[Int] oGsNaDa - Message from Korea #5

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The Korean scene is full of talented players from the ones you never hear about that's stuck in Code B to the acclaimed powerhouses in Code S. The language barrier means we don't often get to hear players in Korea. I aim to change that. Today I present one of the greatest players in StarCraft.

Nada, in school.

oGsNaDa is one of the most recognizable figures of e-Sports. His achievements speaks for itself, the man needs no introduction. His unique position allows a distinct perspective on StarCraft 2. Although he has made deep runs in the GSL, he has yet to win a championship as his time is divided between university and StarCraft 2. However, he is now currently on holiday and perhaps we can finally see his true potential.

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself and your gaming history so far.
StarCraft is both my passion and my life. It has shaped both my experiences and my passions. Through my many wins, I have been extremely happy. My happiest moment so far was the 2006 Shinhan Bank Starleague Season 2 Finals where I won the Golden Mouse. I’m not done yet, however. I want to continue this path of a champion.

Q. Why did you choose Terran as your race rather than Protoss or Zerg in StarCraft 1 and StarCraft 2?
In the early days of Brood War, Terrans were scarce. Being a Terran user was seen as unique and admirable. Protoss and Zergs are aliens and Terrans are humans. So we must protect the Earth from them. Haha.

Q. In the IEM in Germany back in August 2010, tell us about the show match incident with TLO.
Hmm. That was my first SC2 game and I had only played SC2 for around 2 weeks but it was really fun game. It was an honour to play Germany’s most famous player in (T)

TLO. The incident was in the past and I think it was a misunderstanding so there's no need to continue talking about it. However, after that showmatch, I fell in love with SC2 and wanted to quickly become a great SC2 player.

Q. What are your thoughts between SC1 and SC2
In SC2, the graphics are very nice and the overall mechanics of the game is easier so it’s easier to play, but because of that, each battle and strategy becomes more important. For example, many units in one control group tends to bunch up so you have to be careful to spread them in battle. As for strategy, there are many that just simply end the game if you are not prepared, so you have to be extremely careful, especially in the beginning of the game. What people say about early game scouting being difficult is true. However, through my vast experience, I have to predict by feel what my opponent’s strategy will be.

Q. Now that you’re a SC2 progamer, Flash recently surpassed you for the most achievements in SC1, what do you think about that?

I believe that it’s a tie now, but I think that is very impressive. He hasn’t overtaken me yet. Haha.

Q. On October 2010, you joined the SC2 team, Old Generations, tell us about your thoughts on it.
Spunky and I had a conversation and we had a similar vision for a team. He had the best business approach and I thought that oGs had the best money making potential. Haha. oGs players are a bit naïve but they practice well and are kind and honest type of players who will be great in the future. I am glad that oGs has an unique partnership with a great global team in Team Liquid so that I can have fun and meet famous foreign players. TL players are all kind and honest players so it is really nice.

Q. Tell us about your thoughts between managing your time between university and gaming.
I practice on days when I don’t have classes by playing 5-10 games and sometimes none. However, I’m currently in summer vacation so I practice 30 games or more at a time. Like (T)

Polt who temporarily stopped university, I will seize the moment during this break and practice even harder and make sure I will come out victorious.

Q. What do you think about the growth of GSL so far?
I think overall, SC2 is growing the right way. It has tremendous popularity overseas and I hope unlike SC1 which was only popular in Korea, SC2 can become a worldwide phenomenon. I think that the GSL format is a clean and cut way to go about it, but it feel like it is extremely difficult to go through the qualiifers. The most important thing is not to fall during the preliminaries.

Q. Do you have any rivalries?
Yes, myself. I think whether you make it or not depends mostly on the personal battle within yourself. Players have the mind-set of continuously working hard or taking it easy, and between those if you want to continuously work hard, you have to win the battle within yourself.

Q. What do you think about GSL Group F consisting of NaDa, Keen, HongUn, and SuperNoVa?
I think it’s an ok group, but I don’t like to get too overconfident. You have to always be wary and respectful of your opponents. I am wary, but I am confident. The player I’m looking out for the most in this group is (T)

SuperNoVa, not only because we practice with each other a lot since we are teammates, but I think he is a great player overall.

Q. Currently the standard TvP build is 1 Rax Expand, what do you think about this build as it is of your most common openings?
Yes, I prefer this build since the best chance of winning usually comes with the fastest possible expansion. But in a close position map, I think it becomes difficult to open with. On non-close positions, it’s much safer, but the most important thing to do is stop my opponent from scouting my build. I have the most difficulty against the Void Ray all-in rush as it becomes hard to defend all points of my base. It is also hard to scout whether he’s doing a Void all-in so it is difficult to stop. One of the things about the build is knowing when it’s safe to start floating my CC to my nat. That depends on my scouting information or when I feel like I can defend the natural. It can be a matter of confidence.

Q. Many Terrans have a hard time against the lategame style of Broodlords and Infestors, what are your thoughts on this?
I also have a hard time against them. The Broodlings from the Broodlords make them hard to approach and I am deathly afraid of Fungal Growth from the Infestors. Haha. It is difficult to face a Zerg who is good at doing both such as (Z)

MorroW. Personally, my strategy involves massing Tanks, Marines, Medivacs, Vikings, and have good positioning. The tanks protects against the Infestors and Vikings can be spread of anti-air, while the Marines can take care of the Broodlings. Rather than being an actual counter, I would say it all depends on the amount and the upgrades for your units.

Q. Many people consider TvT a matchup very similar to SC1, what are your thoughts on this?
No, I think it is much harder. With the added units like Banshees and Marauders, it is hard to find the right balance of units. In SCBW, it was a positional game like Go (the black and white board game), involving positional and mental battles, but in SC2 there is the added dimension of unit composition. I think that TvT, especially in SC2 is both dynamic and fun. Haha.

Q. How do you analyse a map you never played before?
First, I play the map and see how I can block the ramp. After that I usually play a TvT because I can use the entirety of the map during the matchup which helps me learn the map. The strategies I use on new maps depends on the situation. I sometimes make up strategies depending on the situation sometimes relying on old builds. I think it is important to have as many builds as your opponent does on that same map.

Q. How much do you know about Teamliquid.net and the foreigner scene?
I know that teamliquid is a global site. I also know that many foreigner fans rely on this site for SC news. Teamliquid is difficult for me to navigate so I haven’t used it too much. However, I am surprised there was a fan club for me. I am thankful to all the foreign fans that are paying so much attention to me. I would like to respond to them as well with better results!

Q. Any last comment you want to say to TL?

oGsNaDa wrote:
안녕하세요 팀리퀴드 여러분~ 이윤열입니다. 저를 아시분들이 계시다니까 신기해요~ 외국에서도 응원해주시고 시차때문에 경기볼때도 피곤할텐데 너무감사합니다 항상 좋은경기로 보답해드리고 싶구요 또 언젠가 해외대회에 나갈때 여러분들을 뵐지도 또는 한국에 오셔서 뵐지도 모르겠지만 그때 뵈게되면 기쁘게 인사했으면 좋겠습니다. 저 역시 스타2에서 꼭 우승을 위해 달릴꺼에요 항상 Run 할테니 여러분들도 같이 Run 해요 이 우주안 같은 지구속에 살게되서 영광입니다 !! 항상 즐겁고 행복한 일만 생기시길 바라면서 저는 이만 꿈나라로 갈께요 사실 너무 졸려요! !^^

그리고 오늘 번역해주신 hwlee88 님너무감사합니다 고생하셨고 질문을 준 tseng alan 도 고생많이 했습니다 수고하셨습니다^^
GG!

Hello everyone on TeamLiquid ~ This is Nada. It is really a big wonder to me how I can be so well known in foreign communities ~ I hope that you can keep cheering me on even though the games may be broadcasted at times when you are both tired and sleepy. I hope to always show great games for you and when i get the chance to go to a foreign tournament or if you can come here, I hope to meet some of you. I will try my best to win in StarCraft 2 as well and keep on running, I hope you will run with me on this path toward victory. This job has always been a great source of joy for me and I hope it will continue to bring even more joy. I will say good night here, going to the dreamland, as I am extremely tired !! ^^. I want to thank Phosgene for translating today and for b_unnies for asking the questions. Thank you and GG!

oGsNaDa replay

NaDa demonstrates in this replay the standard TvP style in the Korean server

Credit goes to Phosgene for helping to translate for oGsNaDa

[Int] oGsNaDa - Message from Korea #5

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