Tag Archives: ACE

Interview with new team RisingStars’ manager Cc (bonus, ZSMJ new team info inside)

Original: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201301/148798.html

Dotaland note: Last week, new team RisingStars announced their formation. This interview is pretty insightful into the process that went into building the new team RisingStars, and their manager Cc also reveals that former NA member Li has joined ZSMJ. This means that ZSMJ’s new roster is complete: ZSMJ, chisbug, show, ran, Li.

Anyway, give this interview a read, the rest of it is about new team RisingStars Gaming, and new teams are always worth learning a bit about!

Note that ZSMJ’s team does not have an announced name yet, and RisingStars is a different new team, this is their interview and in this interview they revealed the last confirmed member of ZSMJ’s new team, hence why it is all in one post!

Not long ago, former Noah’s Ark and DT^Club players AIR, SUPER, XDD, PrettyHaw, and Injuly came together to form new team RisingStars Gaming. Now, SGamer brings an interview with Rstars’ manager Cc, who talked with us about the new team.

SGamer (SG): Thanks for accepting our interview. Starting off, introduce yourself briefly for everyone.

RisingStars.Cc (Rstars.CC): Hello, hi everyone, I am the former manager of Noah’s Ark, current manager of Rstars, Cc.

SG: On Nov 28, 2012, Noah’s Ark fell into a state of dormancy, yet just before that they are part of a grand opening ceremony event for their sponsoring internet cafe. What caused this drastic downturn in the club’s fortunes?

Rstars.CC: Eh, to put simply it was a decision by the sponsors to postpone the club in favor of focusing on their internet cafe business development. At the time that was all I heard about the decision. As for why this decision was made, I’m sure the sponsors have their own considerations.

SG: What were the club’s members doing after this, then?

Rstars.CC: Before the announcement was released, the club had actually already been on pause for about a week. At the time the team had decided that they would still continue training, after all, both the Dota2 and LoL squads were still relatively new and needed training. And I would try my best to find new sponsors or investments.

SG: How did you find your current sponsors then?

Rstars.CC: Hm, it can be considered a coincidence. After announcing the club going on pause on our official Weibo, our current sponsors contacted us.

SG: Is the current sponsor stable? Any worries of repeating past scenarios?

Rstars.CC: Yeah, on this point we were very clear and direct from the beginning, and the sponsors have given me a great amount of confidence and support. From their words to their actions, it has been shown, so there won’t be any instability in terms of cashflow and management.

SG: Why isn’t the new team roster the same as old NA roster?

Rstars.CC: Mmm, after original NA went on hold, MOFI chose to go home and take a break, while LI went with ZSMJ’s new team. So that’s why they aren’t part of this new club.

SG: Why has the club chosen to not continue an LoL squad, and instead went with Warcraft 3?

Rstars.CC: LoL is because the club has formed at the end of a year, all the competitions have ended, so the plan is to start an LoL squad after the new year (Chinese New Year, that is). And Warcraft3, it has always been something in both our sponsor and my eyes as a familiar beginning, so as long as a scene exists for it, we will support it~

SG: What considerations were made in bringing MISS on as media liasion/commentator?

Rstars.CC: She’s got rich experience in media, exceptional work ability, and is quite well-known. Her professional attitude it also very important.

SG: In the ACE Alliance, will your new team take the place of NA, or will you have to re-apply?

Rstars.CC: We’ve taken NA’s old spot.

SG: Currently how is the team training, how is the training set up?

Rstars.CC: Training takes place from 1PM to 12AM. Right now most teams are on break. We’ve been practicing a lot with Luo’s new team (RattleSnake Gaming), ForLove, and ZSMJ’s new team, because they haven’t gone on break yet.

SG: What’s your win-loss like? iG hasn’t gone on break yet either, right?

Rstars.CC: We win some, lose some. iG probably hasn’t gone on break  yet, but they’ve been pretty busy with events lately.

SG: What are your near-term goals?

Rstars.CC: For the Dota2 team, it is to quickly train and work on teamwork, while in Warcraft3 it is to try and win current events. The overall club’s goals are to finish early set up work in a timely fashion, including planning for the upcoming LoL squad, settling management, etc.

SG: During the ACE-League, your team had been nicknamed “never all” in allusion to the fact that your roster kept changing, is there any possibility of changes to your current roster here?

Rstars.CC: Eh, I hope that no one will label us as the continuation or remake of Noah’s Ark or DT^Club. Even though past events may have people linking the two things, but this is an all-new, independent club. In terms of sponsorship and management, in terms of roster and methods, everything is different, it’s all new, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Stability is something that the club must achieve.

SG: Outside of training time, what do you guys do? Many pro players have messy schedules, are there any measures in place to handle that?

Rstars.CC: When there is no team training, we do personal training with watching replays, playing pubs, practicing laning. We’ve also made a rule, if they haven’t gotten out of bed by 1PM there will be a fine, and repeat offenses increase the fine exponentially. So they don’t go to bed too late.

SG: What meaning is there in the team name?

Rstars.CC: A rising star. It was thought up by our sponsor.

SG: In the end, one last sentence to cap off the interview.

Rstars.CC: We hope that everyone gives us their support. We’ve been through a lot, and the players haven’t made it here easily.

New team, Rising Stars, brings together old faces

Original: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201301/148753.html

Entering 2013, the Dota2 scene within China has been busy with developments, as ZSMJ and LanM have both spearheaded the creation of new teams, bringing old veterans such as Chisbug, xiaoluo, and Kabu along. Now, another new team appears on the Chinese scene as RisingStars-Gaming esports club has announced their formation of a Dota2 team.

RisingStars-Gaming completed construction recently, and their management includes former LoH/NA manager, current RisingStars CEO Cc, team lead Tan Ran. Their tag will be Rstars.Dota2, and the roster is AIR, SUPER (not DK.Super), XDD, PrettyHaw, and Injuly. These five players hail from former ACE Alliance clubs DT^Club and Noah’s Ark, which had disbanded earlier last year.

Worth mentioning is, renowned female esports competitor, well-known commentator, Miss, has also joined the club as media coordinator. Apart from that, RisingStars have also formed a Warcraft 3 squad, with the famed Th000 currently, and additionally in the future they will also form an LoL squad.

We wish Rstars.Dota2 success in achieving good results in 2013, and contribute to the development of the Dota2 pro scene in China!

 

 

Top 10 Stories in 2012 Chinese Dota

Original: http://dota.sgamer.com/201301/news-detail-160432.html

Dotaland note: Written by Felix菜刀刃, friend of Dotaland, and translated at his personal request — this is a look back on the last year of Dota in China, where so many things have changed, grown, and in some cases, disappeared… Looks back on teams, controversies, achievements, and a hint at Perfect World having their own ‘International’? This and more, read on below!

10 — Disbandment

Nirvana, sponsored by Loveen, winners of prestigious titles such as G-League in 2010, WDC, WCG China, once upon a time stood amongst the three giants of Chinese Dota, alongside EHOME and LGD. WDC, the World Dota Championships, catalyzed in part by Loveen, was a top three competition in Dota. Going into 2011, Nirvana and the WDC both entered a turning point, where Loveen, citing a new marriage faded out of the scene. In the beginning of 2012, Nirvana officially announced their end, with WDC being their swansong.

PanDa, sponsored by a Hang Yu (this was PanDa’s second iteration), with Efeng as manager, established in 2012. Players under their tag included Hao, Mu, Yaobai, PanPan, 830God, and Sansheng. Their results were not bad, but then the boss disappeared, Efeng quit, three core players transferred to TongFu, and that was that — the team disbanded.

WE’s Dota team was established in 2011. At one point or another, they had new at the time, but now-familiar names such as Sylar and Veronica. After TI2 ended, their Dota players left one after another.

CLC’s Dota team, after a short existence including players like 357, ultimately disbanded after 357 returned to EHOME. Afterwards, the remnants of CLC merged with LOH to form Noah’s Ark. Following investors pulling out from NA in 2012, the team ceased to exist.

DT Club, once 3rd/4th placed finishers at ACE League, suffered an unexplained resignation from their manager, a loss of financial backing from their boss, their players floated off to other teams.

9 — Rebirth

“A thousand sails drift past the sunken ship, a thousand trees flourish upon the dying stump” — in 2012, though quite a few teams left us, new teams appeared to fill their spots and bring with them a new wind of hope. The most inspired of these is none other than LGD.int, where we must give credit to LGD.RuRu’s eagle-eyed wisdom for her skill in building another super-team in the hyper competitive Dota scene. And LGD.int’s performances so far have shown us all that Western players do not necessarily lack talent, they only need an environment to focus and train better.

Post-TI2, the biggest dark horse newcomer should be ViCi Gaming. Mostly comprised of new players, they first took the GosuCup by storm, only losing to Zenith and ending up third place. And then it was in the G-League group B, where they escaped death by eliminating MUFC, pushed LGD.cn to the limit, ending the year in a satisfactory manner.

Apart from that, there’s still the new as-yet-unnamed team led by ZSMJ and Ch, as well as a potential new team with LaNm. And then, there are rumors saying that former DT Club players have re-convened to fight anew in this new year.

8 — Perfection

After a seemingly neverending wait, Perfect World finally was confirmed as Dota2’s official Chinese partner. Despite many fans and industry people alike eagerly and impatiently awaiting this news, Perfect World played this to their own leisurely pace, perhaps with confidence in a long-term approach. While they prepared a new Dota2 official splash page and beta signups, Perfect World has also been ramping up recruitment in preparation. There are reports suggesting that Perfect World also has plans to hold independent large-scale events a-la Valve’s International, and perhaps this act could serve to disrupt the current balance between third-party events. Either way, no matter what comes from Perfect World, it will greatly influence the Dota2 scene as we know it.

7 — Reputation

For WCG, its name recognition is matched only by its controversy. As one of the key forces in early Chinese esports development, WCG holds an almost mythical reputation amongst Chinese fans. Yet, recent developments in gaming have almost left WCG behind, with WCG attempting a shift towards mobile games. And plus, as a modern-day esports giant, the new generation of Chinese gamers have the ability to look beyond what the Koreans can provide. Increasingly refined experiences and production from domestic competitions, plus huge moves from American gaming companies have left the Samsung-led WCG by the wayside.

This year’s World Cyber Games was held in Kunshan, China, and its production fully catered to the host nation’s tastes. Dota2 became a main competition, with its predecessor Dota included as an exhibition event. In Warcraft3, Ted’s Undead had a classic come from behind victory, and the Sky-Moon rivalry played out another emotional chapter; the whole of it meaning that viewers got more than enough. But still, the worries were apparent underneath the surface at WCG, and its future remains unknown.

6 — Surprises

G-1 League’s 4th Season quietly snuck up on us, and it brought with it China’s first Dota2 competition, a first for Chinese and English simultaneous broadcasting, the first Chinese competition with an in-game Steam ticket. Out of many firsts, what it served to do most was to set an example and kick off the future of Chinese — and even Asian — competitive Dota2. Even so, of course, there were many places for improvement; wonder what surprises the next iteration of G-1 League will have for fans?

5 — Breakout

As China’s longest standing and most well-known esports media organization, Gamefy’s 2012 wasn’t a typical one. In fact, it could be said that their summary for the year is a long list of achievements. The first season of G-League in 2012 managed to put on an exuberant celebration of a Grand Finals, despite being trapped between a spectacular ACE League debut, and a certain million-dollar tournament in Seattle. And speaking of TI2, Gamefy also successfully acquired broadcasting rights to the competition. Yet, not long after these successes, Gamefy commentator SnowKiss resigned controversially, leaving in her place a long series of accusations leveled at Gamefy and former coworkers there. Although Gamefy successfully cooled the situation down, the storm clouds from this incident remain difficult to disperse. Afterwards, Gamefy’s Daily Report show negatively reviewed WCG, and Chinese WCG media partner NeoTV responded, causing another wave of arguments and controversy in the public eye.

So it was in this atmosphere that the new season of G-League began at the end of 2012. Unprecedented production quality along with unpredictable and exciting matches seemed to sweep away the haze of past disputes, finally helping Gamefy to break out from a series of negative events. In 2013, a reformed SiTV (parent company of Gamefy) thus must continue their role as one of Chinese esports forces.

4 — Professionalism

The ACE League, as a collaboration between the ACE Esports League and GTV Channel, provided Dota competition in its debut event. In the roadmap of Chinese esports development, the ACE League holds a milestone-like status. In terms of production and packaging, it’s erected a new standard for other competitions. But an awkward reality cannot be ignored, that is that half of the original participating teams have by now disbanded, and a second season of the league never materialized in 2012. In what way will ACE re-appear in 2013, all is still unknown to us now.

3 — EHOME

EHOME is (or was?) China’s oldest esports name. In many different events and games, especially Dota, they at one time or another represented the top China — or even the world — had to offer. In 2011, BurNing and KingJ left the team, and DK and iG arose, and EHOME’s kingly aura faded as it never had before. In 2012, EHOME made high-profile roster changes: DC as a coach, ZSMJ et al recruited to compete, yet no goals were achieved. Afterwards, old EHOME veterans 357, Dai, and LanM were recruited back into the fold, and because of rule-breaking in these transfers EHOME ultimately were excluded from the new ACE Esports Alliance — EHOME became the ‘Horde’ to ACE’s ‘Alliance’. After TI2, 357 and Dai joined DK, team lead 71 left, and EHOME once again fell apart. Rumors say that EHOME’s been bought by iG owner Principal Wang, but no one knows if we’ll see EHOME make another return.

2 — Royalty

As we review the Dota scene of 2012, we come to find that unfortunately, ‘mess’ is still a word closely associated with everything, to the extent that the China Esports Magazine of 2011 below can be used again for 2012 with little changes. Paid smurfing to boost Dota 11 platform account ladder rankings, Dota2 keys and profiteering, the “100% focused” statements, Taobao’s antics… from one side to another, insults, maneuvering, and politics covered everything from fairness to profits and everything in between. The end result of all this being, for better or worse, we saw many more sides of players, commentators, organizers, tournaments, and clubs than we would have otherwise ever known about. Interestingly, all of this seemed to die down quite a bit after TI2. Perhaps it was because everyone saw first hand that there’s a quality in professionalism, and there’s a power behind a million dollars.

1 — Crusade

Because of Valve’s million-dollar injection into The International 2, the competition was seen as a ‘crusade’ of sorts by players. The first International in Cologne was not particularly important to Chinese teams, with seemingly only EHOME taking even a week of time to prepare for it. But then, EHOME’s $250000 prize for second place had everyone waking up. CCM, who finished outside the top four last time had turned into this year’s iG. Equipped with the best training environment Beijing could provide, and having just taken a G-League championship, with a lead in the on-going ACE League, it could be said that they had all the forces of nature alongside them. In the end, they didn’t disappoint, and successfully planted the Chinese flag on the greatest stage of Dota2.

This TI2 also served to completely rewrite the order of the worldwide Dota scene. China’s iG began their dynasty, Chinese competitions transitioned to Dota2, and the former big three Dota competitions faded away, all while Dota2’s gravity shifted ever so much towards the East. All indications point towards the fact that with TI2 and iG’s title, a new age has begun.

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UUU9 interviews big-time Chinese commentator DC, thoughts on TI2, ACE, Chinese esports, and more!

Very interesting and lively interview by Chinese site uuu9.com with big-name Chinese commentator and host, DC. Insight on TI2, Chinese esports, and more. Click on to read on!

Original: http://dota2.uuu9.com/201209/91550.shtml

UUU9 (U9): Hello Professor DC, thank you for doing this interview with UUU9.com. Can you outline a bit of what your life and work looks like right now?

DC (DC): Hi everyone, I am DC of the GTV Esports Channel. My current work is pretty much comprehensively moving towards becoming a host of a TV channel, not focusing on any single game anymore. In terms of everyday life, I’m still all over the place as is my old habit, gaming, anime, reading are all patterns in my life~~~

U9: Hm, then that means you’ll need to come into contact with many other types of games. What do you mainly play right now personally? Apart from Dota games with fans and Dota recordings for shows, do you still play Dota on your own?

DC: Right now I don’t play that much Dota outside of work, earlier I was really into OMG mode, and recently I’ve gotten better internet so I’ve been playing Dota2. Mainly I’ve been touching upon mainstream Dota-type games, and apart from that my personal interest is largely in single-player games.

U9: Then, if you don’t play that much Dota, is there any concern that you won’t be able to keep up with what’s going on in matches? If you really do have this concern then how do you address it and ensure you can maintain a good understanding of situations in matches?

DC: I think there will be some inadequacies. Mainly I maintain a level of familiarity through keeping up with the professional scene and tournament scenes, this is a process in gradually transforming from a Dota player to a television show environment, some growing pains are challenges for myself.

U9: TI2 has just ended, and iG took the $1M prize. Currently professional players’ benefits, wages, and prizes are all much higher than before, are there any thoughts about making a comeback as a player, or just lament at being born at the wrong time?

DC: There’s certainly some envy over the profit potential of current players, I often wonder how great it would be if the scene was this comfortable back then. As for making a comeback as a player, that would purely be lying to myself, that is out of the question. Right now the big prizes should be greatly appreciated, and the only hope is that players don’t lose themselves. We can’t ignore the reality of needing money, but we also can’t focus only on the money.

U9: Do you have any interesting stories from your trip to Seattle? What impression did Valve give you?

DC: Valve seriously was too awesome, not only have they got strong financial backing, they also had great accommodations for players, and there is no doubt the competition itself was excellent as well. In summary, once Valve goes open with Dota, other competitions are going to have a big challenge~~~

U9: During the competition, while other commentator teams were at work we thought we could hear your cheering, and from your hoarse voice we could feel Professor DC’s love for esports. So, as a commentator, is it necessary to have a certain level of love and devotion? Does Professor DC support all Chinese teams unconditionally or does he have more love for certain teams?

DC: Of course, if a commentator is not a passionate participant in the game itself, how can he infect and lead viewers in enjoying the match? Supporting Chinese teams is a basic premise, but during the Chinese vs Chinese matches I have always been a fanboy of Burning, so I was a big supporter of DK. But too bad lately fate hasn’t listened to my wishes.

U9: If I recall correctly, Professor DC also commentated for last year’s Dota2 International, what are the differences between this year and last and what improvements have been made?

DC: Last year was in Cologne, Germany, so a lot of things were limited by the surrounding environment. This time was not only held in Valve’s own backyard, it was held in a carefully selected and prepared music hall in addition to an entire team’s excellent dedicated support and execution. TI2 can be said to be a perfect representation of Valve’s true strength and ability, as well as a reflection of true gaming competition excellence.

U9: In regards to Dota2’s Chinese partner, you should have heard something in Seattle right? Is it basically confirmed?

DC: The Chinese partner is pretty much confirmed, but because the actual parties have made no announcement, then I won’t be the gossiping relative either~

U9: Okay, then let’s talk some matches. NaVi struggled in the group stages to get into the winner’s bracket, yet in the elimination stages frustrated many Chinese teams, and ultimately took second place. Can you give an overall analysis of this team, what do you think was key to their result?

DC: Without question the first thing is that they have superhuman ability in their team. NaVi’s resilience exceeded predictions from before the competition, so they are deserving of their second place result. In truth it can be said that NaVi lost standing alone against all the Chinese teams, it was only after iG put down their own burdens in the Grand Finals and played to their own style that they finally countered NaVi.

NaVi’s strategic system is very distinctive, they accurately control rhythm, either it was Anti-mage mass farming for late game, or Leshrac Juggernaut pushing early game. These two seemingly simple go-to weapons sufficed to shred all challengers before them. Of course, NaVi’s nearly invincible on-stage mentality was also key. They always lost the first game, sometimes even being stomped in the first game, yet it almost never affected their performance in the following games, this point is something I think the Chinese teams can learn from.

U9: In the end, NaVi’ certainly had Chinese fans concerned. As last year’s overlords on the scene, this year’s DK hasn’t performed as well despite having made no roster changes at all. They didn’t make it into the ACE Pro-league playoffs, got 4th in TI2, what is their main issue right now?

DC: I think DK’s team mentality was at one point pretty unstable, and their competition results haven’t been ideal this year, so to a degree that has affected their once royal confidence and momentum. And DK’s strategy is relatively unchanging, so after a year of winning 9 different championships many big teams have analyzed their weaknesses. Their preference for forcing teamfights is something that, in this version, is pretty easy to counter once it’s been figured out.

U9: Rumors say that DK will have roster changes in the coming days. Nowadays the first consideration when results are subpar is to make roster changes, what are your thoughts on this?

DC: Making roster changes is definitely a risk, but when a team has been together for a long time and has a high level of familiarity, then unless it’s an impulsive move, I think there must be other reasons behind the change that we don’t know about. DK club’s management has gone through quite a bit in the past two years so I think they’re up to the task, they don’t really have a habit of making rash roster changes, and even though the rumors are flying around this time, I say we just wait for an official statement.

U9: As for the rest of this year’s Chinese competitions, what are your thoughts, will it be iG all the way? Why?

DC: We can’t really make a logical prediction of the remaining competitions. iG certainly has a huge amount of momentum and confidence over everyone else, but after big victories in big competitions, they enter into a long break period, and whether players who historically have lacked self control can maintain this momentum and competitive form, I have concerns. Esports clubs typically not allowing long breaks before the end of the year is generally because of this.

Also, whether LGD can regain their composure and find their form, this is another variable. In terms of both overall ability, as well as their own attitudes, I think if they really end up being the “forever 2nd” team, I don’t think they will accept that easily.

U9: The ACE Pro-league has come to a close, and from broadcast quality to the quality of matches, it’s pretty much one of the best competitions so far in the Chinese scene. However, ACE takes up a large chunk of time, and also requires teams to go to Beijing to compete, will this cause other Chinese competitions to have scheduling problems? How can this issue be addressed?

DC: During the peak of Warcraft 3, it could be said that there were big and small competitions all over the country, but under all that sunshine, there was the reality of a giant esports bubble created by the rush to get in. Our hope is that, through ACE’s model we can improve and even increase the longevity of certain other competitions, and we’re willing to work with high-quality competitions. In actuality, weren’t there quite a few competitions going on between ACE’s schedule? I also believe that blindly organizing and holding events is not going to fundamentally help this industry. For a slightly inappropriate metaphor, if we want to at least achieve the level of Korean Starcraft leagues, we can’t possibly also be making concessions for small competitions such as local internet cafe tournaments?

U9: Will ACE be making plans for the 2nd season this year, what is the ETA? Will there be changes from the 1st season?

DC: ACE does have plans for a 2nd season, but they can’t be announced yet. There will definitely be new things, and improvements to the details.

U9: As a former EHOME player and coach, it need not be mentioned your feelings for EHOME. But ever since EHOME re-formed, they’ve seemed to have faced a lot of problems, such as the dispute with the ACE Alliance, only getting 5/6th at TI2, what do you think EHOME desperately needs right now?

DC: On the topic of EHOME I have no words to speak, and from a personal perspective I have failed to meet certain promises made to players and club, for this I am very sorry.

U9: Professor DC what are you feelings towards Dota2? Talk a bit about some things you think it does well.

DC: Apart from the overall graphic style not really fitting my tastes, everything else is very good. After getting away from the Warcraft 3 engine’s limitations, Dota2 has given it a big upgrade, so I think there’s no point in nitpicking certain small things, because Dota 2 is inherently a big improvement. Especially the improvements in overall experience and interface, so I really look forward to it officially going live on the Chinese market.

U9: It seems that a lot of old Dota players are uncomfortable with Dota2’s graphics and mechanics, yet Dota2’s beautiful effects has also drawn in some new players. After Dota2 goes open, what percentage do you predict will remain with Dota1?

DC: This isn’t really easy to predict, Chinese gamers’ opinions really aren’t easy to analyze. But I believe that staying with Dota1 will be a truly strange thing, if in ten years I am still playing the same games as today, then I can only conclude that either society is not making enough progress, or I am not making enough progress.

U9: Every industry has limits, and now more and more retired players are going and doing first person vods, what do you think about this? Additionally, the market for new commentators is getting close to saturated, so do you have any advice for retired players?

DC: Make preparations a bit earlier in advance, widen your horizons a bit, focus a bit more on being a person of society as opposed to a player with professional skills. However, in reality most of the people I’ve worked with in eports have varying degrees of interconnectivity with the scene.

U9: Nowadays a lot of young esports fans have dreams of playing professionally, and I’m sure you’ve met quite a few of them as GTV’s host. Do you have any words or advice for them?

DC: Stay calm, and think about whether you truly love playing games, or you just want to go professional? Is it to escape your studies, escape society, or is it to chase your dreams? A lot of people focus only on those in the spotlight on stage, thinking and planning their own futures on the same stages, but what they fail to see is, in the corners beyond the spotlight, the shadows of those who failed. Everyone believes they can be the ones up there, but the truth is that the stage is very small.

U9: Let’s ask another personal question. Does Professor DC have a girlfriend currently, have you thought about starting a family?

DC: Still have not acquired a girl, this comrade must continue to strive. In this regard I am a bad example for everyone, you should all take me as a caution, and work hard to become a winner in many ways in life!

U9: What kind of girl do you like? Mature or girly?

DC: More mature for sure!

U9: Have any female fans expressed love to you before?

DC: As for this question, I can only say I have no success to report. Of course, on this issue, I personally encourage this~~~

U9: Between Miss and MuMu (Chinese female commentators) who do you think is prettier? Yuchen and Guangmo (Chinese male commentators), who is more handsome?

DC: Of course MuMu is prettier, as for our Miss that’s called classy, we share similar tastes! Yuchen with his little pale face is so careful in his looks, as for Guangmo what does he have to do with the term ‘handsome’?

U9: Is your body weight a burden on you?

DC: It’s frustrating, but I will carry its sorrow, because this is the fate of a born-fatty like me.

U9: Dota1 or Dota2?

DC: Dota2

U9: Is there anyone you want to beat up badly?

DC: Yes, many amongst the players! Those more handsome, those skinnier, those making more money, especially those that don’t know to appreciate what they have.

U9: Alright, thank you to Professor DC for this interview with UUU9.com. We wish you success in all life and work. Are there any last comments you’d like to make to everyone, or anyone you’d like to specially thank?

DC: Have to remember to thank Guo Jia (Chinese player of a game similar to Dota, called 3-kingdoms), that bitch~~~ And lastly I want to say: Taitai I like you!

EHOME and ACE still a possibility?

After EHOME manager 71 had some harsh words regarding their situation with ACE, it seems that the team is still open to reconciliation with the Chinese esports association in the future… maybe even as early as the next season of ACE Dota?

Original: http://t.qq.com/p/t/113346032800746

Though we didn’t participate in the ACE Dota Pro-league competition, our base not far to the ACE venue, so a few of us gathered to go pay a visit. There, we play-tested the AMD machines on site, we felt they really were excellent, AMD-based computers definitely are the best choice for gaming.

Original: http://t.qq.com/p/t/106447072934917

ACE Grand Finals are tonight, next season we also hope we can be up on this stage, and be a part of this professional competition, at this professional venue, competing and training with AMD’s gear.

Dotaland note: This is very interesting because for one, this suggests that EHOME will go back to playing both Dota 1 and Dota 2 competitions when they have been focusing on Dota 2 for most of this year before TI2. For another, one of EHOME’s main sponsors is Intel, yet here they are talking about AMD… is this a public gesture towards making amends with ACE?

With iG as this season’s champions, the ACE Dota Pro-league 2012 Season 1 comes to an excellent close (official ACE closing statement)

The official summary/statement post from ACE Dota Pro-league regarding the recently-ended Season 1 Dota competition. Includes quote from head sponsor AMD, as well as iG.Zhou.

Original: http://ace.pcgames.com.cn/news/1209/2638168.html

Accompanied by ChuaN’s roar of triumph, the curtains fall upon the ACE Dota televised league first season Grand Finals. By a score of 2-0, iG defeats LG, and upon receiving the sword up on stage, are crowned kings of the Grand Finals of ACE Dota Pro-league Season 1.

Over the course of three months’ worth of regular season matches, iG and LGD were the clubs to come to the forefront in a competition starring over ten teams and stand upon the finals stage. In taking the ACE championship, iG were furthermore coming off a recent victory at the Finals at The International invitational in Seattle, and after the match iG.Zhou revealed, “We discussed this amongst ourselves before, that if this year out of the ACE Dota league, The International, and G-league we could win two championships we’d be satisfied. And now we’ve taken all three championships, surpassing our goal, so we’re very satisfied.”

While congratulating iG, we should also recognize LGD’s fierce fight through the latter half of regular season matches to make it to the Grand Finals in imposing fashion, and thus give all Dota fans a finals matchup between two juggernauts. Even though LGD sadly lost in the end to iG, what cannot be ignored is that in order to make it this far in the LAN environment of the ACE Dota Pro-league, teams must have exceeding amounts of consistency and ability. Therefore, there are no losers on the stage of ACE Dota Pro-league, so let us give our respect and support to LGD all the same, and we hope that next season LGD can once again stand tall.

After iG won this season’s Finals to take home the trophy, a giant ceremonial sword provided by our official graphics card partner AMD, AMD’s Vice President of Greater China Sales, Ms. Wu said, “After this month, through the partnership between AMD and ACE we have fully experienced the magic of esports. We have been thoroughly impressed by the infectious enthusiasm and energy of players and fans, and we are very impressed by and admire these gamers’ drive for constant self-improvement and boldness in challenging new things. This has always been AMD’s brand attitude and focus, the source of AMD’s continuous innovation. This sword represents the highest level of play in the Dota world, and AMD’s purpose in creating this sword was specifically for the heroes who stand victorious in the ACE Finals, and we hope that this sword can become as great of a weapon for gamers as AMD hardware is.”

Real competition creates real winners, brings explosiveness to your gaming universe. This season of ACE Dota Pro-league was brought to you live via TV, internet, and mobile platforms simultaneously. From May 28’s regular season start, to the end of all competition on September 14, over a period of 4 months the ACE Dota Pro-league consisted of ACE alliance members such as iG, WE, LGD, for a total of more than ten top tier Chinese esports clubs. Led by these clubs, more than 50 professional esports competitors participated, and iG ultimately took the championship over LGD as the season drew to a close.

Thank you to our official processor and graphics card partner AMD, and to our official online game and download accelerator partner Xunyou.com for their great support.

Thank you to all our fans for your constant support, thank you all. In the coming days, when you think of this season’s competition, hopefully it can become a highlight for you. In the summer of 2012, we walked together with Dota. Our players and competitors, in the future, will someday be regular people like everyone else, and work, get married, get old…… but in the history books of ACE they have left their marks boldy. They will not be forgotten, because their names are now written in our hearts. Decades down the line, when we talk with our children of these years, we can proudly say, back then, there were those of us that spent our youth in pursuit and fulfillment of dreams. Soon, a new season of ACE Pro-league will begin, so, let us then gather again on that stage to write the next chapter for each of us.

iG at ACE Dota 2012 S1 finals (pictures)

A few pictures with translated captions from iG’s social media from their win at ACE earlier.

The pictures from ACE live that everyone wanted are here now. Much thanks to all those loyal fans on the live broadcasts and at the venue itself. It was with your support that we ultimately won the trophy! The first picture is a picture of the entire team; it seems like ChuaN wants to raise the sword high and declare, “I am He-Man!!”

iG.YYF posing for a shot with a fervent fan. Does that mesmerizing smile and understated elegance tempt your heart? *kiss*

And of course our Zhou’s handsomeness isn’t going to lose out to his teammate’s. His hair, specially styled for the event today, was a contributor to his stable play today, and his calm confidence in holding the trophy is as if to say, “I have the most fans, no one else can compare”

Here we see Faith signing for a fan and taking it very seriously. His reserved and shy demeanor off-stage forms a stark contrast with his fearlessness and fierceness on-stage.

If you were to ask who is the focus of most conversations at matches, the answer is certainly ChuaN. Of course ChuaN’s excitement in celebrating his last Finals victory has not faded; today he seemed more calm, very patiently signing things for fans, and additionally gained the youngest fan at the match venue today.

Source: http://e.t.qq.com/igaming

ACE Dota Pro-league 2012 Season 1 Grand Finals today!

The grand finals of ACE Dota 2012 season 1 is going to be at 19:00 Chinese time on Sept 14, 2012. The finalists, iG and LGD, will be playing for a prize of 200000 RMB, or roughly 30000 USD. Read on to find out more.

Want to watch? Tune in here in at 11:00 UTC/19:00 Beijing time (may need to install plugin): http://live.pcgames.com.cn/1202/2454004.html or http://www.fengyunzhibo.com/tv/gtvyouxi.htm

Original: http://ace.pcgames.com.cn/news/1209/2634730.html

(Dotaland note: only partial translation for this, to get key relevant information out)

On September 14, 2012 at 19:00 [Beijing time], ACE Dota TV professional league 2012 season 1 Grand Finals will take place.

iG advanced to the semi-finals after placing in first in regular season matches, and in the semi-finals defeated Dt to advance to the finals. Up to now, iG’s overall record is 8 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss.

LGD advanced to the semi-finals on a third place result in regular season matches. In the next elimination stage where 4 teams advance out of 6, they defeated team For.love to get into the other semi-final and faced TongFu. After defeating TongFu to make it into the finals, LGD’s overall record currently stands at 8 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses.

These two teams will once again step onto the stage of the ACE finals and battle it out for the championship.

With results this similar thus far, and equally star-studded lineups, it will be strategy and hero picks that are the keys to the ultimate result. Which heroes will go to these 10 legendary players in the final battle, we’ll only know after the fighting begins.

GTV will see you at 19:00 on Sept 14. Real competition creates real winners, AMD brings explosiveness to your gaming world! For live broadcasting options please visit: ace.pcgames.com.cn.

Ever since starting competition, the ACE Dota TV pro league has seen widespread popularity. Pretty much every match day has fans coming from faraway lands, and tickets for the grand final sold out within 2 hours of going on sale. Because of huge demand and interest, we have decided to add an additional batch of live tickets for sale. They are first come first serve at the GTV headquarters in Beijing.