[ASL22] Semifinal A - Page 7

On October 05 2026 21:04 BLinD-RawR wrote:


maybe but if you're making a comparison its a different matchup altogether.

On October 05 2026 21:08 Gorsameth wrote:
I.. what.
That was the final game, was he 100% dead?

INTERVIEWER: We now have our first finalist of ASL Season 22. Returning to the finals after eight seasons, we’re joined by Yoo Young-jin, Rush. Congratulations.

RUSH: Thank you.

INTERVIEWER: What an incredible performance, and the crowd is responding with equally incredible cheers. Yoo Young-jin, there must have been so many moments today where it was difficult to keep yourself mentally composed.

As we mentioned, you’re returning to the finals for the first time in eight seasons. After the match ended, everyone could see just how happy you were. How are you feeling right now?

RUSH: It’s been eight seasons since my last finals appearance, and getting back to this point was really difficult. So I’m extremely happy that I managed to make it here again. I’m grateful, and I’m going to prepare as well as I can for the finals.

INTERVIEWER: You took Game 1 very quickly. Honestly, it wasn’t easy to predict that you would go for a double Command Center strategy right from the first game. Was this something you specifically planned for Game 1?

RUSH: I thought about it for a while. On Attitude, you don’t see that kind of opening very often. But I just had this feeling that it might work there, so instead of overthinking it, I decided to try it. And it worked out well.

INTERVIEWER: After winning Game 1, I imagine you were able to settle your nerves somewhat. But then you lost Games 2 and 3 consecutively.

Lee Jae-ho had clearly prepared extremely well, and you were caught by things like the two-Starport play and forward Factory strategies. What was going through your mind at that point?

RUSH: After the first game, I thought, “Maybe I can win today.” But then I started thinking, “Ah, I really might lose this.”

If I had lost on Aiur—or rather, on that following map—I think I probably would have completely fallen apart mentally. So I’m really glad I was able to win there.

INTERVIEWER: Starting from Game 4, I think we really began to see Yoo Young-jin at his best again.

Even though you were behind in the score, you didn’t seem shaken. I wonder if that mental strength came from everything you went through earlier in the tournament—having to survive deciding matches in both the Round of 24 and Round of 16. What do you think?

RUSH: I’ve always done my own kind of training to improve my mentality. I think the results of that showed today.

Even when I was behind, I was able to keep my head together and continue playing properly.

INTERVIEWER: In Game 4 as well, there were moments early on when Lee Jae-ho’s build looked extremely strong.

But when he followed up with those additional Vulture drops, you defended them very calmly, and it felt like that was the moment you really tripped him up and stopped his momentum.

RUSH: Actually, I wasn’t specifically planning to make extra Vultures there. I was planning to produce Tanks and Vultures and move out.

But I got this feeling that my opponent was preparing something strange, so I decided to make two Vultures first.

I took some damage there and thought I was in a bad position, but somehow I managed to play it out well afterward and win.

INTERVIEWER: If we look for something Games 5 and 6 had in common, I think your army positioning was extremely well structured.

In Game 5, you defended very effectively from the high ground. And in Game 6, you spread your forces widely across the center and established a very strong defensive position.

Is that an accurate read?

RUSH: Yes. When you use a lot of Starport-based units, your ground strength in the center naturally becomes weaker.

I knew Jae-ho hyung would probably think that if he fought me for control of the center early on, he would be able to overpower me there.

So I deliberately invested more into controlling the center. I also practiced a lot of situations where I would take that kind of position and then gradually lock the game down from there.

I think that preparation showed today.

INTERVIEWER: And now you’re just one step away from the championship.

Your opponent in the finals will be decided tomorrow between Soulkey, Kim Min-chul, and Soma, Park Sang-hyun. Either way, you’ll be facing a Zerg in a best-of series.

Some people say, “You can always trust Rush's TvZ.” Others are wondering whether his TvZ will hold up in a long series.

What do you think?

RUSH: Jae-ho hyung, who I played today, and both Park Sang-hyun and Kim Min-chul—those players have always felt like very solid, intimidating opponents to me.

But I managed to defeat Jae-ho hyung today.

So if I prepare properly for the Zerg matchup as well, I think that if I can play the way I did today, I’ll be able to win.

INTERVIEWER: A lot of people watching today saw just how suffocating your style can be—the way you slowly close in on your opponent.

So whoever reaches the finals will probably feel quite a bit of pressure facing you.

It’s been a long road for you to return to the finals, and I’m sure many people helped you get here. Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

RUSH: First of all, when I arrived at the venue today, something about my mouse cursor was different.

We kept trying to fix it, but we couldn’t solve the problem. Even changing the computer itself didn’t fix it.

Then Buyeol hyung managed to solve it for me. I’m extremely thankful to him. Seriously, thank you.

Because of him, I was able to get my setup working properly, and I think that helped me win today.

I also want to thank everyone who helped me practice—Mong, Jo Gi-seok, Choi Ho-seon, Kim Ji-sung, Hwang Byung-young, Yoo Seung-gon, and everyone else who practiced with me. I’m really grateful.

And to my family watching and cheering for me at home—my wife and my daughters—thank you so much.

Before this season even started, I kept thinking about how incredible the ice rink venue was going to be.

My goal from the beginning of the season was simply, “I want to make it onto that ice rink stage.”

So at least I’ve accomplished that goal now.

But I’m going to prepare even harder from here and do everything I can to win the championship.

Thank you.

INTERVIEWER: Thank you for giving us such a great series today, Yoo Young-jin. We’ll see you in the finals. Congratulations again.

RUSH: Thank you.