On the night of July the ninth, CCM breezed past TyLoo 2:0 to clinch the championship title at G-1 champions league. A reporter from sgamer.com managed to get hold of CCM's captain, Zhou, for an interview regarding the tournament.
Hello, Z-God. Why don't you start by introducing yourself?
-"Hi everybody, I am CCM.Zhou."
Regarding your 2:0 victory over TyLoo tonight, what do you consider the most pivotal part of your victory?
-"I think it was the fact that everyone put on a good performance tonight. Furthermore, TyLoo are old rivals and our understanding of their play is quite deep - so I guess the key to victory for us was knowing ourselves and our opponents well."
Throughout the entire tournament, CCM has been cruising past every match with 2:0 victories without losing a single game. In what aspects of your performance in this tournament do you feel was most spectacular?
-"Luck played a part in this, although our team played well too. Every game we played was intense, and what raised us above the other teams was our attention to detail and being methodical."
While practicing with the current 6.72 map version, has CCM come up with any new heroes or other strategies to play with?
-"Yes we have, and they are mostly to counter specific strategies. We did not get to use them at G-1 but we will reveal them after we have perfected our new strategies. After all, we are not looking to pull a 'surprise pick' that only works once or twice - we would like to incorporate it stably into our play for the long term."
Now CCM is in a very stable position, and I noticed that during the tournament your team made very few unforced errors. Who is in charge of making the calls in game?
-"Everyone gets their say within the team, although ddc and 430 normally speak less. As the captain, of course I will make sure they hear what I have to say, and I will try to keep the team coordinated."
Being the main carry for the team, you try to take a less 'in command' approach. How do you ensure your team sticks together then?
-"Well, you gain in some and you lose in some. During the game, I guess I will give up focusing on my own lane a little to keep my eye on the bigger picture."
With regards to being accorded the recognition of being one of the top three carries in China by fans and spectators alike, how do you feel you compare to Burning and ZSMJ?
-"I guess we all have our own playstyle, and it really depends on what the fans want to see in game. It's just like singer idolatry."
This G-1 championship is CCM's sixth for the year. Have you thought about surpassing EHOME's ten championships last year?
-"EHOME's ten championships was really a big accomplishment, and I don't think our team is ready to challenge that honor yet."
Does your team have any plans for the later part of this year?
-"Personally, my eyes are set on SMM, for the Malaysian championship has always eluded me. Others might be pursuing competitions which offer a higher prize pool, but not me."
I guess the next thing on your 'to-do list' now is WDC?
-"Of course."
It feels (looks) like CCM is currently playing at their peak. Do you think there is anything your team needs to improve on?
-"There are definitely areas for improvement, but because it is also our weakness, I guess I cannot reveal it to you."
There was a period of time when some of your players were hooked on to other online games and this affected training. How is the situation like now?
-"Yes, we stopped them from playing after StarsWar 6. We are ultimately professional DotA players and we should make the right choice by adjusting ourselves accordingly."
You have been in the scene for a long time now. Do you feel like your decision to continue playing at a professional level is because of a genuine interest in the game or because you have to pay the bills?
-"When I just started going professional it was purely based on interest, but now it's a combination of both."
Have you thought about when you are going to retire?
-"Not yet."
In 6.72-oriented competitions, will you expect Lycan to be a strong carry? If so, what is the approach a team should take to suppress his development in the game?
-"Lycan is rather strong as a carry. He develops fast, pushes towers down fast and has high DPS. His primary weakness would be that he is a melee carry, and the minute he enters the battlefield he has to start planning his exit after his ultimate wears off. If you want to stop Lycan, you would have to pick heroes with magic immune spells - Batrider and Enigma are both good choices for this."
At G-1, Syllabear has a high winning percentage in all the games. Do you still consider him an imba carry after the nerf?
-"Well, Syllabear acts as a DPS hero that is not vulnerable to spells, resistant to 'right-clicks', and doesn't need to rush into the battlefield to do his damage. Plus, he pushes towers really fast, and so he has fallen under the watchful eye of many teams."
What are your thoughts on the G-1 Champions League?
-"I feel that as an online competition, it was organized very smoothly. Firstly, it has attracted the participation of many top teams, and I believe this entire tournament has given fans many exciting moments and replays. Lastly, with 2009's commentary and professionalism, it has made this tournament all the more perfect."
With regards to our non-stop gaming scene, what are your thoughts about the E-Sports scene in China? Are there any areas for improvement?
-"I think that the gaming scene still needs everyone's help to turn it into a more conducive environment for gamers."
Thank you Zhou for accepting this interview. Let's end with some last words.
-"Thanks to everyone for supporting CCM; we will try our best to put up a show in upcoming competitions."
Links
SGamer - Original Article
SGamer - CCM - TyLoo VoDs (2009)
