Prelude to WPC-ACE: An Interview with Zhicheng 'LaNm' Zhang

Zhicheng 'LaNm' Zhang, also known as PLT during his stint on the legendary EHOME Dota squad, has been a mainstay of the Chinese scene since his rise to prominence back in 2010 as one of the top pubstars in China. Having been to all three iterations of The International thus far, with EHOME in 2011 and 2012, and with Rattlesnake.CN in 2013, he is a seasoned veteran of the Chinese Dota scene.

Within China, he is known as 国士无双, which when literally translated means a national scholar without equal. Ever since joining Team DK in September after TI3, he has been on a string of championship victories and podium finishes in Dota 2. Team DK has achieved much in the past six months, with two second place finishes at MLG Columbus and RedBull ECL China, as well as being Champions in the WPC-ACE League, G-League and most recently, the Sina Cup Supernova.

With WPC-ACE due to begin in a couple of days, we ask LaNm more about himself, his team, and their plans moving forward in the new Dota season leading up to The International 2014.

Hi LaNm, thank you for giving us some of your time. How was your Lunar New Year?

It was pretty good, thanks!



Now that the Chinese shuffle and Sina Cup is over, which team do you think will pose the largest threat to DK in WPC-ACE?

Every team is really strong, but IG and VG seem to be more stable currently.



Before Sina Cup, DK had not played for almost one and a half months. Did DK have any issues adapting to 6.80?

There wasn't that much of a problem, we just spent some time getting used to it and we were fine.



Zhou claimed that DK has the greatest potential in China in our interview with him. Do you agree with his assessment?

I'd say yes, I look very favourably upon my own team.



What would you consider your biggest achievement so far in Dota 2?

I'm still working hard at it, but I guess if you are talking about successes then it would be getting the WPC Championship.



Tiny-Io was a large part of DK’s success in December and January, and won you many games, especially in the finals. Was DK's Tiny-Io play inspired by your carrying back at TI2?

MMY and I understand this pairing really well, since we were playing it together at TI2, so it was easy for us to pick it up again when the team needed new strategies back in 6.79.



Below is a video of LaNm and MMY (known then as X!!) playing the Tiny-Io combo as part of EHOME against Orange at the International 2.



You played an amazing Tiny carry back at TI2, was it difficult to transition to support after that?

No, I think I play the best in the number three position, followed by support.



Many people consider you one of the top supports in the Chinese scene despite having taken up the mid role exclusively in 2013, do you think your playstyle suits supporting?

MMY and I have very complementary playstyles, which is good. A team's support relies on the understanding between the two individual support players – MMY and I were previously teammates (in the legendary EHOME squad of 2010) and even now when we coordinate our play it is very smooth-sailing.



Moving on, let’s talk about your team, DK. Could you describe your teammates in a few words?

I don't think we can be without any one of them, each of us is very important to the team.



You are the jungler for DK. Who in the team is better at micro? You or iceiceice?

Iceiceice has brilliant micro, I believe he has the best micro out of all the professional Dota players.



DK has qualified to participate in the Starseries Season 9 LAN finals, what are your ambitions for this tournament?

Our main objective is to head to Europe for some cultural exchange, to learn more about European Dota – its gameplay and playstyle.



Do you think ACE has been doing a much better job this year after taking the blame after TI3?

Definitely. If ACE had continued to regress they would have faced large amounts of criticism by the general public already.



The Western scene took a short break around Lunar New Year as well. Coming back, we have seen some interesting meta changes, with Dazzle and Ancient Apparition making waves with their utility in games. Do you think this is an experimental phase, or will they become strong picks in the current meta?

I think this is due to the release of a new version: small changes to heroes will turn the spotlight onto heroes that were previously unnoticed, and make them highly contested picks.



You had an amazing game as Naga Siren back at MLG columbus, going Mirror Image at level 1 and using the images to scout and harass in the early game. Would you do the same if you had to play Naga again, or was it a special choice then?

These decisions are made based on the draft, and we will continue using these strategies if we believe that it will work.



Now, to satisfy your fan’s desires, we would like to ask you some random questions to know you better. What is your favourite support hero?

I like to play Enigma. It is a very strong and impactful hero, and it will affect the entire match just with its presence in the game.



Do you know that you have been dubbed Echo Slanm by your fans in the west after your Earthshaker play and your keyboard smash?

Lol, no, I did not know. This is quite a humorous nickname!



Did you name your Earthshaker set, or was it named by someone else?

I was given the Earthshaker set that I am using by one of my fans, they named it the Demolishing King set after Team DK.



If you could make a professional player set for any hero, like iceiceice has for Invoker, what set would you like to make?

I want to make a set for Tiny, but it seems that right now it is impossible to make any sets for Tiny.



Do you have anything to say to your fans?

Nothing much, other than that we will deliver even more entertaining performances for everyone in the future!



Enjoy our GosuPlayer of the week featuring LaNm's EarthShaker at MLG!



Rotator Photo from iceiceice's Facebook.







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