BoxeRPrime, 'I want to face SlayerS_BoxeR in the finals'.
'Super Rookie' BoxeR, who knocked out last season's champion FruitDealer in Ro32, advanced to the finals by defeating HopeTorture 4:1.
Q. How does it feel to advance to the finals? A. I can't believe I won. I think it'll take some time for me to fully grasp this situation.
Q. You've beaten both finalists from last season. A. Since I beat both of them, I feel like I should win. However, I don't think I fully qualify to win just yet, but I did practice hard, which led me to this success.
Q. Were you confident that you would advance this far when the season started? A. As a joke, I've said 'I'm going to be a millionaire'. As I got closer and closer, I realized that 'Wow, I can actually do this'. This made me try even harder.
Q. How have you prepared for this match in general? A. I tried to FE, but also cutting workers and maximizing unit count to defend his push. It worked out very well.
Q. The first set ended very quickly. A. My goal was to engage while taking small advantages, eventually forcing him to be defensive. I planned to take my natural after, but I think HopeTorture made a mistake while defending in early game.
Q. In the second set, you defended well against banshees after FEing. A. Banshee play is the scariest. Through practice, I've learned the timing and the path of the banshees, and practiced defending effectively with marines. In the mid-game, I did a parachute drop, but I was put at a disadvantage because I didn't see his unit size correctly. However, I was able to defend well afterwards with good focus.
Q. Even though you lost in the third set, your BO was something to remember. A. I thought he'd expect me to FE again, so I wanted to finish him with a marine timing attack. Unfortunately, he did a 1 base play so I lost. That was my most confident build, but I still lost.
Q. In the fourth set, you pushed out at an unusual timing. A. Steppes of War has a very short rush distance. If I expanded, I was sure that he would one base all-in. I wanted to trade armies before his siege tech finished, but I won because I defended against the banshees so well.
Q. In the fifth set, you did take a lot of damage from banshees. A. I had a viking, while he had banshees. Even if I lost all my workers, I thought I could still win. So I didn't defend and went on the offensive.
Q. You stuck with marines throughout the series. A. I like fast-paced, aggressive games. Naturally, I rarely use siege tanks. In practice. I learned how to win TvTs without tanks.
Q. How did you practice TvTs? A. MakaPrime helped me a lot. Also, thanks to STXfOu, GuMiho(fOu) and PoltPrime.
Q. Who do you want to play in the finals? A. SlayerS_BoxeR for sure. It's an honour to even stand in the same stage, and it'll be the greatest moment of my life.
Q. Don't you still want to win against him? A. I shouldn't be afraid, and I will do my best. It's ok to lose, but I don't want to (laughs).
Q. Who do you think will win the semi final match tomorrow? A. Zerg is more favourable as the skill level gets higher. I think SlayerS_BoxeR will find a way to win, so I'll carefully bet on him.
Q. How is the reaction from you teammates? A. After I defeated FruitDealer, they predicted that I could win. I'm very thankful for that and it's helped me a lot so far.
Q. Are you realizing your fame and the number of your fans? A. When I visit community forums, I can feel that I'm making many fans. It's a good feeling.
Q. Comment on the upcoming finals? A. I will play up to the standards of the grand final.
Q. Are you really going to change your ID? A. I will change it for sure. BoxeR is only for SlayerS_BoxeR. I'm going to use my free account change after the finals.
Q. Any other comments? A. I thank my parents for always believing in me.
32강에서 과일장수 김원기(TSL, 지난 시즌 우승자)를 탈락시키며 화제를 모은 '슈퍼루키' 이정훈(프라임)이 결승전에 진출하는 기염을 토했다.
이정훈은 4일 소니에릭슨 스타크래프트2 오픈 시즌2 4강 1회차에서 지난 시즌 준우승자인 김성제(STARTALE)를 4:1로 격파했다. 이로써 이정훈은 지난 시즌 우승자와 준우승자를 연달아 탈락시키며 이번 대회 최고의 '신예'임을 입증했다.
다음은 이정훈과의 일문일답.
- 결승전에 진출했는데 소감이 어떤가? ▲ 아직까지 전혀 실감이 나지 않는다. 시간이 지나야 느껴질 것 같다.
- 지난 대회 우승자, 준우승자를 모다 이겼다. ▲ 우승자, 준우승자를 모두 이겼으니 꼭 우승을 해야 한다고 생각한다. 우승할 자격이 충분하다고 생각하지는 않는다. 하지만 노력을 많이 했기 때문에 지금까지의 결과가 나왔다고 생각한다.
- 이번 대회가 시작될 때 결승 진출에 대한 자신감이 있었나? ▲ 농담 삼아 '1억 타고 싶다'는 이야기를 하기는 했다. 하지만 그게 점점 가까워지면서 '나도 가능하겠구나'라는 생각이 들었다. 그런 생각이 드니 더욱 노력을 하게 되더라.
- 전체적으로 어떤 컨셉으로 경기를 준비했나? ▲ 전체적으로 멀티를 빨리 가져가는 것이었다. 하지만 일꾼 수를 줄이고 최대한 병력을 많이 뽑아서 상대의 공격을 막아내며 경기를 하려고 했다. 전체적으로 그런 식의 플레이가 잘 먹혔다.
- 1세트 경기가 빨리 끝났다. ▲ 교전을 통해서 이득을 보면서 상대를 위축시키는 것이 핵심이었다. 그리고 나는 멀티를 해서 유리하게 경기를 끌고 가려고 했다. 하지만 김성제 선수가 초반 방어를 하는 과정에서 약간 실수를 한 것 같다.
- 2세트에서는 빠른 멀티 이후 밴시를 잘 막았다. ▲ 가장 무서운 상대 빌드가 밴시 플레이다. 하지만 연습을 통해서 밴시가 어떤 경로로, 어떤 타이밍에 오는지를 파악했다. 해병으로 최대한 효과적으로 막을 수 있게 연습을 했다. 중간에 너무 기세 좋게 산개드롭 플레이를 했는데 상대의 병력 규모를 정확하게 파악하지 못해서 피해를 입기도 했다. 하지만 그 이후 집중을 해서 잘 막을 수 있었다.
- 3세트에서 패배하기는 했지만 빌드는 인상 깊었다. ▲ 상대가 3세트에서도 내가 멀티를 빠르게 할 것으로 예상할 것 같았다. 그래서 예상하지 못한 타이밍에 해병으로 경기를 끝내려고 했다. 하지만 김성제 선수가 본진 플레이를 하시는 바람에 패배했다. 가장 공들였고, 자신 있었던 빌드였는데 패배하고 말았다.
- 4세트에서는 예상하지 못한 타이밍에 공격을 성공시켰다. ▲ 전쟁초원은 거리가 워낙 가깝다. 앞마당을 빨리 먹으면 김성제 선수가 본진 플레이를 할 것으로 확신했다. 그래서 공성모드 업그레이드 전 타이밍에 상대 병력을 줄여주려고 했다. 하지만 밴시를 너무 잘 막는 바람에 경기가 끝나버렸다.
- 5세트에서는 밴시에 의한 피해가 있기는 했다. ▲ 나는 바이킹이 있었고, 상대는 밴시가 있는 상태였다. 일꾼이 전멸하더라도 최후에는 내가 이길 것으로 생각했다. 그렇기 때문에 방어를 하지 않고 무조건 공격만 할 수 있었다.
- 해병 위주의 플레이를 계속 선보이던데. ▲ 워낙 공격적이고 빠른 경기를 좋아한다. 그러다 보니 공성전차를 자연스럽게 쓰지 않게 됐다. 내가 연습한 결과 굳이 공성전차를 사용하지 않아도 테테전 승리가 가능하다고 생각한다.
- 테테전 연습은 어떻게 했나? ▲ MaKa 곽한얼 선수가 많이 도와줬다. fOu 팀의 한이석, 고명제 선수에게도 감사드린다. 우리 팀의 최성훈 선수에게도 고맙다.
- 결승전에서 어떤 선수와 경기를 하고 싶은가? ▲ 무조건 임요환 선수와 경기를 하고 싶다. 결승전 무대에 선다는 것 자체도 영광이지만 그 상대가 임요환 선수라면 내 인생에 있어서 가장 기억에 남는 순간이 될 것이다.
- 상대가 임요환이라고 해도 이기고 싶을 것 아닌가? ▲ 임요환 선수가 진출하신다고 해도 위축될 이유는 전혀 없다. 최선을 다할 것이다. 져도 괜찮기는 하지만 지고 싶지는 않다(웃음).
- 내일 4강전은 누가 이길 것 같은가? 객관적으로 봤을 때. ▲ 잘하는 선수들의 대결일수록 저그가 강하고 유리하다. 하지만 임요환 선수라면 특별한 방법을 찾아올 것으로 생각된다. 그래서 조심스럽게 임요환 선수의 승리를 예측해보겠다.
- 결승전까지 올랐는데 프라임 선수들의 반응은 어떤가? ▲ 32강에서 김원기 선수를 이긴 이후에 '니가 우승할 것'이라고 응원을 많이 해주셨다. 그래서 너무나 고맙다. 힘이 많이 되고 있다.
- 팬들의 인기를 실감하고 있나? ▲ 커뮤니티 사이트에 가보면 내 팬들이 생기고 있는 것을 느끼게 된다. 그런 것을 느끼면 정말 기분이 좋다.
- 결승전에 임하는 각오 한마디. ▲ 결승전인 만큼 그 무대에 어울리는 최고의 경기를 보여드리겠다.
- BoxeR라는 아이디를 정말 바꿀 것인가? ▲ 어쨌든 아이디는 바꿀 생각이다. BoxeR는 임요환 선수만의 아이디라고 생각한다. 아직 캐릭터 이름 변경권은 사용하지 않고 있는데 결승전 끝나고 사용할 생각이다.
I'm interested to see how he transitions into a late game with his extremely aggressive style. I really hope the finals won't be filled with short 15 minute games.
Good interview. He's sure had to earn his spot in the finals... Didn't expect him to go this far, but since he has, I think he'll win. Winning ITR and fruit... clearly I underestimated him.
Great interview! Really. Like his strategic insights. To all the guys during the BO7 criticizing ITR for going Banshee that often. Even Foxer said it was the most dangerous strat to play against. Plus: ITR has surely never played against a player with such good marine micro and anticipation. Great games by foxer even though I really hope MMM is not the way to go in future tvt!!!
On November 04 2010 22:03 Arceus wrote: so he will reveal his real ID after the final. not a random BNet smurf like BoxeR. You guys can stop the Foxer thingy already
On November 04 2010 22:03 Arceus wrote: so he will reveal his real ID after the final. not a random BNet smurf like BoxeR. You guys can stop the Foxer thingy already
Lol, no. He will likely change his name to Foxer.
I wouldn't speculate on how likely it is but he certainly knows that the majority of the English-speaking viewership liked that name.
He has had the toughest bracket so far I'd say beating Fruitdealer Sangho Kyrix and Hopetorture. His game vs Kyrix was one of the most amazing I've ever seen.
And this guy's such a baller. I have learnt how to TvT without tanks!!! OMG!
On November 04 2010 22:03 Arceus wrote: so he will reveal his real ID after the final. not a random BNet smurf like BoxeR. You guys can stop the Foxer thingy already
Lol, no. He will likely change his name to Foxer.
I wouldn't speculate on how likely it is but he certainly knows that the majority of the English-speaking viewership liked that name.
On November 04 2010 22:10 Drazzzt wrote: Great interview! Really. Like his strategic insights. To all the guys during the BO7 criticizing ITR for going Banshee that often. Even Foxer said it was the most dangerous strat to play against. Plus: ITR has surely never played against a player with such good marine micro and anticipation. Great games by foxer even though I really hope MMM is not the way to go in future tvt!!!
Its not that we says, ITR is a bad coz he went for banshee, what a retarded idea.
We hate the fact, that he went for banshee EVERY FUCKING GAME, even tho he got countered with it 3 times, and won only once ( at 3-1 ). And he went for it, again.
On November 04 2010 22:41 SmoKim wrote: if he win his new ID will be BoxeRs_SlayeR
lol funny one.
Seriously though I hope "Foxer" changes his name to something that doesn't resemble Boxer's at all. He's too skilled of a player to be labeled Boxer jr.
On November 04 2010 22:10 Drazzzt wrote: I really hope MMM is not the way to go in future tvt!!!
Especially if it means Marine Marine Marine XD
I'm not a fan of his pure-Marine build (reminds me of a time when all Zergs did was build Roaches the whole game) and I don't think the build is here to stay, but I like how it sends an electric shock through the Terran community that is going to make them rethink some of their play.
Big thanks to CanucksJC for his speedy translations, they're much appreciated.
Everytime you see him do something it's like "Noooo. This time he's gonna lose... you can't go mass marines against tanks.." And then he drops your jaw.
I think if this guy can incorporate a few more strategies into his play book, he has the potential to become the Flash of SC2. Very nice thinking and extremely aggressive playstyle.
Foxers soo good he will punish you for your mistakes. he is a VERY VERY consistent player. This kid doesn't get fazed that often. He always has the chance to bounce back into the game. VERY impressive IMO.
I'm super looking forward to a Boxer vs Foxer finals for the hilarity. The great thing about it is if Boxer loses Foxer vs NesTea is going to be eeeppppiiiiicccc.
Q. Are you really going to change your ID? A. I will change it for sure. BoxeR is only for SlayerS_BoxeR. I'm going to use my free account change after the finals.
Sounds like he will go for a separate ID rather than the smurf name which is good.
Greatest revelation of the tournament (and he knocked out Kyrix who was the second greatest if you ask me). There is no doubt as to his level regardless of his results in the Finals given the people he's beaten on the way up.
I know it's pretty customary for Koreans to be totally hardcore about practice, but from his play and his interview you can really tell he's REALLY working to win the whole tournament. His evident knowledge of all the timings and possible locations for what he's practiced against is extremely impressive. I love seeing him win because you can see the emotion when they put him on camera.
I'm curious how anyone beats mass marine play like that when they're that well microed.
If you micro them perfectly, Marines are basically the best unit in the game. They're incredibly cost efficient, have the range and anti-air to hit anything, have some of the best upgrades in the game (stim is outrageous, but combat shield is also great, and even normal weapons and armor upgrades benefit them enormously because you make so many of them...3/3 upgrades that apply to a hundred marines is a massive jump in dps and survivability). When they clump, they're vulnerable to splash and aoe...but Foxer never clumps them, in fact he spreads them on a nearly individual basis in many different directions at once. If you time your shoot-stepping they can kite better than any unit except for the Pheonix. If you are that good with them, they can be cost efficient against almost any unit your opponent can build.
Like, I keep hearing people say, "Foxer's opponents should just build [x]", but Foxer is proving that hard counters don't really exist if your micro is good enough. Speed Banelings? Good luck at hitting more than 1 marine with each baneling when his marines are moving individually in 5 different directions at once. Infestors? Have fun FGing like 2-3 marines at a time. Thors, Colossi or HTs? Good luck teching there when you're facing insane constant aggression and also trying to keep up with his fast expanding.
People keep discrediting him for being a one trick pony. Massing marines require a lot of timing practices and incredible micro. People should understand that he's #1 ranked in the Korena server for a reason.
He's definitely not a one trick pony. You can tell he'd be good at whatever he put his mind to, since his mechanics/macro/reactions are all great.
It just so happens that he's realized marines are god-like if they're micro'd well, and he's abusing that. Which is what any good player should do if they want to win.
On November 05 2010 00:05 Mairu wrote: I know it's pretty customary for Koreans to be totally hardcore about practice, but from his play and his interview you can really tell he's REALLY working to win the whole tournament. His evident knowledge of all the timings and possible locations for what he's practiced against is extremely impressive. I love seeing him win because you can see the emotion when they put him on camera.
Exactly - the way he defended against the banshees on steppes of war was unreal, almost as if he knew the exact path the banshee would take at which exact point in time....I guess even with an observer following the banshee around you can't place your units any better, was just so incredibly good
On November 05 2010 01:38 tehplank wrote: EllenPage being ranked first in Korea certainly isn't a fluke, as shown in the GSL. The future is bright for the guy.
And he is only 17. He will be good for a long long time.
When I first saw his name I wanted him to lose at the Ro64 but his attitude and great sportsmanship made me cheer for him. Now if he goes against the SlayerSBoxer in the finals I will cheer for the emperor but FoxeR is still awesome!
I must say when I first learnt of him and saw his early play I did not like him at all. With all these interviews he really is starting to grow on me. He seems like such a genuine guy it's awesome.
He seems like a great guy. I can't say I'll be rooting for him in the finals either way but I would still be happy if he wins because he would have deserved it.
Q. Even though you lost in the third set, your BO was something to remember. A. I thought he'd expect me to FE again, so I wanted to finish him with a marine timing attack. Unfortunately, he did a 1 base play so I lost. That was my most confident build, but I still lost.
We can expect to see more of that unorthodox build in the future
Q. How did you practice TvTs? A. MakaPrime helped me a lot. Also, thanks to STXfOu, GuMiho(fOu) and PoltPrime.
Interesting, but moreso I would like to know who were HopeTorture's practice partners...
I really think Ellenpage aka Boxer (fakeboxer) will most likely win now as he has dominated completely every good opponent (he may have had the toughest route to finals as well). The only factor that can beat him now is if SlayerS_Boxer wins, he might be in a state of respect more than winning, that combined with the overwhelming of such a grand stage will be the factors that dictate his gameplay in the finals. All in all, it's his tournament to lose.
The crazy thing about foxer as well is he is amazing good with his macro. If you watch his games he follows the basic principals so well. He trys to attack but if he can't then he expands. When he gets ahead attacking he expands. If he denies and expo and can't kill them right there he expands. He gets a million production facilities and upgrades as well. Just an all around great player, its fun to watch him play.
watching him play really reminds me of nada broodwar style, and to a lesser extent iris's. both really good examples to follow if you want spectators to have a good time.
Wait a minute if "FIGHTING!" is "HWAITING!" does that mean he might call himself HwaoxeR?
Seriously though I think FoxeR would be a great nick. I also think Blizzard should reward GSL winners with unique custom decals. Not just a GSL-winner decal but a unique decal per winner. OK, so some of the nicks might be hard to turn into good decals but they really should try (and yes, I think they should do it retroactively so FD also gets one).
Does anyone know if the fox is considered a cunning animal in Korea?
On November 05 2010 11:45 Aeyn wrote: wow tvt without tanks...i'm inspired...
Yeah i know. Iv'e been going FE and Heavy bio openings, but i add tanks eventually after i get 4 gases.
But it does make sense, tanks are only scary in big numbers. In small numbers Marauders can just pick them off.
Thus if your aggressive and establish map control with your bio you can restrict your the number of expansions they have. And abuse their mobility if they go to tank heavy.
Foxer played so badly against Cerra, didn't expect him to get far Good thing he got his shit together ;p and beat fruitdealer, hopetorture and many others.
On November 05 2010 10:14 Tinhauser wrote: Does anyone know if the fox is considered a cunning animal in Korea?
Almost.
Fox refers to a cunning girl/woman in Korea, where as in US, it just means beautiful (foxy lady). If you call a man foxy, it's an insult. It's like calling you a sneaky girl.
On November 04 2010 22:10 Drazzzt wrote: I really hope MMM is not the way to go in future tvt!!!
Especially if it means Marine Marine Marine XD
I'm not a fan of his pure-Marine build (reminds me of a time when all Zergs did was build Roaches the whole game) and I don't think the build is here to stay, but I like how it sends an electric shock through the Terran community that is going to make them rethink some of their play.
Big thanks to CanucksJC for his speedy translations, they're much appreciated.
He kinda looks like Hwasin when you really think about it. And his play kind of reminds me of Hwasin as well. Well, at least how I imagine Hwasin would play SC2. <3
hes a good kid, at first when i saw him i thought he was just some stupid wannabe but he clearly has alot of respect for the real boxer, and has a lot of skill himself, hes growing on me very quickly
I was really disappointed and wasn't sure what to make of him after he beat fruitdealer, but watching his progress through this tournament is really quite inspiring. I know now how impressive his skill is.
On November 04 2010 22:03 Arceus wrote: so he will reveal his real ID after the final. not a random BNet smurf like BoxeR. You guys can stop the Foxer thingy already
He actually said that he'd change his name to foxer if the foreign community wanted him to. go foxer! i think it's a nice nick that suits his playstyle, besides from just being funny ^^
On November 04 2010 22:03 Arceus wrote: so he will reveal his real ID after the final. not a random BNet smurf like BoxeR. You guys can stop the Foxer thingy already
He actually said that he'd change his name to foxer if the foreign community wanted him to. go foxer! i think it's a nice nick that suits his playstyle, besides from just being funny ^^
On November 04 2010 21:34 CanucksJC wrote: Q. Who do you want to play in the finals? A. SlayerS_BoxeR for sure. It's an honour to even stand in the same stage, and it'll be the greatest moment of my life.
I keep picking Foxer to lose... and he keeps winning. Yet I'm still going to pick ZergBong to win in the finals, and Foxer is probably going to win again and make me look like an idiot
Foxer would be perfect name. In the US Europe and anywhere there are foxes a Fox is a small smart cunning animal who comes seemingly out of nowhere for his kills. Like the fake boxer did. It's also a homage to his idol by just replacing one letter. Someone needs to start a petition and we email it to him somehow.
I guess it would be FoxerPrime or PrimeFoxer since that's his team now, right?