Tag Archives: Tongfu

Rumors: zExBinGo to TongFu, Maybe to LGD

zExBinGo to TongFu

Previously part of a temporary TongFu 3rd team, formed to compete in Korea’s NISM showmatch series (TongFu 3rd team won the event), zExBinGo has been rumored according to inside sources to be on the verge of sealing a move to TongFu’s first team after Zhou’s retirement. The high level pubstar has been long regarded as one of China’s new hopes, and his role within TongFu’s new team is yet to be determined, with Kabu rumored to be leaving TongFu once again. Additionally, rumors claim that former pro scene players yAobAi (of former PanDa note), and NEO/Sag (RattleSnake) may be joining TongFu.

Source: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201402/154771.html

Maybe to LGD

According to another inside source, high level Chinese pub player Maybe, known as a very complete player that mainly plays carry and playmaker, is getting close to joining LGD.

Of interest is that if all these rumors come true, this means that TongFu is replacing up to three first team members — further fuel to the fire that is Mu joining up with a rumored superteam? And Maybe would be replacing xiao8, whose D2L trip to Vegas with LGD was heavily hinted at being his last outing with the team.

Source: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201402/154765.html

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2013 in review from a Chinese point of view

UUU9 had a pretty cool editorial writeup on 2013 Dota from the Chinese point of view… I took some small liberties and added a little bit to make things read better in English when translating here and there.

Foreword

The long-awaited Dota 2 servers came, competition domestically and international grew ever fiercer, new players emerged, old players persisted, viewers’ tears and players’ tears mixed as results pulled all our heartstrings. DK finally escaped two years of no wins, VG saw a meteoric rise, and the scene witnessed five strong teams fighting it out on the path to TI4.

This past year has been memorable, with sadnesses and triumphs, sweat and tears. We haven’t given up, we’re still moving ahead — where there is Dota, we are there, if only for a belief, a passion, we strive together.

Dota 2 servers, finally

The original and unadulterated (mostly) Dota 2 experience finally comes as the successor to DotA. A top tier esports experience, million-RMB prizes, Perfect World’s Dota 2 has finally taken off… The servers officially went fully free and open to play on Sept 25, 2013. This also marked the beginning of a new wave of a people’s esport movement, as internet cafe events, city-based events, media-sponsored events, and fan events all came together to kick things off on a national scale.

Long-awaited, ranked matchmaking comes

On Dec 12, 2013, the matchmaking system that fans and critics alike have been clamoring for finally came to Dota 2 along with Winter’s Wraith Night promotional event and new hero Legion Commander. With split matchmaking queues for solo and party, the system brings another level of self-improvement and engagement for players.

Events

G-1 League Season 5, the fall of China

Led by Loda, Alliance came and conquered, leaving as true winners after storming through the likes of DK, iG, and LGD, the traditional top three teams in China. In doing so, Alliance took away the G-1 title, a first for a Western team on Chinese soil. This was the early beginnings of a trend of weakness for Chinese teams through the latter half of 2013, and questions were raised regarding the drastic drop in competitiveness, with concerns aimed at ACE, a lack of offline events, and the falling behind of Chinese strategies.

The world celebrates TI3, as China laments

At TI3, Alliance showed to the world what their abilities were capable of. Undefeated in group stages, defeating three-time finalists NaVi in the Grand Finals, their outstanding performances earned them plaudits the world across. Just prior to these amazing Grand Finals, China would see its worst showing in an International to date. Only TongFu, who kept decent form throughout, managed to squeeze into the top 4. But still, as TongFu were eliminated, our hearts shattered. For everyone Chinese team this was a massive blow, and the losses still linger within. After these losses, the scene has seen much encouragement and work to improve on perceived weaknesses, with various players expressing their determination in fighting another year in hopes of redeeming themselves at TI4. We wish them well.

A historic WPC-ACE inaugural season

The 2013 WPCACE League was held in Shanghai in collaboration with the Shanghai Sports Bureau, Jingruis Real Estate, and ACE. Eight top teams from wtihin China, plus two qualifier teams partook, becoming part of this piece of esport history. LGD, iG, DK, VG, TongFu all participated, and in three months’ time starting in September 2013, they fought for a total prizepool of 1 million RMB. In the end, DK fought back from 3 games down in a best of 7 to win 4-3 against iG, and not only was history made in the results and the fashion it was achieved, but also in DK finally breaking their two year streak without winning anything.

Teams

DK — The winless finally escape their fate

The galacticos, the team that countless fans put their hopes and joys on, the team that let those fans down over and over again. Yet always there in the end, always a challenger to be feared. Ever since DK moved to Dota 2, it had been two years without any titles. After TI3, LaNm, Mushi, and iceiceice brought their star power to the team and thus created what some called a ‘dream team’. In the WPC-ACE League group stages they exhibited dominating form against other Chinese powerhouse teams. Ultimately they took the WPC-ACE League title, and thus escaped their two year nightmare.

iG — The meandering of a former world champion

iG, once king of kings, TI2 champions and dominating presence on the Chinese scene. They entered 2013 with a relative dearth of domestic events to compete in, and iG eventually could not escape the low tide in form that Chinese teams suffered in general throughout the year as a result. Their losses at TI3 led the world to doubt this once-proud championship winning team, and after TI3, iG brought in Hao, while banana found a rebirth here. In WPC-ACE they went toe to toe with DK, and ended up with a more-than-respectable second place finish. 430’s outstanding plays, YYF’s steadiness, Hao’s aggressiveness were all on display as we look forward to this juggernaut getting back on track…

VG — The fierceness of the newcomers

VG was founded in 2012, and they first entered our view in March of 2013. They first started with newcomers Fy, sydm et al. After TI3, they brought in Super, rOtK, and Sylar to create a mixed old and new roster alongside Fenrir. Amongst other good results, they went to Poland and won a major title in EMS One, proving that their choices thus far have been justified…

RisingStars — For the glory

Founded in January of 2013, Rstars consisted of former Noah’s Ark and DT Club players. Yet not much came of this team as they constantly looked to be on the verge of making the next step. A dismal showing in the latter half of the year, however, meant that eventually the club was disbanded. To this, their owner expressed dismay, because try as he might, it didn’t work out this time; we wish him strength in trying again for his dream in the future…

RattleSnake — Waiting to strike

In the beginning of 2013, various domestic events were all making the switch to Dota 2. Luo, along with former WE teammates Icy and Kabu, with LaNm and a new face in FAN, formed RSnake. After making it to TI3 but not doing much more than that, RSnake made changes to the roster yet saw little result, and currently the club retains no domestic roster for events in China…

LGD — The team of teams

With xiao8 as their heart, and the old Dream setup as their core, LGD has always been recognized as the strongest Chinese team in terms of execution. This has allowed them to hold on to their position within the traditional top three Chinese teams. Yet, their strong showing at TI2 did not transfer into 2013 and they failed to win any large titles, earning themselves the only title amongst Chinese fans as “forever number two”. Their TI3 performances were even less satisfactory, and after TI3, it was xiaotuji — a more aggressive fighting carry — that joined to replace Sylar. In relatively short amount of time since then, they have seen results with the new setup, with a good showing at WPC-ACE League (and a title at D2L S4 in the very start of 2014)…

TongFu — The sleeping tiger

With Hao, Mu, and KingJ as cores in 2013, TongFu achieved much in the first half of 2013. Because of LGD losing their direct invite to TI3 due to roster change, TongFu received a direct invite instead, and their fourth place finish at TI3 proved that they deserved it. As the best-placing Chinese team at TI3, TongFu were still unable to avoid changes, and Zhou, ZSMJ, and xtt joined after TI3. The two big-name Z carries have yet been unable to see TongFu emerge from a low ebb in form, and Zhou has even expressed a desire to retire if things don’t change, yet we still wish them luck and strength, add oil TongFu porridge…

Players

CTY: A bumpy path

CTY first entered our view as a wonderkid in 2009’s solo mid tournaments. With dreams of playing professionally, he joined VG, yet weak performances led to questioning of him as a player. After jolting around and ending up with RStars, we may have seen the last of him in Dota 2, as rumors abound that he will make the move to LoL. Things are never easy for newcomers to the scene, and we truly need them here…

Fy: Best newcomer aura

Fy’s first appearance on the main stage of our consciousness was perhaps him on Rubick. He lit the game up, and quickly earned a title as “Best Chinese Rubick player”. Afterwards, his career saw some bumps and ups and downs in a short amount of time, but he stuck with VG ultimately and has so far been rewarded with an EMS One title, accomanied with recognition as the year’s best new player…

ZSMJ: Dreams of the top in my return

ZSMJ’s original retirement left many fans with a sense of loss. One of the biggest anticipations for early 2013 was ZSMJ’s rumored return to the scene. From VG to TongFu, from carry to 4 position, his goal has only been to play to his utmost in hopes of one day standing again at the top. We can all see his hard work and his improvement, and perhaps the most reliable player on TongFu right now is none other than ZSMJ…

BurNIng: A thirst to prove himself by winning

B-God, ever since transitioning to Dota 2, had not won any major titles. In his heart of hearts there was nothing he desired more than a championship title. In this period, there were rumors around that he was thinking about retiring. Their faltering at TI3 was heavy and hard; in his tearful moments, fans empathized with his sadness but pleaded with him to play on for another year. After making changes to the team, DK seems to have found a new self, and the end of 2013 finally saw a smile visit BurNIng’s face…

Zhou: Searching for life within darkness

Zhou-god’s poor form has been bound to him since 2013 began and never left him. Still, he’s been featured on the loading screen seven times, and he holds weight as a player. After TI3, he joined TongFu alongside ZSMJ to redeem himself. We hope Zhou doesn’t give up, add oil…

MMY: Rebirth

Joining DK in early 2013, Dai officially became MMY and made the move to support. No matter what position MMY plays, his talent shines through. His Wisp, Rubick, and Visage are all shining examples, especially his Wisp, which could be the best in China. Following TI3, MMY’s play with DK has been a central pillar to depend on for the rest of his team, and within Chinese hard supports, he has been one of the most reliable, most outstanding ones…

LaNm: A legendary talent

Before he became a pro player, he was the king of pub players. After he became a pro, through all kinds of hardships and challenges, he has finally proven himself in this stretch of 2013 with a title. In the beginning of the year, RSnake with him and Luo had been well-regarded by people around China, but unfortunately they fell short. Post TI3, he joined DK to partner with MMY in support, reuniting with two other former EHOME players. This setup did not let us down, and after settling in with the team, LaNm has gradually displayed more and more flashes of his brilliance…

Bonus — a few top Chinese comments in response

1. Dai possesses the most natural talent, but the weakness of these tyeps of players is that typically they don’t work very hard. Back then he was playing WoW all day, but I think he’s gotten better nowadays. After losing LaNm, we finally saw how important he was as a player, RSnake went directly from competing at the TI3 level to barely being a semi-professional quality.
2. Why does LGD have such strong execution? Because what xiao8 says is what happens. So if they win it’s because of this, but if they lose it’s also because of this. LGD’s other four listen to xiao8 to a point of blindly following. I forget which competition it was, but xiao8 was initiating and dying instantly, and his other four teammates would just follow in one by one and die too. Sylar perhaps hadn’t yet completely bought into this, he tends to play it safe and just straight up bails if he thinks things aren’t going right, so ultimately he was replaced due to not matching up. This type of team execution has its good points, and its bad points. If it works then it results in perfect counter-plays, if it fails then it’s feeding. Even if the others have their own thoughts, in-game they all unconditionally listen to xiao8. Yet nowadays, this kind of execution perhaps has greater weaknesses than strengths.
3. Zhou, I think was a victim of iG’s recent styles. He’s been forced to play carry under a style where the carry has to face heavy pressure on his own and doesn’t get much protection, this has gone on for so long that perhaps he has lost some of his original carry senses. This is why 820 once said, if you’ve played too much 5 position then you end up forgetting how to play carry, your thoughts and your mechanics are focused on a completely different area.

The importance of team execution isn’t determined in just one competition. LGD, ever since 2009, has been one brain leading four obedient teammates, this has been the LGD style. This is also why LGD has been steady and stable no matter how their roster has changed. Honestly speaking, LGD with xiao8 has been greater than the sum of its parts, this is where we see the power of execution. You can question the captain’s decisions, after a match you can go and discuss, but on the field you just go and do what he says. Losing a match isn’t that important, it’s losing that collective heart. Right now DK is truly a dream team, at least in terms of its roster. But just as they are each great individual players, they will also each have their own thoughts, and this might be DK’s greatest problem in the future. If addressed, DK will certainly win over the entire world. Every strong world-class team, at their peak, has always had two things: strong execution, and a soul. EHOME had 820, Alliance has Loda, NaVi has Puppey (not Dendi).

Source: http://dota2.uuu9.com/2013/

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Redbull ECL 2014 info and schedule

All dates and times below are in China Standard Time (UTC +8). Just updated schedule with latest info.

Dates: Jan 3 – Jan 7, 2014
Location: Beijing, China
Teams: iG, DK, Titan, TongFu (VG and LGD will be attending the D2L finals in Vegas starting Jan 6)
Prizepool: 130k RMB (21k USD)
Format: BO2 round robin into a 4-team seeding, elimination stage uses BO3 with matchups determined by seedings

Jan 3 – matches begin at 3:45 PM. DK vs Titan, then DK vs TongFu, then TongFu vs Titan
Jan 4 – matches begin at 4:15 PM. DK vs iG, then iG vs TongFu, then iG vs Titan
Jan 5 – matches begin at 4:45 PM. Elimination day 1 (4 teams –> 3)
Jan 6 – matches begin at 4:45 PM. Elimination day 2 (3 teams –> 2)
Jan 7 – matches begin at 5:30 PM. Grand Finals

Other games at ECL 2014 are SC2, Hearthstone, and CS:GO, in case you’re interested.

Chinese stream page: http://www.cespc.com/html/tvol/

Sources: http://www.cespc.com/html/2013/news_1224/3885.html — http://www.cespc.com/html/2013/news_1231/3962.html — http://www.cespc.com/html/2014/news_0102/3972.html

Zhou and ZSMJ switch roles for TongFu… (fan reactions)

In the D2L East playoffs between DK and TongFu, we saw that Zhou appeared on the 4 position, while ZSMJ took up carry duties. While the results started off amazingly, in the end they were mixed as TongFu took an early game 1 then proceeded to drop the next 2 games and lose the series 1-2. Nonetheless, is this the beginning of what can be said to be a big change for Chinese Dota 2 fans?

Zhou, carry and captain of TI2 champions iG, moving to the 4 role is a big piece of news in itself, and the potential return of the famed Z-God, ZSMJ himself to the hard carry role is another.

Select fan reactions below:

“As a ZSMJ fan, you may be overjoyed at this news, but please don’t disregard the other carry’s hard work and persistence. Zhou has played carry and been captain for so many years, always thinking of the team first. Seeing Zhou no longer as the carry makes me sad, the feeling of which is probably similar to how ZSMJ fans felt when they first saw him playing support with VG. Zhou’s transition, as a fan, to me signals the end of an era, but I will always support you, no matter what team, what position, you will always be captain and carry in my heart.”

“I respect Zhou. Add oil ZSMJ, add oil Zhou, add oil TongFu”

“B-God’s recent fortunes haven’t been that much better than these two. If we talk about rising carries, it would be xiaotuji and Sylar.”

“Is this really the end of another era? Once led a Chinese team to TI champions, once commanded the respect of teams around the world, once stood amongst the ranks of the Big 3 Carries. I don’t know how it must feel to have so much pressure under all this. Drafting pressures, the pressures of carrying. As captain, even more responsibilities in terms of helping the team establish early game, picking the team up in times of difficulty, these are not things that every player can handle. I hope we can all give a bit more support, and a bit less negativity.”

“ZSMJ says, Zhou-god buy chicken”

http://dota2.uuu9.com/201312/458409.shtml

WPC-ACE 2013 iG and TongFu post-game interview

SCNTV: Alright, let’s interview the two teams’ captains. This is iG’s YYF, and this is TongFu’s ZSMJ. First question for YYF, you won a game then lost a game, what did you think you lost on in the second game?
iG.YYF: I feel that mainly I didn’t play very well, the fight right after the opposing Lone Druid finished Radiance wasn’t a good fight for me. We actually could’ve won that fight but didn’t get the details right, and then things went out of control afterwards.

SCNTV: Next question for ZSMJ, in the first game your team had a small advantage at times in early game yet still ended up losing, where did you think you lost the game?
TongFu.ZSMJ: I feel that Lone Druid mid might’ve actually been better. And then it was our roaming supports trying to gank mid without much success, and YYF got really fat in top lane, so fat that we didn’t even want to try ganking him, and then we gradually couldn’t compete any longer.

SCNTV: We’ve seen that YYF recently has really favored using Bristleback, so why do you feel that Bristleback is able to be used on the competitive stage?
iG.YYF: Because this version tends to favor teamfights and face-to-face fighting, and Bristleback is just the type of hero for this. He’s excellent in head-on conflicts, can get Mek for the team, so it can be said that he is able to ensure a team’s mid game.

SCNTV: Let’s ask ZSMJ: we know that currently, Alchemist can fit into the 2, 3, and 4 roles, so can you tell us what is so special about a support role Alchemist?
TongFu.ZSMJ: I’ve felt for my entire career that this is a hero that can play everything from the 1 role to hard support, because he has strong abilities, and is also suited for fighting, so he can play in many roles. For a support Alchemist, his stun and acid are both very high damage in early game.

SCNTV: YYF, there’s been a pretty dense line of matches recently, how have practices been for the team, what is the team’s form like right now?
iG.YYF: Just continuously exploring [new tactics], the main purpose of which is to get familiar with things. There are lots of matches right now, so the matches are our main form of practice currently.

SCNTV: ZSMJ, your coach sydm, has been playing as a standin for VG recently, what do you make of his performances?
TongFu.ZSMJ: Even though I didn’t really watch that match, but coach came back and said that they almost made a big comeback with Spectre, so it seems he’s been pretty good.

SCNTV: Okay, thank you to both for the interview, and we hope that you can bring us even more great matches in the future.

Sources: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjM0ODM2OTAw.html – http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201311/153560.html

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TongFu team interview after Round 9 WPC-ACE 2013 match against DK

TongFu takes a well-earned 2-0 victory over the previously-undefeated DK in WPC-ACE League. TongFu talks about their new tactics in 6.79…

Q: Here we’re on-stage for an interview with TongFu. First question is for Zhou-god: last time I asked you if you guys had any confidence in encountering DK. Today you got a 2-0 result, are you satisfied?
Zhou: I can count it as satisfied. Last interview, I had said it, we have a chance to win over DK, even though DK is very strong.

Q: We know that in the first game, you guys last picked Pugna, what thoughts went into this choice?
Zhou: In the draft, the process was a bit of a gamble. We actually weren’t planning on picking Pugna in the first game, but they banned all our wanted heroes, so we ended up with Pugna.

Q: Okay, let’s ask Mu the next question: [in the first game] you used Pugna. It feels like Pugna hasn’t been seen in quite a while, and you definitely haven’t played him in a long time. So what were your considerations going into the game when you were given the hero?
Mu: Having picked Pugna, we were mainly going to be pushing. Try to get an early game advantage in laning, and avoid their tri-lane. Pressure towers. Pugna as a hero is one that I haven’t used in a long time, none in practices, so that was the first time trying the hero (in competitive).

Q: You guys built many Necrobooks, let’s ask Xtt: your Nature’s Prophet built Necrobook quite early on, and while the rest of your team were pushing as four, you and your Necrobook pushed bottom. Was this a tactic that was solidified as a mid-game decision for your team, to endlessly push, going as far as dying to trade for high ground?
Xtt: With our lineup, we could only play this way. It was safer this way. If we went head-on, they (DK) still had the potential to turn it around.

Q: Alright, next question for ZSMJ: in the second game, your Enchanctress earned MVP recognition. You got a great start early on, helped push towers efficiently, and even had an amazing Aegis steal. What inspired you to be so bold in pushing yourself in to steal the Aegis?
ZSMJ: That kind of thing is definitely a gamble — if you have the nerves for it then you’re bold enough to try it, and if you try it, then there’s a chance of success.

Q: Okay. Let’s ask Sansheng a question then. Both games you guys picked pushing lineups, so it could be said that your team is one step ahead currently in your understanding of version 6.79. Perhaps you feel that pushing is the new trend in the metagame. How have your team’s practices and brainstorming been these past few days?
Sansheng: It was just an attempt at trying something. As for pushing, really, Zhou tends to prefer pushing lineups. As for systems, we can play a good variety, and this pushing one is one we’ve just begun trying. We could be able to execute it better in the future.

Q: Let’s ask Zhou-god one last question: with the arrival of 6.79, it would seem that the balance of power has shifted a bit. In your 2-0 over DK, it would seem that you guys have a more advanced understanding of the version, so do you think that the new version has reset things for teams so that they’re all on the same starting line again? Or did you feel that your team simply was ahead in understanding today?
Zhou: I think it’s not necessarily about the version. The heroes we used all didn’t see huge changes. It was just that in the previous version, we weren’t daring enough to try them. But with this new version, we’re willing to try anything out. And in practices, we’ve had excellent results with these heroes, so ultimately we used them.

Alright. Big congratulations to TongFu here, successfully taking DK down and breaking their undefeated streak.

Original vod at: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjI1Mzc2OTUy.html

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Behind the scenes of 2013’s Chinese shuffle: ACE, processes, and transfer fees

According to this report from Replays.net, this is how transfers have been standardized under the ACE Alliance in Chinese Dota 2. The latter half of the article reveals the transfer fees and related details of some of this year’s biggest moves.

If Team B wishes to buy Team A’s player C, then B must first approach A and confirm whether the player is available for transfer. If A agrees, only then is B allowed to approach the player C. If player C is open and willing, then Team B can lay out their transfer conditions and offer. If player C does not agree to these terms, then he will remain at his current club; if player C agrees, then all three parties, A, B, and C need to communicate with ACE via email and receive their confirmation. In the ensuing days, the involved parties need to come to the ACE offices in order to sort out paperwork and related processes, and then they are allowed to make official announcements regarding the news. If the new team and their new player decides to use existing contracts, then they perform a trade of contracts while at ACE. If they decide to sign a new contract, then the new contract will be signed and backup files stored with ACE. In the case later on that a party fails to uphold their end of a contract, then ACE will be abe to lay penalties according to existing policies.

Below are images from the transfer of KingJ from TongFu to RisingStars:

RisingStars manager CC signing

TongFu manager CuZn signing

KingJ signing

In addition, Replays.net also received information regarding the details of this year’s transfers, as below:

TongFu <–> RisingStars

1. KingJ transfers from TongFu to RisingStars
2. XTT is part of the transfer terms, and joins TongFu from Rstars, his contract is exchanged for KingJ’s
3. RStars and TongFu respectively pay to XTT and KingJ their owed prize moneys and promotional fees

TongFu <–> iG #1

1. Banana transfers from TongFu to iG
2. TongFu pays to banana all owed prize moneys and promotional fees
3. iG pays TongFu a transfer fee totaling 100,000 RMB for the rights to banana

TongFu <–> iG #2

1. iG and TongFu agree to collaborate on themed promotional product(s)
2. iG pays TongFu a transfer fee totaling 110,000 RMB for the rights to Hao
3. Zhou is part of the transfer terms, and joins TongFu from iG, his contract is exchanged for Hao’s
4. iG and TongFu respectively pay to Zhou and Hao their owed prize moneys and promotional fees

VG <–> RisingStars

1. CTY transfers from VG to RStars
2. RStars pays VG a transfer fee totaling 45,000 RMB for the rights to CTY
3. VG pays CTY’s August salary and previous promotional fees

LGD <–> RisingStars

1. xiaotuji’s contract is exchanged for Sylar’s
2. xiaotuji is traded for Sylar, each player’s official transfer fee consists of the other player’s transfer rights (Dotaland note: they were essentially traded 1 for 1)
3. LGD is to pay Sylar his promotional fees for China Joy, as well as DSL prize money

 

It is easy to see from all this, that the ACE Alliance has a certain amount of influence watching over transfers and related activities, helping clubs and players maintain their rights in the process. The current scene seems to allow both player trades as well as straight cash purchases of transfer rights, akin to something of a mix between what is commonly seen in the sports of basketball and soccer (football). If a new club is willing to spend millions and buy out an entire team, what is to stop them? Additionally, it was not hard to see during this reshuffle from the weibo posts of various team managers that, despite this structure, things were still very chaotic. We hope that ACE can make further improvements to the details and processes.

Source: http://dota2.replays.net/news/page/20130917/1852014.html

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Interview with CuZn: TongFu manager talks new roster, potential new squads, and more

In this interview with CuZn, the TongFu manager reflects on recent changes, and talks about the future for the club.

SGamer: Thank you CuZn for this interview with SGamer.com. Now that TongFu’s new roster has been confirmed, are you finally able to breathe a sigh of relief?
TongFu.CuZn: Yes indeed, I can finally breathe easily now, and it feels great to relax.

SG: Following TI3, did you expect to see such huge changes come to your team?
CuZn: I did think of it, because there are always changes following big tournaments!

SG: Were there some ‘transactions’ being discussed already during your time in Seattle, then?
CuZn: During the time I was only focused on the matches, didn’t pay much attention to things outside of that. But I do know that there have been some foreign players expressing desire to come to China to compete, but I feel that communication and cultural differences is a huge issue there.

SG: Recently, TongFu players have become hot commodities. What preparations did the club have in case of a worst-case scenario?
CuZn: A complete restructuring along with a creation of a feeder/secondary team.

SG: What if this team that you’d personally helped build completely fell apart, did you consider giving up your career as an esports club manager as a whole?
CuZn: Yes, there were definitely thoughts regarding that. But as long as there is a player willing to stay, then I will continue my work.

SG: Was Hao’s departure a surprise to you?
CuZn: No, this was within my expectations. Hao’s performances this year have been excellent, and the scene has a relative lack of carry players, so having teams coming to ask about him is to be expected. Plus, it’s possible for any change to happen after an International.

SG: Hao, in a weibo post of his, stated that he would be playing with an added TongFu label on the end of his ID even though he’s joined iG now. Were the tears flowing for you after learning of this gesture?
CuZn: Nah, but I did feel that he’s grown to be more and more professional. He knows what he wants to do nowadays. TongFu is our club’s name as well as our sponsor, and TongFu Porridge has released products specific to each of our players. 🙂

SG: What are you going to do with those bowls of porridge that have Hao and Banana on them?
CuZn: We’ll just sell them through our T-mall store, or give them away in events. Our T-mall is at tongushipin.tmall.com, we welcome everyone. 🙂

SG: In this big reshuffle, what kind of role has the ACE Alliance played?
CuZn: A supervisory role. Just as Efeng says, without the Alliance, there would have been quite a few teams that get poached to the point of dissolution.

SG: How do you rate Zhou and Hao as players?
CuZn: Born in the same year, Zhou’s personality is more stable and steady, suitable for being captain. Hao is more aggressive and impulsive, suited for making big plays. In terms of results, Zhou has more than Hao I think, but Zhou’s form this year has been fairly low. Hao on the other hand, via his own hard work as well as his team’s growth, has been able to improve and even largely escape his old label of ‘feeder Hao’. The two players both have room to improve, so we’ll have to see what happens in this next year!

SG: A team’s captain seems to be very important, who was your team’s captain before? Has Zhou been confirmed as the new captain now?
CuZn: The captain before was actually banana. After banana left, we held a team meeting, and confirmed Zhou as the new captain, and the main drafter for us.

SG: ZSMJ’s transition to the 4 role has been fairly recent, do you feel that he will be able to fulfill the needs of this role?
CuZn: Yes he can, he is a very focused, very hard-working player, and we have a lot of confidence in him successfully playing the 4 role in our team.

SG: Whose idea was it to pick up ZSMJ?
CuZn: We made a list of all players who currently are able to play the 4 position, and then this was the result of a collective discussion.

SG: How do you rate this new roster?
CuZn: We’ll still have to see how they gel together. Their current level of play I think can only be given 70 out of 100, but there was some training today, and the results weren’t bad!

SG: Apart from winning TI4, what other goals are there for the next year? For example forming a youth squad to go play the NSL in Korea?
CuZn: Of course there are other goals, such as winning the ACE League, or defending our DSL title. This next year we might have three different squads. As for which team gets sent to play in the NSL in Korea, this needs to be kept a secret for now. After the big reshuffle this year, we’ve realized the increasing importance of having sub/feeder-teams, so we will definitely be creating a youth squad.

SG: How will you guys go about selecting players for the other two squads, then?
CuZn: We’ll have our coaching staff filter the choices. We’ve already got some new players in our sights.

SG: Apart from sydm, who else is part of the coaching team?
CuZn: Kabu, Gx, and one of Zhou’s friends. Of course there’s me too!

SG: Do you feel that coaches are a necessity to Dota 2 teams nowadays?
CuZn: I feel that it’s something you cannot lack, because coachs can arrange schedules, scrims, they can monitor the players and help them grow, thus allowing the players to focus on practice and competing.

SG: What do you think is the greatest challenge currently facing your club’s Dota 2 team?
CuZn: Lack of talent. Whether in terms of management or players, there is an acute lack. Because Dota 2 in China still lacks accessibility, the playerbase is still relatively small, so it’s very hard to find people. Many sponsors aren’t that interested in Dota 2, and so from a club’s point of view it is difficult to find additional investment.

SG: Do you think that things will improve once Dota 2 truly opens up to the masses?
CuZn: More or less, yes it will improve. Lots of loyal Dota fans will be able to play this excellent esports product, and as the playerbase grows, lower level tournaments increase in number, and thus more new competitors and sponsors will appear. I do believe that the future will be better!

SG: As a club, do you guys prefer league-format or cup-format tournaments, and why?
CuZn: It’s definitely the league format. Stable and reliable scheduling as well as publicity, this is good for both the players and the fans, and the regularity of the league format allows the club to plan things more easily.

SG: Okay, go ahead and say something to cap off this interview then!
CuZn: TongFu 3.0 awaits your support!

Source: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201309/152606.html

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Hao thanks TongFu and his former teammates in his own way

Original: http://p.t.qq.com/longweibo/index.php?lid=9380436762343814791

Last night during the Sina Supernova Cup, you may have seen Hao’s ID as such: iG.Hao.同福. This was Hao’s first official appearance as a member of iG. Afterwards, Hao made a statement explaining it.

“I’d been at TongFu for over a year, and had been fighting alongside Mu since before then, starting at PanDa. In this time, we finally achieved the big title that we’d been wanting all along, yet in the end we still end up parting ways like this. Many things in life are difficult, and many things might only be understood by yourself; other people might not understand, it may only be clear in your own heart. So, in leaving, I am very reluctant to thus part with these brothers of mine. To show my thanks for TongFu’s care and help for me in the past year, I’ve already communicated with my new club: in the next half year’s time, I will have TongFu as part of my ID. Of course, I will fight to give my all for iG, and this marks a new starting point for everyone. My allies of yesterday, let us now meet on the battlefield!”

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