20-20: CIS.Black^ Answers! June 13th, 2014 07:08 GMT Text by CountChocula

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20 Questions



20 Answers



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How can you not love this guy? How can you not love this guy?

As a player, Black^ is one of the most efficient farmers around, and is known for his amazing play on heroes like Slark, Morphling, Naga Siren, and his personal favourite, Anti-Mage. Since moving to China last year, he has made great efforts to learn their culture and language, and so far has been adjusting to life on a Chinese team with minimal issues. With the support of China, they have a good shot at winning the play-in series. Being such a young and in-experienced team, they have only one place to go, which is up.



CIS Game has a lot ahead of them in the upcoming months, and Black^ will be a busy man. But first we get to ask him any question we want in this 20-20, so ask away!





20 Questions

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20 Answers







Xia Yi Ge Tian Liang Black^ Keep working hard and I'm sure it'll pay off in the play-ins. [OmniEulogy] I asked a similar question when you left for China and I'll rephrase it again for you this time. Knowing how much you care about the people who support and root for you how does it feel knowing that you've succeeded in a way almost nobody could have predicted or thought was possible and did not disappoint with your results in China? Do you think the days where you rival BurNIng are fast approaching?Xia Yi Ge Tian Liang Black^Keep working hard and I'm sure it'll pay off in the play-ins. [OmniEulogy]



Honestly, it feels good that I haven't let everyone down entirely. The early parts of this year looked very grim and I felt bad for the people who were on my side. Though, even now it's uncertain whether we will win the play-ins or not. Should we not... well let's not think about that just yet haha. I'm glad many of you didn't give up on me, wouldn't have made it so far without you guys! Concerning the rivaling BurNIng part... I don't think I will ever get as good as him, as long as he plays actively haha!



[shad2810] Hi Black-sama! My question would be: do you have any regrets leaving for China after spending your time for a very long time without a team but still manage to qualify for TI in the end? Please explain your feelings when CIS picked you up as their carry. Anyways thank you Black![shad2810]



Hmm, I don't regret going to China. Of course, Dota didn't work out as well as planned, but as a person I grew A LOT. I gained so much valuable experience, that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Qualifying for TI.. .well that was something I didn't believe in anymore because it just seemed so far out of reach, but then when CIS picked me up, I knew i finally had the chance to prove many of the doubters wrong. Doubters being mainly Chinese teams that didn't believe that a Western player could do well in a Chinese team, main reason why I was without a team for so long.



What is the most important thing you have learned about Dota while in China? [JJAYL]



Definitely the fact, that you and your team needs to be really good friends in order to function well. Even if the 5 most skilled players would play together in one team, but their mentality and mindset would differ a lot and they wouldn't enjoy spending time with each other, there is no way they would beat other top teams!



How do you think your experience in China has helped you grow as a Dota player and person in general? [ArchDC]



It helped me grow in various ways. In Dota I learned many new tricks from many of the Chinese pro players as well as public matchmaking players. The mechanics of them are crazyyyyyy good. I learned friendship is one of the most important things in Dota and I learned how to be more active with my team. As a person it helped me, because I got to experience a completely new culture, so I see many things with a different point of view now than I had before. Being away from your home country for so long also makes you a very independent person! haha



What were the most surprising things your teammates did not know about Dota (mechanically and competitively, such as timing Roshan)?



Were there misconceptions your teammates had of foreigners? Which ones were most surprising? [Wala.Revolution]



They knew many things, but the most surprising for me definitely was that they didn't time Roshan (especially because they ran quite some level 1 Roshan strategies).



The biggest "misconception" was, that I would not be able to get along with them well, because they thought I was unfriendly or something (that's a weird prejudice to have!) Other than that there wasn't really anything unusual.



Hi Black^! Having been on both an European Team and a Chinese Team, what do you think are the main differences in terms of playstyles and perhaps shot calling as well between the East and West? Also, any particular reasons that we viewers see the Chinese are currently dominating the scene yet again even after falling off in TI3? (As seen in Starladder and The Summit) [MaknaeLove]



I think the main difference between European and Chinese playstyle is the willingness to experiment around with drafts. The West usually did that quite a lot, while the Chinese teams would always stay in their comfort zone. Also a reason why I think China has made a comeback like that is, DK did what most of the Western teams did before! They experimented around like crazy and it felt like it was really contagious, as suddenly all the Chinese teams started experimenting around a lot and thus finding many many good strategies.



Is your team’s success in drafting and playing partly due to having a slight mix of Western Dota with Chinese Dota? If so, why is this and does it really make a difference? [yagwog]



I did try to bring some "Western" picks in there, but the success of the team is mostly based on the players. They are really inexperienced, so they feel very nervous when they play big games. However sometimes they suddenly just explode (because of the very same reason) and play out of their minds. That's what happened at TI4 qualifiers as well. They were really nervous in most of the games, but when it counted they gave it everything they had.



Hi Black^! First of all congrats to you for getting where you are in China. You seem like you adapted there admirably and I'm really delighted to see that.



My question is what are your thoughts on the new meta that features a stable carry as mid, and pusher/space creator as safe lane, instead of the usual reverse one. In Chinese qualifiers your team seemed to be doing pretty well with the 4 protect one style, with you being the carry, but you guys have tried to spice things up various times, especially in your key matches. Was that influenced by DK's versatile lineups, or am I a clueless noob who didn't know that all these

existed way before? Even if so, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these.



Thank you in advance, and good luck in Seattle Black-sama! [2016anywhere]



I am not sure why everyone picked it up, but Dota has so many heroes now, almost EVERY hero has a place in a lineup if built around the right strategy. As to why we went crazy with some picks, we felt like we were completely figured out and thus tried something new, that no one expected of us. Being unpredictable is one of the most important abillities to have in Dota , because it makes it hard for the enemy to read your game. Definitely, scrimming against DK helped us a lot and we picked up many ideas from playing versus them! Thanks for your wishes ^-^



The conventional wisdom following 6.79 was that carries needed to change up their playstyles and come on-line much quicker to have game impact. Do you agree with this, and did you have to consciously change your playstyle? [schmitty9800]



I definitely agree with this. Mainly because of the gold change, it was much more important that the carry would take part in many many fights and much earlier too. I think with every new patch, you always need to slightly alter your playstyle so that you can stay on top of things!





What do you think about Antimage in the current metagame? [StrykeerR]



Antimage, as always, is my favorite hero so I will probably a bit biased here! I think Antimage is viable, but situational. If picked in the right lineup versus the right lineup however, he is an absolute monster that can hardly be stopped. On top of that he, in most people's opinion, is the go to carry when you need to play a safe game, so I don't think he will ever fade out completely.





What do you think about heroes like Necrophos, Undying, Pugna, Omniknight, Broodmother? Do they have a spot in the current metagame? Do they have a spot in a pocket strat? [BlindKill]



They definitely have a spot in the current meta, but as you said mostly in a pocket/well prepared strategies. Those heroes on their own don't do so much, but coupled with the right heroes they can win you games quite easily.





Hi Black^! Congrats on winning the TI4 Chinese qualifier runner-up. It seems that a lot of pros and yourself idolize BurNIng and set him as the benchmark of what a carry should be. What is the most important aspects that separate BurNIng from other top carries such as Loda, XBOCT, Hao, Sylar, yourself, etc. Mechanics, map awareness, decision making, what is the most important? Thank you for your time and good luck in Seattle! [BlackGosu]



For me, what really stands out are two things. He handles pressure INCREDIBLY well. It is hard to ever see him make mistakes because he is nervous, that is one of the most important trademarks of a professional player.



Second, he is always stable and you can always count on him. If you do your part, he will always do his part too! Stability is the thing most people lack, in my eyes he is one of the few persons who are just constant, like pi! (...)





Are there any communication issues during games? [Mercedes-Xen]



So far I died once, because of a communication issue. I was Antimage and I had a negative urn charge on me ticking me down, because I forgot the word "urn of shadows" in Chinese, I didn't know how to tell my teammate to heal me with his own urn.... Other than that though (of course the issue is fixed now!) there haven't been major issues so far.





How close are you with your teammates? What kind of problems/arguments do you have with them in-game and outside the game? How do you and your team resolve it? [goody153]



Hmm, I'd say we’re pretty good friends, hanging out a lot and doing many things together.

Problems and arguments usually happen because of Dota only. Whether it's the draft or misplays, they have a bad temper, so they can get angry quite easily haha. To resolve them, we just talk about the problem and how to solve it. If possible we also try to test out best methods against/with it in practice mode.





Can German efficiency beat Chinese efficiency? What are your thoughts on potentially playing other roles than carry in the future? [mnck]



German efficiency best efficiency! On a serious note though (if you're talking about dota :D) Most of my *efficiency* I learned by watching BurNIng, so I'd say he is the most efficient player in DotA at the moment. If you didn't mean Dota it's definitely Chinese! They are incredibly smart......

Concerning the roles, I like to play all roles, so I wouldn’t mind playing any of the other roles, as long as my team feels comfortable and we can achieve good results.





Hi Black^, how hard is it to blend in with Chinese people if your teammates are not with you if you have to go for breakfast, lunch or dinner and there are only Chinese-speaking restaurants? What do you eat? Good luck at TI4! [DrakanSilva]



I learned all of the "everyday" Chinese, so going to shop or to the gym or whatever isn't really problematic. I know how to order and yeah... that's pretty much all you need haha! It's really funny though, if you are not in Beijing or Shanghai people will constantly stare at you. My favorite food in China, definitely their vegetables!!! they cook them incredibly well.





Hi Black^! A question unrelated to Dota. Everytime I see a recent picture of you, I really cannot believe how much you've changed. You must have worked so hard to get in shape. I just wanted to ask, how was your road to fitness? Did you do any specific workout? Any specific diet? Also good luck on TI play-ins! [ilikechococake]



It was quite a bit of hard work! Though I didnt really follow any diet or workout... All I did was leave away the sweet drinks (Fanta Cola or things like that) and focus on drinking water. Also I chose my food more carefully. Other than that, I had a little forest behind my house when I lived in Germany, so all I did was go there in the morning (sometimes in the evening too if I had nothing better to do) and jog for an hour. Sorry if that disappointed you haha, but losing weight is actually really easy!





How healthy in general are the training habits of your team and other Chinese teams? [drew-chan]



I'd say some Chinese teams are going over the top with about 14 hours every day. Personally I believe the best amount of training time is between 8 and 10 hours (I personally practice 10 daily, not necessarily with my team). Regarding practice time with my team, it's about 6-8 hours.





It's obvious that apart from practicing a lot of Dota you've spent a fair amount of time in the gym. How impactful do you think maintaining good physical shape is with respect to in-game performance? [hifriend]



I believe it goes hand-in-hand. Because being physically fit, means your brain can also work better and faster. Other than that it's just a lot of fun to do workouts, especially if you have friends with you! I personally play a lot of Badminton in the gym alongside the workout, which is really fun as well (it also keeps you help the balance between gaming and doing something else!)





If you weren't a progamer what would you be doing instead? What are your passions/goals outside of progaming? [Omigawa]



I was always really interested in normal sports... In school I was one of the most hated/loved players in sport classes, because I would always try really really hard to win, like make up strategies and what not. Other than that... being a banker always seemed interesting to me... I don't know why though.





Bonus Questions

What is the worst part about being a foreigner in China? [TheEmulator]



Honestly, that most people stare at you. At first it's really scary but as time passes you get used to it.



Have you met a Chinese girl you like? [HighTimeDotA]



Not really... uhm I'm pretty shy around girls so it's actually not so easy for me in that regard haha...



Does China have any good cheese or not really? [Dubzex]



I've never had the chance to eat cheese in China yet...



How do you like your coffee? [StrayWolf]



Never drank coffee in my life! So can't say haha.



Is the black team attire a result of you joining the team? [AwfuL_]



I'm not so sure, because we all got the shirts a while after I joined the team... So either they had them prepared already or they gave into the Black-factor! ^^















Writer: CountChocula

Gfx: riptide

Editor: riptide

Dominik "Black^" Reitmeier has been tearing up the Chinese Dota 2 scene in the past few months since joining CIS Game after the disbandment of LGD.int. He is one of the greatest Western carries to ever grace the game of Dota 2, and he proved it once again last week when he helped CIS Game qualify for the play-in series for The International 2014 in July.As a player, Black^ is one of the most efficient farmers around, and is known for his amazing play on heroes like Slark, Morphling, Naga Siren, and his personal favourite, Anti-Mage. Since moving to China last year, he has made great efforts to learn their culture and language, and so far has been adjusting to life on a Chinese team with minimal issues. With the support of China, they have a good shot at winning the play-in series. Being such a young and in-experienced team, they have only one place to go, which is up.CIS Game has a lot ahead of them in the upcoming months, and Black^ will be a busy man. But first we get to ask him any question we want in this 20-20, so ask away!You asked the questions , and Black^'s answers are below! 我会让他们连馒头都吃不到 Those championships owed me over the years, I will take them back one by one.