[Spoilers] Survivor Group 11 & 12 Winners Interview

Samsung Khan's firebathero defeated MBCGame's HyuN and CJ's Movie in his group 11 of the Survivor Tournament, held on the 30th of April, qualifying for his 7th consecutive MSL, which is also his 7th MSL qualification. A recently slumping firebathero showed his forte in TvZ, as well as overcoming his weak matchup TvP to qualify for this season's MSL.

The following is the interview with firebathero.

- Your thoughts on your 7th consecutive MSL qualification.
▲ I thought this was my sixth qualification, so I was surprised when people told me it was my seventh. But up til today, other than reaching the semifinals once, I have not produced any significant results. Now I am at ease because I have been given another chance.

- You started slumping after your elimination in the previous MSL's Round of 32.
▲ I said that I will shut down other players in the group selection stage, but I ended up being the one who was shut down. I wonder if I spoke too thoughtlessly to Jaedong that time (laughs).I think that overall, I did not brush up on my basics well during that period. I am staying optimistic the past few days. I thought that it is alright to be eliminated, and tried not to think too much about it.

- It seems you are picking up your pace again.
▲ I said this in the previous interview, and I'll say it again today. I am still recovering. But even then, I still think that 1 win is very important. I have not recovered from my slump yet. Today's two wins is only part of the process of recovery.

- You successfully played mindgames against Hyun to your advantage.
▲ The key point in my game against Hyun was the gas rush. If I did not do the gas rush, the mutalisks would be out, so my spitfire rush would have been defended. But if I do a gas rush, the mutalisks' timing would be off by 5 to 10 seconds. I think that overall, luck was heavily on my side.

- Your game against Movie was very tough.
▲ As long as I defended the 2 shuttle attack with ease, the game would have leaned heavily in my favor. But I did not practice well, and I could not prepare completely for mid-late game. I did not realise the arbiter's route for recall, so I was heavily shaken. I won because I played with the mindset of taking of the map and turtling.

- Did you try to bring out the special features of a 2 player map?
▲ I feel that there is a limit to 2 player maps. As long as the Terran takes half the map, he will win. I looked at the minimap and tried to use any means to defend from recalls. In such a scenario, both the Terran and the Protoss have a shot at winning. In the end, his entire army attacked 2 o clock, but I found out that he was very intent on getting that 2 expansion because he had run out of resources. It was then when I knew victory was in my hands, as long as I defended his final attack.

- What do you intend to do in the group selection stages?
▲ I was defeated completely by Magma, so I felt depressed. When I looked back at what I've said in the previous group selection stages, I felt that I was too forceful rather than being humorous. In this MSL's group selection stages, I would not do that, and I want to experience a pleasant environment where I can share stories with my friends. I think that I will have to get friendlier with more players.

- Any final words?
▲ I want to thank my team's oDin, HaHa[Shield], Stork, yoOn and Juni who helped me prepare for today's games. I play every games, thinking about what JJu told me last time. I want to say thanks once again, and I could not say this last time, but I am also grateful towards Gu Ji Seung nu-na. She gave me many words of wisdom, and told me many good and interesting stories.

Wow, first Jaedong then now firebathero. What ballers.

'The Revolutionist' Bisu achieved 2 clean wins to qualify for 8th consecutive MSL, defeating KTF's SaiR and STX's Calm. Bisu's total MSL qualifcation rate is 100%, and has a shot at winning his 4th MSL title for the coming Avalon MSL.

The following is the interview with Bisu.

- Your thoughts on your 8th consecutive MSL qualification.
▲ I waited long because I was in the last group. I played to my maximum capacity, thinking that I will not be eliminated, and I'm glad that my results turned out good.

- You were surprisingly eliminated in the previous MSL's Round of 32.
▲ Whenever my confidence overshone, I would be eliminated at the Round of 32. Whenever I just played without making any fuss, I would get into the finals. I think that I have to stop being so overconfident. I will play quietly this time (laughs).

- You were grouped with 3 zergs in the previous MSL.
▲ It was my strategy. But everything failed. It was my lack of practice and drop in gameplay quality. I am not seeded into this MSL, so I don't think I can make a 3-zerg group. I will just play appropriately, depending on the situation.

- You did not discover SaiR's hidden expo fast enough in your match against him.
▲ I did not think that anything was wrong. I thought that I was in an advantage as I kept defending his vulture harassment. I planned to harass him when my supply was maxed after defending from his harassment, but he was not shaken at all. I kept charging at him with all my units, but he did not fall, so I thought "why does he have so much units?" Also, his upgrades were completed very fast. Even then, I did not think about his 7 o-clock hidden expo. I only thought "why does he have so much units?".

- What thoughts came to your mind when you discovered the hidden expansion?
▲ At his mineral expo, I destroyed a large portion of his army. I think that Terran suffered a huge loss at that point of time. After that, I did not play in tip-top condition, but after discovering his hidden expo, I re-organised myself and told myself to fight well.

- How was your match with Calm?
▲ It ended too quick and easily. If he went lurkers, he should have harassed my expos or destroyed my buildings at my natural expansion, but he did not, so I was able to pick off his lurkers without any loss. After that, I told myself that I can win as long as I play standard. Also, I think Carthage 2 is favors the Protoss heavily in PvZ. I told myself that it would be good if a Zerg advanced to the Winner's Match.

- You get to take a shot at your 4th MSL win.
▲ I attempted it in the last MSL, but I was eliminated in the Round of 32 (laughs). This time, I just want to slowly, quietly advance.

- Any final words?
▲ I was eliminated last season with much disappointment, but this time, I will prepare well with sufficient practice. I am thankful towards my fans who supported me all the way late into the night, and they can expect much from me in the future. Tomorrow is the OSL preliminaries, but my teammates helped me out greatly. I hope they show good results tomorrow.