ZSMJ: 'I was just as surprised as anyone'

With the confirmation of LGD's new roster, the man at the centre of it all, ZSMJ, sat down with 178 DotA and answered a few questions on the team and their plans.

Hello ZSMJ, the new members of LGD have already met up offline, could you give us a short introduction to the team's status at the moment, including the roles each of you will be playing
"Bans and picks will be mostly handled by xiao8, I will still be playing as the team's main carry, as for the rest they will play whatever hero the situation calls for."

The position of captain has be given to xiao8, why the change?
"Well we feel that xiao8 has a personality which is better suited to captain. I was only captain before because YYF and the rest refused to take up the mantle. Personally I feel that I play better if I whole-heartedly commit to being a team member instead of captain."

The rumours regarding xiao8 and DDC's departure from iG caused quite a commotion in the scene, and some have even criticised you, could you shed some light on some of the details of this transfer, because to our knowledge iG gives more incentives to its players than LGD.
"That night when I received a phonecall from xiao8 I was just as surprised as anyone. Because from an objective point of view I knew that iG and the Nirvana organisation held more authority and power than LGD, and the teams themselves were developing fairly well, I actually already had other members in line; I announced on my micro-blog my decision not to poach any other players, so as to not disrupte their teams preparations for The International. Neither the LGD organisation nor me personally invited any of these 4 players, it was strictly voluntary when they approached me, and after discussions with the manager, and the decision was made for them to join after Gamescom."

When did you first know about YYF and company being poached by iG?
-"YYF told me about iG's attempts before, and I wasn't really surprised by this, but rather the final decision that they made."

One of LGD's bosses Star announced that LGD was going to disband, what changed this decision?
-"I only heard about Star's intention to disband LGD vis Ruru's micro-blog. Perhaps it was because Star had always been nice to all of us and probably could not take in what was happening and thus told Ruru to write that tweet. But I told him about my decision to carry on and he changed his mind and gave his full support."

Are you at liberty to disclose some of the terms offered to YYF by iG, because many teams have tried to poach him before but to no avail, yet he chose to leave LGD this time?
-"I am not too clear about the specifics, but I think what piqued his interest was not the incentives, but rather Wang Sicong's ability to provide them with a platform to further enhance and develop beyond the game itself. Before, when teams approached him, the only thing offered was transfer money, no guarentees about YYF's future after he retired from gaming, and as YYF was the oldest member of our team, I guess he just wanted to make the most of the oppurtunity presented to him."

During these proceedings did LGD receive compensation of any kind?
-"No, no compensation."

Wang Sicong announced before that he had no intention to poach you from the beginning, being an established player, do you have any feelings about this?
-"Nothing special."

As of today the dust has cleared, do you still keep in contact with YYF and the rest of your ex-team mates? And will there be any ill-feeling should you meet in future competitions?
-"When I first learnt of their decision I was inconsolable. These feelings have already subsided, and my relationship with YYF has always been good, he chose his path and I chose mine, there is no one in the right or wrong."

You should have received your Dota 2 beta key and tried it out already, could you share some of your experiences playing the new game?
-"The beta key was given to Ruru, and I did not have a chance to play it before my team mates left, so unfortunately I did not have a chance to play Dota 2."

At The International, Chinese teams did not have the best of times, and it was the Europeans who left the deepest impressions, especially Na`Vi. Do you feel that Chinese teams still hold the edge in DotA 1?
-"Na`Vi are essentially born from the Ashes of the team which beat LGD at WDC last year, DTS. I have always admired this team, and very much look forward to meet them again at WDC this year."

AEG was supposed to be the inaugural competition for the new-look LGD side to shine, but many big names have pulled out of this competition, what is your view on this?
-"It was primarily because of broken promises by the organiser, for me personally, the mode of transport did not matter. The problem was that when we approached the organisers on this issue we were rebuffed multiple times. From what KING said the organisers were supposed to provide means of transportation, I am not too clear on this."

What is the target for the new LGD? HFGL is the nearest competition and WDC is also round the corner.
-"Our main goal is WDC and SMM."

Many thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, any last remarks you would like to say?
-"Thank you for everyone who has encouraged me through my micro-blog or any other means, I hope eveyone will continue supporting us. I will not be answering any questions about the events prior to today, today signal the start of a new beginning."　　

Links
178 DotA - Original Interview