Dotaland note: Heartfelt responses from LongDD. Some insight into DK as they went from invincible to merely great over the past year and a half. He puts team and friendship first… And some questions on him and his new team, TongFu.

Original: http://dota.sgamer.com/201210/news-detail-151908.html

SG: Thank you to LongDD for doing this exclusive interview with SGamer.com. Let’s talk first about what happened with DK, when did you learn that you had been taken off the team?

LongDD: After Seattle, about half a month into my break time back at home I received notice from the team lead.

SG: After Seattle, there had always been talk that DK would make roster changes, but it always only involved Zippo, were you a bit surprised when you got the notice?

LongDD: Before it happened I had no idea at all that I’d be taken off the team, so after I got the notice I was really sad and disappointed.

SG: At the time were there any thoughts of giving up on professional play?

LongDD: Yes there were, but they were gone in an instant.

SG: Then what is your reasoning for continuing on professionally?

LongDD: It’s hard to put into words a lot of the reasons, but regardless, I will go on playing professionally, unless I one day feel that my ability can no longer keep up.

SG: In the past you were once said to be one of China’s best Dota players, what do you think is your level of ability now in the domestic scene?

LongDD: In Dota2 I feel that I still have a lot of room for growth, and also I feel that I can be pretty satisfied with my performances at TI2, I don’t feel I made any major mistakes; at LAN events the most important things are experience and consistency.

SG: At the end of 2011, DK had been undisputed kings of China for over half a year, yet recently have dropped consecutive championships, is this because problems have cropped up within the team, or is it because of playing different versions of the game?

LongDD: I think it’s because last year’s accomplishments affected the team, there’s a missing sense of urgency and desire.

SG: Even a 1 million dollar prize isn’t enough to ignite your desire?

LongDD: No, this was only previously. More recently, everyone was putting a lot of work in for the 1 million dollars, but there wasn’t enough time. During our time in Beijing, our internet wasn’t ideal for a time, and it was only after we returned to our Yunnan team base that things got better.

SG: We heard that in the ACE Pro League, DK’s poor performances came from the fact that you purposely lost so you could head back to your Yunnan base earlier, is this real?

LongDD: No, we took it very seriously, it was only because our training conditions etc in Beijing were really not ideal, so our form was really poor.

SG: After winning Season 2 of G-league in 2011, you said your goal for the future was to win a competition Grand Slam (win each major tournament) alongside BurNing, do you have any regrets about not being able to do that now?

LongDD: I am pretty sad about that, I hope BurNing can continue his glory with DK, and I will focus on doing my best with TongFu.

SG: What is the deepest memory you have from DK?

LongDD: In my career, DK has been a team that I’ve had an enjoyable time with, in my heart it’s like a big family, and outside of training things are very lively too.

SG: Why isn’t it a memory of winning a certain championship? Because it’s been nearly 2 years since you have won anything.

LongDD: My first reaction was what I responded with, last year winning a lot certainly made me very satisfied, I was very happy. Thank you to my friends at DK, these were the accomplishments of everyone’s hard work. But, [in the end] I care more about those things that I might not have with other teams.

SG: In the end how did you come to choose TongFu?

LongDD: I was already pretty familiar with some of TongFu’s members, and we all get along well.

SG: Now there’s a question, who plays the 3 position?

LongDD: This hasn’t been decided yet, we’ll adjust based on training, it could be me, previously in DK I had filled in in that role before too.

SG: Have you trained together yet? How were the results?

LongDD: Not yet, the team base has just been settled today, training has to wait until tomorrow to begin.

SG: By your current understanding of your new teammates, how long will it be until you produce results?

LongDD: This is something that will depend on the degree of familiarity we achieve, it might be until the next interview with you that I can give you an answer.

SG: Do you think you’ll achieve what you want?

LongDD: I hope for a championship this year, or to make it into the finals of two competitions.

SG: How about you say some things to cap off this interview?

LongDD: Thank you to everyone for your continuous support, I will continue to do my best!