DOA Legend in the Making

Posted by: Blindspot1977

Article by Thomas "Blindspot1977" Lim

Tao "Kindfox" Zhu is a newcomer to CGS this year, representing Wuhan Dragon in DoA 4. The team has been in the limelight for their high placement in the CGS Pan-Asia Finals in May of 2008. As the first runner up (to Sydney Underground), the Wuhan team earned themselves a trip to the World Finals in Los Angeles. Little is known about this DoA diamond in the rough, but soon he will have the chance to show the rest of CGS what he is made of.

It took some time to track down Kindfox for an interview, due to the terrible events that happened in his hometown. Tao lives in the earthquake zone of Sichuan, China, where a devastating earthquake took place on May 12. As shocking news of the earthquake was reported throughout the world, news of Kindfox and his situation was unknown to CGS for some time.

Amid the terrible ordeal, it is very fortunate that both he and his family are now all safe and sound. Kindfox has been busy helping out with the earthquake relief effort and taking care of his family. The focus has been on getting themselves settled and trying to get their lives back on track. Despite this considerable disruption, he has not forgotten to find time to continue his DoA training. Looking ahead to the World Final, Tao has demonstrated his professionalism and determination on his path to DoA stardom.

There were indications that Tao had done some serious homework prior to the Pan-Asia event. An blog post by former Singapore Sword player (and 2007 CGS Individual Men's DoA4 World Champion) Wilson "Tetra" Chia said that in April, while he was in private training via Xbox Live, he noticed that someone was stalking his game. A mysterious stranger was joining all of his matches during his training. For what added up to at least three full hours of play, this spectator was studying the moves of the 2007 champ. Once the onlooker was identified, T etra's take was that the time Kindfox had wasted observing would have been better spent in actual training. But Kindfox proved him wrong in Wuhan, where he was the first to beat Tetra in a distressing match that had brutal consequences for the Singapore team. Kindfox's patient diligence is reminiscent of the historical Chinese war tactician, Sun-Tzu. His strategy was to know his enemy to aid his pursuit of victory. Using lessons from the Art of War appears to have been a successful tactic.

Kindfox celebrates win over Singapore Sword's Tetra.

The results Kindfox achieved at the Pan-Asia Final proved that his hard work had paid off. His excellent performance contributed to the Wuhan Dragon's success in gaining one of the two precious slots in the 2008 World Final. Kindfox's notable and memorable achievements include both the defeat of Tetra, when facing off with the Singapore Sword, and his comeback victory over Daniel "Berzerk!" Chlebowczyk of Sydney Underground. Berzerk put up a hard fight that had him leading the early part of the match, but a calm Kindfox fought back with win after win, eventually destroying the Australian lead and winning the match 5-4.

Due to the situation in China, many communication channels have been down, but like his nickname, Tao was kind enough to struggle with inconsistent email access to give us an update on his story.

Tao recalls becoming casually involved in gaming in the early 1990s, but did not try his luck in a professional competition until 2005. Following some minor regional success, he hit gold in 2008 when he was selected as the DOA player for Wuhan Dragon. His first experience in the CGS level of competition was nerve-wracking, to say the least. He was both excited and nervous, but had put in considerable amounts of self-training on his trusty XboX. Kindfix's training routine includes trying to improve his skill level while continuing to explore new tactics. For 2008, the ultimate target is to give his very best at the CGS World Final and help to grab the final victory for himself and his team. Preparing with all cylinders open, Kindfox is headed full steam ahead with his eyes on the prize in Los Angeles.

The North American players pose something of a threat, but with sights set on outperforming his level of play at the Pan-Asian Championship in Wuhan, Kindfox is confident about the possibility of success. He remains on high alert and is wary of the opponents he has yet to face. Always humble, he believes that luck was on his side during his victory over Tetra, and that there are some seriously skilled players that are also gunning for the top spot in the Worlds.

This upcoming DoA star is ready to show his stuff in Los Angeles and light up the galaxy with his success. Between DoA training, preparing for international travel, post-earthquake efforts, and his demanding job as an advertising graphic designer, Kindfox has been busier than most. He is coming in to the World Finals with a strategy at the ready, heeding Sun Tzu's words that "the general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought." Look out CGS… here comes Kindfox, and he has a plan.