One of the first casters in competitive DotA who embodied enthusiasm and entertainment, is all set to make a comeback. He has probably been our dirty little secret for over two years now. Not anymore. Here's MadMortigan unleashed!
- "Thanks KrocK, its good to be gaming again, grins. I've certainly missed the game. Although I haven't been completely detached. Over the past 2 years I've constantly found myself watching streams ect, getting my fix so to speak.
To those that don't know me, HI, my name is Mark and I HAVE JUST met you, and I LOVE YOU. I'm an old man that's played Dota for fun for a very long time, with Taku, because I love him too. I love watching the games, and for a period of time I used to stream said game watching. For those of you that tuned in I like to think we had a lot of fun, perhaps we'll have some more in the future."
Where have you been? You took a hiatus about 2 years back, revisited us for a GosuCup and disappeared again..
- "I'm not gonna spill my life story into here, but more or less I casted while I was in school and had a ton of free time on my hands. I may or may not have picked studies that were pretty demanding, played way too many games, while also attempting to maintain a girlfriend. When the whole thing came down on me I ended up spending the better part of a year and a half picking up the pieces. When push came to shove I had to have my priorities straight and sadly I couldn't include Dota or video games in general to that.
I'm sure many of us gaming nuts have or will have a similar inflection point at one time or another. That said, my puzzle is back together again, all except for a little piece I loved so much called Dota. So here I am, smiles, new computer in tow. Probably not every day for hours on end, but for those that missed me, I missed you too lets watch some Dota 2 together some weekend. "
When did you start playing Dota 2 and how do you feel it has shaped up so far and in comparison to Dota, the standalone map ?
- "I played a little bit of Dota 2 on a poopy computer last winter. I still haven't been able to really sink my teeth into it like I want to, but my overall impression is that Valve and Icefrog have done a pretty good job of extracting all the qualities that made dota so great out of a rusty Volkswagen and into a Ferrari, with a half naked supermodel in the passenger seat. Absolutely awesome.
What really gets my juices flowing is how far the community has come, and with casting especially. Seeing Tobi, Synderen, and Blitz doing so well really tickles my insides in a good way. Even the guys I didn't have the pleasure of working with like Lumi and LD, Draskyll, along with all the international internet jockeys are pushing the competitive scenes exposure and community involvement to places I had only dreamed of. The future is bright needless to say, and while it may have been a short and small role, its fun to think that I may have helped start that snowball rolling. "
After casters like Tobi, Luminous, Synderen and yourself, a second generation of casters have spawned and blossomed. What do you have to say about them? Is there someone in particular that you enjoy watching and listening to?
- "I really enjoy all the new matchmaking streams, similar to the laddering streams from Starcraft 2. I enjoy watching Blitz of course, Demon a bit. And as soon as Taku starts doing it regularly enough I'll probably be watching the fat panda commander spank his way up the ladder grin. "
Have you ever felt threatened or insecure by the surge in Dota commentators , in the past or in recent times ?
- "Never. There never was, is, or ever will be a jealous or competitive bone in my body towards other casters. This SPORT will never achieve anything near its potential if everyone simply tries to corner and block off their respective communities from exposure to others. Any caster that has success is in essence growing the competitive scenes interest for EVERYONE, especially after they are gone. So any squabbling is more or less an exercise in pure stupidity. That's always been my opinion. "
Did you follow the International 2, What were your thoughts on the event as a whole ? What is your most memorable moment and why?
If there is something that Valve can do, that would, in any way, be of further help to a commentator, what would it be?
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OH MY GOD when that first wombo combo (thx LD and Lumi) blew up in IG's face i was going absolutely ape shit at the genius of Puppey.”- "Oh my lord. I convinced 3 of my co-workers to come to my place where I hooked my 42 inch up in the living room and we watched that shit all weekend like it was the super bowl. When NAVI picked the Jugg, Enigma, Enchantress, and Rhasta in game 2 against IG in the semifinals I was going ballistic. Taku had actually talked to me about that mass heal push strat with Jugg quite some time ago and I couldn't believe NAVI were doing it. OH MY GOD when that first wombo combo (thx LD and Lumi) blew up in IG's face i was going absolutely ape shit at the genius of Puppey. Also I loved when him and LoH had shit eating grins on their face after the Naga/DS picks, I immediately thought about that star wars general saying "its a trap".
As far as Valve, Icefrog, and Dota 2. Nothing, literally nothing it was beautiful. I loved the setup, the panel, and I loved how they got all the casters that really deserved to be there involved instead of letting anyone hog the spotlight (another reason I liked the panel, although I would have liked to see something more of a pro gamer presence inside of it). "
If you were to cast the last game of your life, which game would it be and with whom would, ( from Dota as well as Dota2, so you can name 2 games and 2 casters ) ? A little odd to ask since you're just coming back, but what I mean is, the game that got you thinking - "Damn! I could stop casting right now and I would be at peace, forever." Or "this is as good as DotA can ever get !", Or maybe you could describe the feeling the best.
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Without a doubt Navi vs LGD in the winner bracket Final...That match, had me shaking, laughing, standing, cheering, and more or less dumbfounded on all levels.”- "Without a doubt Navi vs LGD in the winner bracket Final. Commentators are supposed to be professional, unbiased, and rise to the moments that they are lucky enough to be a part of. Sadly, I lack the first two qualities. Anyone that watches my streams know that when I'm rooting for someone (GDT) my bias towards them is going to wreak in my stream. However, my emotional investment in the outcome really brings out a passion that I think (some) people enjoyed. That match, had me shaking, laughing, standing, cheering, and more or less dumbfounded on all levels. If I was able to share that experience with the viewers that enjoy my type of stream, it only would have made it that much more memorable. "
How does it feel when people still remember you after such a long time ? How would you describe your casting style ?
- "I don't really cast, I mean I try to but my camera work is terrible, my play by play frenetic and oftentimes laced with perverted hyperbole, my knowledge is obsolete, and never was that great to begin with (thank god for synderen, blitz, and who could forget mandurang, mandy wherever you are <3<3). No, what I always did was just watched the games as if I was sitting on my couch with friends, and talked to the stream as if they were with me. I try to do all the stuff a caster is supposed to do, but for the most part you'll get more useless banter than anything if I'm not into whats going on in the game. "
For the sake of uninitiated folks, What is the story behind "Ass-Milk" ?
- "Completely random. We were casting SECS (a series of north American small tournaments ran by NADota.com used almost exclusively as a competitive breeding ground for up and coming NA and SA teams to get experience and practice) and we were watching a game. I believe I had a bit too much to drink that night and wasn't really into the game we were watching because it was a landslide stomp. Somehow the idea of describing the game in one word came about and I said assmilk. Goldy has "ITS ALLLL OVER", and I have assmilk. I think I win. "
Back in the day, USA had very few pro players and was largely amiss from the global competitive scene. Now, there happen to be atleast five strong teams that feature prominently in the International scene.
- "Its funny, there was a certain someone (you know who you are) that a long time ago told me that ToT and Aui_2000 were awful and were only good at pubstomping THR noobs after I insisted they were both really damn good with a high ceiling if they ever decided to make a team and practice. Similarly with Complexity, we're talking about HANNAH MONTANA's team from the old days of SECS. They were more or less a doormat, capable of a semi-final or final run from time to time but not much more. Now look at them, arguably (very easily at that) THE best North American team in the world and one of the best teams in the world period.
Hows that for apples to choke down? Moral of the story, a little guy today could be 6'6 280 with a mean streak in him tomorrow. Seeing stories like this emerging from the malnourished competitive atmosphere we have on our side of the pond...makes me excited about what we have to look forward to. "
What is the "holy-grail" for an eSports Commentator ? Does the thirst for "moaarr games!" ever get quenched?
- "I have no idea. A good memory maybe. Like the first time Synderen noticed the earth panda in dota one whipping out the yellow pages and bonking a hero on the head with it. There was also a game me and Blitz casted a long time ago between a german team (I forgot) and Synderen's old team (forgot again) where Synderen's team were absolutely crushing so hard that Blitz said it was over, and in my head I agreed but on the cast I said not assmilk yet. This wonderful restraint I had paid off big time, and what was a boring exercise in going through the motions quickly turned into a lets all shit our pants together for 30 minutes affair when UNIQUE, yeah that was their name UNIQUE. CAME BACK from an almost impossible deficit, against an out control morphling with just a Mirana and a Tide basically. I was so excited those last thirty minutes I gave birth to a litter of st bernards in my apartment.
Sorry for the novel. THAT is the holy grail though. Those 1 in 1000 games that you'll never see again. Like Navi vs IG 2 in the semi's. To be part of it, live and in the moment. It has an analogue to crack, there is no quenching that thirst to be rocked like that. "
Recently, a notion that has seeped into the community is that "A Caster makes easy money", How far-fetched is this from the reality?
- "I couldn't tell you. I will say this. From January of 2010 to August of 2010 I probably casted well over 1200 hours of Dota. 30 or 40 different tournaments if you include SECS. Never got a nickel, in fact I lost money because of Hungry Hungry Fellhounds giving away pizza hut. Of which I just recently remedied a stomach that was empty for two years. Paint, shoutout to you man I hope its delicious and sorry it took so long.
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..but if its not for the fun, the chances are you'll be bored AND broke.”Any words of wisdom you'd like to shower upon the hordes of gamers that have taken to commentating or the ones who are struggling at it ?
- "I think the #1 wall people are going to run into is NOT being happy with 25 viewers. When I started I had 10-25, few weeks later I broke 100 and so on. Don't have any expectations, be happy and keep streaming. Enjoy the time with the viewers you have and don't drool over the 3000 big dick rick has on the joindota stream ticker. It takes time, if you're good and entertaining they will slowly find you. SIKSTINAIN will find you regardless, shoutout to the biggest Dota fan on planet Earth (if you're from Earth) "
Any last words or shoutouts ?
- "Shoutout to Taku the fat panda commander as always. Synderen, Toby, Blitz, Mandurang and everyone else that used to play or watch with us once upon a time. It might have been one spring and summer but we had alot of fun eh?
Be a part of the madness with MadMortigan casting the SECS 16.1 on DotAlicious_TV !
Links
Twitch Channel - DotAlicious_TV
Play.GG.net - Stream
