EPTFragster: Hello, Anton. You are pretty much unknown to less involved SC players, so please introduce yourself briefly.
Anton 'kolll' Emmerich: Yeah, hi. I am kolll, I have been playing Starcraft for about two years and I only recently joined ESC Gaming. By playing for ESC I have become relatively known and been invited to many online tourneys.
Fragster: Why of all things have you decided to play Starcraft?
kolll: My brothers told me that it is a good game. I also used to play Warcraft but then stuck with Starcraft.
Fragster: How did you enter the world of eSport?
kolll: When I was around ten years old, I already played Warcraft for various clans and participated in tourneys.
Fragster: And since when did you become a "professional" player?
kolll: Ever since I had the intention of becoming a really good player and when I joined ESC Gaming - then I became a professional player.
Fragster: What do your parents think about that?
kolll: Well, my parents support me partly. They are proud of me and support me where they can, but it was a bit strange for them in the beginning.
Fragster: How long do you roughly train a day?
kolll: Since I go to school I can't train as much as I could, but most of the time I play for four hours.
Fragster: Does this affect your grades in school?
kolll: They are okay, but in minor subjects such as History or Biology it does make a bit of a difference.
Fragster: Are there any players you are trying to emulate?
kolll: No, not really. Every good Zerg player is in some or another way useful, but there is no specific player I am trying to emulate.
Fragster: Let us talk about the WCG: How do you like it here so far?
kolll: Well, the hotel and the meals are really good - with the exception of the traditional Chinese dishes, those are a bit strange and unfamiliar. The tourney itself was very well organised and structured.
Fragster: Have you been to China before?
kolll: No, it is my first time.
Fragster: How do you like the Chinese culture?
kolll: The only problem is, that there is no one that speaks even one word of English.
We always have to talk a lot, point - whatever - in order to make them realise that we want Fanta, Cola or something like that. That really gets on my nerves. The timetable was really good and there was no pressure, since we always had enough time.
Fragster: How did you like the players-lunch?
kolll: That was really good. We haven't really been out downtown, but word has it that we have been treated very well. So the lunch was pretty nice.
Fragster: A nice possibility to establish contact with other people?
kolll: No, the people rather kept to themselves, since every national team had its own table.
Fragster: Are you bothered that your brother had to accompany you to China?
kolll: Well, "had to" ... it is more a mixture of "had to" and "wanted". It does not bother me, though; I just came here to play. It is nice though that there is someone I can go sightseeing with and I know well.
Fragster: That was your first big offline event. How do you deal with nervousness?
kolll: I set a goal and just tried to accomplish it. I didn't put pressure on myself though and just tried to play my game. In the beginning you are of course somewhat nervous, but after some time you find into your rhythm and forget about the spectators. So I dealt pretty good with my nervousness.
Fragster: Well, in yesterdays matches you seemed pretty relaxed. Did you expect such a good performance of yourself?
kolll: I was pretty sure to survive the group stage. Then luck was the deciding factor in whom I would face in the quarterfinal. There I was lucky not to play against a Korean, so I had the chance to advance another round. I expected to play in the box on stage and to survive the group stage.
Fragster: Is the mappool in your favour? Since they made again some changes before the event started.
kolll: The mappool is so-so. Tau Cross could have been replaced with Heartbreak Ridge and any other map, so it would have been more recent. Apart from that, the mappool is decent with maps like Outsider and Destination. I've heard that it was even worse the year before.
Fragster: What are, in your opinion, your strongest matchups?
kolll: Zerg vs Terran is my best matchup. Zervs vs Zerg is my second best, but the outcome is not always clear - sometimes you win against really good players, sometimes you lose against bad players. So it is not really clear, but in my opinion it is my second best matchup.
Fragster: You played against all Koreans in the tourney. What kind of feeling is it to play against such players?
kolll: Well, it is certainly an interesting experience to play such players. I can't really say what kind of feeling it is, you have to experience it yourself. In any case you are very excited and it is awesome, even though you know that you have hardly any chances.
Fragster: Do you think that there is someone who can beat the Koreans?
kolll: No, no way. If they keep the way they practice, no one will beat them. Other players also don't have coaches who explain strategies to them. Besides, many players start when they are already too old. I think it makes more sense to start at a young age. Apart from that, I think you have to go to Korea in order to have the same advantages as the pro teams and then you have to deal with the language problem. The players who go to Korea are often too old, too.
Fragster: Would you like to go to Korea?
kolll: Yes, absolutetly. If I'll get the chance, definitely. That would be an interesting experience.
Fragster: Where would you like to play?
kolll: Well, SK Telecom T1 would be very nice (laughs).
Fragster: About the final: Jaedong or Stork?
kolll: Well, I think Stork is the better player, but I think that Jaedong will win this final (Editors Note: Jaedong won the final).
Fragster: Last question: Will you switch to Starcraft 2 or wait at first?
kolll: In the beginning, I will play Starcraft 1 & 2 simultaneously, trying to become very good in both games. If Starcraft 2 establishes itself, I will switch. In the beginning though I will play both games.
Fragster: Thank you for this interview and good luck.
