EPT
Source: http://www.fomos.kr/star2/news_read.html?express=Ÿ2&mode=read&keyno=111269&db=interview&cate=&page=1&field=
+ Show Spoiler +
Q: How does it feel to get a clean win on opening day?
A: I was a bit worried because I didn’t get much practice. I always thought I could beat my opponents last season, but this time around I didn’t know my opponent that well, and I had been lazy for a while, so my play wasn’t satisfactory. I’ll prepare harder and practice more so my next game isn’t like that.
Q: Do you mean that after you won season 1, you started to feel the pressure, or you were taking it too easy?
A: It’s not so much that I was slacking, it was just that the rest period between leagues was quite long so I wasn’t able to get back in the right mindset that easily. I’d get stressed out and ragequit if I lost a single game during practice (laughs). There wasn’t really much pressure though.
Q: There was a patch before the tournament, what do you think about it?
A: That’s an iffy subject, I think Zerg maybe got better at the low to mid level leagues, but I’m not sure about how they are at the top. With this patch, Terrans have started going early reaper or hellion harass into a fast expansion, and it’s actually harder for me to adjust to that kind of play. The new patch makes Terran players not harass as much and just go for a fast expansion like SC 1, and that’s more difficult for me (note: Sorry if the last two sentences make no sense, that’s exactly how it appeared in the original Korean interview).
Q: Have you felt any different after you won the last GSL?
A: Not that much, but one thing that I feel with my entire body is the presence of fans cheering me on each game.
Q: Today it seemed that your opponent just imploded while trying out some strategies.
A: I was really nervous before the game, and I knew I had to be most cautious about cheese builds. I don’t’ think my opponent was really doing a cheese a strategy, he just got messed up because of my drone scouting and safe play.
Q: A lot of players are going to prepare cheese builds against you now.
A: That’s a nice thing about this patch. The supply before barracks change makes it harder to use those builds, and gives me time to scout. If it’s a build I’ve never seen before there’s still some danger, but there will be more than enough time to scout it out.
Q: What is your goal in this tournament?
A: I think my Ro32 opponent will be a good player. I don’t like ZvZ, and I think the guy using the ID “BoxeR” (the fake boxer) will tough as well. If I can get past the Ro32, I’ll aim for the Ro8.
Q: Do you have any new ceremonies planned after your apple ceremony last time around?
A: I was going for something silly, but Iron beat me to it (laughs). I think if I win a difficult game, I’ll just perform one naturally. I’m not one to actively plan that kind of things.
Q: Anything else?
A: Han Gyu Jong (Clide) is slumping lately. I don’t know why, but games just don’t go well for him and it’s just weird all around. I hope he can snap out of it quickly. Also, I hope my new teammates Shin Sangho and Park Seo Yong (Rain) can make it to the Ro64. Also, I hope Oh Jae Geun (Apple) who beat one of our guys to qualify wins his game as well. He said he wanted to come by our team house to learn Terran, and I hope he does well in the GSL as well (laughs).
A: I was a bit worried because I didn’t get much practice. I always thought I could beat my opponents last season, but this time around I didn’t know my opponent that well, and I had been lazy for a while, so my play wasn’t satisfactory. I’ll prepare harder and practice more so my next game isn’t like that.
Q: Do you mean that after you won season 1, you started to feel the pressure, or you were taking it too easy?
A: It’s not so much that I was slacking, it was just that the rest period between leagues was quite long so I wasn’t able to get back in the right mindset that easily. I’d get stressed out and ragequit if I lost a single game during practice (laughs). There wasn’t really much pressure though.
Q: There was a patch before the tournament, what do you think about it?
A: That’s an iffy subject, I think Zerg maybe got better at the low to mid level leagues, but I’m not sure about how they are at the top. With this patch, Terrans have started going early reaper or hellion harass into a fast expansion, and it’s actually harder for me to adjust to that kind of play. The new patch makes Terran players not harass as much and just go for a fast expansion like SC 1, and that’s more difficult for me (note: Sorry if the last two sentences make no sense, that’s exactly how it appeared in the original Korean interview).
Q: Have you felt any different after you won the last GSL?
A: Not that much, but one thing that I feel with my entire body is the presence of fans cheering me on each game.
Q: Today it seemed that your opponent just imploded while trying out some strategies.
A: I was really nervous before the game, and I knew I had to be most cautious about cheese builds. I don’t’ think my opponent was really doing a cheese a strategy, he just got messed up because of my drone scouting and safe play.
Q: A lot of players are going to prepare cheese builds against you now.
A: That’s a nice thing about this patch. The supply before barracks change makes it harder to use those builds, and gives me time to scout. If it’s a build I’ve never seen before there’s still some danger, but there will be more than enough time to scout it out.
Q: What is your goal in this tournament?
A: I think my Ro32 opponent will be a good player. I don’t like ZvZ, and I think the guy using the ID “BoxeR” (the fake boxer) will tough as well. If I can get past the Ro32, I’ll aim for the Ro8.
Q: Do you have any new ceremonies planned after your apple ceremony last time around?
A: I was going for something silly, but Iron beat me to it (laughs). I think if I win a difficult game, I’ll just perform one naturally. I’m not one to actively plan that kind of things.
Q: Anything else?
A: Han Gyu Jong (Clide) is slumping lately. I don’t know why, but games just don’t go well for him and it’s just weird all around. I hope he can snap out of it quickly. Also, I hope my new teammates Shin Sangho and Park Seo Yong (Rain) can make it to the Ro64. Also, I hope Oh Jae Geun (Apple) who beat one of our guys to qualify wins his game as well. He said he wanted to come by our team house to learn Terran, and I hope he does well in the GSL as well (laughs).
Jung Min Su aka Genius
Source: http://www.fomos.kr/star2/news_read.html?express=Ÿ2&mode=read&keyno=111274&db=interview&cate=&page=1&field=
+ Show Spoiler +
Q: Feelings on reaching the Ro32?
A: The games didn’t go as I planned, but I’m glad to win.
Q: Did you remember being eliminated in the Ro64 last season?
A: I barely practiced that time because I was overconfident, but I learned my lesson and practiced this time.
Q: People thought you had a good shot at winning last season, so your elimination was unfortunate.
A: I still think I’m one of the frontrunners. I want to make sure to show people my skill.
Q: Wasn’t it a big setback to lose the four early zealots in game 1?
A: I saw him make a lot of lings, so it was okay if he saw (Note: makes no sense Korean as well). I thought I might lose during the roach attack, but I was able to recover well and hold.
Q: Zergs have been using roaches aggressively since the patch.
A: You can still stop roaches well by placing your force fields a little further away. Stalkers still have much longer range, so it’s not that hard.
Q: Not a single Protoss player made it to the semi-finals last season.
A: I was eliminated too quickly that time. Still, I thought Seo Ki-su (Tester) would make it that season, but he was surprisingly eliminated. This season, just assume one Protoss has already booked his place in the semis. I hope it can be two or more.
Q: There’s talk about how tough it is for Protoss right now.
A: It’s become very hard for Protoss these days, so I’ll have to do well and show people how good Protoss really is.
Q: Comparisons between you and Jang Minchul (Iron) as the top Protoss player have become a hot topic as well.
A: I only thought of Ki-su (Tester) as a rival for a while, but Minchul really came up. Even if we’re not the best players, I hope we can both do well.
Q: You’re going to the USA soon to compete in Blizzcon 2010.
A: I’m really excited about it, and would love to win it. It would be my first time playing abroad, and I really want to win it.
Q: How well do you know Kwak Han Yeol (Maka) who’s going along with you?
A: I can’t say we’re that close, but we do talk a lot (laughs).
Q: Nex and Zenith merged into ZeNEX recently.
A: We became the team with the most players in the GSL. It’s better for practicing to have more good players in the team.
Q: Which player are you the most wary of this season?
A: I’m not worried about Boxer or Nada in terms of skill, but I am worried that people are going to be pretty harsh towards me if I happen to eliminate one of them. I’ve practiced a lot, so there’s no one I’m particularly worried about.
Q: Your goal for the season?
A: I came up with a lot of good builds during practice, and fortunately I didn’t have to give any of them away in the Ro64. I consider last season punishment for not practicing hard.
Q: Any final comments?
A: Thanks to Hwang Gang Ho (Losira), Lee Dong Nyung (Leenock) and Jang Yeong Hoon for helping me practice. If I win the tournament, they’ll all receive a gift from me.
A: The games didn’t go as I planned, but I’m glad to win.
Q: Did you remember being eliminated in the Ro64 last season?
A: I barely practiced that time because I was overconfident, but I learned my lesson and practiced this time.
Q: People thought you had a good shot at winning last season, so your elimination was unfortunate.
A: I still think I’m one of the frontrunners. I want to make sure to show people my skill.
Q: Wasn’t it a big setback to lose the four early zealots in game 1?
A: I saw him make a lot of lings, so it was okay if he saw (Note: makes no sense Korean as well). I thought I might lose during the roach attack, but I was able to recover well and hold.
Q: Zergs have been using roaches aggressively since the patch.
A: You can still stop roaches well by placing your force fields a little further away. Stalkers still have much longer range, so it’s not that hard.
Q: Not a single Protoss player made it to the semi-finals last season.
A: I was eliminated too quickly that time. Still, I thought Seo Ki-su (Tester) would make it that season, but he was surprisingly eliminated. This season, just assume one Protoss has already booked his place in the semis. I hope it can be two or more.
Q: There’s talk about how tough it is for Protoss right now.
A: It’s become very hard for Protoss these days, so I’ll have to do well and show people how good Protoss really is.
Q: Comparisons between you and Jang Minchul (Iron) as the top Protoss player have become a hot topic as well.
A: I only thought of Ki-su (Tester) as a rival for a while, but Minchul really came up. Even if we’re not the best players, I hope we can both do well.
Q: You’re going to the USA soon to compete in Blizzcon 2010.
A: I’m really excited about it, and would love to win it. It would be my first time playing abroad, and I really want to win it.
Q: How well do you know Kwak Han Yeol (Maka) who’s going along with you?
A: I can’t say we’re that close, but we do talk a lot (laughs).
Q: Nex and Zenith merged into ZeNEX recently.
A: We became the team with the most players in the GSL. It’s better for practicing to have more good players in the team.
Q: Which player are you the most wary of this season?
A: I’m not worried about Boxer or Nada in terms of skill, but I am worried that people are going to be pretty harsh towards me if I happen to eliminate one of them. I’ve practiced a lot, so there’s no one I’m particularly worried about.
Q: Your goal for the season?
A: I came up with a lot of good builds during practice, and fortunately I didn’t have to give any of them away in the Ro64. I consider last season punishment for not practicing hard.
Q: Any final comments?
A: Thanks to Hwang Gang Ho (Losira), Lee Dong Nyung (Leenock) and Jang Yeong Hoon for helping me practice. If I win the tournament, they’ll all receive a gift from me.
Song Jun Hyuk aka Inca
Source: http://www.fomos.kr/star2/news_read.html?express=Ÿ2&mode=read&keyno=111281&db=interview&cate=&page=1&field=
+ Show Spoiler +
Q: How do you feel about reaching the Ro32?
A: I’m really happy to reach the Ro32. But my performance in game two today was poor.
Q: You had some close calls today, were you worried while you were playing?
A: I played oddly in game two. But I was able to play game three the way I wanted, so it’s a relief that things turned out well.
Q: Void Rays were nerfed, but you used them today.
A: Even though they were nerfed, you can’t stop using them completely. I intentionally tried to show Terrans a way to utilize Void Rays, so they will have another thing to worry about.
Q: You probably didn’t expect to lose the first big fight in game one.
A: I was out of it for a sec, but when I came to I noticed my colossi were hitting the command center while my zealots were getting slaughtered. I think I was a bit nervy because it was my first broadcasted match in a while (laughs).
Q: You’ve gotten your Code S (the top league for 32 players in the 2011 season) qualification already, so you probably feel less pressure than others.
A: It’s good to be free from the pressure to qualify for Code S, and I want to enjoy myself this season.
Q: What do you think about the debate over whether Jung Min Su (Genius) or Jang Min Chul (Iron) is the best Protoss player?
A: I’m looking on with amusement. You play the game with your hands, not your mouth, so I’m sure the viewers will be able to judge for themselves (laughs). Of course Iron is pretty good. Our team has always had a strong Protoss line, and I think in the present situation Iron has the right to be called the best Protoss player.
Q: Your goal for the season?
A: I want to play games people remember, games that will give people the shivers.
Q: 9 of 10 first team players on oGs made it into the GSL, how are you guys practicing now?
A: Everyone is preparing for their own matches, but we also help each other.
Q: Do you think this season’s champion will come from oGs?
A: I think it’s a nearly 100% chance. Everyone is so good, and I think if a Protoss wins this season it’s gonna be Iron.
Q: What player is your biggest obstacle to becoming champion?
A: I might already face players like Han Gyu Jong (Clide) and Lee Yu Suk (Tankboy) in the Round of 32, and then I could face good players like Jung Min Su (Genius) or some good zerg players. I think every game is gonna be tough.
Q: Any final comments?
A: I want to thank my teammates who helped me practice, and Lim Yo Hwan (Boxer). I didn’t have enough practice partners, but Boxer helped me out with about 30 games. Also, to my friend Lee Jin Gyu, happy birthday!
A: I’m really happy to reach the Ro32. But my performance in game two today was poor.
Q: You had some close calls today, were you worried while you were playing?
A: I played oddly in game two. But I was able to play game three the way I wanted, so it’s a relief that things turned out well.
Q: Void Rays were nerfed, but you used them today.
A: Even though they were nerfed, you can’t stop using them completely. I intentionally tried to show Terrans a way to utilize Void Rays, so they will have another thing to worry about.
Q: You probably didn’t expect to lose the first big fight in game one.
A: I was out of it for a sec, but when I came to I noticed my colossi were hitting the command center while my zealots were getting slaughtered. I think I was a bit nervy because it was my first broadcasted match in a while (laughs).
Q: You’ve gotten your Code S (the top league for 32 players in the 2011 season) qualification already, so you probably feel less pressure than others.
A: It’s good to be free from the pressure to qualify for Code S, and I want to enjoy myself this season.
Q: What do you think about the debate over whether Jung Min Su (Genius) or Jang Min Chul (Iron) is the best Protoss player?
A: I’m looking on with amusement. You play the game with your hands, not your mouth, so I’m sure the viewers will be able to judge for themselves (laughs). Of course Iron is pretty good. Our team has always had a strong Protoss line, and I think in the present situation Iron has the right to be called the best Protoss player.
Q: Your goal for the season?
A: I want to play games people remember, games that will give people the shivers.
Q: 9 of 10 first team players on oGs made it into the GSL, how are you guys practicing now?
A: Everyone is preparing for their own matches, but we also help each other.
Q: Do you think this season’s champion will come from oGs?
A: I think it’s a nearly 100% chance. Everyone is so good, and I think if a Protoss wins this season it’s gonna be Iron.
Q: What player is your biggest obstacle to becoming champion?
A: I might already face players like Han Gyu Jong (Clide) and Lee Yu Suk (Tankboy) in the Round of 32, and then I could face good players like Jung Min Su (Genius) or some good zerg players. I think every game is gonna be tough.
Q: Any final comments?
A: I want to thank my teammates who helped me practice, and Lim Yo Hwan (Boxer). I didn’t have enough practice partners, but Boxer helped me out with about 30 games. Also, to my friend Lee Jin Gyu, happy birthday!
Lim Yo Hwan aka Boxer
Source: http://www.fomos.kr/star2/news_read.html?keyno=111298&db=interview
+ Show Spoiler +
Q: How do you feel about getting to the Ro32 with a quick 2-0 victory?
A: I hope I don’t face a Protoss in the next round. I haven’t perfected that matchup yet, so I need to buy more time. I hope Park Jun (Lyn) plays hard and beats CoreJjang for me. It’s been so long since I played a broadcasted game, so I was nervous in game one. While the three marine poke gave me the advantage, I didn’t play that well overall. I could feel the nerves getting to me as it was my first game in a while, but I was relaxed enough to play the way I wanted to by game two.
Q: When did you start preparing to play SC II?
A: I started after the last Proleague final. I started playing a little at first, but I started playing in earnest once I made the decision. I didn’t really know what to do for a while, so I was spent a lot of time thinking about my situation. That led me to officially switch to Starcraft 2.
Q: What caused you to make the switch?
A: It was my fans. I saw that my fans were starting to leave one by one, as they waited to see me play again. I thought to myself I couldn’t let that go on any longer, and I told myself I would have to either go into coaching, or switch games and continue to play games for my fans. I hadn’t kept my promise to my fans, and I still had some emotional baggage.
Q: You faced a Terran player today, but they say you practiced against Protoss anyway?
A: I practiced a lot with Song Jun Hyuk (Inca) who also played today. After I’m done playing a TvP, I plan to give shout outs to the other players who helped me practice. I practiced TvT with Jeon Yong Su who uses the ID Seo Yeon Ji on battle.net. He’s going to finish his public service duties (Koreans who do not qualify for mandatory active military service can fulfill the requirement through a variety of government jobs) soon, and I want to thank him. I also practiced with Sung Jae (HopeTorture/IntoTheRainbow) and Han Yi Suk (STX).
Q: You can see a player’s build orders through battle.net.
A: I don’t understand why they added that function. I think it’s a feature to help the game gain mass appeal, but it’s not good for the players. It makes it hard to practice, and it forces you to get several accounts.
Q: How do SC1 and SC2 feel different?
A: The biggest thing is the interface. Also, it went from 2d to 3d, and it just feels different when units attack each other. Instead of damage reduction, bonus damage makes it feel like fights end in a flash.
Q: If you don’t face a Protoss next round, how far do you think you can go?
A: My TvP is just shaky, it’s not that I don’t have confidence in it. I think it would be good to play TvT where I have a certain degree of confidence. If I face some easy opponents, I think I can earn Code S qualification.
Q: Any players who would be tough to face this tournament?
A: Players from teams I practice frequently with. Because I’m preparing by myself, it’s tough to practice when there’s no one to help you. You have to play ladder games only. I think I’ll have to gather up some players to play with, or join a team. There are a few teams I practice frequently with, but they can’t help me if I’m facing one of their members. I’d have to get lucky to avoid that situation.
Q: How did SK Telecom T1 respond to your switch?
A: They’re not negative about me playing SC II. They know that I want to stay active as a player.
Q: You must have a lot of strategies prepared.
A: The things I did today, any top ladder player can do. It seems that I was able to practice without my strategies leaking, so I’m relieved about that. The viewers enjoy it when I use a creative strategy, but they also want me to go far in the league. So I plan to only use special strategies occasionally, and try to play management style games for the most part. Personally I like creative strategies, but the current system just causes that kind of play to become known almost instantly. I hope Blizzard fixes this (laughs). Right now it’s a system where anyone can copy the strategy you worked hard to come up with. You try hard to invent something, and then everyone knows it the second you use it on battle.net. When that happens, it becomes a boring game.
Q: Don’t you want to face Kim Won Ki (FruitDealer)?
A: FruitDealer is quite a sly devil (laughs). He uses the ladder just to scout around while his main source of practice is custom games, which is pretty clever of him. I’m a terran whiner so I’m not happy with the patch, but I’d still like to face him at a higher stage.
Q: Anything else?
A: It was tough to even find my way to the arena today, so I want to thank my many fans for showing up today. Also, I want to thank former Air Force Ace head coach Kim Pyung Gang for buying me a shirt to wear in place of a uniform when I said I had nothing to wear to the game. I also want to thank my girlfriend who’s always behind me, and my manager Sim Jae Hyun. Anyway, thanks to everyone. I want to be a player for as long as possible, and I’ll keep playing into my mid 30’s if my body and skill can keep up. While I’m nothing like myself in my prime, but I hope to gain experience and reach the higher stages of the tournament.
A: I hope I don’t face a Protoss in the next round. I haven’t perfected that matchup yet, so I need to buy more time. I hope Park Jun (Lyn) plays hard and beats CoreJjang for me. It’s been so long since I played a broadcasted game, so I was nervous in game one. While the three marine poke gave me the advantage, I didn’t play that well overall. I could feel the nerves getting to me as it was my first game in a while, but I was relaxed enough to play the way I wanted to by game two.
Q: When did you start preparing to play SC II?
A: I started after the last Proleague final. I started playing a little at first, but I started playing in earnest once I made the decision. I didn’t really know what to do for a while, so I was spent a lot of time thinking about my situation. That led me to officially switch to Starcraft 2.
Q: What caused you to make the switch?
A: It was my fans. I saw that my fans were starting to leave one by one, as they waited to see me play again. I thought to myself I couldn’t let that go on any longer, and I told myself I would have to either go into coaching, or switch games and continue to play games for my fans. I hadn’t kept my promise to my fans, and I still had some emotional baggage.
Q: You faced a Terran player today, but they say you practiced against Protoss anyway?
A: I practiced a lot with Song Jun Hyuk (Inca) who also played today. After I’m done playing a TvP, I plan to give shout outs to the other players who helped me practice. I practiced TvT with Jeon Yong Su who uses the ID Seo Yeon Ji on battle.net. He’s going to finish his public service duties (Koreans who do not qualify for mandatory active military service can fulfill the requirement through a variety of government jobs) soon, and I want to thank him. I also practiced with Sung Jae (HopeTorture/IntoTheRainbow) and Han Yi Suk (STX).
Q: You can see a player’s build orders through battle.net.
A: I don’t understand why they added that function. I think it’s a feature to help the game gain mass appeal, but it’s not good for the players. It makes it hard to practice, and it forces you to get several accounts.
Q: How do SC1 and SC2 feel different?
A: The biggest thing is the interface. Also, it went from 2d to 3d, and it just feels different when units attack each other. Instead of damage reduction, bonus damage makes it feel like fights end in a flash.
Q: If you don’t face a Protoss next round, how far do you think you can go?
A: My TvP is just shaky, it’s not that I don’t have confidence in it. I think it would be good to play TvT where I have a certain degree of confidence. If I face some easy opponents, I think I can earn Code S qualification.
Q: Any players who would be tough to face this tournament?
A: Players from teams I practice frequently with. Because I’m preparing by myself, it’s tough to practice when there’s no one to help you. You have to play ladder games only. I think I’ll have to gather up some players to play with, or join a team. There are a few teams I practice frequently with, but they can’t help me if I’m facing one of their members. I’d have to get lucky to avoid that situation.
Q: How did SK Telecom T1 respond to your switch?
A: They’re not negative about me playing SC II. They know that I want to stay active as a player.
Q: You must have a lot of strategies prepared.
A: The things I did today, any top ladder player can do. It seems that I was able to practice without my strategies leaking, so I’m relieved about that. The viewers enjoy it when I use a creative strategy, but they also want me to go far in the league. So I plan to only use special strategies occasionally, and try to play management style games for the most part. Personally I like creative strategies, but the current system just causes that kind of play to become known almost instantly. I hope Blizzard fixes this (laughs). Right now it’s a system where anyone can copy the strategy you worked hard to come up with. You try hard to invent something, and then everyone knows it the second you use it on battle.net. When that happens, it becomes a boring game.
Q: Don’t you want to face Kim Won Ki (FruitDealer)?
A: FruitDealer is quite a sly devil (laughs). He uses the ladder just to scout around while his main source of practice is custom games, which is pretty clever of him. I’m a terran whiner so I’m not happy with the patch, but I’d still like to face him at a higher stage.
Q: Anything else?
A: It was tough to even find my way to the arena today, so I want to thank my many fans for showing up today. Also, I want to thank former Air Force Ace head coach Kim Pyung Gang for buying me a shirt to wear in place of a uniform when I said I had nothing to wear to the game. I also want to thank my girlfriend who’s always behind me, and my manager Sim Jae Hyun. Anyway, thanks to everyone. I want to be a player for as long as possible, and I’ll keep playing into my mid 30’s if my body and skill can keep up. While I’m nothing like myself in my prime, but I hope to gain experience and reach the higher stages of the tournament.
There was no interview with Kwan Han Yeol aka Maka, presumably due to him having the flu.
