[Interview] 2012 GSL S2 CodeS RO4 Winners

Tell us how you feel now that you are in the finals

Honestly, I thought it would be very difficult to get there. Lately, Terrans are fearing Protoss and it was definitely difficult in practice. I’m glad I was able to make it through like this. It’s my first finals in a long time so I am very excited.

With this victory, you are the first person to be in the finals for the fifth time

Rather than this finals being the fifth, the important point is that this is my first finals of this year. I fell behind a lot at the beginning of this year so I’m ecstatic about making the finals of GSL.

You weren’t in great shape after attending so many foreign tournaments either

My condition is always bad so I don’t dwell on it. It’s been like this for over six months. I know I won today but I’m not too happy with how the games were. However, I can’t help it since my health isn’t so great.

Parting was THE Terran Killer

I wasn’t trying to go for some special strategy nor did I practise a ton. I just wanted to play according to the situation. This approach worked out.

Parting’s PvT has been so strong lately. His clutch defence in particular was impressive but you demolished him today.

Before today, Parting just defended against everything and got the composition he needed to win. Today, he went a bit overboard. I’ve been talking to him since ro8 and he said time and time again that he would make the finals as long as he got to ro4. Since then, I expected to win. Overconfidence can be anyone’s downfall.

A lot of fans were cheering you on saying they don’t want a PvP finals

I think a lot of people did cheer me on because a PvP finals isn’t all that interesting. I worked hard because I wanted the finals myself not just because people were cheering me on.

As a finals opponent, Squirtle or Hero?

Both have a style difficult to deal with. We’re not that close but I am acquainted with Squirtle whereas I don’t know Hero at all. Also, I’ve lost to Squirtle in GSTL in the past. If we can have a repeat of that experience, it should be fun.

AX-Korea is a place where you have already experienced a championship. You must have a good feeling.

It’s close to my house too. It will be helpful for me in taking care of my condition. I have great memories of that place so I feel very confident.

You tried cheesing in Set 1

Parting had fewer units than expected. The thought of pulling SCVs came to me and I made sure by scouting that it would work.

You chose a 1-1-1 in Set 2. Was this planned?

Not exactly. However, since I took Set 1, I felt that I would cause a mental breakdown if I won with a 1-1-1 in Set 2. It worked and I was able to play the match out comfortably.

Set 3 was setting up to be a long game but you lost.

I was planning to win even it went to late game. My units got split up which was careless of me. That’s why I lost.

There is no player with 4 GSL championships. You must want this quite badly.

I honestly do. However, I’ve been on a huge decline so rather than focusing on a fourth championship, I will play with the mindset of I will win this one match that’s in front me. I think I will place too much pressure on myself if I keep thinking about the fourth championship and not play at my best.

If I’m honest with you, your performance this season was a little disappointing at times and looked quite unstable. How did you make the finals despite all that?

There’s something I always feel. Winners will win. I think I’m a winner. On some days, things work out and on other days, nothing goes your way regardless of how hard you try. Last season was the latter. This season is a season where everything goes right.

As Kespa enters the Starcraft 2 scene, fans are already hyping up the match between you and Flash.

It will be fun to play against him. However, I’ve seen recent articles about Starcraft 1-Starcraft 2 running in parallel. Frankly, the two games running in parallel is too hard on progamers. I’ve played Starcraft 1 from time to time as a Starcraft 2 gamer and it feels way too different. I regret the fact that Starcraft 1 gamers have to play two games at once. I think the people who decided this were too selfish. They didn’t consider the players at all.

Anything to add?

I want to thank YongHwa, Ready, Seed, and Anyppi for practice. I want to thank MC, San and Oz as well. I want to thank my parents and my older sister who cheer me on from home. My parents were sad because I wasn’t able to get to the finals lately. I am proud to have made the finals this time. I want to thank my coach who always works hard and Nestea lost in Round 2 of Code A yesterday but I have no doubt he will smash his way through UnD. Lastly, I want to say thank you to my girlfriend.

You have the joy of being in the finals of your first Code S

When I first started playing in Code S, ro16 was the goal but somehow, I’ve reached the finals. It’s like a dream.

Unlike in GSTL, your performance in GSL was underwhelming. This finals must mean a lot to you

People always told me that I was good in GSTL but I would keep losing in GSL. I was even starting to develop some kind of phobia for GSL. I have been practising consistently so it must be my efforts bearing fruit.

You have been a progamer for a long time as well. This finals must be making you quite emotional

Every player aims to stand on the stage of the finals. I did feel like this goal was getting away from me as I kept on losing. However, I was able to come this far precisely because I never gave up. Not giving up is the key.

In the booth after the match, you seemed to be deep in your emotions

I’ve never thought that I would step on the finals stage. To be in the finals of this season, I was overcome with emotion. It’s like a dream come true. Many thoughts came to me.

One final test remains. You took a close second place at IPL 4. Don’t you want to change that this time?

I felt firsthand how much you can regret coming second place after losing to aLive at IPL 4. This time, I will work my hardest to win.

Hero was looking quite strong too. Were you expecting to win 3:0?

I thought I would win 3:0 if I took Set 1. If I had lost Set 1, it would’ve been a much more difficult match.

What is the secret to your strong PvP? You haven’t lost a single series of PvP

I actually wanted to maintain that 100% win rate. I couldn’t ignore it once people kept mentioning it to me. I receive help in PvP from Ace, Naniwa, Sase, Tiger, etc. They have helped me so much. We’ve discussed PvP quite a lot.

Your opponent in the finals is MVP. A match against Parting didn’t come to fruition.

I really wanted Parting to advance but facing a player from another team is easier. Since it’s MVP, I think I’ll feel more at ease than I would with a teamkill.

MVP took down Parting, the Terran Killer. What were your thoughts?

It reminded me that MVP is a three time champion and that he’s on another level. His planning for a long series was exceptional. However, I have a lot of experience as well and I can plan out a series quite well too. There is plenty of chance for me to win.

To take on MVP who has such a wealth of experience, you must have to prepare yourself outside of the game as well.

If I were alone in having to prepare, I would have been worried because of my inexperience. However, I have faith in my team’s Protosses. If we all come together to practise, I can win.

Startale has Bomber. He should be a great help in preparing for the finals.

In fact, the player I’ve talked to the most. We share the same room and we talk about the game a lot. I expect a lot of help from him with the finals as well.

Shouldn’t you change your ID to Blastoise once you win?

If I win, I’m thinking about changing it to Blastoise. Since I haven’t won the championship yet, it’s Wartortle.

Your parents must have high expectations about the finals

My parents always advise me to stay calm before a match. I’ve kept them waiting for too long since Starcraft 1. Now that I have made the finals, I can relax about that a little. I really want to take the championship as my parents watch on.

You’ve mentioned that you want to make a Mothership in the finals

Fans are still talking about that match, it seems. I want an even greater match than that. I will provide a PvT worthy of the finals. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll have enough room for a mothership in a finals against MVP but I hope people think of it as me showing my confidence.

Anything to add?

I want to thank my sponsors: Zowie Gear, Red Bull and BenQ. I got a lot of help from Naniwa in preparing for my match against Taeja and now he’s angry at me because I forgot to mention him in the winner’s interview. I want to take this opportunity to thank him. Also Sase who helped a lot with today’s match. Tiger played around 200 games with me to help me practise. Ace helped me until early morning as well so I am very grateful.