Ask The Pros: Gambit's Darien
Riot·5/29/2014, 9:32:32 PM·1 votes·9,165 views
Ask The Pros is an ongoing series on lolesports.com, where we ask a pro player questions from the community. The player then picks the next pro the community will get to ask questions. Be sure to follow us on Twitter to submit your questions for the next Q&A!
In our first Ask The Pros article, we took your questions to TSM's now-retired jungler TheOddOne. Between lambasting Teemo for his cheery smile in the midst of death and dishing out advice for rising junglers, he picked Gambit Gaming's Darien as the pro he would like to see interviewed next.
TheOddOne even had a question for the veteran top laner about his feelings towards being sacrificed for objectives. We took that question, along with the best reader-submitted questions to Darien to get his answers.
TheOddOne: Do you ever care that sometimes you have to be sacrificed for objectives?
Darien: I don't care as long as it's beneficial for our team.
Who do you think is the best top laner in the world?
D: It's hard to say exactly who the best top laner is, but I'm not so bad.
Carl: Who do you find most threatening from the NA scene?
D: CLG's AD carry, Doublelift.
Kotei: What is your opinion about your current level at the moment ?
D: My level of play is stable at the moment. I feel comfortable on the strongest champions in the current metagame.
Tinctor: Why don't you pick Swain vs. Renekton? I've found that it's easy to outfarm in that match up. Swain top has no counter. Trust me.
D: Swain is good against Ryze and Jax, but discussing this match up against Renekton is like figuring out whether Alistar or Poppy are better as the AD carry.
Andrew: When do you know to push or freeze in a lane?
D: It's a difficult mechanic that depends on the position of the enemy top laner and jungler. Also, other factors such as whether or not Dragon is on the map and if I have Teleport.
Zerglinator: How do you come up with your crazy builds? Spur of the moment, or careful experimentation?
D: I try building whatever I can. Because there are very few items in LoL, there can be a lack of variety. Sometimes I want to try something new, and sometimes it works out.
Joseph: Hi Darien, I've heard you like reading books. What are your favorite books?
D: Indeed, I enjoy reading. You can find an ideal composition of all aspects of storytelling in the first book by Sergei Lukyanenko Nedotepa. All in all, I think that my favorite books are The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski.
Loth: What do you think of the immense hype, jokes, and titles of you on the internet?
D: Being closely followed by the community has both its pros and cons, but I enjoy it.
Mia: Can we get married?
D: …
LoLesports: What pro player would you want to answer questions next? Would you like to ask him anything?
D: Zaqueri "Aphromoo" Black. What makes supporting so easy?
Josh Augustine's favorite champion is Thresh, he's never enjoyed a Darius, and he will always go for the kill, even when he knows he shouldn't. He currently works as a game designer on EverQuest Next at Sony Online Entertainment. He’d love to talk with you on Twitter.
Carl: Who do you find most threatening from the NA scene?
D: CLG's AD carry, Doublelift.
Kotei: What is your opinion about your current level at the moment ?
D: My level of play is stable at the moment. I feel comfortable on the strongest champions in the current metagame.
Top Strategies
Ayrton: What's a good champion to start trying unorthodox top lane picks? D: Akali, she does wonders if you play her properly. Hans: In your recent matches vs. Copenhagen Wolves, why did you prioritize Irelia in particular? D: I wanted to prove that Irelia isn't bad after losing with her to ROCCAT. Kaddie: I seriously doubted your Irelia pick and was angry at you because I was disappointed by your games vs. ROCCAT. Will you forgive me? D: …
Tinctor: Why don't you pick Swain vs. Renekton? I've found that it's easy to outfarm in that match up. Swain top has no counter. Trust me.
D: Swain is good against Ryze and Jax, but discussing this match up against Renekton is like figuring out whether Alistar or Poppy are better as the AD carry.
Andrew: When do you know to push or freeze in a lane?
D: It's a difficult mechanic that depends on the position of the enemy top laner and jungler. Also, other factors such as whether or not Dragon is on the map and if I have Teleport.
Zerglinator: How do you come up with your crazy builds? Spur of the moment, or careful experimentation?
D: I try building whatever I can. Because there are very few items in LoL, there can be a lack of variety. Sometimes I want to try something new, and sometimes it works out.
Life Off The Rift
Simon: Are you learning English so you can communicate with your fans more? You are the most enjoyable person in EU LCS for me. D: I am not really studying English. I'm just gradually getting better at communicating in English. Maxime: Do you have any idea what you will do after your esports career? Will you continue to work around esports or will you do something else? D: I have thought about it, but I don't feel like sharing my plans yet. I can say that I was aware of what I was going to do even before I became a pro player.
Joseph: Hi Darien, I've heard you like reading books. What are your favorite books?
D: Indeed, I enjoy reading. You can find an ideal composition of all aspects of storytelling in the first book by Sergei Lukyanenko Nedotepa. All in all, I think that my favorite books are The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski.
Loth: What do you think of the immense hype, jokes, and titles of you on the internet?
D: Being closely followed by the community has both its pros and cons, but I enjoy it.
Mia: Can we get married?
D: …
LoLesports: What pro player would you want to answer questions next? Would you like to ask him anything?
D: Zaqueri "Aphromoo" Black. What makes supporting so easy?
Josh Augustine's favorite champion is Thresh, he's never enjoyed a Darius, and he will always go for the kill, even when he knows he shouldn't. He currently works as a game designer on EverQuest Next at Sony Online Entertainment. He’d love to talk with you on Twitter.
and 
= win
