Dominik 'Black-^' Reitemer has been a household name in the European community who has been heavily praised and criticized at the same time for his role of a carry. Now, he is making waves in the Chinese community by playing for CIS and helping them in qualifying for WPC-ACE and The International 2014.
Black joining CIS was one of the hottest topics in the Dota 2 scene for a long time. Few weeks ago, Black was still merely a mercenary from the west, trying to maintain his skills in pub games, he even had thoughts about leaving China.
However, slowly and unexpectedly he stood in for his dream team DK, helped CIS to qualify for WPC-ACE and now has qualified for the wild card slot at Seattle for The International 2014. In an interview with 178.com Black shares about his trip to China, LGD.int shuffle, his dream come true for standing in for DK and his experience with CIS.
Hello Black. A few weeks ago, you told us through tweeter that Icex3, Burning and Mushi told you even if you had learnt mandarin well, it would still be fairly difficult to join a Chinese team. However, now you’ve played for DK as stand-in, you’ve also successfully helped CIS to qualify for WPC-ACE. Could you please tell me what exactly happened?
Honestly, after talking to them (DK members) I almost gave up staying in China. I had been looking for a suitable western team to join but none of them was ideal. Though eventually I’ve decided to stay, I think this is the best choice for my Dota career.And one day I suddenly heard from Iceiceice that Burning was sick, and they want me to stand in for him. Then Team CIS also contacted me, ask if I could prepare for WPC-ACE qualifier with their team. I don’t even know how exactly everything happened, perhaps I just got lucky haha!
After LGD.Int disbanded, LGD.Ruru gave you high praise in an interview. She said “1437 and Black are the most determined foreign player I’ve ever met, their effort will definitely be rewarded.” You’ve once mentioned before as well that she would do everything she can to find you a new team. What do you think about this, do you plan to thank her someday for her help?
Honestly, Ruru is the best manager I’ve ever met. She rewards her players according to how much effort they give. Ever since I joined LGD.int, I’ve been training very hard, and she kept everything in mind. To impress a manager like Ruru, all you need to do is to work hard. Perhaps because she’s such a hard worker herself. Regrettably as a normal player there isn’t much I can do to repay her, I’ll add LGD after my in game name to show my appreciation. Ruru and management team of LGD are all very kind people. They’ve given me so much help which I’ll never forget.
We know you admire B-God, and in China you’re often called ‘B-God jr’. What is your relationship with Burning? Can we assume he’s your idol?
Ever since I arrived in China, I have been good friends with Burning. He’s very friendly and approachable, he never hesitates to share his ideas with other players, whether it is about Dota or everyday life. I’ve learnt a lot from him. I’m very proud to say that I am a diehard fan of Burning and DK. I have only admiration for him.
We often say that opportunities are only for the ones prepared. When you were playing for DK, did you think you could fit his shoe? Was everything as expected to play with other members of DK?
That match was tough. During the game, language barrier was a big problem, plus I was playing from a different location, it made communicating even more difficult. I’ve watched a lot of DK’s replays, thus I’m very familiar with their in game movement, so I wasn’t afraid of that. I was still very nervous during the game though. Like I’ve said it in the past, even if the whole world think I am better than Burning I still won’t think so myself. In my heart, I’ll never surpass Burning. He’ll always be the best player in the world for me.
Now you’re only playing as a mercenary. Is it somewhat a good opportunity as you can work with different teams? How do you feel about it?
There are definitely distinctive differences between how Chinese and Western teams play. Chinese players have completely different approach, they are also much more serious towards the game. I’ve played for a few different teams now, every team has different expectations from their players, and therefore I’ve been able to learn a lot playing with them. It is definitely a good experience to play with them. Having said that, I’d much rather find a stable team, I’d love to grow and learn with the team together.
Alright. Let’s change the topic. After your experiences with LGD DK and CIS I’m sure you now know a thing or two about Dota 2 scene in China. If a western player wants to play in China as well, and ask you for advice, what would you tell him?
Well I’ll tell him that: first of all you need to be mentally prepared. It is definitely not an easy choice to make, not only you need to get used the way they train and live, you are also going to face cultural and language barriers.
Next thing is about attitude. At least from my experience, Chinese managers expect you to be motivated to train, and train very hard. If you easily get tired or bored playing Dota, then China is not the place for you. Well you can probably still come to play regardless, I’m simply telling you what they’d expect from you.
Last but not least, unless you’ve already learnt to speak Mandarin at home, you’ll need to spend some time learning Mandarin here. Communication is crucial to Dota2. I’m sure any Dota players would know how important it is to be able to communicate in game.
I heard that Chinese girls are very interested in European guys. Is it part of the reason you stayed? How do you feel that your ethnic background is an advantage?
Honestly, at the start it was a bit strange indeed. When I just got here, everyone would just stare at me. Now I am used to it. Well Chinese people are very friendly, so there’s nothing much to worry about. Girls… I’m very shy, I haven’t made much contact with girls here. Misery and Pajkatt did say something about it is super easy to find girls here, I’m sure it is true then.
If you have a chance to pick four other players to make a dream team in China, who would you pick?
Would Mushi and Iceiceice be included? If yes then I’ll pick Mushi Iceiceice Burning and fy! If not I’ll choose Burning fy Yao and Zhou!
How do you keep your form during this period without any competitions?
I play at least 11 pub games a day, so that my control won’t fall off. Well I missed out on a lot of competitions indeed, so I watch as many replays as I can to compensate. There was a period of time I was really struggling, I was lost and demoralized, not sure what to do next. I tried talking to friends, hoping to get some advice from them, it wasn’t very helpful. Well again thank you everyone who’s been supporting me all this time, without you guys my life would’ve been very gloomy.
If LGD is making a youth team, and they invite you to be part of it, would you join them instead?
I’m not sure how to answer this. I’m playing for CIS right now, however I owe Ruru for all her help. If this actually happens I’ll talk to Ruru first. I’d love to work with her again, but I’m a mercenary after all. I’m hired by CIS at the moment, how can I betray my boss? Unless… if the pay is exceptional… that would be a different story.
Some Chinese players think that you focus only on farming, they think sometimes you make poor in game decisions. Some even say it waspossibly why you weren’t able to find a team. What do you think about these criticisms? This particular play style of nonstop farming is it your personal preference or is it what the team wanted you to do
I think the criticisms are reasonable. I used to focus on farming too much and didn’t help my team much. However during the time training in China, I have definitely learnt a lot. Right now I simply cannot wait to play in WPC-ACE, so I can show everyone that I have improved! I’m not just good at farming now!
Before joining CIS, you were struggling in China. Do your family and friends know about it?
Yes they do, and they have been supporting me. They were always there when I was most depressed, and then when things are looking better they are there to cheer for me and share my joy. If not for my family, friends and fans, I probably would’ve given up. At the same time, I am very happy to join CIS. I hope in the near future, whether it is Dota or life, I can grow and learn with my teammates together.
Anything else you’d like to say?
I sincerely thank everyone who’s helped me and supported me. I’d like to say sorry for making you guys worried. However now a great opportunity has presented itself! My team and I will do our best to seize it. CIS! GOGOGO!
Credits to kodo12 for the translation!
Source: Sgamer.com
