[Interview] 2012 Season 3 Code S Winners

On June 12th, NaNiwa advanced into the Ro16 of the 2012 Season 3 GSL Code S by defeating teammate TheStC and CreatorPRIME.

NaNiwa lost his first set again Creator and fell to the losers' match, but defeated TheStC and got his revenge against Creator in the final match.

Tell us how you feel about making it into the Ro16

I had a feeling I was going to have a hard time against Creator today. In the first set, I lost to Creator and felt like giving up. But if my teammate, TheStC played terribly and I played calmly, I felt like I would win. So with that in mind, I played calmly and patiently, and that is why I believe I was able to win in the end.

Wasn't it unfortunate that you fell out in the Ro8 of last season's GSL?

Last season, before even facing Mvp, I had a feeling that I was going to lose. I cannot say that he is the best player purely skill wise. But I can say that his game senses and mechanics are without a doubt the best in the world. His mindset was so much better than mine, so I was not able to perform the way I wanted to.

Last season, Mvp won the GSL after defeating you. Do you have any regrets regarding your matches?

I have no regrets regarding my performance. I just regret the fact that I lost to Mvp. I think the reason PartinG also lost to Mvp was because of the whole mindset thing I mentioned earlier. I don't regret not making it into the finals. What I really regret is that I was not able to show everyone my true skills.

It seems your performance has improved lately. Is there any special reason for that?

I've lost a lot of games in my career. But when I reflect on those games, I realize I only lost because of nerves. So I practiced a lot and worked really hard on getting over my nerves issue. I tried hard not to let the pressure of each game get to me, and worked on just getting through each game with a calm mindset. I still get nervous all the time, but now I've learned how to deal with it.

In the most recent patch, Zergs seem to have gotten so much stronger. What do you think about this?

Thanks to the range buff on queens, scouting has gotten so much harder. The zerg race is all about how well you can time your injects and how well you can manage the # of larvae you have. I think many zergs have mastered these factors and that is why they are so much stronger now.

What are your goals for this season?

During my 2nd face off against Creator, I actually thought of the possibility of falling to Code A (laughs). And just like that scenario, I want to be able to show everyone every thing that I've got this season. My ultimate goal is to perform my absolute best. As long as I do that, even if I eventually end up falling again, I feel like I won't have any regrets.

Any last words for your fans?

I am always grateful to any fan who supports me. My source of power comes from my fans' support. Because my fans not only support me when I'm winning, but when I'm also losing, I believe that is why I have been able to make it this far.

Quantic_NaNiWa Congratuations on your win onto the round of 16. How did you think the games went? Good, I wasn't sure about the games vs Creator. I hoped to play Nestea and win.

Your last run was round of 8. After losing to Creator, how did you feel? Nothing really. Creator's PvP is very good. I made a couple mistakes with my micro and I strayed away from my build which caused me to lose game 3.

You showed some impressive PvT today~ I have been practicing this matchup for months. I believe PvP and PvT are my best matchups. I wish I could have another shot at MVP now.

You have reached the next round. Who do you think you will pick? I'm confident in my PvP and PvT. There may be some players I believe who are not Code S worthy.

After a round of 8 finish, what are your goals for this season? I want to make it to the finals. After putting so much energy and work into my practice, there is no other goal.

You recently gained a new teammate, theStC. What are your thoughts? TheSTC and I don't have many relationships before this arrangement, but it is great to have such a good Terran player on our team here in Korea.

Any additional comments? Thanks to my practice partners at Startale. Bomber continuously helps me, every day I need him he is there and I appreciate it. I think he is sick of TvP by now. I send my thanks to the fans who don't doubt me. While I dont read comments on the internet, I know there are people out there who still question my GSL performance. I will shut down the haters

Dear SpecFire,

Since you graciously entertained us with a fake interview regarding NaNiwa and almost tarnished his reputation, I took it upon my liberty to track down NaNiwa and undo this injustice.

The minute it was revealed that it was a fake interview, I got on my tricycle, packed 20 bottles of Pocari Sweat and headed to Seoul to find NaNiwa. I was eventually able to track him down at a neighborhood strip club. SaSe was with him of course, getting down and dirty with this sexy ass chick. She was screaming something about her being a pylon and that she was going to power up his warp gate, or something freaky like that...... But NaNiwa was alone, moping in his own private booth with no girls entertaining him and only 4 empty bottles there to comfort him.

I introduced myself as Hot_Bid (since NaNiwa wouldn't want to do an interview with some random ass guy named SeeKeR. And plus, IIRC, Hot_Bid is Asian so I think it worked out well) and asked him if it was okay for me to do an interview regarding the SpecFire incident.

Initially, NaNiwa refused to do the interview, but after some gentle words of encouragement from me and a fiery lap dance that I bought for him, NaNiwa regained his strength and agreed to do another interview to undo this wrong. (I must tell you guys, that this girl who danced for NaNiwa was extremely hot. You could barely notice the bulge in her tight pants.)

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How did you feel when you first saw that thread by SpecFire?

I felt really frustrated. Here I am trying to recreate my image for my Korean fans, and then this crap comes out. I felt really betrayed by GOM at first.

How did you feel when TL mods were able to shut it down and prevent the thread from getting out of control?

Really appreciative. I am so grateful to the TL mods. Especially motbob. That sexy bitch can have my babies if she wants to.

Oh, motbob is a female?

IDK. He/she can still have my babies if he/she wants. But if he's a guy, then I guess he would have to play me in a Bo7 first.

Lol, let us move on then. I'm guessing your favorite person on TL is probably motbob then?

You would think so with what I've been saying but alas, no. My favorite person is not motbob. It is someone else. Someone I hold dearly in my heart.

Would you mind telling us who it is?

I'm a little shy about admitting this but..... it's.....

Yes?

It's........ it's...... SeeKeR.

.............. Really?........ How so?

Are you kidding me?! Do you know how much work that guy does for TL? He's like a machine with a keyboard. Always posting informative things on TL, creating killer threads, and so much more. Not to mention, he is a true bonjwa when it comes to Live Reporting.

Wow...... so you value SeeKeR then?

Very much so. I'm not going to lie to you. I've had nights where I would wake up screaming in agony because I just had a nightmare about SeeKeR not creating the LR thread for my upcoming GSL matches. But when I scramble to my computer, click to TL, and see the thread has not only been created 11+ hours ahead of time, but that SeeKeR has made a hype post about me, I calmly go back to sleep with the biggest smile on my face.

That...... that...... wow that's pretty awesome. I guess you really like this guy?

Love him to death. I've often had to fight with SaSe about who gets to have him if we ever meet him in person. I'm not afraid to say that I've had to resort to dirty tactics to defeat him. But it's worth it if I can get SeeKeR.

What..... uh.... what do you mean exactly by "get" SeeKeR?

*NaNiwa winks*

............ Well it's getting pretty late, we should wrap up this interview. Any last words?

Thank you to all my fans for always believing in me. Thank you to motbob for being a baller. Thank you so much to SeeKeR who is an all around baws and just a fantastic human being. Without him, I don't think I'd be the progamer I am today. Everyone should check out SeeKeR's fan club and should sign up for it immediately if they haven't already done so. Here is the link: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=308545. SeeKeR/motbob/TL hwaiting!

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After the interview was over, I walked out of the strip club, headed over to the nearest bush, and puked out my 20 bottles of Pocari I had drained during my journey to Seoul. Afterwards, I went to a nearby gas station, bought 20 cans of Hot6iX, got back on my trike, and headed back to my home in Pohang. Now I am here, writing up this interview and I got to say..... I had no idea NaNiwa felt this strongly about me. SeeKeR out!

P.S. A big thank you to Hot_Bid for letting me use his name.

On June 12th, IM_NesTea (Daemawang) won 2 sets and advanced into the Ro16 of the 2012 Season 3 GSL Code S by placing 1st in his group. (T/N: I think Daemawang is referring to the character from DragonBall. Chi Chi's father, is this big ass monster and in the Korean comics, they call him Daemawang. I guess people think NesTea resembles him? IDK, my speculation. I could be totally wrong but I think that's what they're saying.)

For 10 straight seasons, NesTea stayed consistently in Code S, grabbed 100 GSL wins, took down 2 bunnies (yes TiG actually said bunnies) and showed everyone what the best zerg player in the world should be accomplishing.

You advanced 1st in your group, how do you feel?

Not once did I ever miss a Code S Ro16 nomination. But last season, I missed it so I felt really down about that. I prepared for my matches extensively, and luck was on my side so I feel relieved that I made it.

How do you feel about winning the "NesTea Award?"

I feel really honored. I never even thought an award like this would exist. After receiving this award, I felt good about my choice to continue progaming at this late age. I normally love getting trophies, so getting something like this made me so happy.

In the BW days, you did not win anything.

Because I was used mainly for 2v2s, I lost my connection as a 1v1 player. I wasn't a terrible player at 1v1 or anything, but because I played so many 2v2s, I was never able to receive any trophies. Now that I've gotten a trophy like the "NesTea Trophy," I don't think I will have any regrets even if I retire. Since I received such an award, as long as my hands are up to the task, I will continue playing my absolute best.

You achieved a 100 individual GSL wins

I feel like I should have achieved this feat a lot sooner. Because I got my 100 wins so late, I don't feel very inspired. Mvp has more championships than me, and MarineKing has made it to many finals in his career, so I feel like these 100 wins make up for that since I got it before they did.

For this season of GSTL, LG-IM is already out.

When preparing for any match up, you usually already know ahead of time who your opponent will be so you know how to prepare. For GSTL however, you never know who you will be facing, so you need to do a ton of preparation regarding any outcome. I think we did not prepare nearly enough for each independent opponent, so that is why we fell out of the GSTL.

You were sent out twice as the LG-IM ace in the GSTL and lost.

I was actually told by our coach that he wouldn't use me as the ace, but that he would use me as one of the middle players. But for some reason, this did not happen. I honestly don't know why it turned out that way.

Being eliminated from the GSTL must be really unfortunate

All I can say is that I am deeply sorry. I once made a joke about how if we were to fall from the GSTL, it would mean we would do that much better in the individual leagues. I am so sorry that this came to be true. We focused heavily for the GSTL, but we lost anyways. Because of this there is a lot of regret. But it's time to forget the past and just focus on the GSL.

Ever since the recent patch, it seems all match ups have gotten better.

I think ZvT is bearable now. But I don't think it is as bad as all Terrans are saying it is. When IM team members practice against each other, the Terrans win most of the time. Since Terrans were winning everything in the past, I think they're just not used to other races doing better. But I think Terrans will quickly find solutions to this new Zerg buff. And against Protoss, the only thing that has changed is the fact that it is easier to prevent scouting. I think the only reason more people are losing is because they are always aware of the new patch. (NesTea is basically saying that people are only complaining about the patch, and not actually trying to figure out ways to beat it)

Now that the match ups have become easier, it seems aiming for the championship has gotten easier.

Because ZvT and ZvP match ups have gotten better, the ZvZ match ups have gotten worse. Because of that my head tends to hurt just thinking about it. But I feel like as long as I keep facing Terrans, I will make it all the way to the championship.

It has been a while since you've been to a Ro8 in Code S. How confident do you feel for this season?

Ever since the changes in the meta, I haven't been able to make it to a Ro8. Because of my lack of stamina, unless I win the winners match, it is too difficult to advance because of the burden I feel having to go through two more sets. I think as long as I manage my stamina well in the Ro16, I'll be able to advance into the Ro8. I am hoping I will be placed in to a group with 1 Zerg and 3 Terrans. (LOL, DAMN NESTEA!)

Any other words?

Even though I failed in the GSTL, I promise to succeed in this season of GSL. So I want to ask my coach to keep on believing in me. In today's match up on Antiga Shipyard against Creator, I wanted to try a different strategy but ended up failing. So I was not able to show my true performance. The next time, I promise to make no mistakes and to show my best performance. I want to thank my teammates for practicing with me until the end. LG-IM Hwaiting!

"HackBoy" MVP_Keen, (yeah..... IDK why they call him HackBoy.....It could also mean NukeBoy. Hack has 2 meanings in Korea) advanced into the Ro16 of 2012 Season 3 GSL Code S with a fiery performance.

On June 13th, Keen took down GuMiho and Squirtle and advanced 1st in his group. Against GuMiho, Keen came out on top as the better player. And against Squirtle, Keen 11-11ed him twice successfully, and showed all of us a dominant Keen we hadn't seen in a while. The last time Keen made it to a Ro16 in Code S, was the 2011 Pepsi GSL August. Today, he was able to relive that moment.

The last time you made it to a Ro16 was the 2011 Pepsi GSL August.

When I first got into Code S, it didn't mean anything special. But now that I've made it back in, it feels so revitalizing. All the hard work I had put in up to this point seems to have paid off.

In this season of Code S, do you feel like your skills have improved?

Because my performance was so abysmal last season, I decided to invest in a lot of time in order to overcome last season's performance. That investment I made in myself really paid off today. The match ups were great and I feel that overall, my skills have just improved greatly.

You won both matches today with a score of 2:1

Against GuMiho, I felt like I could've taken it 2:0. But I started doubting in my own skills so I ended up losing that 1 match. I feel like I still lack the skills I need to overcome this kind of doubt.

You won against Squirtle by bunker rushing him twice.

Squirtle was the only Protoss in our group. I had a feeling that Squirtle was going to make it to the winners match easily, so I prepared heavily for my TvTs. In game 1, I played my absolute best macro game possible but it wasn't enough to beat Squirtle. So in games 2 and 3, I took a huge gamble, and it ended up working.

Are bunker rushes hard to stop for a Protoss?

I don't do cheese builds a lot so I am not sure if Protosses have trouble defending it or not. Counting game 7 of last season's final and my 2 games today, I guess I can say that it is definitely a strategy worth using in a best of 3.

Since it has been such a while since you made it into a Code S Ro16, don't you feel a kind of greed to advance further?

I really want to set a new record. I want to beat all my other performances with this one. First of all, my goal is to make the Ro 8. If I can make it there, then I will confidently start aiming for the championship.

Monsier J seems to be a great sponsor for coming up with creative ceremonies.

I've actually had people request for some fancy ceremonies. But I held back from doing any ceremonies because I felt like I did not have the right to do them. But now that I'm performing much better, I think it's time to bring back the ceremonies.

It seems that this season, Zergs are dominating more than ever.

It's definitely true that Zergs have gotten stronger recently. A lot of Zerg players say that Terrans have been winning everything without much contest but nowadays it is so hard for Terrans to win. DongRaeGu hyung said that if Z's don't make any mistakes, they can win any and every match up. That's how bad it is right now. These days, the maps are even getting bigger so they benefit Zergs a lot. But Terran is a race that has so many potential strategies that I feel that with time, we will be able to come up with a solution to the TvZ problem.

Any last words?

I want to thank my teammates who helped me with practice. I also want to thank our coach for always working so hard for us. He's like a father to us. I also want to thank my parents. And lastly, I want to thank our foreign partner, Team MYM.

StarTale_Squirtle, was able to overcome the "2nd place jinx" and advanced into the Ro16.

Squirtle came out 2nd in his group for 2012 Season 3 GSL Code S. In set 1, he was able to overcome ThorZaIN 2:0 and advance into the winners match. Unfortunately there, he was overwhelmed by Keen's double bunker rush and fell to his knees. However, in the final match, he faced ThorZaIN again, grabbed another 2:0 and successfully advanced to the Ro16.

You dodge the "2nd place jinx"

I didn't think such a thing existed, but after searching through the community sites, I found out that such a thing did exist. Even with that jinx in mind, I gained full confidence after I won my first game. But after I lost to Keen's double bunker rush, I lost a lot of that confidence.

It seems bunker rushes are your "Achille's Heel"

To be honest, I STILL have not watched game 7 of last season's finals. It scares me (laughs). I really tried to forget about getting bunkered and cheesed in the past but today's games just made me relive those moments. I could've blocked those rushes but I failed to do so. Last season's final game 7 was a traumatic experience for me.

Do you regret not being able to grab the GSL championship last season?

I only regretted that for about a week after the finals. Afterwards, I just moved on and forgot about it. But today's bunker rushes just brought the horrible memories back. I'm going to work hard from now on to prevent any future bunker rushes.

Are those kind of bunker rushes hard for Protosses to defend against?

It does tend to be difficult. If you haven't scouted it at all, then it is extremely difficult to block it. But for some unfortunate reason, I seem to especially suck at blocking against it. Not to mention the builds I prepared for today were all very greedy economic based builds. That made it so much harder to block the bunker rushes.

After losing in the winners' match, were you able to recover at all mentally?

I think if I had played right after losing that match, I would've been done for. But thankfully, the losers' match went for a pretty long time. During that time, I was able to calm myself down and find my inner peace.

Compared to your other match ups, it seems your PvT win ratio is the worst.

Against Protosses, I have a 100% win ratio. And against Zergs, I have a 72% win ratio. But against Terrans, I'm not even at 50%. I do think that PvTs are my weakest match ups. But that fact just spurred me on and I was determined to prove that percentage wrong and that is why I faced Terrans. But in the Ro16, I would prefer it if I could get Protosses and Zergs in my group.

Are you aiming for the championship this season as well?

I want to play with a peaceful mind. The championship is not my immediate goal. But rather, I want to just focus on the games that are right in front of me. Now that I think about it, I only need to win 4 more times. Just 4 more times then I'm set. (what he means is that if he can advance in his Ro16 group with a double 2:0, he'll be in the Ro8 and won't have to worry about falling to Code A)

Honestly, doesn't it feel like this season will be easier for you? Last season's match ups seemed absolutely ridiculous.

Ever since I got 2nd place in the GSL, I've kind of slacked off on practice. (laughs) I don't think winning is the most important factor but rather my performance.

What kind of performance do you want to show for the GSTL?

I remember when I first came out in the GSTL, I got an all kill. For this season, our first opponent is going to be NSH. I want to try to grab an all kill against them. I want to try to grab a 5 man all kill this time. (In the 2011 GSTL Feb, Squirtle grabbed an all kill against team fOu, but it was only against 4 people, not 5)

Any last words?

I want to thank our sponsors Joy Gear, BenQ, and Red Bull. I want to thank Sound and Hack for practicing with me. Also, NSH_Sculp is a personal friend of mine who is my age. I want to tell him to come to the GSTL with a peaceful mind and not worry about who is going to win.