[Interview] Jinro and Haypro Qualify for GSL S3

Hi Hayder! Congratulations on qualifying for your first GSL! How does it feel to be playing on TV in Korea?

Thank you! I'm really happy I managed to qualify this time since I was so close on my first try. Its gonna be nice to play TV matches.


What was different this time, both in terms of how you approached the event and also the event itself?

For the last tournament I had been in Korea for only 4 days, but now I’ve been here for a longer time. In the first qualifier I made mistakes which costed me the qualification but this time I managed to play better and therefore I could qualify.


Do you see a difference in the level of competition between the S2 and S3 quals, or has it been mostly the same?

I think that’s hard to determine since it’s still a bit of luck with the brackets, But if I compare my S2 qualifier with my S3, I think they were the same level.


Let's talk a little about your games now. Take us through each round and give us a brief summary of what went down?

First round was ZvP and I won easily I think. Don’t really remember. Second round was ZvZ and they were pretty close games but I had luck on my side and managed to win. Third round was ZvP and those were pretty fast wins. In the final round it was ZvT and it was short, but with hectic games.


While Liquid performed well today, oGs players such as Ensnare and TOP did not make it. What happened?
I think these qualifiers are always hard and that you need to have luck on your side both during games and in the brackets. So, while I’m happy I qualified, I’m sad that so many oGs players didn’t.


This GSL has even more foreigners trying to qualify. How would you say their chances are in general?

We will most likely see the biggest number of foreigners in the GSL this season. I’m confident that Ret, Huk and Idra will qualify.


If you could peg one foreigner to go all the way, who would you pick?

Ret for sure. That guy has so much potential. He just needs to take care of some personal issues.


Let’s talk a bit about the Liquid-oGs house. What has it been like since RetHuK arrived? Does it help that there are more people who speak English?

I was really excited about Ret and Huk joining up especially since Dario left. They are both very friendly and the Koreans liked them from the start.


In particular, is it nice to have another Zerg around? What do you and Ret talk about the most?

The last 2 days we've been talking a lot about the Zerg matchups and how win using Zerg. We've also discussed what to do with the money after winning GSL. The ideas were a bit scary so I can’t reveal them until an eventual GSL win.


Haha, OK. Now with the Ro64 in sight, what plans? Any matchups you'll be focusing on more?

I’m gonna practice very hard for each match and wont focus specifically on any matchups.


So we’ll see you in the Ro32?

That’s what I’m planning on doing!


All right! Good luck, and we look forward to seeing you carry the Liquid flag far and wide this GSL. HayprO fighting!

Thanks!

Hi Jinro! Congrats on qualifying! What does being in the Ro64 at long last feel like?

It feels great, a huge weight off my shoulders - finally I get to do some matchup specific practice!


You came straight out of a convincing MLG win to qualify easily for the GSL. What was different about this attempt to qualify?

Not sure anything was different - the first time I was sick and not that good, the last time I was pretty good (I was actually quite high up the Korean ELL ranking at that time) and my condition was great, but my builds were a bit unsafe for the type of competition you meet in these prelims; more suited for a better player where you want to cut corners. This time I was sick, my condition hadnt been amazing, but somehow everything just came together; I guess Im a little stronger mentally now too.

Even after losing the first game in the final I felt confident I would be able to turn this around; I was telling myself I could turn it around, remembered Minchul starting out 0-1 and coming back, and I actually believed it.

I noticed in the MLG finals I had the same confident feeling during the game that disced.


Do you see a difference in the level of competition between the S2 and S3 quals, or has it been mostly the same?

I would assume the level is higher now; it seems a lot more good players had to be put into the same groups, while at the first prelim they were able to spread them out fairly well. Most of the prelim games were quite challenging.


How did the games go? Talk us through each round tell us how things went down.

Round 1 - TvP vs a protoss who wasn’t bad at all; was scared for a while when I accidently landed all my vikings instead of using point defense drone... but then I remembered I had 4 bases and 10+ barracks and won.

Round 2, TvZ vs a Zerg who tried some 1 base roach stuff, my build was very strong vs that so... went quite well.

Round 3 was vs oGsRajum, one of the oGs practice partners. I have played him a loooooot, as you might expect, and the games went pretty much like any of our everyday ranking games. I was very close to losing game 1, but I turned it around by wiping every single scv he had while he was attacking my nat, and converted a narrow defense into a win. Game 2 I managed to scout his semi-cheese which put me in a good position.

The final games were vs Crystal[inca], old BW progamer whom I actually used to play a fair bit with after he came back from the army in 2006 or so; he remembered me so that was fun. He played a bit of a different style than I expected him to, and it caught me off-guard in game 1 where I thought I was winning handily

However, despite losing game one, I felt I had an edge as long as I just made it a long game due to the way he played - not exactly all-in, not in the way most would think of it, but his play was not late game oriented; more midgame.

Despite having scrap station for game 3, and cross position metal for game 2, it went OK. Funnily enough, I think the poor conditions (sick, not eating anything until just before the finals, bad sleep) helped me stay sharp as I was very aware of the need to really focus on my game. I was so focused I even stopped coughing while playing, must be what they call zen or something.


Minchul got in but TOP and Ensnare didn't qualify. What went wrong?

Im not sure what happened to TOP, I think he lost while I was playing. Ensnare got eliminated by another oGs member, Hero, and it sucks when that happens - we had a total of 3 team kills today.


There were a lot of foreigners at the quals today, with even more playing tomorrow. How many do you think will make the Ro64?

I’m not sure how many will make it; I think there are 5 Chinese speaking players playing tomorrow, as well as IdrA, HuK and Ret, and if I’m not mistaken, out of these 8 players, 7 play at 1 pm...

I think we might see a foreigner vs foreigner final in one group, which is too bad.

I feel pretty confident in Huk/Ret/IdrA/Loner/Sen making it unless they get unlucky, but I dont know enough about the remaining players game to say anymore.


If a non-Korean were to take the title this time, who would it be?

Me! Set your aims high and all that. A Liquid vs oGs final would be nice.


How's the team house now that Ret and HuK are there? Is communication easier now that you have three others who speak the same language? Has this in any way affected strategy, planning and play?

It’s nice, I get to do a lot of Konglish/Korean translations which is really fun and makes me feel like my Korean has gotten better. Ret has lots of good insight, and it’s nice to finally have a Liquid Protoss around!


You're gonna play your first televised SC2 game soon. Excited? What should fans look out for in the Ro64 from you?

I’m sure I will feel excited about it once the day sinks in. I don’t really know what to expect until I see the brackets and know my opponent however.


Well, good luck and we hope to see you sail through to the next round with ease. Jinro fighting!

Thank you =] Thanks to Gon & Rajum for getting us all burgers before the finals, would have died without them I’m pretty sure. Thanks to TL and oGs for support!