The grand finals of StarsWars 6 will kick off this weekend in ShangHai and it's expected to be a fight of epic proportions. The Dota division will be contested by LGD, TyLoo, CCM and EHOME - the final four who will be battling it out for championship glory. XiaoShou from sgamer.com sat down with CCM player and Dota veteran SanSheng to talk about their preparations for StarsWar 6, expectations on facing EHOME in the semi-finals and last but not least, their team's current mentality.
Thank you SanSheng for accepting this interview collaboration between sgamer.com and the organizing committee of StarsWar 6. You must have been busy preparing for StarsWar 6 these few days. I suppose celebrating Zhou's birthday should have eased the tension. Are there some things that we are not aware of but you would like to share with the readers?
-"Ah, indeed the last few days have been spent preparing for StarsWar 6. I heard DDC met a special someone in ShangHai, and he's getting ready to dump me..! Oh, while we were celebrating Z-God's birthday, we ordered him a cake which was decorated with the words
"Z-God our number one Carry" ha.. And, because we were so loud, we attracted stares from onlookers.. or maybe it was because our cake was wildly decorated."
How have your recent preparations been like? Do you practice with teams who are not in the competition? And if you practice with the competitors in StarsWar 6, do you deliberately deceive them with a different strategy and level of play, so as to throw them off guard? (laughs)
-"Yes, we will practice more with non-competing teams, but even if we practice with our competitors, we do not resort to such deception. We treat every training match seriously. Given that we don't practice as much as we want to, the quality of our training is critical."
Why isn't the team making enough preparations for the competition? What do you guys do when you're not training?
-"When we're not training we will go our separate ways, and even if we are, we will play with whoever is available I guess."
Apart from regular trainings, do you guys have anything specially planned for StarsWar 6? For example, creating special strategies to counter specific opponents.
-"We will make certain preparations I guess, but it's hard to do so when no replays are available. As of now, we have not managed to practice with EHOME and LGD. In the midst of training with other teams, we noticed that our strategies had a few flaws, but since 6.71's playstyle is more or less cemented and perfected, there is not much we can change about our play."
Do you think the team is currently in the best state of mind for the competition? How will DDC's 'infidelity' affect the group's performance?
-"Our current state of mind is still as per normal, we will adjust ourselves before the competition. I do not mind sharing DDC with someone else.."
Recently, your team has been spending a lot of time on LoL, do you think it will affect the group's performance?
-"Since the structure of LoL and Dota is different, I guess playing too much of it will have some influence, but it ultimately depends on the player's ability."
Your clash with EHOME can be anticipated as a battle between the old and new powerhouses of Dota. Since your match against them in DMT, what are your opinions towards their current roster and performance?
-"EHOME has always been an innovative team with strong and consistent play. They can be especially intimidating offline."
What do you expect Saturday's result to be like? Who do you think will enter the grand finals?
-"Obviously, I hope it will be us, but competition is always unpredictable and full of suspense, and no one can confirm the future. I suppose the final result will be either 2-1 or 1-2, and it will be an intense battle to the finish."
Do you think your clash with EHOME will be more enticing for the viewer than the other semi-final match (LGD.sGty - TyLoo)?
-"Since every team has a different playstyle, I suppose it is up to the viewer which team he prefers to watch playing."
If you successfully enter the finals, who are you eager to meet in the grand finals?
-"We have thought of entering the finals, but with regards to our opponents, we are not as concerned. Most importantly to us is how we conduct ourselves in the game on that day. As long as we give it our best, we won't have any regrets facing a loss."
After interviewing GK (from TyLoo) he revealed that the chances of your team entering the grand finals are rather high, how about your opinions on his team's chances?
-"I guess 60%..!"
After DMT, rumors surfaced about friction between CCM and LGD, then in VSEL your team employed a method of blocking which was largely criticized by players. How do you feel about this? Will you adopt a 'kill in sight' mentality when facing them again?
-"I feel that we were planning to end the game as quickly as possible. If we backed immediately after pushing a lane, we give our opponents breathing space and allow them to come back in the game. And of course I won't have that mentality, all I'm really concerned with is playing my best."
Recently CCM appointed Pumpkin as its leader, and also acquired LoL and SC2 divisions. How have these changes affected your team?
-"We do not stay with the teams from the other game divisions, so it does not really affect us. The club is looking to expand into more professional aspects of the gaming industry."
Well, I suppose you can read my mind on what I would like to ask for to close the interview.
-"Are you referring to shoutouts?"