In the Korean scene, there are more high level players than the ones you see in GSL. However, we don't often hear about these players due to language barriers. GSL is the premier StarCraft 2 tournament, yet at the end of the day it is only but one tournament in StarCraft 2,
Korean players have been invited to participate in various tournaments with the prize pool ranging from hundreds to thousands. Yet these Koreans are the ones who have set a mark upon GSL and GSTL. We rarely see less prominent players getting featured in the foreigner scene. I aim to change that.
DongRaeGu is a grandmaster Zerg that is currently in Team MVP, one of the newer Korean teams. Known for his multitasking, he is one of the up and coming Zergs in Korea and can be considered one of the team's aces. His most notable achievements was when he was the first player to reach 4000 ladder points.
Q. Tell us a bit about yourself and your gaming history in Starcraft 2 so far. I'm DongRaeGu (SooHo, Park) and currently I'm in MVP team. I'm 21 years old and from Busan, Korea. My most notable achievement so far has been when I was the first to score 4000 points in ladder.
Q. How did you get into team MVP? I got into MVP team by getting scouted by the manager (Yoon Sang, Choi). I first met with him during the March GSL qualifiers and while chatting with the manager, he asked me if I wanted to join and gave me some time to decide. After a week I decided to join MVP along with Genius since the manager promised me good "treatment" and since the team was newly created, I thought I could be the team's ace.
Q. What do you think about life in team MVP? I feel as if life in the team is a school trip since there are a lot of players around my age, like Genius. I don't go out much everyday, mostly for snacks. Even during weekends I don't go out much since the team house is in Incheon and my home is back in Busan at the bottom of the peninsula. Plus, it takes a couple hours drive to go back to my home. I pretty much spend most of my time practicing.
Q. What's the practice schedule like for you in team MVP? During the GSL season, the team is focused only on the GSL participants, whereas those who aren't participating work their ass off in ladder. When the GSL season is over, we play 2-4 games against each of my teammates.
Q. It seems like you and Genius are great friends. What is your history with him and do you have a rivalry together? Back in Brood war, a hyung (older "brother") introduced me to Genius since we were both the same age and played the same race (Terran). We shared tons of builds, strategies, and replays together. I didn't have a rivalry with him in Brood War since we were both players far from becoming pros in BW.
In SC2 beta, I played Protoss. However I found out that Genius was a famous Protoss user and I developed a "rivalry sense". I found it "dirty" to play as a Protoss because genius was also a Protoss so I switched to Zerg.
Q. You mentioned you were far from becoming pros in BW. What do you think is the biggest difference between being a SC1 and SC2 progamer. It's too difficult and challenging to become a pro in BW because all the teams are run by big companies so it's more closed. In SC2, because the ladder system shows rankings it promotes people to challenge themselves more and makes it a bit easier to become well known.
Q. Since you used to be a Protoss, why did you decide to switch to Zerg? Because of BW, my APM was pretty fast so I was able to multitask a lot. I felt that Terran didn't need much multitasking but Zerg needed a lot of multitasking like larva injection, creep spreading, and constant expansions. Therefore I felt my playstyle was more suited to playing Zerg
Q. You weren't able to qualify in GSL Code A. What happened? Zerg is too weak when it comes to defending timing attacks and all-ins especially proxy 2gates. In the GSL qualifiers vs IMSeed, I won the first game after defending a cannon rush and a 4gate. In the second game I lost to a 15 nexus 7gate all-in build, and in the 3rd game I went for a push but lost.
Q. Many Zergs complain about the forcefields and Colossus in ZvP. Why do you think Zerg doesn't use Ultralisks to break Force Fields more? I don't really complain about Force Fields and Colossus as I find ways to try and get out of those situations but I still hate it when I make the wrong decision and it costs me the game.
It's not easy to get ultras since I have to fight off Stalkers and Colossus.Ultralisks are really high up in the tech tree and before then, Protoss can still use Force Fields many times. However, I think Broodlords are better than Ultras as it's much easier to win the game with 10 Broodlords than 10 Ultras. Even getting 2-3 Ultras is really hard.
Q. Many Zergs have been experimenting with Infestors. How important do you think they are in ZvT?
After the patch, in a mid-long game its compulsory to get Infestors. The longer the game goes, Infestors become much more important than Banelings especially in a management game. Late game Terran would have a lot of mech units which makes its hard for the Zerg to attack the marines so Zergs needs Infestor for another AOE option besides Banelings. Infestors is also getting important in lategame ZvP as well.
Q. Hydralisks are starting to see lesser use in ZvsP, in ZvZ zergs have tried to use Hydralisks, do you think that a Roach + Infestor army is still better? Hydralisks are useless and eat up money. It's only useful if the opponent goes Mutas, Voids, or Phoenix. Before the Infestor patch, I used to use a lot of Hydras but after the buff, it's better to use Roach + Infestors for DPS. Even before the patch, I used very little Hydras in ZvsP since Roach and Hydras are shit together.
Q. This year GSL has been making more maps, what do you think about the GSL and ladder maps? GSL maps are quite fun especially since maps don't have close spawn positions. However thinking about ladder maps makes me go "shit" and "fuck". They're the reason why Terran are taking over ladder. The map I hate most is Crossfire since the rush distance is too close. Protoss and Terran get too much advantage when they have map control. I also don't like Delta Quadrant. There's nothing to say about that map, it just sucks.
Q. How much do you know about Teamliquid.net and the foreigner scene? I know that Xeph mirror'ed my stream from Daum Pot and it was posted on TL.net. I tried to find posts in Teamliquid about my stream but I couldn't find any. I think it's good that there are lots of leagues and events to participate in the foreign scene, however if I wasn't in Korea I think that I would be able to post a lot of good results in these tournaments. Nevertheless foreigners are still good unlike Brood War. I've played players like Jinro, HuK, and DIMAGA on ladder and I think that HuK is the best foreigner in starcraft 2.
Q. What do you think about SC2's growth in Korea? StarCraft 2 has grown a lot faster than I thought and is still growing fast in Korea. I believe that there will be more leagues coming up in the future.
Q. Anything you like to say to TL.net? Please support me a lot when I get to play in GSL or GSTL !
What better way to get recognized than an exclusive replay from the man himself?
This is like the reverse of what normally happens when foreigners request Korean input or reactions. I definitely like the idea of helping bring lesser known, but perhaps not lesser skilled, Korean players to light of foreign fans.
I know I have seen Jinro/Huk/MC*(on Jinro's)/ and oGsTheWind stream on TL before. I would suggest/request that perhaps more Korean players trying to break out in the pro scene maybe share some streaming here. If it becomes popular enough perhaps the admins would not mind customizing the "feature" section to divide it up by teams. With anything not a pro stream being General Features, then obviously not featured be the rest.
Its hard to find interesting players if they are all lumped together with everyone else in the "other" category.
I have been hyping this guy up so much since I first saw him on Xeph's stream and was literally bummed out when I learned he didn't qualify for GSL May. I hope MVP does well this season and gets enough points to qualify for GSTL so we can finally see him in the booth. His multi-tasking and decision making is absolutely insane. He played against MKP in that house attack they showed in between Code S sets the other night and he made a sick move with his banelings against blue flame hellions but ultimately ended up losing.
Great interview! Back when he streamed he seemed to be ahead of everyone else in the metagame, so I was very interested in what he was doing outside of GSL. I am definetly rooting for him!
I love this guy he when his stream was on TL it was pretty inspirational, I looked forward to it the most! Hope he gets to to be in the spot light eventually ^^
This is really cool thanks for the interview. I'm going to watch the replays once I get off work. It'll be interesting to see how a 4k ladder point zerg plays.
This is wonderful, I'm really glad to see something like this. There are so many more extremely skilled players in Korea, and we only get insight from them when we see them in GSL or GSTL, or someone translates something for us. Thank you very much for this, and I will certainly root for you of you make it into Code A!!!
On May 03 2011 02:03 last light wrote: I hope MVP does well this season and gets enough points to qualify for GSTL so we can finally see him in the booth.
I understand you meant DRG of Team MVP. This can get confusing because there is another MVP of Team IM, u know.
On May 03 2011 02:06 dc302 wrote: He says roaches and hydras are 'shit' together? I need an explanation x_x
I believe he thinks roaches and hydras are so terrible together is because they have different attack times. So with kitting they just dont do well together. Eventually hydras will end up in front of the roaches and what is the point of that? I personally think the speed of the two units should be flipped.
Wow thanks for the interview, this player seems to have a really good understanding of the game, however there's something that bothers me, when he says:
Hydralisks are useless and eat up money.
I mean, wow this is quite a bold statement, isn't it? In my opinion when used correctly and at good timings, hydralisks can be fearsome. + Show Spoiler +
for example in the IGN IPL we saw that even on huge maps such as Terminus, hydralisks have the potential to be very effective.
On May 03 2011 02:11 AlBundy wrote: Wow thanks for the interview, this player seems to have a really good understanding of the game, however there's something that bothers me, when he says:
I mean, wow this is quite a bold statement, isn't it? In my opinion when used correctly and at good timings, hydralisks can be fearsome. + Show Spoiler +
for example in the IGN IPL we saw that even on huge maps such as Terminus, hydralisks have the potential to be very effective.
Zergs are almost all tending away from hydra based strats. Only certain timing attacks use Hydras in big numbers. So when he says hydras are useless and eat up money he is basically saying what most zergs have said since well forever.
On May 03 2011 02:11 AlBundy wrote: Wow thanks for the interview, this player seems to have a really good understanding of the game, however there's something that bothers me, when he says:
I mean, wow this is quite a bold statement, isn't it? In my opinion when used correctly and at good timings, hydralisks can be fearsome. + Show Spoiler +
for example in the IGN IPL we saw that even on huge maps such as Terminus, hydralisks have the potential to be very effective.
His view on units isn't completely serious; he exagerates his views for comedy or to get his point across. When he was streaming, the zergling was the only unit that wasn't "shit" lol.
On May 03 2011 02:06 dc302 wrote: He says roaches and hydras are 'shit' together? I need an explanation x_x
Ever seen roach hydra against a protoss death ball =P. Thats the reason why the zerg metagame has shifted more towards roaches, infestors and baneling drops.
is this the guy idra said was really bad and him being top of the ladder was like piqliq being top of the american ladder? interesting interview, seems like a cool guy, reminded me how much i miss xephs stream
I am a really big fan of DRG and have been for a long time...if there is any way to let him know that there are foreigners out there that know about him and are fans PLEASE let him know!
Would like to know if this guy was inspired by spanishiwa for his opener, or if its a pure coincidence that the first 12minutes is played within 90% accuracy of spanishiwas ice fisher build.
This is super cool! It must be insanely competitive in the top 500korea since they all know they can probably supplant a lot of people in code A. Makes for a very crazy ladder (which HuK seems to dominate every time I watch him stream xD)!
On May 03 2011 02:07 Colourz wrote: Good to know about some of the other non-gsl players, is there anywhere I can view some of the old streams?
Pro gamers asked Xeph to not release the VODs of the stream because they fear to be analyzed by other pro gamers, so no VOD available and xeph seems to be away since A LONG TIME so no more live streams like that :'( I loved to watch TheStC, guineapig, MC, ...
Great interview! I'm looking forward to him breaking on to the pro scene. Gonna check out his replay too, hopefully I can steal some stuff from him. :D
Q. You mentioned you were far from becoming pros in BW. What do you think is the biggest difference between being a SC1 and SC2 progamer. It's too difficult and challenging to become a pro in BW because all the teams are run by big companies so it's more closed. In SC2, because the ladder system shows rankings it promotes people to challenge themselves more and makes it a bit easier to become well known.
Because of big company/closed system? Yeah right, we all know the true answer is: Others were better than me.
Awesome interview, you should do more of these. I feel the questions in this interview are significantly betters than others I have read which focus on irrelevant stuff such as BM, rage etc.
Keep it up
EDIT: What happened to Xeph´s stream, it used to show a lot of DongRaeGu´s awesome games!
It's really interesting, I feel like a lot of Koreans acknowledge Huk as one of the top 3 foreigners if not the best foreigner ... is it just a lot of nerves that prevent him from showing as good results as say Jinro in tourney play?
Very interesting that he picked Huk out as the best foreign player. Maybe there really is something to all the Huk fans that cry about him being way better on the ladder?
Thanks for the interview! I like the fact that he's quite open in his answers and not afraid to throw out some criticism either!
Only statement that seems kind of absurd is
Q. You mentioned you were far from becoming pros in BW. What do you think is the biggest difference between being a SC1 and SC2 progamer. It's too difficult and challenging to become a pro in BW because all the teams are run by big companies so it's more closed. In SC2, because the ladder system shows rankings it promotes people to challenge themselves more and makes it a bit easier to become well known.
Amateur BW players in Korea have Courage as a direct way to display their talents, it might be too difficult and challenging to compete with everyone else trying though..
On May 03 2011 03:21 Fighter wrote: Very interesting that he picked Huk out as the best foreign player. Maybe there really is something to all the Huk fans that cry about him being way better on the ladder?
Just something to think about..
Not really surprising as Huk ladders by far more than the other foreigners and DongRae is a ladder grinder himself. Plus PvZ
Q. You mentioned you were far from becoming pros in BW. What do you think is the biggest difference between being a SC1 and SC2 progamer. It's too difficult and challenging to become a pro in BW because all the teams are run by big companies so it's more closed. In SC2, because the ladder system shows rankings it promotes people to challenge themselves more and makes it a bit easier to become well known.
Because of big company/closed system? Yeah right, we all know the true answer is: Others were better than me.
Those are not necessarily mutually exclusive you know.
Q. You mentioned you were far from becoming pros in BW. What do you think is the biggest difference between being a SC1 and SC2 progamer. It's too difficult and challenging to become a pro in BW because all the teams are run by big companies so it's more closed. In SC2, because the ladder system shows rankings it promotes people to challenge themselves more and makes it a bit easier to become well known.
Because of big company/closed system? Yeah right, we all know the true answer is: Others were better than me.
Those are not necessarily mutually exclusive you know.
But it's backed by many years of proof that it WORKS. If you got the dedication and skill, you will succeed as many does every day.
Yet here we have someone who blamed it all on "the system".
Q. You mentioned you were far from becoming pros in BW. What do you think is the biggest difference between being a SC1 and SC2 progamer. It's too difficult and challenging to become a pro in BW because all the teams are run by big companies so it's more closed. In SC2, because the ladder system shows rankings it promotes people to challenge themselves more and makes it a bit easier to become well known.
Because of big company/closed system? Yeah right, we all know the true answer is: Others were better than me.
Those are not necessarily mutually exclusive you know.
But it's backed by many years of proof that it WORKS. If you got the dedication and skill, you will succeed as many does every day.
Yet here we have someone who blamed it all on "the system".
Re-read the answer; it seemed to me more like he was stating that the system for becoming a pro in BW (Courage) was far more discouraging, and so he never put in enough effort (nor considered it a real possibility) to become a pro. Whereas in SC2 the ladder system motivated him to try to become a top-ranking player.
On May 03 2011 03:21 Fighter wrote: Very interesting that he picked Huk out as the best foreign player. Maybe there really is something to all the Huk fans that cry about him being way better on the ladder?
Just something to think about..
Not really surprising as Huk ladders by far more than the other foreigners and DongRae is a ladder grinder himself. Plus PvZ
On May 03 2011 02:43 Tristy wrote: Would like to know if this guy was inspired by spanishiwa for his opener, or if its a pure coincidence that the first 12minutes is played within 90% accuracy of spanishiwas ice fisher build.
It's more likely that he just wanted to saturate both mineral lines before going gas. Especially after defending the Terran pressure, this is simply the best, though not most intuitive, decision.
Very interesting. I am willing to see more of this kid.
I was shocked he consider Huk the better foreign over Dimaga and Jinro.
Another interesting thing is he consider SC2 is growing fast in Korea and expects future leagues, contrary to the common knowledge that SC2 is not growing at all in Korea or is stagnant.
On May 03 2011 03:28 Armathai wrote: Thanks for the interview! I like the fact that he's quite open in his answers and not afraid to throw out some criticism either!
Q. You mentioned you were far from becoming pros in BW. What do you think is the biggest difference between being a SC1 and SC2 progamer. It's too difficult and challenging to become a pro in BW because all the teams are run by big companies so it's more closed. In SC2, because the ladder system shows rankings it promotes people to challenge themselves more and makes it a bit easier to become well known.
Amateur BW players in Korea have Courage as a direct way to display their talents, it might be too difficult and challenging to compete with everyone else trying though..
Courage was a lot about luck too, besides skill. If your search Teamliquid you can find Legs thoughts on Courage.
On May 03 2011 02:06 dc302 wrote: He says roaches and hydras are 'shit' together? I need an explanation x_x
Ever seen roach hydra against a protoss death ball =P. Thats the reason why the zerg metagame has shifted more towards roaches, infestors and baneling drops.
The word you're looking for is "standard strategy". "... the standard zerg strategy has shifted...".
Great interview with a great player, thank you very much. I remember watching him on Xepth's stream and it was really inspiring. I hope he can make it into the next GSL but i guess it gets tougher each time.
I was shocked he consider Huk the better foreign over Dimaga and Jinro.
Another interesting thing is he consider SC2 is growing fast in Korea and expects future leagues, contrary to the common knowledge that SC2 is not growing at all in Korea or is stagnant.
Yeah, Huk better than Dimaga? Uuuh, idk about that...then again I'm not sure how much he's seen from the foreign scene, if Jinro/Dimaga/Huk is all he's seen, then it's quite possible he thinks that Huk's the best just cause Huk ladders a LOT.
On May 03 2011 02:06 dc302 wrote: He says roaches and hydras are 'shit' together? I need an explanation x_x
Ever seen roach hydra against a protoss death ball =P. Thats the reason why the zerg metagame has shifted more towards roaches, infestors and baneling drops.
The word you're looking for is "standard strategy". "... the standard zerg strategy has shifted...".
Metagame does not mean "standard strategy".
I was inclined to disagree with you, however, for what he's trying to say meta gaming is indeed the wrong term. "Using out-of-game information, or resources, to affect one's in-game decisions." definitely doesn't apply here.
However I would argue that the metagame is shifting away from roach hydra
I was shocked he consider Huk the better foreign over Dimaga and Jinro.
Another interesting thing is he consider SC2 is growing fast in Korea and expects future leagues, contrary to the common knowledge that SC2 is not growing at all in Korea or is stagnant.
Yeah, Huk better than Dimaga? Uuuh, idk about that...then again I'm not sure how much he's seen from the foreign scene, if Jinro/Dimaga/Huk is all he's seen, then it's quite possible he thinks that Huk's the best just cause Huk ladders a LOT.
I think HuK is suffering a lot from stage fright, a problem DIMAGA doesn't seem to have at all. Just look at his personality. The guy is built like a tank in every facet of his existence.
"His most notable achievements was when he was the first player to reach 4000 ladder points" You should add "on KR" to that sentence. Naniwa was world first 4k points.
On May 03 2011 05:54 Klaent wrote: "His most notable achievements was when he was the first player to reach 4000 ladder points" You should add "on KR" to that sentence. Naniwa was world first 4k points.
I love this guy's playstyle. He was my favourite Zerg until Losira re-appeared in Code A March. Great multi-tasking, scouting and decision making, and very 'non-dogmatic', as in he doesn't seem to rule anything out at any point in the game. It's a pity he didn't see Xeph's thread on TL where everyone was raving about him.
So are team MVP in the GSTL this time? It would be great to see him play in it.
Great Thread. I would love to see this continued in the future. It is interesting to hear from Korean Pro Gamers, and in my opinion especially ones that are not in the GSL. We can hear about the GSL players anywhere but you are the only one I know of talking to the non GSL players ^^.
I had never heard of this guy until your interview and it is nice to hear about him and Genius's friendship and why he chose Zerg lol. Having watched his replay I would love too see him compete in the GSL. His play was very impressive ( to say the least).
On May 03 2011 02:06 dc302 wrote: He says roaches and hydras are 'shit' together? I need an explanation x_x
Ever seen roach hydra against a protoss death ball =P. Thats the reason why the zerg metagame has shifted more towards roaches, infestors and baneling drops.
The word you're looking for is "standard strategy". "... the standard zerg strategy has shifted...".
Thanks for posting. Hopefully in the coming weeks/months we will see more new blood in the GSL. Seems to me that the quality of players is increasing every season with few exceptions, though I do miss bitbybit =(
thanks for the interview. I heard some about this guy, I want to see him play in the gstl. and huk is very good on ladder so thats probably why he has that opinion.
On May 03 2011 05:35 Juaks wrote: Very interesting. I am willing to see more of this kid.
I was shocked he consider Huk the better foreign over Dimaga and Jinro.
Another interesting thing is he consider SC2 is growing fast in Korea and expects future leagues, contrary to the common knowledge that SC2 is not growing at all in Korea or is stagnant.
Thanks for the translation.
common belief is that SC2 is not big in Korea compared to foreign scene; and not as big as Brood War.
On May 03 2011 05:54 Klaent wrote: "His most notable achievements was when he was the first player to reach 4000 ladder points" You should add "on KR" to that sentence. Naniwa was world first 4k points.
Nice interview tho, hope to see more of these.
you can't put world servers together. so, Naniwa's 4k is not world at all. it's just Europe. KR is the ultimate server.
thnx for the translation and a message to dongraegu You are awesome! and your stream was my favorite of all the streams ive seen, and i've watched alot. best of luck to you in gsl and ur sc2!
I just saw his replay, pretty cool. Now I noticed a lot of Korean pro-gamers seem to like 55v66v77v injecting over Backspace method. Is that a brood war thing or is indiv. injecting better/risking the queens walking around.
On May 03 2011 14:28 supdubdup wrote: I just saw his replay, pretty cool. Now I noticed a lot of Korean pro-gamers seem to like 55v66v77v injecting over Backspace method. Is that a brood war thing or is indiv. injecting better/risking the queens walking around.
Well it's definitely not a bw thing considering queens weren't in broodwar (ok there was a unit with the same name but nothing like it).
From personal experience, the reason I prefer 55v66v77v is because the queens can be used to access ur hatches. e.g. you need to move your view to the main: simply hit 55.
On May 03 2011 01:56 CampinSam wrote: Is this going to be a special segment or something? or have I missed previous editions.
This is only the first interview. I intend on doing a lot more interviews and I'm also working on multiple interviews at the same time right now
DongRaeGu's english is surprisingly pretty decent. He's checking this thread quite periodically so he is definitely reading the comments on this thread.
DRG's stream made a fan out of me <3 I'm expecting big things when he gets into Code A. With all the pro team practice he's getting now I think that'll be soon.
Loved it when Xeph was streaming DRG's games. It seemed like any time you could tune in for some high level Zerg play. Thanks for the interview! Cool graphics by disciple as well.
I read a lot of positive feedback about his stream but unfortunately never seen it before. I liked the replay though, hopefully he might consider compiling a little replay pack for us :D
DRG is a total boss. It's a shame that he didn't qualify, I really wish the Korean SC2 scene would finally take off so that we got to see more of these players more often. Come on Korea, host some online tournaments for these guys and stream it to foreigners, you'd rake it in!
On May 03 2011 19:49 magha wrote: I read a lot of positive feedback about his stream but unfortunately never seen it before. I liked the replay though, hopefully he might consider compiling a little replay pack for us :D
This a million times...a replay pack would be awesome!
Since watching Xeph's stream with DRG, ive been working on switching to hotkeying hatches instead of queens. (which took me quite some time to get use too since its actually 1 more click per)
Though one thing i noticed about DRG, he would spam toggling between his first and second hatches not only could he see when the next inject was coming, but also how closely synced they are.
Never have i seen a player so good about not missing an injecting period.
This guy was the main reason I watched Xephs stream in all honesty, his skill blew me away! I look very forward to seeing him in GSL in the future, he definitely has what it takes to get to Code-S. Keep it up DRG!
Seriously? Outplay Marineking, Nada, Supernova, MC not by any cheese at all, and still struggle to get into Code A without success ... Damn, that's why no one wants to go to Korea.
On May 18 2011 23:53 ehalf wrote: Seriously? Outplay Marineking, Nada, Supernova, MC not by any cheese at all, and still struggle to get into Code A without success ... Damn, that's why no one wants to go to Korea.
Errr, you do realise when he was playing MC he stopped all drone production for roaches and lings? It was all in, if mc had held it off he would have been so far behind.
On May 18 2011 23:53 ehalf wrote: Seriously? Outplay Marineking, Nada, Supernova, MC not by any cheese at all, and still struggle to get into Code A without success ... Damn, that's why no one wants to go to Korea.
Errr, you do realise when he was playing MC he stopped all drone production for roaches and lings? It was all in, if mc had held it off he would have been so far behind.
Wich is still an all in and not cheece so i don't see what was wrong with that statement.
On May 18 2011 23:53 ehalf wrote: Seriously? Outplay Marineking, Nada, Supernova, MC not by any cheese at all, and still struggle to get into Code A without success ... Damn, that's why no one wants to go to Korea.
Errr, you do realise when he was playing MC he stopped all drone production for roaches and lings? It was all in, if mc had held it off he would have been so far behind.
Yea, he only get 18 drones. But this roach lings attack is indeed a perfect timing for Protoss. This is not an all-in. If you want to defend this, no way protoss will have 30 probes like MC. U have to turn your probes and stargate into warpgate and more stalkers+sentries.
Even many pros thought this roach/lings strategy is all-in like Morrow, but actually it is not.
Q. Recently in ZvP, Zergs have been using a 2 base 8 Roach and mass Zerglings build vs 3 gate Sentry expand, what do you think about this strategy? After Alicia's loss vs IMLosira (Alicia and Min are in the same team) we had a team meeting concerning this build order. We concluded that it's a great anti-3Gate expand build. However there are several Protoss build orders that counter this push like fast Voids or DTs because Zergs are spending the gas on the 8 Roaches, the Lair tech is delayed and stalkers prevents Zerg scouting. Also if Protoss goes stalkers to pressure the lings before speed is completed, it gives them map control. Although it has its own weaknesses, it is a good build but not an all-in. For example this build isn't meant to kill the Protoss outright, not even to destroy the nexus. Alicia's opinion is that he made the mistake of having his zealots+sentry too far away from his expansion.
On May 18 2011 23:53 ehalf wrote: Seriously? Outplay Marineking, Nada, Supernova, MC not by any cheese at all, and still struggle to get into Code A without success ... Damn, that's why no one wants to go to Korea.
Errr, you do realise when he was playing MC he stopped all drone production for roaches and lings? It was all in, if mc had held it off he would have been so far behind.
roach/ling isn't an all-in build. Min stated this himself when I interviewed him
On May 18 2011 23:53 ehalf wrote: Seriously? Outplay Marineking, Nada, Supernova, MC not by any cheese at all, and still struggle to get into Code A without success ... Damn, that's why no one wants to go to Korea.
Errr, you do realise when he was playing MC he stopped all drone production for roaches and lings? It was all in, if mc had held it off he would have been so far behind.
roach/ling isn't an all-in build. Min stated this himself when I interviewed him
Losira had waaaay more drones than DRG, Losiras wasn't all in. DRG most defiantly was.
On May 18 2011 23:53 ehalf wrote: Seriously? Outplay Marineking, Nada, Supernova, MC not by any cheese at all, and still struggle to get into Code A without success ... Damn, that's why no one wants to go to Korea.
Errr, you do realise when he was playing MC he stopped all drone production for roaches and lings? It was all in, if mc had held it off he would have been so far behind.
roach/ling isn't an all-in build. Min stated this himself when I interviewed him
Losira had waaaay more drones than DRG, Losiras wasn't all in. DRG most defiantly was.
And what is the exact drone count to qualify it as an all in? 20? 25? 30? face it. it wasn't an all in. yes he is behind if the attack fails, but that is the same as every other attack in the game that doesnt do damage.
2 base tank marine attack vs zerg blink stalker attack vs zerg cloak banshee vs everyone dt rush vs everyone
so whats its an all in. he sees protoss fast expand, he know if he dont punish the insanely weak protoss now, he will have a harder time later in the game. so what? FKING KILL HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On May 18 2011 23:53 ehalf wrote: Seriously? Outplay Marineking, Nada, Supernova, MC not by any cheese at all, and still struggle to get into Code A without success ... Damn, that's why no one wants to go to Korea.
Errr, you do realise when he was playing MC he stopped all drone production for roaches and lings? It was all in, if mc had held it off he would have been so far behind.
roach/ling isn't an all-in build. Min stated this himself when I interviewed him
Losira had waaaay more drones than DRG, Losiras wasn't all in. DRG most defiantly was.
And what is the exact drone count to qualify it as an all in? 20? 25? 30? face it. it wasn't an all in. yes he is behind if the attack fails, but that is the same as every other attack in the game that doesnt do damage.
2 base tank marine attack vs zerg blink stalker attack vs zerg cloak banshee vs everyone dt rush vs everyone
pretty much, building ANY army units = cutting (some->all, whatever) drones. larvae~...
On May 18 2011 23:53 ehalf wrote: Seriously? Outplay Marineking, Nada, Supernova, MC not by any cheese at all, and still struggle to get into Code A without success ... Damn, that's why no one wants to go to Korea.
Errr, you do realise when he was playing MC he stopped all drone production for roaches and lings? It was all in, if mc had held it off he would have been so far behind.
roach/ling isn't an all-in build. Min stated this himself when I interviewed him
Losira had waaaay more drones than DRG, Losiras wasn't all in. DRG most defiantly was.
And what is the exact drone count to qualify it as an all in? 20? 25? 30? face it. it wasn't an all in. yes he is behind if the attack fails, but that is the same as every other attack in the game that doesnt do damage.
2 base tank marine attack vs zerg blink stalker attack vs zerg cloak banshee vs everyone dt rush vs everyone
I have grown completely sick of every single attack (yes that's a bit of an exaggeration) being called all in... it's a cancerous phrase on this site. Apparently if you make some units instead of spamming workers the whole game until you get attacked... you are going all in, because (here is the logic that is almost always stated) if you attack and don't do damage to their economy you are behind...
Well... yeah... obviously, but that is such a stupid justification. Of course if you invest in attacking units and your attack is not successful in killing them or doing economic damage then you are behind. That's how the game works. You can't always decide to attack and always come out ahead, what would be the point of not attacking sooner then? You also can't expect to have a poor attack, yet be even with your opponent in macro despite the losses (assuming everything before that difference was the same).
Sometimes a player needs to make a plan to attack if they see a weakness in their opponent... of course they need to make units to do that, and therefore be behind on workers... but that doesn't make it all in.
On May 19 2011 15:55 Samhax wrote: I just saw the replay, the guy is sick good. And he is kind of crazy, i like it!
Shameless bump!
Yeah, you can't beat DreamMvP TvZ if you don't have a sick good ZvT. If you don't believe it, you can watch DreamMvP games from Gisado Clan #1. He plays for MvP clan btw. But I sincerely disagree that this is Dream's A game.
On May 19 2011 16:08 hunts wrote: sorry if this is a dumb question but where does dongraegu stream?
Xeph is the the only way to see him play. A few months ago he streamed DRG's play for a few days. He will show up on Team Liquid as "Xeph's Progamer Stream". He showed some of StC's laddering before this as well. I always wondered how long it would take before DRG ended up on korean TV, and here he is tearing up the GSTL. He plays extremely fast if you have watched him play first person before, and makes some pretty awesome plays. Hope to see more of him in the future =)
On May 19 2011 16:08 hunts wrote: sorry if this is a dumb question but where does dongraegu stream?
You could watch him playing in Xeph's stream (here in TL) which was a "mirror" of official Korean streams but it seems as if Xeph's disappeared and he isn't streaming anymore.
I could be wrong but I'd say that Korean players don't usually stream because other players can analyze their gameplay and find their weaknesses. Xeph had an agreement with some of them to stream some of their games outside Korea.
Maybe there is an official Korean stream where you can find him playing, idk.
On May 18 2011 23:53 ehalf wrote: Seriously? Outplay Marineking, Nada, Supernova, MC not by any cheese at all, and still struggle to get into Code A without success ... Damn, that's why no one wants to go to Korea.
Errr, you do realise when he was playing MC he stopped all drone production for roaches and lings? It was all in, if mc had held it off he would have been so far behind.
roach/ling isn't an all-in build. Min stated this himself when I interviewed him
Losira had waaaay more drones than DRG, Losiras wasn't all in. DRG most defiantly was.
And what is the exact drone count to qualify it as an all in? 20? 25? 30? face it. it wasn't an all in. yes he is behind if the attack fails, but that is the same as every other attack in the game that doesnt do damage.
2 base tank marine attack vs zerg blink stalker attack vs zerg cloak banshee vs everyone dt rush vs everyone
Well Nestea/Losira cut drones at like 30~35 and expand as they attack. Taking a third while you're attacking is what really makes their attacks not all-in to my eyes.
Thumbs up, I really liked this. Before reading the article Dongraegu was just another nameplate in GSTL but now I see him as a player instead of just another protoss. Thank you for this article!
(Also its nice to see a top player interview that has some substance. Some interviews are so focused on being PR friendly that you could replace the interviewees name with anyone else that played their race and not notice)
Try and get an MMA interview in there too, that would be epic!
I watched DRG play on Xeph's stream but wasn't sure if he was the same guy, but realized he was after noticing his crazy creep spread. New blood in the house.
(P.S. Whatever happened to Xeph btw???) - lol, didn't see the ^^ post..
On May 19 2011 21:24 `dunedain wrote: Many thanks for the interview! Love the series!!
Try and get an MMA interview in there too, that would be epic!
I watched DRG play on Xeph's stream but wasn't sure if he was the same guy, but realized he was after noticing his crazy creep spread. New blood in the house.
(P.S. Whatever happened to Xeph btw???) - lol, didn't see the ^^ post..
Yes DRG on Xeph's stream *is* the DRG you are currently watching in GSTL.
On May 19 2011 16:43 Probe1 wrote: Thumbs up, I really liked this. Before reading the article Dongraegu was just another nameplate in GSTL but now I see him as a player instead of just another protoss. Thank you for this article!
(Also its nice to see a top player interview that has some substance. Some interviews are so focused on being PR friendly that you could replace the interviewees name with anyone else that played their race and not notice)
Not meaning to bash, but did you even read the interview???
I gave this a cursory read-over when it first came up, being more interested in YongHwa since he plays my race. Now DRG is royalty, though, this suddenly became fascinating. Great work getting these up, they're excellent in-depth interviews. The replay packs are amazing as well.
He honestly might be the next Jeadong of Starcraft 2. His play and understanding is so unbelievable. gets so many drones so quickly. If he had Nesteas decision making he'd be almost unstoppable. can't wait to see how he progresses.
I've turned into a huge fan. He played so solidly in the GSTL providing great anchor games against some of the best. He could have won against + Show Spoiler +
MMA
in the end with some slightly different decisions, but to play that tightly against some of the best is great. I look forward to seeing this guy excel to the next level when he gets his shot.
Just shows how grueling it is to be successful in GSL.
i spent the GSTL all like "who IS this guy". hope he gets into GSL soon. he has the mark of other great players like MC... he makes his race look so overpowered.... (EDIT: that comment definitely was NOT intended to be about balance!)
this guy is amazing, i strongly recommend watching him in the LG 3d Special Tournament finals which was casted before the super tournament finals, wish we can see this guy in more tournaments !
Q. It seems like you and Genius are great friends. What is your history with him and do you have a rivalry together? Back in Brood war, a hyung (older "brother") introduced me to Genius since we were both the same age and played the same race (Terran). We shared tons of builds, strategies, and replays together. I didn't have a rivalry with him in Brood War since we were both players far from becoming pros in BW.
In SC2 beta, I played Protoss. However I found out that Genius was a famous Protoss user and I developed a "rivalry sense". I found it "dirty" to play as a Protoss because genius was also a Protoss so I switched to Zerg.
all i think of when i think of these 2 are the gstl intros and the in between matches where they are actin all a fool on camera. these guys are awesome and i don't think they really care who takes the ship.
Q. It seems like you and Genius are great friends. What is your history with him and do you have a rivalry together? Back in Brood war, a hyung (older "brother") introduced me to Genius since we were both the same age and played the same race (Terran). We shared tons of builds, strategies, and replays together. I didn't have a rivalry with him in Brood War since we were both players far from becoming pros in BW.
In SC2 beta, I played Protoss. However I found out that Genius was a famous Protoss user and I developed a "rivalry sense". I found it "dirty" to play as a Protoss because genius was also a Protoss so I switched to Zerg.
What ever happened to these message from korea threads? They were pretty awesome, I remember there were a few more other than this one. I think it could be a good way to bring some publicity to the lesser known up and coming koreans.
Q. It seems like you and Genius are great friends. What is your history with him and do you have a rivalry together? Back in Brood war, a hyung (older "brother") introduced me to Genius since we were both the same age and played the same race (Terran). We shared tons of builds, strategies, and replays together. I didn't have a rivalry with him in Brood War since we were both players far from becoming pros in BW.
In SC2 beta, I played Protoss. However I found out that Genius was a famous Protoss user and I developed a "rivalry sense". I found it "dirty" to play as a Protoss because genius was also a Protoss so I switched to Zerg.
Ah crap, I didn't check the date and thought this was a new thread. Read halfway through and saw the question "You weren't able to qualify in GSL Code A. What happened?" and I was like O_O what?
On March 02 2012 12:05 hunts wrote: What ever happened to these message from korea threads? They were pretty awesome, I remember there were a few more other than this one. I think it could be a good way to bring some publicity to the lesser known up and coming koreans.
b_unnies started college and has been really busy with studies, I think
I remember when DRG was first to 4k ladder points on KR server and no one knew who he was. Was a mysterious player that some people saw play on that dude's stream whose name escapes me now. I watched DRG's first person view on that stream and was impressed. Pretty cool to see how far he's come now.
Q. It seems like you and Genius are great friends. What is your history with him and do you have a rivalry together? Back in Brood war, a hyung (older "brother") introduced me to Genius since we were both the same age and played the same race (Terran). We shared tons of builds, strategies, and replays together. I didn't have a rivalry with him in Brood War since we were both players far from becoming pros in BW.
In SC2 beta, I played Protoss. However I found out that Genius was a famous Protoss user and I developed a "rivalry sense". I found it "dirty" to play as a Protoss because genius was also a Protoss so I switched to Zerg.
I guess we have to thank Genius a little for this switch!
Really cool thread. Its nice to look back on a player's carrier, to see how it all began, how he was perceived, his ambitions and to see how he evolved and to where he got. And DRG is such a likable person, I cheer a lot for him now a days and I wish him good luck in the GSL.
We need more threads like this so we can look back upon them in 2013.
On May 03 2011 01:51 b_unnies wrote: Q. How did you get into team MVP? I got into MVP team by getting scouted by the manager (Yoon Sang, Choi). I first met with him during the March GSL qualifiers and while chatting with the manager, he asked me if I wanted to join and gave me some time to decide. After a week I decided to join MVP along with Genius since the manager promised me good "treatment" and since the team was newly created, I thought I could be the team's ace.
Turns out the good "treatment" was actually a promise to cover University costs if progaming failed, lol.
EPT![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/disciple/MFK/article_banner2a.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/disciple/MFK/foreword_copy.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/disciple/MFK/dong_copy.jpg)
DongRaeGu is a grandmaster Zerg that is currently in Team MVP, one of the newer Korean teams. Known for his multitasking, he is one of the up and coming Zergs in Korea and can be considered one of the team's aces. His most notable achievements was when he was the first player to reach 4000 ladder points.![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/disciple/MFK/interview_copy.jpg)
Genius since the manager promised me good "treatment" and since the team was newly created, I thought I could be the team's ace. 
Jinro, ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/disciple/MFK/replay.jpg)
