Category Archives: Weekly recaps

Recaps of each week in Chinese Dota, as covered by Dotaland

Dotaland recaps: Apr 4 — Apr 24, 2013

Bit of an agglomerated recap here, spanning a few weeks. Anyway, lots of interesting stuff. Interviews, a progression of Perfect World announcements and moves, a faithful Dota fan, the upcoming Chinese beta, and so on. Check it all out below!

Apr 10

G-1 Interviews Roundup: YYF, Sylar, iceiceice, and more!

Lots of fun G-1 interviews with all your favorite players~

Apr 12

Perfect World 1M RMB tournament

Early in the month, we heard more about PW’s tournament, as well as the upcoming beta…

Apr 16

One fan brings Dota to Tibet…

Recently, one dedicated fan of Dota made the pilgrimmage to a center of Buddhist spiritualism, Tibet, and brought Dota 2 along with him to find blessings for the upcoming launch of Dota 2 servers in China.

Apr 17

KingJ joins TongFu, replacing yAobAi

Only having joined ForLove recently, KingJ makes another move, this time to TongFu.

Apr 18

Perfect World and AMD announce partnership / xiao8’s round 2 on TV

This piece covers PW and AMD’s new strategic partnership, and updates on xiao8’s adventures on TV dating shows…

Apr 19

Chinese server beta coming April 28

We finally get a date for the Chinese Dota 2 server beta!

Apr 20

Perfect World’s Dota 2 league coming in May

And we also get a (rough) date for PW’s announced Dota 2 league!

Apr 23

Interview with Perfect World CEO

PW CEO Robert Hong Xiao talks some business talk, and some insightful talk…

iG first invite to TI3

Yep. No surprise there. With pictures!

Dotaland weekly recap: Mar 28 — Apr 3, 2013

This week featured an interesting question and answer session with iG.ChuaN and iG CEO Efeng, very candid and insightful. The people at Perfect World remain active with a release day drawing ever nearer, VG and ZSMJ make changes, April Fools happened with a ‘rumor’ on Mushi, and G-1 marches on with half a dozen more fun little interviews. Check it all out inside!

Mar 27

iG.ChuaN and iG CEO Efeng question and answer session

iG held an event on t.qq (similar to Twitter) where anyone could ask questions and they would answer. Good questions, good answers. Quite a bit of good stuff here, check it out.

Mar 28

Chinese Dota 2 server test to come April 15?

Rumors are placing the impending Perfect World Dota 2 launch ever closer…

VG makes internal changes: ZSMJ to join VG first team, Cty to move to solo mid position

As the title says, ZSMJ has been moved into the VG first team, previous VG first team carry Cty moves to the solo mid position.

Mar 29

Official Chinese Dota 2 portal site ramping up with events

Wondering what our Chinese Dota friends have been up to? How their community has been growing and evolving? Here’s a snippet…

Apr 1

Mushi searching for a Chinese team

April Fools! But still, it remains an interesting thought exercise to think about where he might go if Mushi were indeed to move to China…

Apr 2

G-1 interviews roundup: Mushi, Faith, RSnake and LGD managers, and more!

Lots of interviews for G-1… check ’em all out at the G-1 portal. Previews and direct links at Dotaland!

 

 

Dotaland weekly recap: Mar 21 — Mar 27, 2013

G-1 Champions League Season 5 is in full swing and phase three is just about to kick off, led off by a Phase 3 preview on the G-1 portal. On top of that, check out all sorts of interviews with players from many different participating G-1 teams. Additionally, this week saw debate on esports in the mainstream in China, with a very well-written newspaper article summing up many useful points — worth a read. All this and more, below!

Mar 21

For.Love adds KingJ and Zippo

For.Love adds two veteran players shortly before their G-1 debut. Results were not ideal, but understandable. The roster looks promising on paper, surely For.Love will be back stronger!

G-1 interviews: For.Love.KingJ, RSnake.LaNm

New For.Love member KingJ talks about his reappearance on the scene, LaNm shares his thoughts on his new team and G-1.

Mar 22

G-1 interview: VG.CTY

VG’s carry player CTY talks about what it’s like to now be in the same club as ZSMJ, and more, in this G-1 interview.

Perfect World’s Dota team making moves

A short update on what Perfect World are up to, and the status of Dota 2’s launch in China.

Mar 24

G-1 interviews: RSnake.Icy, TongFu.Mu

Icy shares insights on Gyro, thoughts for G-1, Mu gives thoughtful answers

Mar 25

Chinese Esports National Team incoming? …And related debates of esports in the mainstream

In this article that first appeared in a Chinese newspaper, we touch on mainstream understanding and acceptance of esports in China, along with hints that government organizations are looking to support esports in a major way in the future.

Mar 26

G-1 Phase 3 preview; interview with Chains.Johnny

Looking at the 8 teams that have made it this far, their strengths and weaknesses, and what to watch for. Also, a link to an interview with Chains’ Johnny.

 

Dotaland weekly recap: Mar 14 — Mar 20, 2013

Big news this week was TongFu making roster changes, with LGD.cn involved to a lesser degree. Worth a read is the G-League reflection piece by Felix, and worth a watch is the Gamefy bit on ZSMJ. Happily, things haven’t cooled down since G-League ended, with G-1 Champions League Season 5 kicking off with its qualification stages, so we’re set for more Chinese Dota action to come!

Mar 13

YYF interviewed live on talk show Live On Three

I’ll be honest, this didn’t live up to expectations. Sure, it was nice, and sure, it was new, but some of the questions were awkward, others were shallow, while yet other questions were mistranslated entirely. Still, it was cool for what it was, so yeah.

Mar 14

TongFu makes changes

LongDD and Veronica leave TongFu, replaced by banana and yAobAi. LongDD in turn goes to LGD.cn, where he is trying out to replace DD, who is on leave for health reasons.

Gamefy visits ZSMJ and VG; fan-made Dota documentary coming

In this snippet of Gamefy’s daily gaming roundup show, they visit ZSMJ at his new digs in the VG team house and talk to him about his choice. Later on, Gamefy covers an upcoming fan-made documentary on Dota in China. Worth a few minutes to watch!

Mar 16

“G-League through my eyes”

This is a post G-League finals writeup by 17173’s Felix, partially in response to an earlier fan piece criticizing many aspects of the production and execution of the G-League finals earlier this month. Some good insight in here.

Mar 17

G-1 Champions League Season 5 phase one elimination report

Wrapup and summary of early matches in the G-1 Season 5 qualification process. G-1 League is ramping up!

 

Dotaland (bi)weekly recap: Feb 28 — Mar 13, 2013

The Chinese New Year holidays over, G-League finally saw its Grand Finals, and those finals witnessed iG taking a well-deserved victory. In other news, ZSMJ seems to have found a new home with VG, 17173 brings a new show based on finding new talent, and Perfect World partners up with Gamefy to bring a million-yuan Dota2 league to China. Last but not least, LanM shares with us an extremely insightful view into his life as a pro-gamer. All this and more, as the Dota scene in China picks up steam anew after their big holiday!

Feb 28

Chronicles of LanM: parts 4-5

Chronicles of LanM: parts 6-9

PLT/LanM’s deeply personal writing documenting his time in the pro scene, and how it has affected his life, his dreams, and more. Profound reading, definitely a bit sad, but provides a level of insight into the scene that is rarely available. Translated on Dotaland in three parts. (Oh, and yes, I know technically it’s “LaNm”, but this is what I’ve stylized it as for a while, so whatever. :P)

17173 introduces new weekly show focused on finding new talent

Every Friday evening, 17173 will have an episode of their new show, which focuses on giving newcomers — teams and players alike — a platform to learn, develop, and make a name for themselves in the hopes of joining the pro scene.

Mar 1

ZSMJ joining VG

Instead of having a team entirely his own, sponsored by someone related to LGD, as was rumored before, ZSMJ has joined VG instead. As of yet, his team’s roster has not been confirmed, although it is hinted that Chisbug will no longer be with him, while some of his other previously confirmed teammates will likely stay. This marks a second official Dota2 squad for VG.

Mar 6

RisingStars replaces PrettyHaw with xiaotuji

Xiaotuji, formerly of Noah’s Ark, joins RisingStars, replacing PrettyHaw.

Gamefy G-League preview and predictions

Their preview favored iG heavily, and it all proved to be correct, as iG swept to a 3-1 victory. Nonetheless, the writeup has some good analysis of the various positions and roles between the teams, with head to head comparisons and predictions. Worth a read even after the finals have ended.

Mar 8

Perfect World and Gamefy announce partnership

Said partnership will bring about a 1 million RMB Dota2 league in China, about the equivalent of 160k USD. Big money and ambitious undertones from Dota2’s official Chinese publisher, and now it looks like with the addition of Gamefy, one of China’s longest standing esports media organizations has joined the effort. Dota2 definitely on the upswing for 2013!

Mar 9

iG takes G-League Season 2 over LGD.int

By a score of 3-1, almost exactly as predicted, iG stormed to what most people viewed as an inevitable victory. LGD.int put up a good fight in games 3 and 4, but ultimately their early 2-0 deficit was too much to overcome. Well-deserved win, with a dominant overall performance by iG in this G-League.

Dotaland weekly recap: The two-week “not much is going on” version, Feb 14 — 27, 2013

Missed DOTALAND? Worry not — in the interests of keeping things, well, interesting, last week’s recap was skipped in favor of consolidating recaps in the face of a general lack of news and pieces to report on and translate. In the span of the past two weeks, with everyone still recovering from the once-a-year Lunar New Year holiday across Asia, happenings haven’t picked up much, but nonetheless, the world of Dota has provided just enough to keep us all on our toes.

A preview of G-League has us looking forward to March 9, SGamer brings us some humorous critique of the average Dota player, ZSMJ pops up again with rumors of his team joining VG, Perfect World continues their efforts for Dota2 in China with rumors of a TI3 qualifier, and finally, LanM pulls us into his world with some well-written accounts of his path so far.

Feb 18

Gamefy G-League preview, hype piece, by BBC

Not only does BBC appropriately hype up the upcoming G-League finals, but he also does so while giving some insight and reflection on esports as it has grown from his point of view.

Feb 19

SGamer’s Top 10 Factors Holding Players Back

A bit of a humorous take, this nonetheless covers many relevant topics in things to improve on for the average Dota player. Lots of good advice here, and some jokes, this makes a good read in case you’ve got half an hour and want to read something.

Feb 24

ZSMJ and team join VG? Perfect World to host TI3 qualifiers?

The rumors suggest that ZSMJ’s team will become VG’s second official competitive squad, following the breakdown of ZSMJ’s previously lined up sponsor. Perfect World is rumored to be planning qualifiers for TI3, to come complete with a substantial prize pool.

Feb 26

The Chronicles of LanM: “Stories of Yesteryear” [part 1-3]

A nine-part series penned by LanM himself, this is a sentimental, detailed, and personal accounting of his own path in esports. It touches on his struggles, where he’s coming from, and more. Another classic piece in esports insight, Dotaland will bring parts 4 through 9 in the next few days.

 

 

Dotaland weekly recap: Feb 7 — Feb 13, 2013

This week saw the Lunar New Year holiday kick off all across Asia. News has been slow. We had iG wishing us all a good holiday, a very well-written analysis piece of BurNIng, and the highlight of the week undoubtedly goes to the iG.YYF documentary. A sparse week in terms of quantity, but absolutely not lacking in quality. Read on and take a look…

Feb 9

iG wishes a joyous Lunar New Year to all

In this video, iG’s players, from every squad, wish all their fans a happy Chinese New Year.

Feb 10

DK.BurNIng playstyle and skills analysis

Following the iG.YYF playstyle and skills analysis (also translated on Dotaland, here), Gamefy brings us another in-depth look at a renowned player, this time in the form of one of Dota’s greatest carries.

Feb 11

The life and times of iG.YYF

For the holiday, and in anticipation of his appearance at the upcoming G-League finals in Shanghai, Gamefy produced an exquisitely-made video looking into YYF’s past. This was the highlight of this week, and rightly so.

Dotaland weekly recap: Jan 31 — Feb 6, 2013

Still a relatively slow week, as we’re now in the final days of the year of the Dragon. Next up is the year of the Snake, and our players and teams across China have all taken to their homes to celebrate the passing of the year with their friends and family. This week saw news of an earthquake and the perseverence of Dota players in the face of it, a video from 820, an analysis of YYF, and a few other things. Check it all out at Dotaland!

Feb 1

Earthquake uncovers best Dota teammates ever

There was a mild earthquake in China, and this guy’s teammates at the time played through it for the sake of finishing the game. Foolish? Perhaps, but the line between bravery and folly is thin.

Feb 3

Gamefy playstyle and skills analysis of iG.YYF

Pretty in depth look at the machine that is iG.YYF. A good read if you’re always looking to pick at the details of what make great players who they are.

Feb 4

820: Behind the Glory

In this video, where we’ve provided translated subtitles, 820 shows up and updates fans a bit on his latest tribulations and triumphs since his retirement.

Feb 5

Gamefy Best of 2012 vote

Otherwise known as the “iG team of the year 2012” vote. You can go vote for iG too, just click the link. Oh, and there are some other players listed as well, for some odd reason.

Chinese Dota2 beta codes steadily approaching

Players can now check via a page provided by Perfect World whether or not they’ve made it into the first two waves of beta invites.

Dotaland weekly recap: Jan 24 — Jan 30, 2013

It’s been a bit of a slow news week, with the big Chinese New Year holiday beginning to ramp up for the next two weeks or so. iG announced some special holiday events, including an upcoming YYF documentary, ChuaN started streaming on Twitch, and VG picked up PIS/YaphetS… sorta. The official Chinese Dota2 website also went live, so there’s that too.

Jan 24

G-League finals to feature MC HotDog

The famous rapper to make a headlining appearance alongside big name rockstar Zhang Zhenyue, announced the week before

iG special events during Chinese New Year holiday

Over the upcoming week-plus Chinese New Year holiday, iG and its players will be bringing fans various specials. ChuaN first streamed on the Chinese YY platform (and Dotaland provide a quick and dirty guide to accessing that), and is now streaming semi-regularly on Twitch. 430 also streamed on YY, and there’s a YYF documentary coming too.

Official Dota2 Chinese portal site is now live

The drums of the Chinese influx into the world of Dota2 beat ever closer, as the official site, by Perfect World, has gone live. It features a full set of forums, beta activation and signup links, lots of artwork, and translated versions of hero descriptions as well as the Dota2 comic by Valve, “Are We Heroes Yet?”. Interestingly, it also seems that Perfect World has been putting resources into developing guides and detailed descriptions for players looking to learn, which could prove to be a valuable resource in the future.

Jan 25

What are they up to now? Retired pros SJQ/Crystal and 820 open up a snack shop

According to this news, their online shops selling computer peripherals were so successful that they partnered together and opened a shop selling snacks — mostly the sort Chinese gamers would welcome during a long gaming session. Interesting little bit of fluff.

Jan 28

Vici Gaming picks up pub team Greedy, featuring a certain PIS/YaphetS

The word on the street is that this ‘second squad’ of VG’s will, for now, only play in online Dota1 competitions. So it isn’t a complete comeback by PIS… but, for the optimistic fans out there, it is a start nonetheless.

 

Dotaland weekly recap: Jan 16 – Jan 23, 2013

Well, we expected this week to be relatively quiet, but it really wasn’t. This week started off with two brand new teams being announced. Coincidentally, they’re both “RS” team names, so don’t get them confused! In that regard, Dotaland has you covered, as we translated their debut announcements and in the case of one, translated an interview with RisingStars’ manager. This interview revealed one tidbit that led to the biggest news of the week: that ZSMJ’s as-yet-unnamed new team has completed its roster.

In non-team related news, there is stuff on Dota2 localization, Chinese official server beta date, and more, all on Dotaland!

As a side note, next week will mark the 150th post in the less than five months since Dotaland started. A big thanks to everyone for your enthusiasm and readership, and here’s to more Dota!

Also, new Dotaland Twitter up and running. All new posts will be updated there, as well as any other random things. Follow and spread the word!

 

Jan 16

New team, RisingStars Gaming, announced

Bringing old members of Noah’s Ark and DT^Club back together for another go at Dota2 glory.

Jan 17

More localization hurdles for Dota2 in China

The week before it was dissatisfaction with localized and translated voice work, this week it’s bumps in the visuals of Dota2…

Jan 18

LanM is back, with new team RattleSnake Gaming

Alongside Kabu, Luo, and more!

Jan 19

Chinese Dota2 local server beta confirmed for March

Pretty much as the title says, we will be seeing a limited beta for the official Chinese servers in a few months now.

Jan 20

iG members play Dota2 with pop star JJ Lin…

…results are not pretty.

Jan 21

Interview with new team RisingStars manager Cc

Lots of insightful stuff into the new team, and a small tidbit of news that led to our next post…

ZSMJ’s new team roster complete

We already knew about ZSMJ, chisbug, and Z-god’s two friends from Dota-like game ‘Zhensan’, but the fifth player was never confirmed until now.

Jan 22

Redditor denunciator chronicles 2009, 820

Well-written, well-researched, these give an overview of the rise of some of Dota’s greatest stars.