[Int] GSL July Up and Down D1

Ryung (Advancing with a 4-0 sweep)
‘I was actually hoping there would be a blackout.’

- Your thoughts on getting into code S?
I was losing almost all my games during practice so I was ready to give up. I thought I would be lucky to get out of today’s matches without being made fun of. I basically thought if I could take one win from either Marineking or Happy today would be a success. So I emptied my mind and tried not to be nervous.

- You got here through the wildcard tournament (replacing Rain’s vacant spot).
I practiced a lot, but I feel like that became more of a poison for me. As I practiced more and more, I began to think too much and couldn’t decide on which builds to use. In the end, I just ended up using builds that I was using 2 weeks ago.

- What were your thoughts after the up and down groups were posted?
I thought I was lucky that there were no protosses, but my head hurt because I knew I would have to face Happy who is really good at using mech. I did not want to face him. It was raining a lot today, so I was hoping that there would be a blackout so that I wouldn’t have to face him.

- But you just got 4 wins to advance.
In the 1st and 2nd game, my opponents gameplans just didn’t play out as well as mine. And as the game went on, I felt like I had the psychological edge on my opponents. And after I was able to scout what Happy was doing in the 3rd set, I was thinking that “this was my day.”

- You are the 2nd SlayerS player to advance into code S.
All of my teammates told me to play well. I think our team is lacking code S players, and I hope that through MLG we can get at least one more player in there. I know that everyone on the team was hoping that I could make it to code S today.

- If you win the MLG you can automatically get into code S.
MMA is a former MLG champion, and both Alicia and GanZi are great players who can win it as well. And recently, BoxeR has also been playing really well. I think he is looking forward to playing in full force for that tournament. I believe it will also be important for our team to get lucky. But I don’t think Alicia should go for complete victory because he already has code S.

- Were you desperate to get into code S?
When I was in code A, I thought that “I will move up when it gets to be my turn.” But after I got through the wildcard tournament, I really wanted to get in. But as I practiced, rather than my dreams (of advancing) getting bigger, slowly began to disappear. So it was difficult for me to get motivated, but I really did want to get into code S.

- Your goal in code S?
I want to have a match against NesTea. I hope that he will pick me during the next group nominations. My goal is to keep my code S spot. And then in the next season, I really want to get to the finals to go play in the US.

- Any last comments?
I want to thank Lots for helping me practice. Recently, our team atmosphere hasn’t been so good because we have had 2 consecutive losses in the GSTL. But we are practicing really hard to take the next game against PRIME, so I hope everyone can watch us. I knew that the 3rd and 4th sets would be important today, so I want to thank my coach for helping me with my mind control before those matches.
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IMHappy (Advancing with a 2-1 record)
‘I want to take my revenge against Puzzle.’

- Your thoughts on making it into code S?
I was ahead in that last game but I lost my focus and let my opponent catch up in the game. As the game continued with more and more fights, I felt like my hair was turning white and thought “am I going to give up this game like this?” But luckily, after I saw the last GG I was finally able to think that “ah, I am now code S.”

- In the code A semifinals, you got demolished 0:3 against Puzzle.
I didn’t put too much emphasis on that match. I didn’t practice for several days before that and throught “it will be ok.” And I had planned 2 cheese rushes and just tried to wing it for the rest. After I got 3:0ed I realized “ah I cannot just wing it if I want to win.”

- Did that lesson help you out for today’s up and down matches?
Ever since that day I have been going back to the basics and practicing as hard as I was back before the preliminaries.

- What were your thoughts after the up and down groups were posted?
There was a lot of terrans so I knew that I could play like I was playing without much changes.

- You did not have to face a zerg today. (He would have had to face Fruitdealer on Bel’shir beach, but the game was not necessary as he held the tiebreaker against dream)
The first game against FXO in the GSTL was on Bel’shir beach. I was helping Horror practice for it, so I would have been ready.

- You just played 3 games today. Do you feel like you advanced comfortably?
I think it was pretty tough. I should not have overplayed my position in the 2nd set, but I thought that I could win if I went in. But in the end, that overextended attack failed and I lost the game. I think that loss had a psychological effect on me even during the 3rd match.

- In comparison to IM’s plethora of championships (by MVP and NesTea), there is not a lot of code S players. Do you think now you stand alongside your other code S teammates as equals?
I don’t think I deserve to be called an equal just yet. I think I will need to get to at least the semifinals before I can say that I have really caught up to them.

- Your goal for code S?
My goal is to win. I think it is good to have lofty goals. I will try to practice continuously until I reach this goal so that I can get better and better goals.

- If you fall down and have to play in the up and down again?.
If I have to do that, I will, because that just tells me that I need more practice. However, I don’t really want to play in one if I don’t have to.

- Do you get a lot of help from your teammates?
I got a lot of help from dreamertt, Yoda, and MVP. The three of them helped me plan my builds and helped me practice a lot. I got plenty of help from them.

- Should we be excited about you continuing to be the Mech terran in code S? (**Personally, I like Gundam Terran).
Yes, it will be ok to anticipate that. Although, recently many (terran) players have become really similar, but I believe my style still is a bit different than most. I think the presence of Ravens in my play makes me a bit different, but I can’t really say what the best (mech style) is.

- Who do you want to face in code S?
I want to face Puzzle. I lost so easily in our previous match so I want to have another go against him

- Any last comments?
I want to thank all the terrans on my team for helping me practice. The coach really helped me prepare well for today’s up and down matches. I want to say sorry to my parents for not calling as often as I should recently. Thank you for your understanding. I also want to thank my brothers and sisters for cheering me on from Japan.

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