Korean News Flash 2008-10-28

This issue of KNF is brought to you by LosingID8, OneOther, and Infinity21

Stork Leads the Protoss Renaissance
Source: Afreeca/FighterForum, translated by LosingID8
Stork's Pre-OSL Finals Interview
Source: Fomos, translated by OneOther
iloveoov Returns as Playing-Coach
Source: Fomos, translated by infinity21
New MBCgame Program "Real Commentary Section"
Source: Afreeca/FighterForum, translated by LosingID8

The 2nd Coming of the Protoss Renaissance:
Non-Stop Activity in Individual Leagues and Proleague

Translated by LosingID8

Song ByungGoo's (Stork's) activity in all leagues is currently in the midst of his 2nd period of dominance. It is rare for progamers to achieve such a period of dominance twice, and even if they do exist, for the majority, their 2nd “reign” is hardly as commanding as their 1st. However, to the excitement of many e-sports fans, Song Byung Goo is showing an even more impressive performance than in the 2007 season.

The only recipient of seeds in both individual leagues

On the 24th, Song ByungGoo faced off against SK Telecom’s Do JaeWook (Best) in the semifinals of the Incruit Starleague, which resulted in a 3-1 win and thus he advanced to the finals. One day later on the 25th, he beat Lecaf’s Park JiSoo (ForGG) in the Ro16 to advance to the Ro8. Currently, he is the only person to receive seeds for both leagues for the next season.
WCG 2008 will be starting on November 5th, and thus stork has an opportunity to win all 3 leagues. Although there have been players who have won both leagues and the WCG title, no one has gotten all three at the same time.

But what’s even more impressive is that his stellar performance is not limited to only individual leagues. In R1 of the ShinHan Proleague 08-09 Season, he has a record of 5 wins and 1 loss, which now ties him for 4th place in the “most wins” category. His combined Proleague record is 65 wins and 38 losses, which is a 63.1% win rate. For reference, these are the players who have more total Proleague wins than him: Air Force ACE’s Park JungSuk (Reach) (90W), WeMade FOX’s Lee YoonYeol (NaDa) (89W), Lee ChangHoon (Sigimari) (69W), and Air Force ACE’s Oh YoungJong (Anytime) (68W).

The Main Character in the Protoss Renaissance

In 2007, Song ByungGoo and SK Telecom’s Kim TaekYong led the Protoss renaissance. Samsung KHAN won the 1st Half ShinHan Proleague 2007, and he reached the finals in GOMTV MSL S2, EVER Starleague 2007, and Bacchus Starleague, which all combined for an era of supremacy.

However, during the 2007 season he was unable to win in any of the finals. As a result he showed symptoms of slumping in the beginning of 2008. He was eliminated early in the EVER Starleague 2008 (Ro16), and he didn’t even make it to the MSL, getting eliminated in the qualifiers. Even in Proleague, where he had consistently showed good results, he showed signs of faltering play.
However Song ByungGoo entered the 08-09 season, he returned to prominence by getting into both individual leagues and reacquired his role as his team’s Proleague ace. What is interesting to note is that when Song ByungGoo peaks, so do the rest of the Protoss users. In Starleague, two of the four semifinalists were Protosses, and in the MSL Ro8, 5 of 8 are Protoss users. In the 2008 “most-wins” ranking, Protoss are sitting comfortably as they claim the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th spots.

Emergence of the Showmanship Card

If you could state the main difference between Song ByungGoo in 2007 and 2008, it is that he has clearly established himself as a showman with exciting play. In the past, his games mostly went with standard play and he played toward his strength in game management. However, in recent times his play has been so inspired that you can actually feel his “force” as he beat top vP players. And as such, the proportion of fans who support him are increasing as well.

Following the Incruit Starleague semifinals match against Do JaeWook, it was possible to see how popular he was. In many portal sites, his name popped up in the rankings. Also, after the 24th and 25th where he victoriously finished his Bo5 and Bo3, many in the Starcraft community are saying that Stork has the possibility of entering the ranks of Bonjwa.
[Translator’s note: currently unofficially reserved for Lim YoHwan (Boxer), Lee YoonYeol (NaDa), Choi YeonSung (iloveoov), and Ma JaeYoon (sAviOr).]

Do JaeWook (Best) and Kim TaekYong (Bisu), among other Protoss users have been called his rivals, which is another testament to his popularity. In the MSL, currently the most hoped-for finals is a Bo5 rematch of Song ByungGoo versus Kim TaekYong.

The only thing remaining is a title

If Song ByungGoo is able to surpass his limit from last year and win an individual league, it is only a matter of time for his showmanship to mature and improve. He was criticized for his poor PvZ play, but in the 2008 season he is in the midst of a 7-2 record, and has raised his 2008 PvP to over the .500 mark.

Regarding his recent results, Song ByungGoo revealed that “the secret is simply non-stop practicing,” and also said that “no matter how busy my schedule is, I feel that I can overcome it using my current momentum,” and said with resolve that “I will only stare at winning a championship and run towards it.”

Samsung KHAN Song ByungGoo 2008 Season A-match Results
Total: 34-16 68.0%
PvT 16-4 80.0%
PvP 11-10 52.4%
PvZ 7-2 77.8%

Source
Park JiHyun "karma@fighterforum.com"

Stork's Pre-OSL Finals Interview

Translated by OneOther

BeSt ain't no thang for the Dino Toss.

-Thoughts and feelings on advancing to the finals.
▲ There's something I said before moving on to the Bacchus finals. I said that if I didn't win the title, I would probably never make it to the finals ever again. My performance slowed down following the loss to Flash, and therefore, I honestly didn't expect to be in finals this season. Of course I wanted to, but I had to face some very tough players on the way. I was especially stressed for this semifinal match against BeSt. For the first time I actually got angry at my teammates while practicing. I want to say thank you to all of my teammates who helped me tremendously.

-You are the fourth person to make the OSL finals at least three times.
▲ I am happy I achieved that record, but I am embarrassed I am the only one without a title. Hearing that fuels my desire to win even more.

- You lost the first game, but you easily won the second.
▲Somebody actually recommended me the build that BeSt used to beat me in the first game. But I wanted play a management based game. I think Best gained an edge in the mental game before the match even began. It was difficult to prepare for five games with such limited time, and I ended up resting for an entire day, too. I practiced some all-in builds without much success. I finally decided to look through some VODs of SKT1 Protoss players on Medusa, and realized that they all used only one build in PvP. So I concentrated on the four-gate build and perfected it this very morning by practicing it countless times. I thought even a 3:0 victory could possibly happen because I spent a lot of time on preparing for game one as well, but the loss made things much more difficult.

- Your Reaver drops were very efficient in the third game.
▲There's a crucial element to remember when using builds like that. Opponents react to Reaver drops by transferring their probes to the natural minerals, so it's important to drop the reaver on the pathway that the Probes will be clumped. It doesn't matter how well the scarabs explode, but rather how clumped the Probes are. It's close to impossible to avoid significant Probe damage.

- The strategy you used in game 4 seemed very good.
▲ I didn't decide on a specific build while initially preparing for Plasma. Different players from different teams have extremely varying play styles and strategies. Through more practice,however, I found out that proxy Gates caused serious trouble - I took full advantage of that. If I managed to find his base right away, I was planning on doing the proxy Gates in base. I would have just done manner pylons if I hadn't. I was really hoping to scout him first. Best delayed my first pylon with nice Probe micro, but his reaction to the proxy Gates was slow because he was completely caught off guard.

I'll take you to school, BeSt.

- Thoughts on the maps that will be used in the finals.
▲ I was hoping Plasma would be used twice, but the finals map selection ended up being pretty hard, similar to my past experiences. But I think I will be able to win if I prepare like how I did for the semifinals.

- It's an excellent chance to win the title.
▲ The results have not been good in the finals because I underestimated my opponents. Both Flash and Jaedong were the players I had beaten earlier in the Round of 16. I was definitely overconfident. But not this time. I practiced against Fantasy while preparing for Round of 32, and he seemed very good.

- Isn't Fantasy a relatively easy opponent?
▲ No, I don't think so. I have lost to Fantasy a lot in the past practice games. I think I beat him in the Round of 16 because I prepared heavily. Data suggests I have an advantage, but that's certainly not the case. I will not think of him lighthly; I am fully focused on winning my first title.

- Coach Choi (iloveoov) probably helps Fantasy quite a bit.
▲ I think it will be either strategies based on the metal game, like Flash, or just well-prepared builds. But worrying about that too much might mess up my game. Teammates told me that Coach Choi mentioned my name in his interview so I went to go look at it myself. It worked as a strong motivation to win today. I will think of the finals as a match not only against Fantasy but also Coach Choi, which will push me to prepare even harder.

- You have to play in the Round of 16 MSL.
▲ ForGG warned me twice I better show up to the match hundred percent ready. Teammates cautioned me because they could feel the "force" in his interview. I think ForGG said that so he could win fashionably, knowing that I wouldn't be able prepare very much. MSL has not even been on my mind yet...I don't even know the map order for sure. I think I will go home, buy my teammates some good food, and go to sleep. I will be playing tomorrow without much pressure.

- Any last words.
▲ I want to say special thanks to my teammates yoOn[s.g], Brave, JangBi, Endless, and TT. KTF Violet, Lecaf BackHo, CJ Jjonga, Free and Guemchi from Wstars, and MBC Jaehoon all gave me wonderful support. I also wanna thank CJ Much and WeMade Pure for providing me with tips on builds and strategies. eStro Tester and STX Kal helped me out as well. I am thankful for all these players who made practice that much easier.

I was even thinking about writing a list of all of them, but decided not to because it might disrupt my game. Teams have different schedules, and most of them have much earlier bed time than we do, but none of players refused to practice with me.

I felt the exact way today that I had felt at Bacchus Starleague. The number of fans who came out to support me was similar, and my seat felt nearly the same, too. I advanced from the Round of 16 with three wins, and won 2:1 in Round of 8. I also faced Best and Bisu in the Round of 8 and the semifinals. The loud roar of the fans sounded the similar. But it was the loudest tonight by far - I could feel my heart tremble.

I almost teared up hearing my fans even after losing Game 1. I was amazed at all my fans who were willing to support me no matter what. I think that that provided the energy and the focus needed to win Game 2, Game 3, and Game 4. I hope you could all come out and cheer for me at the finals too. Something unusual and different seems to happen when I hear my fans.

GO GET EM STORK!
[This translation is dedicated to my boy Stork]

Source
jupiter@fomos.co.kr

Please continue further discussion on this interview in the original thread

iloveoov Returns as a Playing-Coach

Translated by infinity21

KeSPA announced the changes in registered players for the 08-09 ShinHan Proleague season.

According to the change, SKTelecom changed coach Choi Yeon-Sung's (iloveoov) position to playing coach. That is, coach Choi is able to play in pro league if he is registered as a playing coach for the upcoming month.

Regarding his change in position, Choi comments, "I really wanted to play Starcraft so I ended up coming back as a playing coach". Furthermore, he explained, "Currently, my skill is at the bottom of the team and my wrist still hurts so it is difficult to play more than 25 games or so per day."

Also, he said, "After discussing with the office, I decided to register as a playing coach for November. I plan to participate in the two individual leagues for the next month."

Lastly, playing coach Choi says, "I'll make an effort to get a place in the rosters through internal ranking matches and I think if I continue to play hard, there could be some good results".

Source
lovesh73@fomos.co.kr

Please continue further discussion on this interview in the original thread

MBGgame’s New Program, Real Commentary Section:
Unique Concept Successfully Garners Popularity

Recently during MBCgame’s relay broadcast of ShinHan Proleague 08-09, the viewers are highly entertained by the unique concept of Real Commentary Section.

The creation of Real Commentary Section was simply a matter of luck. While Proleague was being broadcast, the commentator booth was accidentally put up on the main screen. Although the MBGgame producers initially hurriedly tried to change it back to the original screen, the response from the crowd was so good that they decided to leave it. This became the motive for creating Real Commentary Section.

Real Commentary Section focuses on two different commentary teams. The first is the Mak-Byung-Seung trio of Park SangHyun, Yoo ByungJoon, and Lee SeungWon, which focuses on their eccentric broadcast mannerisms and their purposefully done “overactions” garners extreme popularity. The second trio is Kang-Chul-Seung, which consists of Kang Min (Nal_rA), Kim ChulMin, and Han SeungYup (Yooi), are referred to as the “chobo commentators,” and viewers laugh especially at Kang Min’s awkward situations.

(Translator’s note: One such incident is Kang Min and the raw egg, where Kang Min says his throat is hurting, so the MBC staff finds him a raw egg to drink. To the delight of the other two casters, he has a lot of trouble cracking open the egg, and then when he manages to drink it he exclaims at how foul-tasting it is.)

Producer Song JiWoong said that “I felt that this would be a popular program, so I decided to make it into an official one, and as expected the program is being well-received. Thanks yet again to all the fans, and in order to further the fans’ enjoyment we will not miss one moment.”

(Translator's note: Real Commentary Section is sort of like a VOD... but focused on the commentators instead of the players screens. You can see anything from their reactions during the classic "PLAGUUU!!!" or "GEEE GEEEEEEEE!!!!" moments, to their funny conversations during commercial breaks.)

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Korean News Flash 2008-10-28

Korean News Flash 2008-10-28

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