Drewbie takes his prize from the l2SC LAN in Vancouver
Note this interview was done before MLG Raleigh, just after the second IEM Regional Cup.
Canada’s Andrew “Drewbie” Moysey has been on a bit of a hot streak lately. He won the sixth and eighth GosuCoaching Cup, the l2SC LAN in Vancouver and qualified for the group stages of the Intel Extreme Masters American Championships by winning the second cup, defeating players like Fenix and Artosis along the way. He is co-leader of team Root Gaming, whose players have seemed unstoppable in just about every event they play. We caught up with Andrew to see what it’s like to be leader of Root and one of Canada’s top Terrans.
Hey Drewbie, thanks for joining us. Tell us a little about yourself, your gaming history and how you’re enjoying Starcraft 2 so far.
My name is Drew Moysey, I’m 22 and live in Canada. I have been playing Starcraft for a long, long time, probably 8 years or so. I mostly played 2v2 in Starcraft: Brood War and I was at the top level on the ladders. Since Starcraft 2 came out I have been focusing on 1v1 because it is a lot more fun and also because my computer can't handle 4 maxed out players in 2v2 ^_^ and I'm enjoying it a lot !
You’ve just experienced a rather successful few weeks, winning three online cups and the Vancouver LAN, all topped off with a IEM Season V Group Stage qualification. How do you feel about this streak and is there any secret to this recent success?
Well I felt like I was playing really good at the end of the beta, doing really well in practice games but I always seemed to choke in tournaments. I was pretty much the most inconsistent player in Root lol. While the game was down I played a lot of Brood War and since the release I have played A LOT of games. I am starting to play really consistent lately and am surprised and happy to actually start winning.
How do you feel about your chances in the IEM events with group stages leading to the live event in New York and how will you prepare for these upcoming live events? You must be pretty pumped to have a shot at around $5,000.
I am really excited about the IEM, I think that my chances to qualify are pretty good as long as I don't get nervous and play horribly. The only LAN I've ever been to was last week so this is all new for me. I will practice really hard with other Root members and I will be happy just to make it to New York.
Currently 4 of the 8 IEM US Group qualifiers are Canadian. How does it feel to watch Canadian players succeed internationally?
Haha, it feels really good every time that Canada beats USA. Canada definitely has a lot less players than the USA, and USA is our biggest rival in almost every game/sport.
Also a few Canadians have done pretty well on the European server, much better than any Americans ;D.
I like to see any country other than Korea doing well lol.
Your recent tournament wins have included beating Sheth, Fenix and HuK, three great players from each race. Which matchup would you consider your best?
Well my TvT has always been my best matchup since the start of the beta, it was my best matchup in Brood War too, I don't know why . Lately I have found some pretty solid strategies in TvP and TvZ as well, so I think each one is about the same level right now.
It's funny, I like playing TvT in tournaments, but I avoid it at all costs in ladder and practice games.
So terran at the moment... With the infamous replay against IdrA in mind, would you say the current Terran success has helped you? What’s your opinion on the state of balance at the moment?
Well I think the game is not quite balanced right now, definitely in Terran's favor, and of
course that has helped me a bit! It's weird though, Blizzard seems to think that it is balanced
and some people claim that Protoss is imba. I think that the problem with TvZ is that there
are a lot of strats that are much easier for the terran to execute than they are for the zerg to
defend. For example, I can load up 3 medivacs and send them to 3 different spots on the map
with shift clicking, and just forget about them and go micro my main army. It takes the zerg
500 apm to respond to that, and any terran can do it.
Are these the "Drewbie Drops" I've been hearing about?
Yeah, I love drops, they are really, really good in every matchup and I feel like medivacs are borderline overpowered.Every zerg in Root knows that I will drop them, and still theres’ not much they can do about it lol.
I made Mondragon say " I miss scourges =[ " haha
With another perfect segway, you’re one of the leaders of Root Gaming. How did the team start?
Well, me and CatZ were 2v2 partners and really good friends back in the Brood War days, and as soon as Starcraft 2 was announced we knew that we wanted to start a team. After the beta came out we started off as a 2 man team and CatZ used his amazing charm to recruit some amazing players.
We are working very hard to be the best team in the world !
The recent team results have been, well, very impressive. To give an idea of this for the readers, 9 of the first 14 1st/2nd winners in the GosuCoaching weekly are from Root Gaming, as are 3 of the 8 current IEM Group Qualifiers. You beat vT 6-0, EG 4-1 and you’ve not lost a series in the SC2CL. How does it feel to watch your team rampage through Clan and Individual events?
It is really amazing and satisfying. Root was CatZ and my baby and it somehow grew really fast into a great team. We are really close and good friends, and everyone on the team is dedicated to being a top tier gamer. I couldn't be more happy and proud of the team =)
What is it about Root that breeds top players and who should we look out for next?
The main thing we look for when recruiting players is their potential and goals in Starcraft 2, everyone on the team wants to go pro. Combine that with a lot of hard work and a little luck. I'm sure that most people have heard of KiWiKaKi, but none of us really know what he is capable of, I foresee him dominating even the koreans in the near future. Also look out for me and CatZ as a 2v2 team we will be the best, just like in Brood War.
Thanks very much for the interview. Any last words or shout-outs?
You're very welcome, thanks for interviewing me! Just want to thank everyone who is cheering for Root, and encourage you all to check out our stream and website, we have a lot of plans in motion. And of course, thanks to everyone in Root (ESPECIALLY CATZ<3), without all the practice games I wouldn't have been able to win anything ^_^.
We all wish you the best of luck!