EPT[The Observer] is a series of interviews thisisgame.com does with up-and-coming players. The SC2 scene is full of very talented players that get little to no recognition, and I think these efforts to bring some of those players closers to the fans are great, so I decided to translate it (it also helps that I was very impressed with Alicia in GSTL XD). Previous interviewees include STBomber, ZENEXPluzzle, SlayersMMA and IMSeed. Next interviewee is MVPViolet, who defeated ST.Ace 2-0 yesterday.
The interview:
Although he did not have a strong showing on his debut stage due to nerves, Yang Joon Sik AKA SlayersAlicia left a great impression on the last GSTL finals against tournament favorites IM, starting for his team and getting 3 kills against very skilled opponents. He is also one of the few players to go from Code A from S in the first try.
![[image loading]](http://file.thisisgame.com/board/files/0/img/20110324191848_75438de3.jpg)
Proving himself as the Slayers team's secret weapon against IM's Yoda, Losira and Nestea, he does not let the recent success get over his head, attributing his promotion to code S and performance in GSTL to luck and striving incessantly to be the best. Ladies and gentlemen, we present you SlayersAlicia.
Can you give us a brief introduction about yourself?
Hello, my name is Yang Joon Sik and I'm 25 years old(korean age), and I'm currently known as SlayersAlicia. My teammates call me "YangN" though. I'm the only Code S player in Slayers right now, and that puts a lot of pressure on me.
We're curious about the origin of your ID "Alicia"
I used to play "Dungeon Fighter Online" a lot, and my character had a unique item called "Alicia's Tears", so I picked my ID from there. Oh god, now everyone knows my naming senses are terrible (laughs).
After I changed my ID from Korean to English, I realized there was a horse racing game with the exact same spelling, although they are read slightly differently. (T/N: His ID is 알리시아, which reads Ah-li-ci-ah, and the racing game is 엘리샤, which reads somewhat close to Elisha). Sometimes people make fun of me asking whether I made my ID hoping to get an easy sponsor, but my ID is ALICIA (laughs)!
Do you have experience playing SCBW?
Yeah, I enjoyed playing BW since I was a fifth grader, I think. I never went pro though, nothing like that. I was just a dedicated player.
People used to compliment my skills in LAN houses (laughs). I never got into a clan or team, I just concentrated on laddering as far as I remember, always alone. After a lot of hard work I reached a reasonable skill level, but map hacks started bugging me.
So I gave up on SCBW and started playing WC3. Just like in BW, I limited myself to laddering by myself. I wanted to go pro but army issues kept me from trying, so I went to the army, and after I got that monkey off my back, I started playing SC2.
My intention from the beginning was to go all-in with SC2, and the timing was perfect. I was done with the army on March 2009, and SC2 was released about a year later. So I practiced a lot and got ready for the GSL open prelims. When the time came, I went from Daejon to Seoul to try to qualify.
But my first prelim was doomed because I had forgot to bring my keyboard and mouse, the second I lost to MakaPrime in the finals, and third I lost due to lack of practice. It was tough. Fortunately, I was able to qualify on my fourth try on GSL March. Ohh boy I felt like flying after I finally managed it. I was a member of the Slayers team by then, and I think that helped me a lot.
SlayersAlicia says his lack of intiative made him a solitary gamer in the past, but after he joined Slayers team he opened his eyes to a whole new world of possibilities.
![[image loading]](http://file.thisisgame.com/board/files/0/img/20110415144459_473eceb0.jpg)
Why did you join Slayers?
I wanted to join oGs at first but couldn't due to lack of results and popularity. After I was told that Lim Yo Hwan hyon (SlayersBoxer) was recruiting new talents for his own team, I thought that was my chance.
I actually got really lucky because I arrived 1 hour late for the clan qualifiers. I thought it was over and started blaming myself but somehow I managed to play and got in the clan. However, in the team qualifiers that followed I lost to Kim Kyung Soo (LegalMind), and I was getting myself ready to go home when YoHwan hyon and GaYeon nuna told me they saw potential in me and asked to join the team. I almost cried.
This is the first time you joined a team, what are your impressions?
I am very glad my first team experience has been with Slayers. I had not been part of any clan up to that point because I thought I liked playing alone, but I realized playing with teammates is a more fulfilling experience. I'm actually a bit introverted person, so I used to ladder a lot by myself, but this whole team thing opened my eyes to a new world.
To be honest, when I used to play BW I didn't even know what draft was, that's why I never tried. I think I would have been a BW pro had I known that (laughs).
Did you experience any difficulty adjusting to team environment?
There was nothing holding me back, since I got over that whole army stuff. I felt very comfortable. How can I say it? Uhh... It feels just like when I was in the army, with only guys around, but without the tense atmosphere.
I've heard something about you and Dreamhack. What happened exactly?
Yeah, when Boxer fell ill and he was not able to go to the Dreamhack event I was invited to go in his place, but couldn't because I haven't got a passport yet. GaYeon nuna said "How come you still don't have a passport" and I couldn't come up with anything to say. It was very unfortunate, I felt really bad.
So do you want to participate in foreign events?
Yes, unless it has a crazy schedule like NASL. Visiting foreign countries while I'm at it would be very nice.
Who is your rival inside the team?
Ryung, MMA and I compete for the ace title (laughs). Ryung especially likes to compete with MMA, in part because MMA got all the spotlight in GSTL, and I think MMA is a great player. It's a weird triangle rivalry we have.
Is there any hidden talent in Slayers we haven't seen?
Hm, I'd say SlayersFrozen. He's very good but unfortunately he hasn't had luck on his side on televised matches so far. In the last GSTL he went up against July, but since we don't have a Zerg player that uses Banelings like July, he had not practiced against it and lost even though we told him to be careful against Baneling play.
What was the team's mood like when Boxer went down to code A?
That day everyone was like "absolutely no fooling around today, ok?". He had prepared a lot going for that match, and we were cheering for him, but that was not his day. We are not that worried though, because we're sure he'll be back very soon (laughs).
Why did you start playing Protoss?
I used to be a random user back when I played BW, and only started using Protoss when I started playing SC2. After some play time, I was having so much trouble with Marauders that I considered switching to Terran, but after I saw what Mothership was capable of (T/N: WHAT. THE. HELL?) I decided to stick with Protoss. I have almost never played other races. Don't you also think Protoss is awesome? The downside is that I don't think Protoss is as manly as it could be.
SlayersAlicia is very humble when asked about his GSTL performance. He says he only played in the final because his teammates have been getting the job done.
![[image loading]](http://file.thisisgame.com/board/files/0/img/20110415144635_f7aff9a2.jpg)
People say you are on a tear lately, agree?
I don't think I can say that about myself until I win something. On top of that I am worried about my nerves, and since anything can happen when I am having nerve wreck I prefer to stay low profile until I win.
You didn't do so well in your debut stage GSTL season 1. What happened?
Yeah. I was ranked pretty high inside the team so I expected to play on the GSTL. But the pressure was too big since I was second-to-last with only MMA behind me. Also, I did not expect the background music to be so loud. I usually play with music off because that improves my concentration, so loud music was a huge stress factor that day. On top of that I lost my first unit due to a stupid mistake, and after that I was completely lost. I can't even remember the rest of the game.
What did you feel after your debut?
I thought "Oh god massive criticism incoming. I did not manage to meet my own expectations, let alone those of my teammates and fans."
After this incident I tried to get used to listening to Terran background music as I played the game. Props to SlayersGolden for that idea. Come to think of it, I listened to Terran music A LOT.
You did not play in GSTL season 2 until the very finals
I had heard from our coach that I was the team's secret weapon, but I think the real reason was because my teammates were doing great. MMA had done a fantastic job closing the previous series, and the teammates before him were all doing their part too, so I really was not needed. Frankly, I was kinda relieved because everyone was so confident about me that I felt pressured (laughs).
After the Startale series our team went out for dinner and everyone agreed that we needed a strong player to start the series against IM, and our coach told me it was time for the secret weapon to shine. It feels kinda strange to tell you that myself (laughs).
What did you feel after you managed to take down 3 players?
I felt really confident. I even thought about all-killing IM for a second there. When Losira came out for my second match I wasn't so sure I could get 2 kills, but the game went just like I hoped and I was able to win the game.
Which match made you feel nervous the most?
The second match against Losira. After that my nerves calmed down, because it felt like I had managed to climb a huge mountain. I felt like I had done my part after I managed to get 2 kills, so from that point I was playing very confortably. Somehow someway I managed to score 3 kills, and got overconfident for the fourth match. I'm still kinda ashamed of the blink micro I displayed in that final game (vs YongHwa).
Don't you feel you deserved the MVP prize?
Had I scored an all-kill in the last series I certainly could argue for it, but MMA took down the respective bosses from oGs and IM (MC and MVP), and I think he earned the MVP prize. Now inside the team there is a saying as a running joke that we all set the table only to MMA have a meal by himself (laughs).
Do you have any wishes regarding the GSTL?
There are not many things I could hope for right now. A full league seems nice but we have to take the players' conditioning into account. Team matches are much more tiring than regular matches.
Did the GSTL experience help in code A matches?
Yes, I'm very glad I had my first booth experience in GSTL. Had I not played in GSTL I think all those awful things I mentioned before would have happened in my code A match, and I would have been knocked out. It truly was a blessing.
Weren't you nervous knowing that your first opponent would be IMJunwi?
Yeah, and that's why I prepared a lot for that match. I absolutely did not want to go through prelims again, because there are too many random factors deciding your fate. I 7 gated (T/N: That's exactly what he said, I have no idea of what build this is) all my games in prelims. I think I had a lot of luck going for me.
God I hate the prelims...
Did you expect to get promoted to code S in your first try?
No, I expected MMA to get there before I did, but here I am. I sometimes wonder how the hell I managed to get this far, this soon.
Why do you think you managed to get to code S before MMA?
I got lucky in my bracket. I had beat a Zerg and 3 Terrans in the prelims and in the main tournament I got a Zerg and 3 Terrans again. I am confident in my PvT and luckly I got 6 Terrans in my prelim/code A run. Moreover, there are some very strong Terrans in Slayers so it was easy to prepare for those matches. I think I am lucky.
Who is the player that helps you the most?
SlayersMMA. Often he just comes to me and throws a random "hyon try this", that turns out to be incredibly helpful. He tells me everything that is tough to deal with as Terran, and because of that I win a lot against him in practice matches. In fact I have been winning so much against him lately that he stopped giving me tips lol. I am very grateful to him. He has been getting stressed a lot after the patch, I kinda feel sorry for him.
Speaking of patches, what do you think about the patch 1.3?
I'm kinda disappointed that KA is gone, because now it became very difficult to reverse the situation once the Colossi get destroyed. I think that's why oGsMC is relying more on gateway units to finish games lately. Late game has become harder than before. The flavor of the month build nowadays is chargelots with armor upgrades, but I'm not too sold on that.
Who's your role model as a progamer?
It's YoHwan (Boxer) of course. I'd like to be the one people think of when talking about SC2, just like when you think BW you think of Boxer. MC is the one currently holding that position. I'm jealous as hell.
Any personal wishes regarding the game?
I think SC2 is too dependant on one big fight. And also builds counter one another too heavily. I wish Blizzard took a look on those aspects.
What do you think of racial balance as of now?
Honestly I think Protoss is very strong nowadays. You can see that in the Code S group selections: the Protoss players were the last to be picked.
Would you like to play with someone in special?
MarineKingPrime.WE, because he has given me so many losses on ladder. I'd like to get a win against him on a televised match. Actually, I'm not confident I can win but, you know, sometimes you just want to give it a try.
What are your goals for this season?
I want to stay in code S first, and then think of anything else. Just to think about up-and-down matches stress me to no end. It seems like a place full of warriors from hell, it really frightens me. Upsets are very common in up and down matches so I want to think about surviving first.
Lastly, is there anything you want to add?
I would like to thank GaYeon nuna for her constant support and care. She's like a mother for our team, and she helped me calm down when I went through my up-and-down match. I also would like to thank our sponsors. Look forward to my matches!
![[image loading]](http://file.thisisgame.com/board/files/0/img/20110415144711_2daef990.jpg)
Name: Yang Joon Sik
ID: SlayersAlicia
Race: Protoss
Team: Slayers
Birth date: August 1st, 1987
Height, weight: 170cm, 64kg
Playing SC2 since: about 1 year ago
Major accomplishments: none
Motto: Live without regrets
Role model: LimYoHwan (SlayersBoxer)
Main goal: Stay in code S
Hobby: Listening to music, watching movies
Other: Finished his army duties
slayers_alicia fighting!
![[image loading]](http://img.photodaily.co.kr/newsimg/2008/06/12/200806120845223355_1.jpg)
