Tag Archives: iG

17173 series: G-1 2012 bits and pieces (1)

Dotaland note: This is a mini-series from a 17173 writer, documenting bits and pieces of the events and happenings leading up to the G-1 League and Dota2 this year. This particular one shows a bit of the general buildup a few months prior to G-1 League 2012 starting.

Original: http://dota2.17173.com/news/11142012/092601975.shtml

September 19, two months before G-1

The Drums of War in Autumn

The second time I heard from Pikachu (Pikaxiu, Chinese commentator) was a month after the original. The ripples of the battle in Seattle had yet to settle, and he was already brewing up China’s first own Dota2 competition.

The International 2, was a competition, but more so it was like Valve holding a massive forum to recruit followers across the world to their cause, akin to the way Steve Jobs might hold an Apple event. And I had also been infected with the emotions fueling all this, so when I discussed things with Pikachu, I took the stance of a braindead fanboy and was a furious proponent of Dota2. Yet, considering the reality of the current situation, from the lower player and viewer base, to the incomplete transition of teams participating in the scene, to the question of Dota2’s official Chinese partner… holding a Dota2 competition was going to have significant challenges.

Objectively speaking, neither Dota2 nor TI2 are or were perfect. It was just that Valve’s unprecedented effort and dedication would quickly win over what was originally a comparatively unsupported and tough Dota1 scene, and ultimately let these original Dota1 players finally find a sense of safety, or maybe it was a sense of belonging. This convinced millions of Dota believers to transfer their faith to the Valve camp. Viewing things from this perspective, the 1.5M dollar prize pool was a worthy expenditure for Valve.

After confirming the G-1 League’s structure, the most pressing issue at hand was of course which teams would participate. Even though ForLove had recently announced their intentions to get into Dota2, their lack of offline training and teamwork showed, their players did not have enough experience with Dota2. The results in the preliminaries showed this: neither ForLove nor Noah’s Ark have matched their Dota1 skills in Dota2.

As for WE and EHOME, they had both lost players and were in a state of roster limbo after TI2, so they would be unavailable in the near term. Add in DT, Tyloo, and Royal Club, these ACE clubs declined to participate for one reason or another, and all that was left were iG, LGD, DK, and TongFu these four representatives recently returned from Seattle.

As a result, we had to invite foreign teams. Luckily, the Singapore server has always been acceptable for the entire greater Asia area in terms of delay and ping. And so, in a bit of a hectic and random fashion, this iteration of the G-1 League became half of an international competition in itself. At this time, coincidentally, it was also nearly a full year from the last international Dota competition held in China — WDC.

At the time, Pikachu was doing another 17173 event called UGT, so his energies were a bit stretched. On the other hand, I was not unfamiliar with the foreign scene and Dota2, and I’d say my English was adequate for the job, so Pikachu gave me the job of communicating with foreign teams.

Realizing that I could personally be involved in China’s first Dota2 competition, I can’t help but feel the chemicals in my body reacting, leaving me with an excitement that reminds me of that bit of poetry from one of our textbooks back in school: “In the depths of a dream, thoughts return to a camp ringing with the sounds of warhorns. The warriors are well fed, the music evocative of a majestic morale. This is an autumn display of military might on the battlefield.”

G-1 League LAN Finals begin tonight: LGD vs iG, DK vs Orange

Just a quick reminder… through Saturday November 17 and Sunday November 18, the G-1 League’s LAN Finals will take place. Matches happen at 13:30 and 18:30 China time (0:30 EST / 6:30 CET, and 5:30 EST / 11:30 CET).

The matchups will be LGD vs iG and DK vs Orange!

Streams at: http://media.17173.com/dota/g1/ – http://tl.twitch.tv/beyondthesummit

xiao8 interview with Sgamer: “Our recent losses came from fluctuations in the team … iG has no weakness”

Original: http://dota.sgamer.com/201211/news-detail-154953.html

SGamer: Thank you for this interview. Earlier there were reports saying you guys had moved your team headquarters from Tianjin to Hangzhou because you had switched sponsors?

xiao8: We haven’t changed sponsors, it’s just that internet in Southern China is a bit better. And also because we were forming our Int team, so having everyone together would make things easier to manage.

SG: LGD has always been seen as a favorite to win in any competition, yet you have lost in the finals of consecutive competitions recently, will there be any roster changes as a result?

xiao8: I don’t think so, lately the main reason behind our losses has been the fact that we’ve been making changes to positions within the team. After the ACE League, DD said he wanted to try playing the 3 position, but then after a bit of that he went back to his support role. Competition schedules have been very dense recently, and so we haven’t had much time to get used to the changes back and forth, and thus we haven’t found our team rhythm and as a result have been losing more.

SG: Were the original changes made to accommodate just whomever brought it up? Or were the changes a result of everyone feeling that they wanted some adjustments?

xiao8: It stemmed from individual requests for a position change and we all discussed it together. After all, if someone doesn’t want to play a certain position, they certainly aren’t going to be able to play it well.

SG: Because of the competitions you are now in, you guys probably don’t play much original DotA anymore, right? In your free time do you still go back to DotA and group up with friends to play some?

xiao8: Once in a while I’ll still go play solo or with a few friends on ladder.

SG: Regarding your newest teammates, how do you usually communicate with them?

xiao8: English!

SG: How come it seems like there’s quite a bit of pride in your tone of voice here… which of you has the best English?

xiao8: Right now, Yao’s English is best, although the club is already looking for tutors to help us with our English, so I think in the future the one with the best English skills will definitely be me!

SG: How do your two teams normally train?

xiao8: Pretty much whenever everyone’s here, we just train. And we just yell at each other, except sometimes no one knows what is being yelled. We usually play the “Cola Cup”, which is one Best of 3, whoever loses goes and buys two cases of Coca-cola …

SG: So your side wins pretty much 100% of the time, right?

xiao8: No, they’re quite good, in training we lose some and we win some.

SG: After TI2, IceFrog pushed through a large amount of changes in updates, do you feel that the updates in the last month have affected the pace of the game?

xiao8: I feel that right now, the fast tempo of games is just temporary, because an appropriate way to play this update version hasn’t been found yet.

SG: What are your thoughts on potential changes to the ban/pick phase?

xiao8: Don’t think it’ll really affect much, in the end everything depends on a team’s overall ability.

SG: Training with LGD.int, have you been inspired in any way? It seems like current Chinese team strategies have all stagnated somewhat.

xiao8: A bit, but right now more of the focus in training has been on getting them acclimated to Chinese teams’ playing styles.

SG: What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese teams versus European/American teams?

xiao8: Strengths are we are more professional and more focused; weaknesses I’m not sure, maybe the fact that they have better mentalities, I feel that they perhaps find more enjoyment out of the game.

SG: What is your assessment of DK now that they’ve made their roster changes?

xiao8: Their lineup has grown a lot stronger, so it’s a stronger DK

SG: Why do you say so? Because a lot of people have been questioning 357 and Dai’s skill.

xiao8: Dai and 357 are excellent 4 and 5 position players, from technique and mechanics to teamwork and experience, they’re top tier.

SG: Currently iG is undoubtedly China’s strongest team, and also probably your biggest adversary, have you guys figured out any weaknesses of theirs?

xiao8: No. They don’t have any significant weaknesses, so you can only rely on the ban/pick phase or excellent in-game performance to beat them.

SG: Are you all currently making the adjustments to pick up your form for the upcoming G-League and G-1 League?

xiao8: We’re still adjusting right now, and whether our form is good can only be known after we actually play…

SG: Due to the original DotA still getting updates, the majority of players in China still stick to it. Yet most competitions have shifted to Dota2, and as a result in China we see an awkward situation where DotA has lots of players but no competitions, and Dota2 has lots of competitions but no players. Will this kind of a situation affect Dota2’s overall growth?

xiao8: Whether it’ll affect anything I’m not sure myself, but I feel that once Dota2 is open domestically, the players will gradually come.

SG: In the end, anything you’d like to say to bring a close to this interview?

xiao8: Thank you to our sponsors LaoGanDie Hot Sauce, Taobao, Razer, and to all the fans supporting us, thank you.

Chisbug back to iG for a guest appearance at WCG

Original: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201211/147936.html

 

In the WCG China region preliminaries, DK has defeated TongFu 2-0 and will be facing their old adversary iG next. This very well may be a prelude to the ultimate finals at WCG, but iG has announced on their Weibo that ChuaN will not be a part due to his Malaysian nationality, and instead chisbug will take his place for this.

Chisbug is also a 4 position player, known for a very aggressive and ruthless style. At LGD’s peak last year, his Enchantress and Chen left us deep impressions. After iG’s current roster was formed last year, chisbug faded out of the scene and never joined another team, although recently it’s been rumored that he was to form a new team with ZSMJ, and indeed he has been seen playing a lot of Dota2. Will this represent another wave of iG’s cold-blooded gank strategies? And will iG be able to continue their dominance in the DotA and Dota2 worlds? We wait and see!

In the end, we wish good luck to DK and iG and hope they perform well, and win glory for the mother land!

Gamefy Cribs: iG, NA, LGD team houses overview

Dotaland notes: Chinese gaming channel Gamefy visits iG, Noah’s Ark, and LGD team houses.Video link below.

iG has just moved to a new base in an apartment in Shanghai, where they have a dedicated internet line that is vastly improved over what they had in Shanghai. According to Zhou, Faith grinds his teeth in his sleep and likes to eat at night. ChuaN’s cell phone holder is a gift from a Thai friend. Zhou has a lucky Buddha that he brings with him. IG typically trains from 5pm to 9pm every day, and they go to bed around 1-2am.

Noah’s Ark’s training base is their team owner and sponsor’s internet cafe, also in Shanghai. Their goal is top 3 in every competition once they get the hang of Dota2. They all like spicy food, so they often go to the restaurant next door for dinner, where their captain makes the order for everyone too. Last scene of the NA section is them getting taxis to a competition that night.

LGD’s new base is in Hangzhou. Two floor house, Yao gets one of the two single rooms. Yao enjoys reading and is currently reading more adult novels, in the past he enjoyed romance novels aimed at teenaged girls…

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDY4MjY3MjY0.html

17173 interview with iG.Faith: “LGD was better in the past, G-1 offline matches will be even more intense, Dendi is very funny”

Original: http://dota2.17173.com/news/10262012/113800655.shtml

Dotaland note: 17173, organizers of the G-1 League currently ongoing, has this interview with iG.Faith. Good insight into iG and perspectives of things from a top tier pro.

In the G-1 League group stages, team iG has shown an enormous display of skill and ability in consecutive wins over MUFC and LGD. On this, we interviewed iG.Faith, and learned more about iG’s latest developments.

G-1: Hello Faith, thank you for doing this interview with G-1 Champions League. In yesterday’s key match against LGD, your team was able to take the win 2-0, which surprised some people. Can you comment on the match a bit?

iG.Faith: Both games revolved around a high pressure in-your-face team ganking strategy led by Bounty Hunter and Night Stalker. Yet in both games, the opponent lacked any kind of crowd control team fight ability, so they ended up losing fights over and over as they tried to defend their towers.

G-1: This match received extreme amounts of attention, so with iG being able to take the win so easily, what were your first reactions, and does this give you more confidence for your upcoming matches?

iG.Faith: Both games revolved around teamfighting so to pull it off successfully left us feeling very satisfied. Of course we will gain confidence from this, but we also will not underestimate any opponent.

G-1: Can you tell us why iG is so strong right now? Has the TI2 title really triggered a chemical reaction within the team? If you had lost in the Finals against NaVi, would your current mentality, confidence, and form be any different?

iG.Faith: I think we’re close-knit as a team, trust each other, and we are quite all-around. The TI2 title gives us motivation, as well as pressure to perform. If we had truly lost back then, we would still need to rely on our own ability to adjust ourselves and the team as a whole, because in the end we still believe that we are a talented team.

G-1: Can you evaluate the current LGD? It seems like xiao8’s position is shifting towards a support role. In your match with them yesterday, what do you think was different about them compared to in Seattle?

iG.Faith: I felt they weren’t as good as they used to be, perhaps because they’re changing roles. In comparison, it’s still LGD of the past that’s a bit stronger, in Seattle every match with them left us feeling drained.

G-1: Talk a bit about your thoughts on the new DK and TongFu rosters, or how do you view 357, Dai, longDD, Veronica (new TongFu member)?

iG.Faith: DK should need less time to learn to play with each other, after all 357 and Dai are veterans and will have a comparatively easier time blending into a new team. As for Veronica and longDD, what they’ll need to do first is find and confirm their role with their new team.

G-1: You guys will soon be participating in the WCG Dota competition, and afterwards there is the SMM Dota competition, so you continue to be busy on two fronts. What are your thoughts on future ACE and G-league competitions then?

iG.Faith: If we compete in Dota1 then we will practice Dota1, if we compete in Dota2 then we will practice in Dota2. I think in the future Dota2 will become the mainstream.

G-1: Apparently iG’s team headquarters has moved to Shanghai, can you reveal the specific reasoning for this? Compared to Beijing, how is the new environment, what is your favorite aspect, or what do you miss from Beijing?

iG.Faith: The main thing is that Shanghai’s internet service is better, so we decided to move to Shanghai. In terms of environment it’s also quite a bit better than Beijing. It’s still got to be the improved internet in Shanghai that satisfies me most though, this way we can practice better, and perform better in online competitions.

G-1: LGD has built an international team. If iG were to really create an iG.int, which international players would you recommend to your manager?

iG.Faith: This is something I’ve never thought about, we players are only responsible for playing Dota well, win championships; other issues are up to the club’s management to handle. Although in Seattle I gained a strong impression of Dendi, he is very lively and funny.

G-1: Apart from this iteration of the G-1 League maintaining its easygoing, fun, style, the actual competition has made big breakthroughs in terms of participants, format, and prize money. Which of these has given you the biggest impression?

iG.Faith: This time G-1 will have an offline portion, so in comparison to the past the matches will be even more intense.

G-1: There was an interesting sidenote from yesterday’s match with LGD, you guys failed to join the room 10 minutes early and as a result lost 20 seconds from your ban/pick timer, what is your opinion on this relatively strict ruling? If you have any other suggestions for the G-1 League, we will strive to improve.

iG.Faith: Don’t really have anything, I feel it’s all pretty good. At the time YYF was watching replays to analyze, and ended up forgetting the time for a while, the resulting punishment I feel isn’t inappropriate.

G-1: Thank you Faith for doing this interview with us, is there anything else you’d like to say to everyone?

iG.Faith: Thank you to the club for the nurturing you’ve given us, thank you to everyone for your support, in the future we will continue to do our best to bring exciting matches for all.

WCG2012 China region online prelims matchups revealed

Original: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201210/147462.html

partial translation

The qualifiers for WCG 2012 China region will be played online.

Competition format: Best of 1 for all matches before top 8, Best of 3 for top 8

Competition time: Round of 16: Oct 21, Remaining rounds: November 5-11

Top two teams will qualify for WCG2012 World Finals. WCG China will pay all expenses for top team, and second place team will qualify but must choose to pay their own expenses.

Match time will be 18:30-21:00 (Chinese time), Round of 8 and beyond will all be livestreamed, and all Round of 8 participants will receive a set of WCG2012 China competitors’ apparel.

brackets below. Note that iG and NA (Noah’s Ark) have received byes into the next round. LGD, DK, and TongFu are also represented.

EG, iG, and more to be involved in G-1 Dota2 League, qualifiers schedule announced

Original: http://dota2.17173.com/news/10112012/180656730.shtml

partial translation

iG and N9 are the 6th and 7th invites to the new G-1 Dota2 League. The remaining 3 spots will be determined from a qualifier between 8 additional teams: For.Love, NA, mD (China), DreamZ, Mineski (Philippines), Flash (Singapore), EG (USA), and SQL (New Zealand).

The qualifiers will begin at 6PM Chinese time on October 13 2012 (3AM Pacific time).

The qualifiers bracket is below, top 3 will go on to compete in the League:

The full competitor list is:

DK, LGD, TongFu, Orange, MUFC, iG, N9 plus 3 teams from the 8 qualifier teams.

Sgamer’s interview with Tobi post TI2

Dotaland note: I did not do this translation, this is a repost of English version text direct from Sgamer’s interview with Tobi —  so readers who are interested but can’t navigate Sgamer effectively can check it out now! Their English text isn’t the absolute best, but it saves me a little bit of work, which helps because I got my wisdom teeth out a few days ago and have been recovering. 🙂

Original English interview here: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201210/147347_4.html

Original Chinese interview here: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201210/147347.html

Q：Hi, Tobi Wan. Thanks for accepting the SGamer-DOTA2’s exclusive interview. First, please say hello to our fans.
Tobi：Greetings to all from Berlin

Q：We planed to make an interview with you in TI2. But on the last day, you had made commentaries for all matches before finals. So we decide to make a text interview with you.You must have seen the “Long live the international”,can you share your TI2 experience with us?
Tobi：My International experience was as always enjoyable. Had a very different feel to last years TI2, was alot more professional, the quality of play was higher and overal it was just a better event. For me I always love LAN events because I get to meet up with all the people I talk so much to online and meeting them in person for the first time.

Q：Although Chinese teams start DOTA2 later than EU, But the first six are all Chinese except Na’Vi, how do you thlnk of it?
Tobi：I have a large respect for the chinese scene and focus that comes from the players in it, it is alot more intense and professional that europe and america and alot of parts of south east asia. If I was expecting China to be that strong, in a way I was and in a way I hoped that europe and the US would perform alot better than they did as my hope at all events and in all casts is for close games that are entertaining to cast.

Q：The great finals between Na’Vi and iG is very impressive,can you comment the great finals and the two teams’ preformance and stratagy for us?
Tobi：I would like to say the strategy did not revolve around Naga and Morphling but it is sad to say that it did as both heroes cause a very passive game style that brings a level of secruity (which is obviously why the strategy was so popular during such a big event) that does really let alot of players skills shine in the heat of combat.
iG for me was always a favourite going into this competition and luckily there were some places the recording my prediction for the Grand Final teams, where I said iG would get into the finals as they are such a dynamic team that can adapt when pushed, and their opponent would be Na’Vi as alot of teams couldn’t adapt to their ‘randomness’, the only question around Na’Vi was if their random style would work and if they would synergise enough as a team to pull off the strat. Which they did against iG and LGD, but the power of iG and their ability to read Na’Vi (also with the help of the safe draft) made it their Grand Final to loose, which they did not obviously.

Q：Puppey picked NA in the last tournment, do yo know the reasons for his choice?
Tobi：We talked to puppey after TI2 about it and his reasoning was to use the ‘Spiked Carapace’  to counter the harrassment of KOTL in the lane.

Q：If you can build a allstar ream, which players(five) would you choose?
Tobi：There are just so many amazing players out there it is impossible for me to assemble a team that I would be happy with as there would be so many people I just could not choose between. Hence I never really have an answer when I am asked this question.

Q：Many EU teams changed the list or rebuilded their team after TI2,such as M5, AL, Darer, Mouz.Which one do you think is more promising？
Tobi：It is difficult to say who is the strongest team atm in EU and well as the US mainly because alot of the top teams as you said have rebuilt so they are having issues finding what works as a squad and the squads which have stayed together are on holidays or just burnt out after the Interntional.
The teams which have got back on their feet fast are Empire and Moscow 5 for Europe, there are only a few teams that are coming close to them atm and that would be the newly designed Quantic and Evil Geniuses. We will see over the next few weeks alot more teams reveal themselves and then all of this will change.

Q：Well, our community fans have some questions to ask you, some of then are very funny, are you ready to answer?
Tobi：Always ready for the community 🙂

Q：You commentary is full of passion, could you tell us how do you protect your throat?
Tobi：Since I was a young boy I have been singing, on stage and off and through that I learnt a thing or two about how my voice functions and have found ways to express my excitement without destroying my voice. There is of course the times when the excitement is too much and you push yourself too far, but I am happy when that happens because it means I am casting amazing games.

Q：You always make commentary stay up late. Do you drink sports drinks? If so, which one?
Tobi：I used to live on redbull for a while and realised it was actually harder to get through the night if I drank it early so I found the best thing you can drink is NesTea and Powerade and when you start to drop too far then you crack open the redbull.

Q：You always have dark circles, is it your girlfriend’s masterpiece?:D
I am catching up on sleep for the 4yrs I wasn’t paid to cast, and even now I don’t get alot of sleep mainly because my brain is so wired after I cast that it is impossible to just lay down in bed and fall asleep. As for the girlfriend, no I don’t have one and if I did maybe I would have a reason to go to sleep earlier.

12.The music you played before matchs are all very awosome, can you tell us these music’s names?

Alot of people ask me for my playlists and all of my music comes from youtube, I normally just type in ‘dance mix’ or ‘epic music’ and find alot of my stuff. The other pieces of music are just favourite songs from my teenage years like ‘blink182’, ‘Infected Mushroom’ and ‘Regurgitator’ to name just a few. Oh, and there is always space for some Kpop.

13.Who do you like most to make commentary together??

syndereN is always going to be one of my favourite choices but I have enjoyed casting recently with Wagamama and Draskyl. I like casting with anyone that is capable of adding more depth to my broadcast but can also have fun while doing so.

14.Do you like Chinese girls? If you have chance, do you want to make commentaries in China?

I actually got to travel around China last year and really China is next to Singapore for the most beautiful girls in the world is just a shame they don’t live here in Berlin with myself. I would love to travel to china to commentate but I fear my english would be lost on the crowd.

15.How many wins do you have on DOTA2 so far? Which hero are you most good at?

I am on my way to 400 wins in DOTA2, but really I haven’t played that many games as I cast most of the time. I actually have clocked 2100 hours in the game and when I wasn’t casting I was spending most of that time playing my well known ‘Crit natures prophet’.

16.Thanks for your time. Any shoutouts you would like to make before we conclude the interview?

Would like to say hello to everyone who watches my stream in China, for all those people who come up to me at LAN events and say hello, to all the boys who work behind the scenes at http://www.joinDOTA.com and to everyone who loves the game we play.

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!