LongDD (in grey) spotted at a recent WCG event.

Sweeping away the ambiguity and controversy that has bestrewed one of Chinese DotA's most respected legends, SGamer invites LongDD to "Celebrity Couch", where the star will answer questions posted by Chinese netizens on the site.

This special interview details his colorful past, his ups and downs, and his involvement at html, EHOME, CaNt, 7L, Ks.cn, CH, Deity and many other teams who have had the privilege of crossing paths with the prolific player. Notably it seems, his recent dismissal from EHOME has also been sidelined by his kaleidoscopic range of achievements during his ultimately tragic career.

After his dismissal, many of his former teammates, fans and the general public have sent him their best wishes in the hopes that he will 'fight on' - and indeed the star has also recently expressed in his Micro-Blog that he will 'continue fighting!' for his life and for his professional career.

Without further ado, below are some of the more interesting questions from the quasi-interview. The questions have been grouped by the editor at his expense:

-"Hi everybody, I'm incredibly honored to be invited as guest on SGamer's "Celebrity Couch" and to interact with you all. You guys may post your questions for me, and I will select a bunch of them and respond to as many of them as I can."

Quickfire:

Age: Born on January of 88'.
Favorite Position: Hard or semi-carry.
Favorite Hero: Lycan.
Dream Team: Burning, AngelLover, 357, CH and myself. Haha.
Favorite DotA version: Mostly I love the aggressive 6.48 era.

General Questions:

How did your name LongDD come about?
-"When I was playing real three (DotA imitation), I went by Zhao Zi Long, but when I switched over it was already taken on the VS client, so I had to go by LongDD, or Long弟弟 (Little brother Long)."

DotA 2 is going to be released. Will you consider moving over to the game?
-"If I can, I'll play both."

What are you tips on long distance relationships?
-"Mutual trust, mutual care, mutual fidelity, those are the essentials."

Do you need to wear shoes that will make you taller?
-"I am what I am, there's no need to change. Haha."

When do you plan to get married with your girlfriend?
-"I don't know currently."

On Heroes:

Do you remember the strategy of using Dragon Knight to kill off stacked ancients?
-"I do, in fact it was my invention, which happened during one of our experimentation games. My friend saw it and told it off."

Why do you think Lycan is such a hot pick and ban in 6.72?
-"Lycan can get levels easily and get strong very quickly. He's a monster in mid-game and still strong late-game, so I guess there's a lot of potential in him. His wolves also strong early-game but it depends on how the current pace of the metagame evolves."

Are you still in contact with your former CH teammates? Recently, Lycan has been a top pick in clan wars. What do you feel about this?
-"Yes we are still in contact. Lycan is an aggressive pusher, gets his items and levels fast, and has a big presence in teamfights. Besides some minor disadvantages (needing Black King's Bar as core and the dangers of roshing alone), he's still a good pick."

Why are we not seeing Shadow Fiend in recent games. How must the hero be played before he fits in with the current metagame? What is your understanding of the hero?
-"It's not feasible at the moment. With the era of smoke and double junglers, playing a good Shadow Fiend will be difficult."

I noticed that you pulled off many perfect shackleshots as Windrunner at StarsWar 6. What is your advice to playing her well?
-"Know where your team and the enemy team's heroes are at every battle. It would be great if you have someone at the forefront absorbing the damage or taking enemy fire. The rest depends on the moment and how accurate and precise you are. It also needs a pinch of luck."

On Metagame:

What are you plans for the future? Do you think a 5-gank-oriented strategy is permissible in our current 6.72 metagame?
-"I will continue playing. We can still play a 5-gank strategy but it will have to be based around the opponents 4-1 strategy."

We noticed that LGD has been using a lot of tri-solo strategies with two junglers in their recent games. Do you think that will form the metagame of 6.72? Otherwise, if you cannot ban Chen or Enchantress, how will you counter this strategy?
-"I guess this strategy is rather mainstream and many teams have one form or another of this strategy in their books. To counter that strategy, you would need a good pair of roamers, and in the early phase you must ward well and make sure the opponent junglers' movements are tracked."

On Players/Teams:

Can you reveal which player you admire the most? I beseech you to say Burning..
-"I guess AngelLover and 雷狗. I have seen better players, but we share a lot of chemistry while we're playing."

What are your thoughts on ZSMJ?
-"He's an upright and honest person, not a bad guy. He's also a very loyal and truthful person when it comes to his team. I hope he continues to work hard."

During a 1v1 solo mid match with 2009, he distracted you in All-Chat and used that opportunity to kill your courier. He apologized afterwards saying how much he wanted to win the competition. What are your thoughts?
-"I think he is rather domineering. But for that competition, he was well-prepared and I deserved to lose."

Are you in any relationship with ZhaoYun (female DotA player)? Do you still plan to play professionally?
-"ZhaoYun is my idol."

Can you describe your feelings towards the other EHOME players? What happened to your books?
-"There's still some bond between us, but meeting them in person would be awkward because I wouldn't know what to say. Furthermore, I don't know if they are still willing to be my friend and talk to me. Regarding the books, I passed them to my brother."

Do you feel any resentment towards AngelLover? In your opinion, what do you think of his solo mid-abilities at his prime compared to current players who play solo mid? I have always felt from a technical point of view that he's the most aggressive player I know.
-"I have long mended up our relationship. It's just that he's been busy with his life and so we haven't spoken much lately."

This is my third time asking.. do you like MYM.Mania?
-"Because I don't understand English, I am not familiar with international players."

I remember during a match with ChuaN, he typed in all chat to 'have mercy on him'. What is your relationship with him?
-"That ChuaN fatso is a nice guy.."

How do you feel about DK, and which team are you keeping an eye out for?
-"DK has a lot of potential, and I hope to see them dominate in the future. LGD would be the strongest team at the moment. For CCM, I feel that they need to put in more effort, because their abilities are not showing with their tournament results."

Do you feel the manager or boss of DH is better looking?
-"They're both not as good looking as me!"

On His Past:

Do you hate 71 (EHOME manager)?
-"No I don't, and there's no need. Furthermore, 71 (he addresses him as his 'teacher') has taught me many things."

Which game throughout your career has had the most impact on you? Which team gave you the most challenging experience?
-"7L and the second game of one G-League match with AngelLover when I turned the game using Tinker. My favorite team was CH."

Before the DK and EHOME match, did you talk to 雷狗? What did he say?
-"Yes I did, and he said he wanted to win EHOME very badly."

Can you describe how you feel about EHOME right now? Would you consider returning?
-"I feel both love and regret about my time spent. After all, it was like my second home."

I have always felt you were a great solo mid player in the past, but during your time at CH, I often notice you playing storm spirit and entering the battle field on your own while your teammates were still behind, which led to a team wipe. Is that because your teammates are unable to catch up with you, a mis-communication, or otherwise?
-"It is a long time ago, but I suppose the problem lay with me. I was still inexperienced."

How many championships have you won in your career?
-"Quite many, but in the last 2 years, I haven't been winning much."

Why did you not insist on playing carry in EHOME?
-"Because I could feel 820's determination to play carry, and besides, he has put in a lot of training into it. Plus, I'm not very confident myself."

On His Future:

Have you ever considered entering LGD as a back-up and participate in WCG with them (since ChuaN is forbidden due to his nationality)?
-"ZSMJ has approached me about this, so if the opportunity presents itself, I guess I will participate in WCG. It will depend on the team. Well, let's leave this to fate."

Will Nirvana.cn be your final abode? It looks like you share a little history with Loveen.
-"The team is currently stable and so is their roster. I wish them all the best."

Do you plan to return to Changsha and take a break?
-"I'm not sure about that. But if I do, you will hear about it on Micro-Blog. Haha, Micro-Blog ftw.

Have you thought about what you would do after you retire?
-"No, and that's a problem. I don't have anything in mind currently."

If EHOME invites you back for the third time, will you return?
-"I won't be able to."

When was the last time you played a 'good game'? Who are you most anticipating to play against?
-"I hope to be good enough to square off against all the top teams!"

Do you have any team in mind that you'd like to join, or perhaps form your own?
-"I don't have any plans for the moment."

Shoutouts:
Is there anything you would like to say to anyone in particular after all you have been through?
-"I would like to thank my girlfriend and all the fans for supporting me all this while - from leaving GL, forming HTML, leaving EH, the dissolution of 7L, the CH controversy, to my dismissal from EHOME again. Each of this incident has been a huge blow to me, and without the support and encouragement of these people, I wouldn't have made it so far."

Links
SGamer - Original Article

LongDD features as guest on SGamer's "Celebrity Couch"