[Interview] 2012 GSL S3 U&D Group B Winners

Your thoughts on making it through the group of death?

It should have been with Bomber but it’s too bad it wasn’t the case. I feel sorry too. This is my fourth time in Code S and this time, I need to change. I will work hard to show you great games.

This was your first Up and Downs, how was it?

Practise was difficult since it’s my first time. Then, I told myself that other players in the group are on the same boat as me and tried to play with a positive mindset. I believed I had the advantage if it came down to the fundamentals. I felt pretty at ease once I came to that conclusion.

So, you were confident in you fundamentals?

As confident as can be. I increased my practice amount a ton and thanks to that, my fundamentals have become solid.

Were you confident about making it out of the group of death?

The group did consist of great players but I had confidence thanks to the patch. I was almost figuring out ZvT even before the patch and the patch just gave me more momentum. Being in a group with four Terrans was a great help.

If you were to evaluate the Zerg Patch?

I admit that Zerg became stronger with the patch. However, the race was too weak prior to that so the patch was called for. Zerg did find some counters to the other races despite being weaker and then the patch added onto that making it hard for the other races. However, they will find solutions to their problems soon enough.

You won twice in a row just by stopping bunker rushes

I can’t fathom why they tried to bunker rush me. Actually, I didn’t practise for bunker rushes much at all. I never expected it but Bomber went for a bunker rush. That made me nervous since I thought other Terrans might try to copy him. I shouldn’t have been able to hold that rush but a lot of things went right for me and I was able to defend. Forgg must have gone for the bunker rush after seeing game 1 where I fumbled but I’m actually very good at defending against bunker rushes. Thanks to that, I got an easy second win.

Are you confident about posting results next season?

I haven’t been able to post any results because I have been lacking. Underperforming so much has made me get nervous in Code S. This season, I will lose all of that negativity and post some great results.

What is your goal?

I have a great feeling about this season. My ultimate goal is the championship but I will have to do it step by step. If I set the goal too low, I have a tendency to get arrogant so I want one that’s just right and work towards the finals.

Anything to add?

The group had players of many styles so I practised mostly on ladder. I practised only with Sound so thanks to him and I also want to thank the fans, my family and friends. I’ve never thanked my friends before. Lastly, I want to say thanks to our sponsors: BenQ, JoyGear/ZowieGear (T/N: okay, I’ve always thought that it’s ZowieGear because of how it’s written in Korean but I keep seeing JoyGear on the ST uniforms and not ZowieGear. Can anybody clarify?) and Red Bull.

Tell us how you feel about getting out of the group in second place

I expected a gruelling set of games since it’s the group of death so I am happy to have made it into Code S.

It was the group of death indeed, how was it?

After looking at the bracket, I thought that everything had gone to hell. I was really worried. The racial distribution was okay but everyone was so good that I couldn’t be certain about advancing.

Winning the first set seemed to help you

I was able to lose some of the nervousness after winning the first set and concentrate on the games. Winning the first set was a great help in advancing.

You fell to Up and Downs thanks to Creator who’s on your team

He cheered me on since then but never actually helped with practice (laugh). He did buy me some BBQ after Code A and told me to do well so that we can play together in Code S.

You must regret your loss in Code A.

It felt like I was at a great disadvantage but with full vision in the replay, I found out that it wasn’t the case. That gave me regrets. I had a long talk with Creator after the match.

You got as far as ro16 last season so why weren’t you able to get to ro8?

I just wasn’t good enough. Code S players are certainly on another level. They are all so good.

Are you getting a lot of help from you teammates?

I learn by observing and also get a lot of advice. Being in a team is a great help.

Your goal for next season?

Firstly, ro8. Ro8 because I want to do better than I did last time.

Anyone you want to avoid in ro32?

Zergs in general. My TvZ win rate is simply terrible at the moment. I can’t win against Zerg.

Anything to add?

I want to thank teammates and my parents who cheered me on. Also, thanks to OCZ and TteSPORTS