Hello guys this is Zicomo here from JeeSports. Last night we had a great caster who spoke his heart out and gave away his insight of Dota. Check out and enjoy his interview done for our site JeeSports.
Hello LDdota and welcome to this interview. Can you give us a short and sweet introduction of yourself?
LD: Sure. Hi guys, I'm LD! I've been playing Dota for about 6 years now and loving every minute of it. When I first decided to start casting Dota 6 months ago, it was purely for fun. I never expected it to amount to anything and did solely to try to teach myself more about the competitive game and for the entertainment of my close friends. The last 6 months have been a wild ride, but I wouldn't trade them for anything.
How did you get into Dota?
LD: Well, I was very reluctant at first. Back in high school/early college, I was a competitive CS 1.6 player and really had eyes only for that game. My brother and my best friend both played Dota for a long time, always trying to convince me to play but being met with firm resistance. Everything was so alien, especially coming from such a simple/clean game like CS 1.6. But every feed was an opportunity to learn, and after enough learning, I eventually started to own those low-level pubs!
Did you cast any other games before you got involved in Dota?
LD: Nope. I've never cast anything besides WC3 Dota / Dota 2. I've actually only been casting for about 6 months (and at least 1-1.5 of those I wasn't really active). That being said, my roommate and that best friend I mentioned play some pretty damn serious Wii Tennis matches on a weekly basis, and I have a standing offer from them to cast their games. In all honesty, they provide enough commentary as it is.
Which is your most memorable moment during your castings?
LD: The bash. If you don't know what I'm referring to, stop what you are doing right now and go watch Duskbin vs ICE Game 2 from The International 2 East Qualifiers. The VOD is available on my youtube channel or you can download the replay for free within the Dota 2 client. I can't really say any more without spoiling it, but by far that was the most excited I've ever been about a single event in a game of Dota 2.
If you missed the East Qualifiers you can watch all VOD’s at LD's youtube channel and enjoy his amazing commentary. Don't forget to watch the moment specified by LD and let us know if it was a memorable moment for you. Now lets get back to our interview and moving over to DreamHack 2012.
Recently you casted Dreamhack Summer 2012, what was your experience?
LD: It was amazing. Similar to the International 2 East Qualifiers, I woke up every day in the wee hours of the morning my time and proceeded to cast for 8-10 hours straight. I was sleep-deprived and starving most of the time, and by the third day my voice was really starting to go (especially since I couldn't find a co-caster for some of those later games). But it was a real honor and a privilege to be able to bring those games to people around the world who might otherwise not be able to watch them. Even some of the group stage matches that featured lesser-known teams were a blast! I got lucky and ended up casting what I consider to be two of the best matches of the event: mTw vs Quantic - Game 1 (Quarterfinals) & EG vs AL - Game 1 (Quarterfinals). All four teams in those games made more than their fair share of mistakes. Ultimately though, the games were packed with drama, momentum swings, and those rare moments where the tension was so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife.
Yes, I remember something interesting from The International qualifiers, today you posted on your facebook page that you will be going The International. How did you get invite and what were your first feelings about it?
LD: How did I come to know about it? Well, frankly, I was blindsided by it. I truly didn't expect to be invited at all and was planning to attend purely as a spectator and a huge fan of all the teams/competitive Dota in general. Anyway, the way I found out is that Icefrog pulled me into a conversation and told me he's been following my recent casts, has really been enjoying them, and wanted to know if I would like to cast at the international. I'm truly humbled by the opportunity and will be working relentlessly to prepare over the coming two months. I want my casting to do the games justice, and hopefully all the hard work will make that dream a reality. The players, their fans, Valve, and everyone else in the Dota community deserve nothing less than the best, and it's my goal to make sure they get it. My reaction was, and I quote: "[Friday, June 22, 2012 3:30 AM] LD (David Gorman): SODIFSDIOFSDKF#()F)(#@F()#@)F(#@F)@#)(F#@()F#@ YES."
Do you have any interesting inside information about the International, which you can share with the community? And which team would you personally look forward to win the International?
LD: I'm sworn to secrecy! No, really though, I can't reveal too much at this time. Valve is still in the planning phases, and I'm not sure how much of what I've heard is officially decided. All I can say is that if a tenth of what I'm hearing is true, TI2 will easily end up being the greatest Dota tournament ever. Which team am I rooting for? Since I'm American, some would argue it's my patriotic duty to root for EG/complexity, and I certainly support both of those teams. But after casting the East Qualifiers, I'm a Tong Fu convert. To me, they are the most complete Dota 2 team I've ever seen. There are no weak links on this team, and they are capable of running just about any strategy under the sun at an extremely high level. . It's all about aggression with them; not suicidal aggression, but calculated, intelligent aggression.
Name one of your favorite features of Dota 2 which you like the most?
LD: It's gotta be the spectating system. Being able to watch any matchmaking game at any time is just awesome. Obviously it's great to see the pros in action, but for me it's equally great to be able to watch my low-level friends while we're in Teamspeak together and make fun of their mistakes (or occasionally offer some helpful advice).
What new fixes or additions you want to see in upcoming Dota 2 updates?
LD: When I first started casting, I had a really hard time getting access to Dota 2 replays. It's a big hurdle, especially for people who don't have any connections to the pros or larger organizations that can get their hands on those replays. It's still pretty tough, but Valve is at least moving in the right direction by monetizing The Defense 2 and making it available to watch in-client (and hopefully, if that goes well, other tournaments will follow suit. Publicly available replays are really important for the health of the competitive scene; without them, it's impossible for new casters to get a start.
This might be a tricky one, but who is the best caster for you and why?
LD: Haha. You're really putting me on the spot here. I think every commentator really has their own personal strengths/weaknesses, and what might be perfect for one viewer might be wrong for another. So hopefully there will be a nice mix of personalities and casting styles at TI2 and even more so for future events, that way everybody can find something they like, what can I say, I admire all these casters for their strengths and i do my best to incorporate pieces from each into my own casts. If I succeed or not, well, that's up for the viewers to decide.
Congratulations one more time with invite to most exciting Dota 2 tournament all over the world. Thanks for such an informative and nice interview. Any Shoutouts?
LD: No problem, it was really my pleasure. Huge shoutout to Luminous, Tuski Atre, Bruno, & the rest of the staff at Dotacommentaries.com, who have given me so many opportunities I otherwise never would have had. I wouldn't be in the position I am now if it weren't for those guys. Also, big thanks to everyone in the dota community who has listened to my casts and either given me constructive feedback or words of encouragement. Shoutout to my dota "think tank", the goons in #dota on irc.synirc.net. And last but not least, big shoutout to my Mom & Dad, who have been hugely supportive of me over the past few months. I love you guys :)
Thanks for your time and we wish you good luck for your future casts and hope you will have a jolly time at the International.
LD: Thanks for having me aboard for the interview. I really enjoyed it :)
Where is LD: 
Youtube, 
Facebook, 
Twitch.tv, 
Twitter, Website
Thanks to all our readers and keep an eye open for next interviews with famous casters.
