1. Hao's post IeSF interview: "After TI5 or TI6, CDEC will take center stage"
Following their win in Baku, Azerbaijan, Newbee's Hao has given an interview in which he talked about the event. The interview was conducted by uuu9 on 20th November.
Hao, hello. Welcome to the interview. How did it feel to represent China in IeSF?
I am proud to be able to represent China. For Newbee to win IeSF, it feels as if we brought glory to China. I feel very happy.
Everyone said you guys came here to “fish” (Chinese slang for getting easy money). But the early stages didn’t go as planned. How do you feel about that?
I feel okay. Those teams cannot be considered fishes (easy money). The problem was we were over confident. We lost a game in day 1. It was mostly my BP’s (ban pick) fault.
You didn’t expect Meepo would be good vs Gyro?
I should have thought about it a little more. Once I saw the other team pick Meepo, I immediately picked Gyro. My teammates were stunned. This was a major mistake. At that time I was overly confident. We didn’t worry much about the Meepo pick.
Please talk a little about w33. He is one of the top ranked players on the EU server.
He played really well. He possesses great individual skills and farming awareness. But their team lacks mid to late game experience. The Romania team was recently formed. It wouldn’t be fair to compare a new team to an established team like us. Their mid to late game execution needed work. They missed a lot of opportunities. That is why we won the final 3-0.
You guys barely beat MVP. Don’t you feel they have improved greatly?
They have improved greatly since TI4. They are a team that believes in their own style of play. Heroes such as Death Prophet, Omni Knight, Warlock were utilized by them for a while now. That is one of the reasons why they improved so much. If they keep improving, they will be a contender at TI5.
What is the difference between competitions amongst countries? For example, what is different between China vs .Romania as opposed to Newbee vs. EG?
Representing your country will have a lot of added pressure. Even though the skill gap between countries are great. But the feeling you get after losing is completely different. If we lost to EG the worst people will say is we sucked…
When you guys were behind MVP 0-1 did you think what would you do if you lost the match and had to go back to China to face your fans?
Of course I did. At the time, I was thinking if we lost then the only option I have left is retirement.
After that game you guys seem to have played better. Did you guys make some adjustments which led to easy wins at the semi and final stages of the tournament?
Yea it was mostly mental adjustments. We didn’t feel our opponents were very strong so after we made the properly mental adjustments we were able to win the rest of the games easily.
I hear it was tough for you guys to get to Azerbaijian?
Yea we had to go from Shanhai to Beijing get a visa. Then we returned to Shanhai to pack. And then we flew to Beijing to get on a flight to Istanbul Turkey. Then we flew from Turkey to Azerbaijan. The return flights were the same, filled with stops and layovers. I am so tired of flying. But we earned glory for our country and the results were satisfactory.
How is the overall atmosphere at Azerbaijian?
The atmosphere is nice. I don’t like the food here. Compared to American, the food choices here are limited. The entire city only has one Chinese restaurant. The local Chinese student took us to the restaurant. The food there was only average. Aside from the food everything else was good.
After returning to China. The recent matches between Newbee, LGD, and VG have created a cycle of you guys exchanging victories with each other. What do you feel about you guys beating up on each other?
To be honest, the Chinese team’s current forms are not stable. The one determining factor of the match is form. The team with the best form will win. If we have better form than VG then we will win vise versa.
Right now the Chinese tier 1 teams can all beat each other. Some might describe this is the Chinese fish pond. Some feel this type of close competition is good for Chinese dota. What is your opinion on this matter?
I feel Chinese teams are strong. It is not really a “pond”. Teams like CDEC are very strong. The team that works the hardest will improve the most. The team that wants to win the most will work the hardest. After Ti5 or TI6, teams like CDEC will take center stage.
After this tournament the number of official matches will decrease. Will you get use to not playing so many matches?
It should be okay. I feel the number of matches a team plays should be time sensitive. If it is around TI time, no one would complain about too many matches. This is so because everyone wants to focus on improving and winning. After TI I feel many teams don't take the game seriously. Pro gamers play the whole year without a break and time off to make for proper adjustments. It would be better if there were fewer matches post TI.
Thank you Hao for taking our interview. Is there anything else you want to say to your fans?
Thank you for interviewing me. Thank you everyone who supported Newbee. Please watch our performance in the future. We will work hard to not disappoint you!
2. Team Mulan and OB to play in showmatch vs. winner of Sina Cup LAN finals
The girls only Team Mulan, as well as the team of retired pro players OldBoys will play showmatches against the winners of the SinaCup Season 4 LAN finals this December. Team Mulan is sponsored by HuoMaoTV, is living together in a gaming house and has recently made some noise in the Dota 2 Secondary Pro-League.
Team Mulan roster (from Left to Right):
Jojo
Liya
Min/MeiaY
Pinky
QQQ
3. Destineyzwei - The story of a one-handed player
Uuu9.com wrote an article about a young boy who plays Dota 2 competitively despite having only one hand and whose team managed to win a tournament recently. Here's a translation of said article.
Handsome, quiet, will be your first impression after meeting Destineyzwei.
This sophomore at Hangzhou Dianzi University won the ZheJiang eSports championship Dota2 Hangzhou division. His team 'Oster' made it to the final stages and this handicapped player made a strong impression with everyone at the tournament. This is where he got the nickname Inspirational brother.
“My skill is a little weaker in comparison to my teammates.”
It is easy to communicate with Destineyzwei. He seems to be matured beyond his age. He clearly understands his strengths and weaknesses. He is very straight forward. “My left hand is congenital. It doesn’t really bother me when I practice or play. I feel pretty good about it. I have learned to adapt.”
After middle school, Destineyzwei started to get into eSports. Eventually he was invited by friends to join Oster. His parents were worried about him but eventually started to support him. To Destineyzwei, eSports has given him a second life. His ID is destineyzwei the second part of his ID is German for the number 2. Therefore his ID means eSports has given him a second life.
Destineyzwei told the reporters that zwei sounds very similar to his Chinese name. It perfectly reflects his feeling about eSports. “I truly enjoy practicing with my team every day. This is so because I can do a lot of things in-game that I couldn’t do (In real life). I think video game has allowed me to feel what a normal person would feel.”
“I am an introvert. After my classes I come home, eat dinner and start to scrim with my teammates around 7. We usually end around 11:30 and then I go to sleep. If it’s during the weekend, then I practice a little longer." His parents want him to study harder to get a better degree, but he has his own plans.
“Personally, I don’t place a lot of value on a piece of diploma. I wish I can learn some real skills. (Something that would help him to get a real job) The type of skills he is talking about is related to web design. He is studying JAVA and hopes to work in the field of web design for gaming or eSports companies.
“The Chinese eSports scene is exploding. The future will be for China to develop its eSports to similar levels to that of the Koreans. To the people who wish to get into Esports, the opportunity is there.”
Last December he won his first professional championship. Many dota personalities started calling him the “One hand God”. To him he is just a one handed fan who likes to play games. Recently, Oster played pub game vs Newbee. “We picked our best heroes and everyone on Newbee picked random. Although it was only one game we were lucky enough to take a game off the world champions."
4. Retired players playing Texas Hold'em after visiting a bathhouse together
A group of former pro players meet over the course of this week and had a nice and relaxed bath, followed by a friendly game of poker. Who do you think won? We actually don't know, but it sure was some fierce competition. From bottom left Zhou, Mikasa, unknown person, 2009, longDD, Burning.
5. Newbee signs sponsorship with car manufcaturerer Chery
TI4 champions Newbee have teamed up with car manufacturer Chery to produce a limited Newbee edition, a Sedan model with official Newbee branding. If you are excited as Sansheng is in this picture, or the girl to his right, about this partnership, be quick as this is a limited edition only, with the exact pricing yet to be unveiled.
Deathballing through the streets of your city like Newbee, in your very own Newbee car - the dream?