[Winner's Interview] KT vs CJ day 2

CJ’s Horang2: I’m proud of shifting the momentum



The post-season is a fight of morale. In the first match of the SK Planet post-season, KT’s Flash came out in set 2 and dominated, seizing momentum for the next three players to win and creating a 4-1 victory. In the 2nd match, CJ’s Horang2 did the exact same thing. Moreover, he beat starcraft’s premier player, Flash, and opened the floodgates for a CJ rout.

“Though I beat Flash, I think the greater achievement was pulling the momentum in our favor,” said Horang2, setting a goal to do the same in match 3.

Q: You took care of Flash.
Horang2: I think I’m happier about shifting the momentum than beating Flash.

Q: You came out when your team was trailing 0-2
Horang2: If I lost, herO[jOin] would feel a ton of pressure in the 4th set, so I made up my mind to win no matter what. In the first, or maybe second set, there was a fan who was crying while watching. It looked like a CJ fan, so I wanted to win and send the fan home smiling instead. I was determined to win.

Q: Did you expect Flash to come out
Horang2: Rather than predict, I was going to set my attitude once my opponent was announced. Once I saw the entries, I thought, “So, it’s Flash.” and set to thinking how to beat him.

Q: You suffered some vulture harass
Horang2: I did suffer some vulture harass but I was ahead. Overall, my build was advantageous. I think I did a good job blocking Flash’s tank-vulture-marine attack. But then I kept losing random dragoons to mines. I remembered the coaches told me to remain composed so I seized a timing [to attack].

Q: Describe the moment you knew you won
Horang2: The situation was more or less in my favor. Since I’m not as good at management games as Flash, I used my trademark mass gateways. I squeezed out units from 13 gateways and got the stasis I wanted, and was able to win.

Q: Like you said, your stasis was really good
Horang2: Using the arbiter’s stasis is a skill that takes a lot of luck. The moment I saw Flash’S tanks clumped together I knew it’d be a good one. It went just like I wanted.

Q: After you won, you must’ve felt good watching your teammates play from the bench. After Horang2’s victory, everyone won, no?
Horang2: I’m happy I managed to grab control of the match for our team. My win revived our team’s spirits and I realized my achievement was big for my team. It was fun spectating my teammates’ games. But I think my fans felt it more earnestly than I did. They were rooting for us really hard. The fans are a first-rank asset.

Q: Only by winning the 3rd match can you continue in the playoffs. If you meet Flash again, are you confident you can win
Horang2: To be honest, I don’t want to meet him again (laughs). Still, if I do, I’ll try my best to win.

Q: In the last regular season interview, EffOrt and Leta predicted Horang2 would make a key play. You promised you’d do something, and you kept it today.
Horang2: I’ve always been good at keeping promises. I’ll do my all to fulfill it in the 3rd match, too.

Q: It’s a silly question, but who do you think will win the 3rd match
Horang2: It’s hard to tell for sure. From the 1st and 2nd matches it seems map and entry data [from the regular season] aren’t very useful. Morale is more important. I want to be the one to win the momentum again.

Q: Anything you want to say
Horang2: I used a build I’d found in the regular season practicing Sniper's Ridge. I want to thank Rush, sKyHigh, and BByong for helping me practice. I hope CJ Entus fights hard in match 3, too.

Daily eSports reporter Nam Yoonsung (thenam@dailyesports.com)
*a world of eSports with SK Telecom* (www.sktelecom.com)

Source: http://esports.dailygame.co.kr/news/read.php?id=58030

CJ’s Coach Kim Doh-woo: “A feeling like escaping from hell.”



Since the post-season’s different from the regular season, post-match coach interviews are appropriate. KT’s Coach Lee got one after match 1, so it’s only fair the coach of match 2’s victors, CJ’s Coach Kim, gets one, too. After becoming coach in the 2010-2011 season, Coach Kim lost 0-2 to KT – and in the first match, too – and thus never had a coach’s interview. The most he got was a separate phone interview.

The man who once called himself a “coaching chobo” started off this interview by saying, “I was so busy celebrating my first post-season win with the players I didn’t realize I had an interview,” and added, “I’ll make sure to win the 3rd match and put myself in the interview seat again.”

Q: Thoughts on winning
Coach Kim: I feel like I got sucked halfway to flames but escaped. I’m ecstatic we came back to win match 2, but I’m starting to worry and plan for match 3 already.

Q: After losing sets 1 and 2, did you ever think you might collapse
Coach Kim: By capturing sets 1 and 2, KT had all the momentum. If you include match 1, they’d won 6 games in a row. But I never let go of my thread of hope. We had a lot of prepared strategies after set 3. Before Horang2 went into the booth, I gathered the players and said, if Horang2 beats Flash, it’s inevitable we win. It wasn’t just a win; it was a game that would swing the entire match. I told him to play with composure and he did. Horang2 was invaluable.

Q: You prepared your strategies well. Not many teams could have predicted it
Coach Kim: I don’t think there are any completely original strategies in starcraft. Unless it’s a paradigm revolutionizing strategy, you’ve got pick from the known strategies. The question is which strategies to use, and which to prepare against. After losing the first match, the mood in the players’ dorm was desperate. We put our heads together and crafted the strategies we’d use today. It was only because of the players’ combined will that we did what we did.

Q: I’m curious whether you’ll focus on strategies [aka tricky play] or standard games
Coach Kim: There are advantages to both strategies and standard games. Traditionally, CJ’s focus has been on solid play. In the case of today’s match, I think the strategies worked because KT’s players thought, “CJ favors standard play.” Because today’s strategic plays worked, I’ll do the same in match 3. I’m going to make KT worry some more by using a strategic card we’ve never used before.

Q: Both teams that picked the set 1 map ended up losing
Coach Kim: You pick the maps to your team’s advantage. But that’s regular season logic; in the post-season, just because you pick a map doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a win. In important matches, the opposing team has a huge will to solve the problem you’ve created for them. I think this caused the teams who picked maps in matches 1 and 2 to lose.

Q: How are you going to prepare during the next two days
Coach Kim: We’re going to be off the grid for two days. It’s quite possible that if you reporters call, we won’t pick up. Just kidding. If you call, we’ll answer. However, that’s how hard we’re going to be practicing.

Q: CJ has a 6 match losing streak in the post-season
Coach Kim: I didn’t know that. It mattered more to me that I became coach last season and lost three times in a row to KT.

Q: Talk about your resolve to win match 3
Coach Kim: It’d be more accurate to speak of our collective resolve. I don’t know how fans or anyone else sees our team, but our players have ambitions to win it all. That’s why we lost match 1, and were down 0-2 in match 2, but were able to come back and win. We have a determination that comes from a hunger to win. Until the day we win it all, we’ll do our best to be even hungrier and completely wipe our opponents.


Daily eSports reporter Nam Yoonsung (thenam@dailyesports.com)
*a world of eSports with SK Telecom* (www.sktelecom.com)

Source: http://esports.dailygame.co.kr/news/read.php?id=58031