[Interview] MSL Group H

Thoughts on making it to the Ro16 for the first time in your career?
-I think I can play even better in live games, and to finally be able to make it to the Ro16 makes me feel very happy. Lately, I’ve been having “I can win this!” thoughts in all my games.

How did you feel about the group?
-I loved every bit of it. I always wished I could stay in Group H, and when the Zerg Zero-hyung left the group, and nothing else changed, it was really great for me.

You’re breaking the dominance of the Six Dragons, are you confident in your PvP?
-I’ve always been very sure of my PvP, but looking back, that might’ve been a bit of a childish thought [laugh] Including PvP, the more I play, the more I think Starcraft is a deep game. I remember saying in an interview saying “all Protoss is the same.” I don’t think I’ll ever say anything like that again.

Thoughts on the game against Bisu?
-I needed to maintain a good mindset against Bisu-hyung. Because he’s so high up, there’s of course some pressure. Bisu leans towards a defensive stance, so all of my builds and strategies were designed to face the strongest Protoss. I think I was able to win the mindgames, so of course I didn’t lose.

You were never in danger the whole game.
-Because of my good Observer scouting, when my opponent attacked my natural, I wasn’t passive. And when I found the Reavers, I knew I had it won. Bisu leans towards defensive play, so when I macroed up and A moved, and just focused on good reinforcing, I knew I could win.

There are comments comparing you to Best in style.
-I have confidence in my overall gamesense and strategy, but I think BeSt is still much better than me. July-hyung had also told me that my macro is very good, but I personally don’t think I’m good at macroing, but rather I’m good at knowing when to macro. As a progamer, I need to strive to be the best, so I need to work hard to match up and surpass BeSt.

So is this the birth of a new Protoss powerhouse?
-Because of my good record lately, I feel even more nervous. For many years, I played poorly, and now that I’m suddenly good, I’m really scared that I would suddenly lose a couple games and go back to being mediocre. So even though I wish I could continue winning, I don’t know if that’s possible. Best I can do is to just keep working out to survive.

We’re looking forward to the collaboration between you and Kal.
-I think you can learn a lot being in the same team as the best Protoss right now. Need to thank Kal [laugh] (T/N There’s some stuff here that I didn’t understand Something about a [finals? Showdown?]. :S)

Your opponent in the Ro16 is Hiya.
-I’m glad it’s a Terran.

Last words?
-I came from the same high school as Movie, and we’re good friends. We also came out from Courage together. Recently, Movie took OSL silver, and is one of the best newcomers. I originally wanted to have a game with him as a professional game between friends, but unfortunately, that didn’t work out. I hope Movie can perform well in the remaining games and advance.

First time in the MSL Ro16 in your career, thoughts?
-I should be pretty happy. But I’m kind of dizzy for some reason.

You lost a lot to DTs in the first game.
-In multiple-game series I always have this feeling – like I can’t properly warm-up by game one. Good thing during the loser’s game I was able to perform like in practice. The first map was prone to a lot of different situations, so I considered the possibility of losing. I wanted to play better in the later games, but though I advanced, I’m not completely satisfied.

Were you nervous at all?
-When I typed GG, I had a lot of thoughts. But I still have games, I need to look forward always.

How do you feel about PvP?
-I have to play PvP tomorrow too. A lot of people say my PvP is weak, I need to work to change this perception.

You used a three-gate strategy in the last game.
-Because I didn’t play well in the first game, the last game I wanted to use the 3-gate opening that I originally prepared. To be honest the last battle was paper thin. Either of us could’ve won.

You did indeed have dangerous moments in the end.
-When I thought I was about to lose timing, Bisu A-moved into me, so I was able to escape danger.

Your Reaver control was pretty good.
-Even if my micro wasn’t good with Reavers, I had a lot of Dragoons, so I thought I could win. I still think my performance isn’t up to par compared to practice.

Goals for this MSL?
-Even though I said I wanted to win in the beginning, in reality, I think my goal is just to get a seed status.

You’re facing Stork in the OSL tomorrow.
-As long as I can perform like I do in practice, it should be fine. But it’s weird during live games, I always lose. If I lose tomorrow I’ll be eliminated from the OSL. I’m still ambitious, so I will work my hardest to win.

Last words?
-Even though I need to do DreamLeague, Snow and nbs-hyung worked their hardest to help me, and the team gave me a lot of support for the individual leagues, so I was able to get a lot of practice.