It’s been almost 10 years since Zhibiao Dominik "Black^" Reitmeier, a Western player, went to China to compete in a Chinese team. At ESL One Berlin Major, Team Aster delivered one of the biggest surprises when they announced that they will come to compete with SumaiL standing-in.
Despite the obvious communication issues and the fact that they had mere days at their disposal to practice with SumaiL before the Major, Aster pushed to the playoffs stage and made a top 8 run. Little we knew at that time that both SumaiL and Aster were actually thinking to continue together for the rest of the DPC Season.
We had the chance to talk to Ye "BoBoKa" Zhibiao after Aster’s elimination at the Major and we tried to find out why they had to kick their former mid laner before the major, how they come up with the idea of bringing SumaiL in and what is the plan moving forward.
What would you say your elimination in the top 8 here at the Major is related to? The patch, the fact that you didn't have much time to practice with SumaiL, or is it something else?
Neither the patch nor the fact that we had SumaiL had too much to do with our losses. The main reason we lost to Liquid is because our preparation wasn't that good. We made a mistake in the drafts against Liquid and that was the main issue.
It's been a very long time since we've seen a Western player playing with a Chinese team. Until now, the only one to do so was Black^ in 2014 with Vici Gaming. How difficult would it be for a Western player like SumaiL to integrate for a longer term into a Chinese team?
There will always be communication problems, of course, and a language barrier, but I think that it can be solved in-game. It's more on the individual, if he is good enough and open to working together with the team, then the communication in the game can be fixed in various ways. Like we did with SumaiL here at the Major.
Is there a shortage of mid lane players in China or why did you choose to take SumaiL as a stand-in over someone who you could communicate in Chinese?
We have a shortage of mid players in China for sure. The mid laners who were tier one material and those who were good enough to play this kind of tournaments, they are all retired in China. So we had to look somewhere else, to think outside the box. We think that SumaiL is still the king, he is very good, and we can work around the communication issues.
May I ask what went so horribly wrong with Xwy that you had to kick him after the DreamLeague Season 19 knowing that you will need a stand-in for the Major, which was starting just a few days after?
The main issue was that we couldn't play together, like a team with him.
Are you confident that you will find someone in time for the next tour, because the shuffle window will close in just a few days after the Major?
Maybe, I don't really know. We are afraid that if we find someone good enough, he will retire.
Is there any chance that you will continue with SumaiL?
Oh, trust me, we are trying really hard to get him.
What's your overall impression on the new patch?
I really like the two Rosh pits and the fact that there is so much to do on the map now. I also like the Blood Grenades, and I think people should use them more, and the lotuses too, they are so helpful for the side lanes. I would love the get the chance to use the Shield Rune once, because so far I didn't get to use it. But I guess that's fine because my first choice for a mid-rune is the Arcane one.
Overall, I like all the action on the sidelines and I hope they keep it like that.
A few teams here at the Major have tried Earth Spirit, which is one of your signature heroes. Is he truly back to meta, do you like him now?
I need to practice more on Earth Spirit. I don't know exactly what to say about him because right now it feels like there are two extremes with this hero. You either execute the game very fast and he is very good in this scenario, or you fail early and he is useless.
Alright, thank you so much for taking the interview, and I hope you solve your roster issue fast and bounce back in the Summer Tour!
Thank you for having me.
