Hello, HayprO. Thanks for joining us today! You're having a busy few days - what's going on?

Yes indeed, I’m doing the last preparations for my trip to Korea!


Awesome news. And what would those preparations be?

It’s mostly about about cleaning the apartment, moving stuff and changing address. Also about being with family more than usual.


That's nice - how are they taking it in general?

They took it better than expected actually, and are supportive of my decision.


Have they always been supportive of your gaming? Does your family follow your progaming career in any capacity?

Hmmm… no, not really. They know about my wins at Dreamhack because of Youtube interviews, however.


What are your feelings on going? Excited? A little nervous?

I’m very excited going to a new country to do something I really like. The only thing I’m nervous about is the trip. I hope there are no major delays or cancellations or anything like that.


You've met Jinro before, but will be meeting TLO for the first time. This is also your first trip to Korea! What are you looking forward to the most, especially during your first few weeks there?

Since GSL qualifications starts almost immediately, it will most likely be all about practicing and I really hope I get past the first stage.


Practice - that's an interesting topic. You're going quickly from a self motivated laddering environment to one where you'll have playing hours that are more or less fixed, and a dozen or so teammates to whom SC2 is now a way of life. How quickly do you think you'll adapt to this new environment?

I hope it goes fast and easy. I afk on bnet more than I play, despite being at the computer. So, I’m expecting that to change. Also having so many people around you playing will motivate me to play also.


Are there any matchups in particular that you'd like to focus on during the few days you'll have before the GSL quals?

I don’t feel particularly satisfied with any of my matchups. However I feel ZvP is the one I need to focus on most because it’s the hardest.


Well that's good news for you then - not only will a Protoss be joining you soon in the form of HuK, but Ret, a fellow Zerg will soon be bunking with you guys as well! Looking forward to that?

I’m looking forward to it very much, especially meeting ret for the first time ever. I remember a long time ago when fast expanding became popular in TvZ in SCBW and I saw games of Ret vs Mondragon on LR. Ever since then I’ve been a fan of his and he is actually the reason I switched to TvZ. Don’t remember what year that was, but it was a long time ago.


Haha, that's interesting. Let's talk some Zerg - Blizzard have repeatedly cited statistics of higher Zerg win percentages on the Korean ladder when compared to NA and Europe. In other words, you'll soon be on a ladder where Zergs tend to do a little better. Any thoughts on this?

Blizzard stats are pretty interesting! They seem to only take stats that show that they are right. They could, for example, check the win percentage for the top Z, T and P players and see how big the difference is there. However from my understanding the skill level on the Korean server is higher than Euro and that’s something Im looking forward to.


Ret has previously called you a 'very thinking player' and said that there is normally a reason behind your every move. What will your main focus be in Korea, especially when it comes to specific parts of your game that need improving?

I need to be more alert while playing, which in many situations means higher effective APM. Also, I need to stop trying to read my opponents too blindly. While knowing what your opponent was doing was a good skill to have in BW, it’s very dangerous in SC2 because of the 10 different strats T and P can throw at you. Also, I need to learn to like ZvZ more. Even though I enjoy playing that matchup it still feels a bit empty.


Why is that?

I think my feelings about it are related to ZvZ in Broodwar, a matchup that I didn’t play because of how low eco and build order based it was. In SC2 it feels the same way, but I think given time ZvZ has potential to once again be a more macro oriented MU.


And you'll have another Zerg to spar with in-house too! Have you been reading up at all about Korea? Our friends in Incheon are already a motley bunch, but what in particular will you bring to the group? Aside from SC2 skills, that is.

I’d like to go rock climbing some time and for those in the group who don’t know how, I’ll show them, because I’m a pretty good climber.


Liquid rock climb bo5 incoming. Nice! We know you're happy to go and follow your dream, but is there anything you'll miss about Sweden?

I will miss my family and my friends. If it was summer I would’ve said I’d miss the Swedish summer but since its autumn and winter is coming, but I’m not gonna miss that!


Is there anything you're looking forward to about Korea as a country? The food? Kpop? JulyZerg on ladder?

I’m actually looking forward to try the Korean food even though I’ve heard lots of meals include meat. Other than that I’m looking forward to be living in a city with nearly 3 million people. I currently live in a city with 100,000 so that’ll be quite a change for me.


As you may know, TLO has promised dinner to every foreigner who lands in Korea. You should definitely hold him to this!

That’s something I’m really looking forward to.


On that note, Hayder, we're going to let you get back to your packing and everything else you need to do. We wish you a safe flight and journey mercies! See you on the other side!

Thanks a lot!

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