am LGD.xiao8

Q: How do you feel right now?

xiao8: I feel awesome. Because we were the only team representing China here, there was some added pressure at first, but right now I just feel great~

Q: So, your finals opponent was MUFC, do you feel that MUFC is stronger with Hyhy?

xiao8: I feel that the addition of Hyhy increases MUFC’s competitiveness, but I felt that as we gradually became accustomed to their strategies in matches and analyzed them, we could defeat them.

Q: Your team only lost one match at this competition, that was precisely against MUFC in the first match of the tournament. When you learned you would be against them again in the finals, what were your thoughts?

xiao8: There weren’t too many specific thoughts, because after we first lost to them, we analyzed the reasons that caused us to lose. We discussed whether it was a strategic problem or individual problem, and in doing so we learned our lesson, so we were very calm.

Q: Your team in both games of the finals picked Nyx Assassin for your counter-push lineup, what were the reasons behind picking him for you?

xiao8: Nyx Assassin is a hot hero in this patch version. He can control the flow of the game, he has burst, and he can easily solo kill enemy squishies, so I feel that he is a must-pick hero in this version.

Q: In the first game, MUFC innovated a bit in their picks of Death Prophet and Necrolyte for a push strategy, yet failed to achieve much of a result. You guys controlled the match throughout. What are your views on this game?

xiao8: On paper, this looks like a very fearsome push strategy. But our heroes were simply stronger overall, plus when they began pushing we were able to disrupt their tactic, and thus the game continuously favored us.

Q: In the second game, MUFC picked Lifestealer along with Enchantress. In the first game, we discovered that MUFC favors fighting you guys 3v3, yet failed to find much success with this most of the time. However, in the second match they managed to gain the upper hand in early game, and the fighting became much fiercer, so what did you guys do to handle their counter aggression?

xiao8: We fell behind because Yao skilled the wrong ability in early game while going bottom lane, which led to us losing that lane. But our lineup was geared more towards countering theirs, specifically for countering Lifestealer, so gradually in mid-game we re-gained our standing. Additionally, Lifestealer isn’t really a great DPS hero.

Q: Lately, the Southeast Asian scene has just wrapped up the SMM 2012 competition, which meant many teams were training Dota, and not training much Dota2. How much preparation did LGD have for The Asia 2012?

xiao8: Indeed, we had been training all along for this competition.

Q: Many people believe that SEA teams are closing the gap with Chinese teams, what are your views on this?

xiao8: I feel that in terms of individual skill, the gap is not very big. But in terms of teams, the gap is still very large, because SEA and most foreign teams all lack the professionalism and communal training and analysis environments that Chinese teams have. So I believe that Chinese teams are still that much stronger.

Q: Christmas is just about here, and now that you’ve won, you have the best gift for yourselves. Before you head back to China, are you guys going to celebrate at all? Buy some gifts for family or girlfriends?

xiao8: We plan on buying some stuff, and then we’re going to invite MUFC to dinner, and we can celebrate together.

The Asia interview with LGD.dd: “we will bring the title back to China”

Original: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201212/148489.html

 

The Asia’s first day of matches has ended, and after an arduos day of competition, LGD has squeaked by and advanced from their group with a 2nd place group finish. Back at the hotel, we managed to get a text interview with the low-key LGD.DD (they have not taken any video interviews from anyone yet, their focus is to win first and then do interviews!). He shared a bit about his experience so far at The Asia, and analyzed the reasons behind their loss to MUFC earlier. Let us take a look together~

Q: Thank you to DD for accepting this interview with SGamer Dota2, first off say hello to everyone.

DD: Hello everyone I am LGD’s DD.

Q: You’ve been in Kuala Lumpur for two dasys now, and in that time it has snowed in many places back in China! Can you tell everyone a bit about the weather over here?

DD: The weather here is very hot and humid, and it rains often. Everyday it’s around 30 degrees celsius, so it’s all about the t-shirts and shorts.

Q: Even though it’s very hot outside, inside the venue it’s quite cool~ Are you satisfied with the organization and preparation of the hosts this time, for example what are your thoughts on the hotel or venue arrangements, etc?

DD: The hotel is definitely quite good. But for the competition itself, I have to say that today’s matches went on for a bit too long, and ended up affecting our performance to a certain extent. And especially on the main stage, it was a little bit too cool up there, the air conditioning was too strong. We were shivering all over as we sat up there.

Q: Today’s headline match was the first match of the competition, where you guys lost to MUFC. What were the aspects your team faltered in that led to the loss?

DD: Our roster picks and lane arrangements had problems. And their Lone Druid completed his Radiance very early, that in addition to strong pushing in Tormented Soul, Furion… in the first push early on, our defense was too forced, and once that fight was over we’d already lost the momentum of that game, which was made worse by the fact that our roster was only suited for teamfights, not for late-game.

Q: Do you feel that MUFC are strong? Especially since hyhy is also playing for them here at this The Asia tournament.

DD: Pretty strong indeed, their ability is quite decent. Hyhy is also a very experienced played, so his joining only makes them stronger.

Q: After the match, Sylar and xiao8 reflected that Night Stalker could be switched out for Brewmaster or Sven, or the hard support could be switched out for Keeper of the Light, for a greater effect in that these heroes are very flexible. What do you think?

DD: This mainly you have to look at the rosters on each side. Though heroes like Keeper of the Light are indeed very flexible and fit in many places, only needing one other AOE skill to insta-clear creep waves, allowing a team to drag defense out for a long time. Actually, our loss to MUFC wasn’t entirely down to the picks; we simply didn’t expect it to be that tough, added on top of the fact that we played poorly in early game and allowed Lone Druid to get fat.

Q: After this match, xiao8 constantly repeated a phrase: “If we lose another one, we’re done”. In the following matches, you guys completely stomped your opponents. So the first loss was a warning to you all?

DD: Yes, it really was if we lost another match we would be dead. We had been forced to the edge of the cliff, so we could only play every match to the best of our abilities. And we are slowly finding our match form; these first matches can only be said to be warmups — the real matches will be tomorrow!

Q: Tomorrow you face off in the brutal elimination stages, and your first opponent is MITH.Trust. Any specific plans to deal with them?

DD: It’s been a long time since we last practiced with Trust, plus they advanced as winners of their group B, so they cannot be underestimated. Tomorrow’s matches are best of 1, so we must be wary of them and any killer strategies they may have. We will have a team meeting tomorrow morning to look at how to deal with them.

Q: Okay, we hope you will bring the championship here back to China, LGD add oil! Lastly, say something to the fans!

DD: Thank you SGamer for the interview, thank you to our sponsors Taobao, Razer, and LGD, we will bring the title back! Please support us, everyone!

TongFu.int squad coming? Old pro ZhaoYun talks this, his return to Dota, LoL being low skill, and more…

Original: http://dota.sgamer.com/201212/news-detail-159152.html

Famed overseas Chinese Dota player ZhaoYun has in recent days been rumored to be considering a return to competitive Dota/Dota2, in addition to returning to China to help build a mysterious new team. Sgamer’s Dota reporter XiaoShou managed to contact him for an interview, and in the interview he revealed that he was indeed making preparations to return to the scene, and had nothing but praise for the recent TI2 in Seattle. And Chinese teams’ performances in TI2, as well as Dota2’s outstanding production quality are the factors that led to his decision. Lastly, he suggested that it was a possibility for him to join TongFu, and help them build a new international squad for competitions in 2013. Let us take a look at the details~

SGamer (SG): Thank you ZhaoYun for accepting this interview with Sgamer.com. First off, say hello to all the Dota fans out there?

ZhaoYun (ZY): Hello everyone, I am ZhaoYun, it’s been quite a while.

SG: Remember that last time we interviewed you, you said you hoped to go back to China to play professionally, but then how come we never heard from you again after that?

ZY: I married the person I loved in my heart, and so I left Dota for a long time.

SG: At the time everyone thought you would go and join Chisbug and LongDD’s team, and thus create the ultimate combo of ZhaoYun and Zilong (heroes in Chinese lore).

ZY: Yeah, at the time it was something I also really anticipated, but that period of time I was way too busy, and then after half a year it seemed like I had lost a lot of passion for Dota.

SG: Can you tell everyone a bit about your recent situation?

ZY: Yep, recently I’ve just been working, when I have a bit of time I go play some Texas Hold’em at the casino, watch some sports, and in spare time play some Dota2 (Dotabuff profile).

SG: What do you see in the future for the development of Dota and Dota2?

ZY: Seems like most players have gotten used to Dota2, I feel that Dota2 has already replaced Dota, and honestly speaking I think Dota2 has been done excellently.

SG: At this year’s TI2, what are your views on Chinese teams’ performances?

ZY: At the time, I hadn’t played much Dota in quite a bit, it’s only been the past few months that I’ve gotten back into playing. But I watched TI2, practically every important match I watched, and Chinese teams performed exceptionally; for Chinese teams their biggest feature is that they are steady.

SG: Do you feel that currently there still exists a big gap between Chinese and Western teams, especially North American Dota?

ZY: This is something that I think everyone is very clear on, TI2’s results say everything.

SG: What do you think has allowed LoL to spread so widely, have you played this game before?

ZY: I’ve watched some friends play it, I think the graphics are too flashy, feels like it’s more geared towards female players. And it seems like its tempo is a bit slower than Dota. I don’t really like LoL, it looks like a low skill game.

SG: Heard that you created a new team lately, can you introduce the team and its players for us?

ZY: Yeah, they’re all former teammates and friends. March, Mystyle, Swissbeatz, and Zaku I’m sure everyone still remembers. And then there is Solara, who should be known by some people in North America. Unfortunately March graduated, and is about to head back to South Korea, so in the future we won’t have many chances to play together anymore. Here I also want to wish this good friend of mine smooth sailing in life from here on!

SG: What are your upcoming plans?

ZY: First try and participate in lots of competitions, practice with the team and build understanding. At the same time, look for new sponsors. There has been contact with some teams back in China, and there’s a possibility that we will take the form of an international squad for a certain team and represent them in competitions that way.

SG: Which club, can you reveal?

ZY: TongFu.

SG: Okay, we hope that ZhaoYun’s return to professional Dota can bring us new things, any last words for our fans?

ZY: Diaoyu Islands are China’s (Dotaland note: aka the Senkaku Islands)!

 

 

 

Netease interview with iG — “playing pro is quite tiring, ChuaN loves air conditioning…” and new iG team in the making?

Dotaland note: A site that doesn’t do much coverage of Dota, Netease, did this interview with 4 members of iG. It’s got some blatant product placement, which is itself an interesting look into the degree of commercialization and sponsorship that Chinese teams have access to. Additionally, Zhou’s responses are stiff and authoritative as usual, there’s talk of them participating in creation of a new iG team (!), and near the end they each talk a bit about each other, which is sorta fun.

Original: http://game.163.com/12/1211/16/8IF4685700314K8H.html

Netease (NE): We’re very happy to be able to interview the members of iG’s renowned Dota team, go ahead and say hello.

Zhou: Hello to all fans of the Netease gaming section, I am iG’s Zhou.

Faith: Hi everyone, I am iG’s Faith.

430: Hi everyone, I am iG’s 430.

YYF: Hi everyone, I am iG’s YYF.

NE: First off, congratulations for your win in the Dota2 competition at WCG2012. Can you talk about how it felt at the time?

Zhou: At the time we were very happy, and very excited. WCG can be described as a dream for all professional gamers, and so for us to take the title in Dota2 can be seen as fulfilling a career dream.

NE: We watched all the matches in the competition, and iG’s advantage was quite noticeable. Was there any specific game that left you the biggest impression?

Faith: The second game in the finals, if we had dealt with laning properly then the opponent would have had no chance against us in the following teamfights. But because we had some mistakes in earlier fights, there was a risk of it spiralling out of control for us, but we gradually rediscovered our feel for it and eventually took the game.

NE: We heard that you guys really took this competition seriously. In order to fully prepare, what were some things you did beforehand?

Faith: In the days leading up to the competition, we intensified our training, and focused on practicing some of the more popular heroes.

NE: In matches, apart from strong player mentality and high-level performances, computer hardware also greatly affects outcomes. What do you feel are the most important hardware indicators for competitive gaming?

430: Usually, there are very high requirements for video cards, processor, and RAM.

NE: We heard that you guys used Lenovo’s Y-series laptop for training at one point before the competition. Normally in training desktops are used more, so what led you to considering the Y-series laptop?

430: Because its hardware specs fit our requirements decently. Its processor is an Intel i7, graphics are driven by a GForce650, plus it has 4GB of RAM, so it runs Dota2 quite comfortably.

NE: We’ve also heard that the Y400 has some special features, were these a factor in choosing this product?

430: Originally the reason we bought this was for its Ultrabay feature, it allows modifications to fit changing needs. For example when we play big games (on full screen) we have greater requirements for graphics, so we can utilize dual graphics card mode and thus achieve very smooth effects. Similarly, if we feel that heat dissipation is becoming an issue, we just switch in a fan, and this problem naturally goes away. The ability to make adjustments to key parts when needed, this is definitely a very convenient feature, and it suits our needs as professional gamers. After using this for a while, we all feel that the experience has been quite good, so we really like it.

NE: Supposedly you guys are planning on a nationwide talent search, where worthy candidates are selected to join iG for professional training sessions, with a chance to represent iG itself in competition. Can you give us some details?

YYF: Soon we will take part in a series of school campus events, the goal is to select five exceptional players, and then we will train them as a team, and they will represent iG at competitions.

NE: As a professional team, in what direction will iG develop for the future?

Zhou: Our team’s development direction is to become an international top tier Dota2 professional team.

NE: Any short-term plans, or long-term goals?

Zhou: Short-term plans are to win every single major competition, long-term goal is simply to become an international top-tier Dota2 professional team.

NE: Any special arrangements to help along the way?

Zhou: Better training, more communication, improve teamwork, practice player understandings, etc.

NE: So you’ve been training very hard lately, you have competitions coming up soon?

Zhou: Indeed, our hard work in training is so we can win more competitions.

NE: You’ve all been on this team for a relatively longer amount of time, in your professional careers, what kind of feel have iG and esports given you?

YYF: I think, when first coming into esports it was holding onto dreams and hopes, playing for the love of esports and gaming. So in the beginning there was a lot of passion, and when you win your first championship there is a lot of excitement. But after that, training day after day, honestly also gets quite tiring. Professional gaming isn’t actually just fun and games like a lot of people think, it is also a kind of work.

NE: Normally, an esports team’s players should have very close understandings, and I see that you guys have excellent teamwork. Are your personal bonds with each other similarly strong, are there any interesting stories to share from this?

Zhou: 430 and YYF often mess around with each other, this is what I think is most interesting.

Faith: ChuaN keeps the air conditioning on cold no matter what the weather is like, even in deep winter he’s gonna want it on.

430: Sleeping at night, Faith grinds his teeth, it’s like someone is eating in the middle of the night.

YYF: I often stand by 430 and watch him play pubs. When he’s solo mid, every time he dies 1v1 he’ll utter a phrase, “This person is so noob!” and then I’ll make fun of him, “He’s such a noob but he still killed you”.

NE: YYF brought it up just now — esports itself is a professional industry, and many people don’t really understand it much. Can you give an overview of it for everyone, is it what everyone thinks it is or is there a distance between reality and what people believe?

YYF: There’s still some difference from what most people think, everyone thinks it’s just fun and play, and while there is a lot of passion and joy at first, over a long period of time, no matter how much interest you have in it, needing to play and train for 10+ hours a day is enough to grind anyone down.

178 interview with Dendi at WCG

Original: http://dota2.178.com/201211/148269962870.html

Q: Hello Dendi, thank you for accepting 178’s interview. This is your first time visiting Kunshan right? What first impressions do you have of this city?

Dendi: Hello. To be honest, I don’t yet have much of an impression, because I came here directly after getting off the plane.

Q: Then how do you feel about the atmosphere of the event here?

Dendi: Very nice, although it feels like there are relatively few people. But Chinese viewers are very passionate.

Q: Previously we heard that the Ukrainian team’s travel visas encountered some issues, can you explain what happened?

Dendi: Ok, because we were coming directly after playing at Dreamhack, schedules were very cramped, so at the airport when we spoke with the customs officer we were told that our visas had problems. After hearing that, we begged them and asked them in every way, and finally the second day they allowed us to go.

Q: Has this mishap affected you guys at all, are you tired at all? Does it affect your form?

Dendi: No, not at all. Conversely, we actually got quite a bit of rest time during the day that we spent waiting, we passed it quite luxuriously, so there aren’t any problems.

Q: The Ukrainian team this time is pieced together with players from different teams, how do you feel about the team’s ability level? How is your teamwork coming along, did you engage in any special training for WCG?

Dendi: These players and I go back quite far, and players like goblin are long-time veterans, lots of experience, so their ability is absolutely solid. The only thing we lack is team understanding, because time has been quite tight so we never had any previous practice. We’ll have to learn as we compete; let’s see if there will be good results.

Q: Actually, you have practiced! Just now at the Dota2 expo booth here, weren’t you guys grouped up in a match?

Dendi: Haha, that was just for fun.

Q: Then tell us about your Void just now… why did you build Arcane boots and two Blades of Attack?

Dendi: Playing pubs is just for fun, so I built whatever I felt like building, plus Void does really have mana problems!!

Q: In your latest match in WCG, your team easily defeated a Mongolian team, talk a bit about that match.

Dendi: It was alright, but the internet at the live event really is horrid. The screen was stuttering back and forth, this really affects our performance.

Q: In your group, there are two other powerhouses in Orange and DK, do you think you have a good chance at advancing from the group?

Dendi: I can’t really say, we can only try our best, and beat at least one of DK or Orange.

Q: At this WCG, which team do you think will take the title?

Dendi: DK or iG I think, Orange has a chance too. Of course we are good as well *laughs*

Q: Is this your first time participating in a WCG World Finals? What are your thoughts on Dota2’s first appearance as an official competition?

Dendi: I’m very excited, after all WCG is an old-school big name competition. As for Dota2 being added in, I can only say one thing: it’s cool!!!

Q: Next up we’re gonna head into gossip hour. Your style and personality has won quite a bit of fame and following, and a lot of Chinese girls like you a lot, did you know this?

Dendi: Haha, I didn’t know

Q: Well then, do you like China’s girls? Any considerations of finding yourself a Chinese girlfriend?

Dendi: It’s possible, Chinese girls are quite nice, for example there are many hotties right here at this venue, haha.

Q: Alright, I can only say I wish you good luck then. Thank you Dendi for the interview, we hope you will bring us more exciting play.

Dendi: Thank you. Nihao, wo ai ni (spoken in Chinese by Dendi here, means Hello, I love you)

Chisbug reveals a little more on ZSMJ’s new team… three confirmed members, sponsored by LGD as well?

Original: http://fight.pcgames.com.cn/warcraft/dota/interview/1211/2700000.html

Q: Hello, CH! Long time no see!

CH: Indeed, it truly has been quite a while.

Q: As ChuaN-god’s replacement for iG here at WCG, how do you feel?

CH: I think quite honored, after large-scale competitions like WCG aren’t many, and I’ve really been hungry for a return to the battlefield, to enjoy the rush brought about by competing.

Q: Yesterday, ZSMJ confirmed at the Perfect World Dota2 expo booth that he was returning to competitive Dota, can you talk about how your new team’s creation is coming along?

CH: Indeed, ZSMJ first contacted, and I was very glad to help him. Our goals are the same. Right now the team only has three players, [in addition to myself and ZSMJ], the other player currently is a Zhensan (Dotaland note: Zhensan is a Warcraft 3 mod similar to Dota, using Romance of the Three Kingdoms lore) player named Show. We’re currently searching for the other two players. The hope is to complete the team by the end of the year.

Q: Have you found sponsors for the new team?

CH: The team’s sponsor situation is exceptionally stable, the base will be in Tianjin. Currently the team name also has LGD in it, it will take the format of LGD.XXX (the specific details beyond this cannot be revealed yet)

Q: Speaking of, thinking back to originally when iG’s new roster excluded your name, what was the feeling like?

CH: To be honest, really sad and disappointed. The only thing I could do while sitting at home with nothing to do was to play a few pubs, at that time the ladder system had just debuted, I remember I was ranked top 10 or so.

Q: Well, we wish for you to continue your efforts and good luck in your career!

CH: Thank you, this is why I’ve come back!

This video has ChuaN and Dendi, at WCG

Unable to play in WCG, ChuaN is hanging out. Here he’s been recruited as an emergency translator as GTV’s Xiaoyou attempts to interview Dendi! I make no judgment of the interviewer. lol. Dendi shows off his limited Chinese skills, all in all good fun.

Rough transcript below (actually not that rough).

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDgyMTM4NDE2.html

Rough transcript (including the obvious English parts for completeness):

0:18 Xiaoyou: Here we are fortunate enough to get an interview with NaVi’s Dendi, representing the Ukrainian team in Dota2 at WCG, a player that everyone loves. First off let’s have him say hi to everyone!

0:33 Dendi: Hello, I am Danil Ishutin, I play for NaVi, at this WCG I play for Ukraine.

0:42 Xiaoyou: Oh, I forgot to mention, this here we have ChuaN who is serving as our special translator, give him a shot. Okay, good, thank you to him for the hard work.

0:49 Xiaoyou: *laughs* Really, the two of them have a great relationship, we can all see this. Anyway, we’d like to ask Dendi, how many times have you visited China?

0:55 Dendi: Twice before, yeah…

1:02 Xiaoyou: Then can you speak any Chinese?

1:04 Dendi: Yeah of course — Nihao (means hello), wo ai ni (means I love you)… … …

1:09 Xiaoyou: *laughs* Well, thank you! I’m so touched that I’ve knocked this thing of my mic…

1:14 Xiaoyou: So he’s said everything I want to hear, and now I’m blushing >.<

1:20 Xiaoyou: Now that this is your third time here, can you tell us your impression of China?

1:22 Dendi: Mmm, it’s pretty good. Only been here one day so far this time.

1:34 Xiaoyou: Then… you like China?

1:40 Dendi: Yeah! Of course! *nods*

1:44 Xiaoyou: *laughs* I really want him to say a bit more! Then let’s ask him his impression of the girls here in China.

1:54 Dendi: China girls are very cute.

2:00 Xiaoyou: Ohh, yes, I see. *embarrassed* When he said that he glanced at me!! Nah, just kidding.

2:04 Xiaoyou: Okay, let’s ask some real questions. You’re here for the Dota2 competition, representing Ukraine. Then, were there any special preparations before coming here to compete?

2:16 Dendi: *ooooh points at ChuaN accusingly (he thought ChuaN mistranslated on purpose to ‘steal’ practice secrets, joke of course)* Well, we have some strategies in mind but we didn’t practice at all.

2:30 Xiaoyou: Ah. So when he pointed at you just now, it was because you are iG and he was accusing you of trying to sabotage them?

2:36 ChuaN: Yeah.

2:36 Xiaoyou: Ohh. We can see that Dendi is indeed very smart. Okay then, now I want to ask a bit about iG. At TI2 in Seattle you guys ended up losing to iG to take 2nd place, did you do any extra analysis of iG afterwards?

2:53 Dendi: We tried to realize what went wrong, and so on, yeah.

3:03 Xiaoyou: At this competition, who do you think is your biggest threat?

3:08 Dendi: ChuaN is my bodyguard! Eh, DK, Orange, and iG… but without ChuaN, iG’s chances are … *shrugs laughingly*

3:22 Xiaoyou: Indeed. So without ChuaN iG is not threat to them, is that what he means?

3:34 Dendi: No I’m joking, iG is strong of course…

3:38 Xiaoyou: Okay, at last, because there are many many fans that really love Dendi, we hope that Dendi can say some words to all those fans of his.

3:47 Dendi: … I love you too! *smiles*

3:51 Xiaoyou: Oh… is that all? I want him to say more, because this competition is an important one, how about he says some stuff to add oil for his own team here?

3:59 Dendi: Yeah, we understand that it is big, and we will try our best. *shrugs*

4:13 Xiaoyou: And we also hope that he will achieve his results, and not let all us fans down!

4:20 Dendi: Yeah, thank you.

4:25 Xiaoyou: Okay then. We hope everyone plays well. This was an on-site report brought to you by GTV.

Pre-WCG interview with iG.430

Original: http://dota2.replays.net/news/page/20121126/1752319.html

Replays.Net: 430 hello, welcome to this interview with Replays.Net, first say hi to everyone

iG.430: Hello everyone, I am Dota player 430 from iG

RN: Dota2 has become an official competition of WCG, so do you have any thoughts about finally being able to meet and face fellow Dota players on the WCG stage?

430: I’m very excited, WCG is an old-school name and I’ve been drawn to it since I was young.

RN: Dendi is also supposed to attend this WCG, and the two of you are the top solo mid players in the world, can you talk a bit with us about your experiences playing against him, and how you will approach it this WCG?

430: Dendi’s play is quite intelligent, playing against him, typically it’s the mid-game teamfights where he displays flawless execution.

RN: ChuaN due to nationality cannot play with iG at WCG this time, what kind of reaction has he had to this?

430: A bit sad I think, missing out on such a big competition.

RN: Hearing that Chisbug will be replacing ChuaN for this competition, we want to ask how Chisbug is doing in Dota2? How has his training been with you all? Will positions within the team change because of Chisbug being added in?

430: Chisbug is temporarily replacing ChuaN’s position for this WCG, his pub play is pretty good. The training has also been decent, and there will be no position changes because he’s just replacing ChuaN for now.

RN: G-1 offline your performances weren’t very good, and there are some strong opponents at WCG, have you made any adjustments in the time between then and now to prepare?

430: Hard work in training, work on improving form. And some analysis of pick and ban lineups.

RN: In your view, who are your biggest opponents at WCG? Surely iG’s goal must be champions, how much confidence do you have?

430: DK and NaVi  think, and 50% confidence in being champions.

RN: Competitions both in China and around the world have pretty much all transitioned to Dota2 now, yet many Chinese teams hold varying degrees of love for DotA, what are your views on the trends in transitions?

430: It’s simply the greater trend now, I think once people are used to Dota2, most will prefer it more.

RN: The Chinese vendor for Dota2 has been confirmed as Perfect World. From a professional player’s point of view, can you give an opinion, or some suggestions?

430: The experience for new players must be well implemented, and then it’s ensuring server quality, as well as incorporating anti-hack systems.

RN: We all know that you often queue with JJ Lin (Dotaland note: Chinese mega pop star, srsly huge in Asia), this has made us all curious — what is his skill leve like? Does he have interest in your competition results? Is there ever any discussion of competitions?

430: Pretty much average pub player level. As for competitions, he doesn’t follow them. He just plays for fun when he’s got some time.

RN: After the International in Seattle, many Chinese Dota2 teams have seen improved flexibility and creativity in lineups and strategies, drafting many formerly un-used heroes to the clan war stage. On this matter, iG has definite right to speak, so can you explain to us a bit about what brought about these new developments, and whether there have been any changes in mental approaches?

430: Because in Dota2 some heroes have much improved movement projectile animations, such as Leshrac and Queen of Pain, in addition to some differences in mechanics, so we have rarely used Dota1 heroes becoming more popular in Dota2. In terms of mental approach, we’ve become more eager to play less utilized heroes.

RN: At this WCG are there any specific players or competitions that you are particularly interested in following?

430: Not right now, no.

RN: There are two Mongolian teams at this WCG whom you have never faced before, it might be that they have some special tactics prepared, is there any pressure?

430: This is something that can only be known once we face off, [it’s not a new situation] because there are many able teams in the SEA Dota2 scene.

RN: WCG is a worldwide competition, with strong representative teams from various countries coming to determine a victor. Of course, in both Dota1 and Dota2 Chinese teams are top in terms of ability, what do you feel is the reason Chinese teams can establish and maintain this lead?

430: More professional scene than in other places. In my understanding, most other teams in other countries are strictly online, only coming together for a few days before major competitions.

RN: We’ve talked so much about competition, can you tell everyone a bit about your everyday life? Apart from training do you have any other activities and interests? We all want to know how vibrant and colorful our player-gods’ lives are….

430: Actually it’s very ordinary… after training every night we all just go and play a few pubs, watch something, or read something, stuff like that.

RN: If iG wins the first WCG Dota2 competition and you need to speak on stage, what would you say?

430: I would say a childhood dream has been realized.

RN: Thank you 430 for doing this interview with us, and we wish you success at WCG and glory for the motherland.

430: Thank you to Replays.Net for the interview, I will bring good form and win the competition.

Pre-WCG interview with DK.BurNing

Source: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201211/148195.html (apparently the original original is from Replays.Net, can’t find that though… nor did I look really hard)

RN: It could be said that WCG used to be the absolute top of world esports competition, but as other competition scaled up both their size and prizepools, it feels as if WCG is no longer a major attraction. How do you all feel towards WCG as a competition?

BurNing: I believe that many people only became interested in esports because of WCG, me being one of them. No matter what the prize pool is, WCG has been around for all these years, so it undoubtedly remains one of the most influential events around the world.

RN: Your team just ended their G-1 competition. Surely for a team such as yours with such grand ambitions and confidence, taking second place was not satisfactory. This WCG is a very good opportunity to redeem yourselves somewhat, do you feel that this will be a new start for you?

BurNing: Compared to LGD and iG, we’ve always been in more of a breaking in period in terms of teamwork. Our G-1 results indeed cannot leave us satisfied, we lost due to insufficient preparation, so we await the upcoming challenges presented by WCG.

RN: We all feel that current DK has great talent, but it seems that there were communication issues between players. Right now have there been adjustments and discussions regarding who should take the lead in matches, in order to avoid splits in decision-making in the future?

BurNing: These problems have indeed shown themselves a bit recently, in both bans and picks as well as overall tactical thought there have been not insignificant amounts of differences, and we’re currently making adjustments.

RN: In this G-1, Luna had an extremely high win rate, and Magnus and Jakiro both joined in as hot commodities, yet it seems like DK doesn’t tend to favor picking heroes like these, with you guys more often going for Leshrac, Invoker. Does this have to do with your team style, or what? Have you tried some new strategies?

BurNing: We’ve been too singular in our training, and our picks haven’t been very suitable for the current tempo of games, yet we never went to try new setups. These issues are a result of inappropriate training methods.

RN: It feels like the overall ability of your opponents at this WCG aren’t very strong, with various teams missing members due to WCG regulations, including iG without ChuaN. Does this lead to more confidence in winning the title here?

BurNing: Even without ChuaN, they’re still very strong. Additionally, Orange as well as the Ukrainian team led by Dendi cannot be underestimated.

RN: In your eyes, right now who is a tougher opponent between LGD and iG, and who do you like to face more?

BurNing: Both are quite tough, and we don’t like facing either, it’s just that towards the later stages of competitions they’ll always be there.

RN: From a professional player’s point of view, is it easy road to win for you or is it a bit sad that so many strong teams and players won’t be present?

BurNing: Those with ability will naturally be able to win, those without it can only watch others win, so it all has nothing to do with who is participating in a given competition.

RN: So these teams at WCG are mostly all unknown, do you think that all the non-Chinese teams are walkovers?

BurNing: At WCG we will not slack in any match, we will take every opponent seriously.

RN: WCG has always lacked a Dota competition, so as a first-time participant of WCG this year, do you have any thoughts?

BurNing: First time participating in a world finals for WCG, I’m sure it will be very exciting and fierce.

RN: Does your family occasionally watch you in your competitions?

BurNing: Occasionally they will. Usually it’s when I win, I give them a call, and when I lose, they give me a call. It’s been quite a while since I gave them a call.

RN: Although many fans have been very disappointed with your recent performances, really it’s because everyone has a sort of high expectation for DK. So any words to those fans and followers?

BurNing: Thank you to i-ROCKS for sponsoring our team, thank you to everyone for their long-time hopes and support of DK. We’ve disappointed you all, we’re currently working hard to make adjustments, so believe us, we’ll be back.