Ferrari: 'Na`Vi's silver at The International was no surprise'
You were from Wuhan, Hubei. Tell us how you got into gaming as a child. What was your first DotA game like?
-"I guess it started back when I was around eight or nine years old. Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved to play games all the time - I played everything from arcade games to PlayStation 2 to computer games.
Computer games and especially DotA were introduced to me by my classmates from school."
...Check out: IMAGE
The International, Seattle (Flickr)
I see. I also found out that you were born on Valentine’s Day. Do you remember how you celebrated your birthday this year? Maybe, with someone special?
-"I'm not really a fan of celebrating festivities, so birthdays for me are usually just having a meal with my family or something like that. That’s about it."
Where do you see your future in DotA? How long do you plan to remain as a professional gamer?
-"Well, I’m currently a professional gamer but before that I was a student. I guess somewhere down the road I’ll get an ordinary job for myself.
As for how long I intend to play DotA, I would say that it’s a tough call now that Dota 2 is being developed - it’s a really good game."
...Check out: IMAGE
World Cyber Games 2012, China (SGamer)
Apart from winning The International, what is your fondest achievement to date and why?
-"It would have to be the World Cyber Games championship title that we just won. I guess you could say that WCG was something that I had always dreamt of winning as a child. From the moment I was exposed to eSports, my goal was to work towards the WCG title."
Being one of China's top solo mid players yourself, are there any European or South East Asian players that you respect? Why?
-"There are many outstanding players that I admire but I would pick Mushi for his ability to lane against me at mid lane as well as Dendi for his understanding and usage of spells. Those two players have made a deep impression on me as a player."
Name: Luo Fei Chi
Alias: The Pianist
Date of birth: February 14 (Age 22)
Hometown: Wuhan, Hubei
Country of Origin: China
Role: Solo Mid
Previous Teams: ToT, CH, Deity, CCM
Major Achievements:
G-League Season 3 (2010)
SMM Grand National (2011)
The International (2012)Signature Heroes:
Links: Player Profile, Wiki, Interview #1, Interview #2, Interview #3
INTERVIEW: iG.Ferrari_430
*Legend: [text] = Editor's note [sic]text[sic] = As found in the original interview transcript, in English
Before we begin, tell us something interesting about yourself! Make sure it's something that our readers at GosuGamers will not know. *smiles*
-"Hello everybody! Regarding something interesting about myself - recently I've liked to pick unpopular [competitive] heroes in pubs but then I feed with them.
Sometimes I suck so much, my teammates will call me a [sic]fucking noob[sic]."
Sometimes I suck so much, my teammates will call me a ****ing noob.
*laughs* What are some of the heroes that Ferrari feeds at then?
-"For example... Skeleton King and Pudge."
...Check out: VIDEO / REPLAY / IMAGE
iG vs DK Game #2, BTS World Tour (YouTube)
If you recall one of your earlier games against DK, where you made a blind kill on rotk’s Broodmother at top lane using only the spill damage from your Templar Assassin - was that planned? Tell us more about that moment from your perspective.
-"Yup, I remember that scene. Since I did not have any true sight on me, I lost vision immediately after I made a meld strike on rOtk’s Broodmother and blinked towards the incoming creep wave.
When I lost vision of Broodmother to her webs, I tried to find the right angle which would allow me to attack her with my passive, which was my third skill, Psi Blades.
On my second attack, I could see the Psi Blade effect appearing behind the creeps with no visible unit and I knew that I had hit Broodmother. Therefore, I tried to estimate his position and a rough angle before I made the third strike (which was the killing blow).
I have to admit that luck did play a significant role since my first strike missed him and I was only able to see that I had damaged him on my second strike."
On Invictus Gaming
Let's talk about iG. How much time do you spend with your team each day? What do you guys usually do?
-"iG is an 'offline' club so most of our time is spent with one another. Apart from playing DotA, we have our own hobbies and interests like watching movies or exercising, etc. I have recently been watching Highs and Lows. [雷霆扫毒-, Hong Kong television series]"
...Check out: IMAGE
The International, Seattle (Flickr)
Oh, does Chuan exercise too? *grins*
-"Nope, Chuan does not exercise."
Nope, Chuan does not exercise.
iG's 'home base' must be comfortable for Chuan then. What's home like?
-"Ah, it’s an apartment in a residential area with four bedrooms and a living hall. The five of us live there along with our leader. The living hall is where we train with all our computers and gaming equipment."
On The International
If you had to sum up your TI experience in one word, what would it be?
-"Perfect. From the way Valve organized the tournament (structure and rules) to the arrangements they made for players (accommodation and travel), it really showed the amount of meticulous thought and planning that went into The International."
Valve showed the amount of meticulous thought and planning that went into The International.
...Check out: IMAGE
iG The International Celebration, China (SGamer)
So... if I may take you back a month or two, do you still remember what your team did together to celebrate your The International victory? What did you do personally?
-"After our victory at The International, there was a grand celebratory party for us at home. I also remember feeling extremely ecstatic on the flight back to China, but other than that, there was nothing much."
In your opinion, what was the reason why Na`Vi was able to defeat the top three Chinese teams to win the Upper Bracket?
-"First and foremost, there is no doubt that every player in Na`Vi are all highly skilled in what they do for the team. They are all outstanding players and it was no surprise that they took down the top Chinese teams at The International.
You can tell that they are a really bold and adventurous team and I think this is due in large part to the amount of confidence they have in themselves. Na`Vi is not afraid at all to test weird heroes or draft weird lineups, and the best part about it is - it works wonders for them. "
Na`Vi is not afraid to test weird heroes of lineups, and the best part is - it works wonders for them.
Why did that same reason not work out for them in the finals against your team?
-"Like what I mentioned before, often you will see Na`Vi trying out things that no one expects them to do, but in the grand finals they picked up a lineup that LGD was very adept at playing - the combination of Dragon Knight and Naga Siren. I would call this a ‘conventional’ strategy.
In fact, it was hard for them to beat us with that strategy because LGD had used this exact strategy against us in the many scrims that we played before The International. We were already familiar with how we were going to counter it [recall Faith’s amazing performance on Disrupter]."
...Check out: VIDEO / IMAGE
The International, Seattle (Flickr)
You know, there's a video on Natus Vincere's YouTube channel showing Puppey lifting you up in the air after you guys won the championship and while he was congraulating your team. How did that feel? *grins*
-"Puppey had already actually lifted me up in the Player’s Lounge before the finals. It felt very stimulating and exciting. *smiles* But when I came out of the booth after winning the championship, my mind was already somewhere else and I could not calm down [hence the reaction]."
...Check out: IMAGE
The International, Seattle (Flickr)
On that note, how is your relationship with the Na`Vi players during The International? Do you guys still keep in contact with one another?
-"My relationship with the Na`Vi players is not bad, I would say. In fact, all the players at The International were very friendly. Dendi is an extremely passionate and enthusiastic player.
Dendi is an extremely passionate and enthusiastic player.
Interesting story - before every match Dendi would offer us [the Chinese players] something to eat, and I noticed that often when we accepted his offer, we would lose the match against them afterwards.
So... in the grand finals I gave him something to eat instead, but he did not accept my offer. *grins*"
On the Competitive Scene
Using your own judgment, rank the top three teams in Asia right now, excluding iG.
-"From how teams are performing currently, I would have to say DK, LGD and then Orange."
On the G-1 Champions League
Let's move on to G-1 Champions League. So far, your team hasn’t really been tested in the tournament at all. Why do you think this is the case?
-"Perhaps it’s because iG’s playstyle is rather fast-paced and other teams are not used to it [yet]."
...Check out: IMAGE
The International, Seattle (Flickr)
If you compare your team’s current lineups and playstyles with those from TI, what would you say has changed and why?
-"Our playstyles did not change much in my opinion, but there’s a difference in terms of how we drafted our lineups.
In Seattle, we were playing against many international teams and certain heroes which were top pick and ban material in the Chinese scene were not as popular with the international teams. So you would often notice us trying to snatch the heroes that they wanted first [in the first pick phase] before picking up the heroes which Chinese teams regarded as top pick later on in the draft."
In Seattle, you would often notice us trying to snatch popular European heroes first before picking up heroes which Chinese teams regarded as top pick.
I see. Well, you will be playing against DK in the semifinals of G-1. If I may, what is one weakness that DK has at the moment?
-"I guess DK’s weakness right now is their playstyle, which is rather defensive. They’re not willing to up the aggression and take control of the game."
Okay, let me ask you this then - what do you think Burning would say is a weakness of iG right now?
-"This... I have no idea to be honest. Why don’t I wait until I see his response before I tell you? =.="
Conclusion
It has been a wonderful pleasure talking to you. Thank you for the interview - you can thank your sponsors and your supporters but I have a special request - say something in English for our readers over at GosuGamers! *grins* No cheating.
-"Alright, I would like to thank my club for all their support. Here I go:
hello i dont speack english how much? fuking noob bye~~~"
Stay tuned to GosuGamers as we bring you more in depth coverage of the G-1 Champions League, Asia's most prestigious offline Dota 2 tournament.
Interviewer: Dexter "kurtcos" F
Credits:
-Dota 2 Wiki, for information regarding players and teams
-Valve's The International Photostream, for their extensive coverage of the event
-GosuGamers' XiiTuzi, for assisting with translation of certain terms
-Ferrari, for the two hours he invested into the interview
-You, the reader, if you have enjoyed reading this feature
*Brackets are reversed for G-1 semifinals. iG will play LGD instead of DK while DK will play Orange.
Take me to more G-1 coverage!
-"I guess it started back when I was around eight or nine years old. Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved to play games all the time - I played everything from arcade games to PlayStation 2 to computer games.
Computer games and especially DotA were introduced to me by my classmates from school."
...Check out: IMAGE
The International, Seattle (Flickr)
I see. I also found out that you were born on Valentine’s Day. Do you remember how you celebrated your birthday this year? Maybe, with someone special?
-"I'm not really a fan of celebrating festivities, so birthdays for me are usually just having a meal with my family or something like that. That’s about it."
Where do you see your future in DotA? How long do you plan to remain as a professional gamer?
-"Well, I’m currently a professional gamer but before that I was a student. I guess somewhere down the road I’ll get an ordinary job for myself.
As for how long I intend to play DotA, I would say that it’s a tough call now that Dota 2 is being developed - it’s a really good game."
...Check out: IMAGE
World Cyber Games 2012, China (SGamer)
Apart from winning The International, what is your fondest achievement to date and why?
-"It would have to be the World Cyber Games championship title that we just won. I guess you could say that WCG was something that I had always dreamt of winning as a child. From the moment I was exposed to eSports, my goal was to work towards the WCG title."
Being one of China's top solo mid players yourself, are there any European or South East Asian players that you respect? Why?
-"There are many outstanding players that I admire but I would pick Mushi for his ability to lane against me at mid lane as well as Dendi for his understanding and usage of spells. Those two players have made a deep impression on me as a player."
Name: Luo Fei Chi
Alias: The Pianist
Date of birth: February 14 (Age 22)
Hometown: Wuhan, Hubei
Country of Origin: China
Role: Solo Mid
Previous Teams: ToT, CH, Deity, CCM
Major Achievements:
G-League Season 3 (2010)
SMM Grand National (2011)
The International (2012)Signature Heroes:
Links: Player Profile, Wiki, Interview #1, Interview #2, Interview #3
INTERVIEW: iG.Ferrari_430
*Legend: [text] = Editor's note [sic]text[sic] = As found in the original interview transcript, in English
Before we begin, tell us something interesting about yourself! Make sure it's something that our readers at GosuGamers will not know. *smiles*
-"Hello everybody! Regarding something interesting about myself - recently I've liked to pick unpopular [competitive] heroes in pubs but then I feed with them.
Sometimes I suck so much, my teammates will call me a [sic]fucking noob[sic]."
Sometimes I suck so much, my teammates will call me a ****ing noob.
*laughs* What are some of the heroes that Ferrari feeds at then?
-"For example... Skeleton King and Pudge."
...Check out: VIDEO / REPLAY / IMAGE
iG vs DK Game #2, BTS World Tour (YouTube)
If you recall one of your earlier games against DK, where you made a blind kill on rotk’s Broodmother at top lane using only the spill damage from your Templar Assassin - was that planned? Tell us more about that moment from your perspective.
-"Yup, I remember that scene. Since I did not have any true sight on me, I lost vision immediately after I made a meld strike on rOtk’s Broodmother and blinked towards the incoming creep wave.
When I lost vision of Broodmother to her webs, I tried to find the right angle which would allow me to attack her with my passive, which was my third skill, Psi Blades.
On my second attack, I could see the Psi Blade effect appearing behind the creeps with no visible unit and I knew that I had hit Broodmother. Therefore, I tried to estimate his position and a rough angle before I made the third strike (which was the killing blow).
I have to admit that luck did play a significant role since my first strike missed him and I was only able to see that I had damaged him on my second strike."
On Invictus Gaming
Let's talk about iG. How much time do you spend with your team each day? What do you guys usually do?
-"iG is an 'offline' club so most of our time is spent with one another. Apart from playing DotA, we have our own hobbies and interests like watching movies or exercising, etc. I have recently been watching Highs and Lows. [雷霆扫毒-, Hong Kong television series]"
...Check out: IMAGE
The International, Seattle (Flickr)
Oh, does Chuan exercise too? *grins*
-"Nope, Chuan does not exercise."
Nope, Chuan does not exercise.
iG's 'home base' must be comfortable for Chuan then. What's home like?
-"Ah, it’s an apartment in a residential area with four bedrooms and a living hall. The five of us live there along with our leader. The living hall is where we train with all our computers and gaming equipment."
On The International
If you had to sum up your TI experience in one word, what would it be?
-"Perfect. From the way Valve organized the tournament (structure and rules) to the arrangements they made for players (accommodation and travel), it really showed the amount of meticulous thought and planning that went into The International."
Valve showed the amount of meticulous thought and planning that went into The International.
...Check out: IMAGE
iG The International Celebration, China (SGamer)
So... if I may take you back a month or two, do you still remember what your team did together to celebrate your The International victory? What did you do personally?
-"After our victory at The International, there was a grand celebratory party for us at home. I also remember feeling extremely ecstatic on the flight back to China, but other than that, there was nothing much."
In your opinion, what was the reason why Na`Vi was able to defeat the top three Chinese teams to win the Upper Bracket?
-"First and foremost, there is no doubt that every player in Na`Vi are all highly skilled in what they do for the team. They are all outstanding players and it was no surprise that they took down the top Chinese teams at The International.
You can tell that they are a really bold and adventurous team and I think this is due in large part to the amount of confidence they have in themselves. Na`Vi is not afraid at all to test weird heroes or draft weird lineups, and the best part about it is - it works wonders for them. "
Na`Vi is not afraid to test weird heroes of lineups, and the best part is - it works wonders for them.
Why did that same reason not work out for them in the finals against your team?
-"Like what I mentioned before, often you will see Na`Vi trying out things that no one expects them to do, but in the grand finals they picked up a lineup that LGD was very adept at playing - the combination of Dragon Knight and Naga Siren. I would call this a ‘conventional’ strategy.
In fact, it was hard for them to beat us with that strategy because LGD had used this exact strategy against us in the many scrims that we played before The International. We were already familiar with how we were going to counter it [recall Faith’s amazing performance on Disrupter]."
...Check out: VIDEO / IMAGE
The International, Seattle (Flickr)
You know, there's a video on Natus Vincere's YouTube channel showing Puppey lifting you up in the air after you guys won the championship and while he was congraulating your team. How did that feel? *grins*
-"Puppey had already actually lifted me up in the Player’s Lounge before the finals. It felt very stimulating and exciting. *smiles* But when I came out of the booth after winning the championship, my mind was already somewhere else and I could not calm down [hence the reaction]."
...Check out: IMAGE
The International, Seattle (Flickr)
On that note, how is your relationship with the Na`Vi players during The International? Do you guys still keep in contact with one another?
-"My relationship with the Na`Vi players is not bad, I would say. In fact, all the players at The International were very friendly. Dendi is an extremely passionate and enthusiastic player.
Dendi is an extremely passionate and enthusiastic player.
Interesting story - before every match Dendi would offer us [the Chinese players] something to eat, and I noticed that often when we accepted his offer, we would lose the match against them afterwards.
So... in the grand finals I gave him something to eat instead, but he did not accept my offer. *grins*"
On the Competitive Scene
Using your own judgment, rank the top three teams in Asia right now, excluding iG.
-"From how teams are performing currently, I would have to say DK, LGD and then Orange."
On the G-1 Champions League
Let's move on to G-1 Champions League. So far, your team hasn’t really been tested in the tournament at all. Why do you think this is the case?
-"Perhaps it’s because iG’s playstyle is rather fast-paced and other teams are not used to it [yet]."
...Check out: IMAGE
The International, Seattle (Flickr)
If you compare your team’s current lineups and playstyles with those from TI, what would you say has changed and why?
-"Our playstyles did not change much in my opinion, but there’s a difference in terms of how we drafted our lineups.
In Seattle, we were playing against many international teams and certain heroes which were top pick and ban material in the Chinese scene were not as popular with the international teams. So you would often notice us trying to snatch the heroes that they wanted first [in the first pick phase] before picking up the heroes which Chinese teams regarded as top pick later on in the draft."
In Seattle, you would often notice us trying to snatch popular European heroes first before picking up heroes which Chinese teams regarded as top pick.
I see. Well, you will be playing against DK in the semifinals of G-1. If I may, what is one weakness that DK has at the moment?
-"I guess DK’s weakness right now is their playstyle, which is rather defensive. They’re not willing to up the aggression and take control of the game."
Okay, let me ask you this then - what do you think Burning would say is a weakness of iG right now?
-"This... I have no idea to be honest. Why don’t I wait until I see his response before I tell you? =.="
Conclusion
It has been a wonderful pleasure talking to you. Thank you for the interview - you can thank your sponsors and your supporters but I have a special request - say something in English for our readers over at GosuGamers! *grins* No cheating.
-"Alright, I would like to thank my club for all their support. Here I go:
hello i dont speack english how much? fuking noob bye~~~"
Stay tuned to GosuGamers as we bring you more in depth coverage of the G-1 Champions League, Asia's most prestigious offline Dota 2 tournament.
Interviewer: Dexter "kurtcos" F
Credits:
-Dota 2 Wiki, for information regarding players and teams
-Valve's The International Photostream, for their extensive coverage of the event
-GosuGamers' XiiTuzi, for assisting with translation of certain terms
-Ferrari, for the two hours he invested into the interview
-You, the reader, if you have enjoyed reading this feature
*Brackets are reversed for G-1 semifinals. iG will play LGD instead of DK while DK will play Orange.
Take me to more G-1 coverage!
