[Interview] 2012 GSL S3 CodeS RO16 Group B

How do you feel advancing to ro8 in first place after some close matches? =

I was offended to be rated the weakest player in the group despite being a champion. Fortunately, I am advancing in first place and I feel great.

Why do you think you were seen as the weakest in the group?

I think it’s because Squirtle and Symbol have been on a roll. On the other hand, I haven’t achieved much in the GSL recently.

You took on MKP in your first match.

I won almost every game in practice. Then just before coming to the studio, I went 1-5 against MMA and was breaking down mentally. Luckily, MKP went for an all-in in the first set which eased my nerves.

You had a close match against Squirtle, how was it?

I saw Squirtle’s PvZ and it was excellent. He had superb play against me in the winner’s match also. I hope to meet him in a further round in the future. He’s a player you want to avoid in ro16.

In Set 3, you defended against the all-in solidly and won.

After taking down my opponent’s observer, I scouted his natural and found out he hadn’t expanded yet. So, I warped in a few zealots at the proxy pylon that I was planning to use for aggression and pressured with them. I think this decision led to my victory. My opponent’s attack was so fierce that it almost broke me.

You face Taeja in ro8, are you confident?

Taeja said in his interview that he wanted to see me advance to his bracket and here I am. I lack confidence in PvT so I need a little bit more preparation. I hope I get a PvZ in ro4.

Is there a reason you want to face a Zerg in ro4?

PvZ is my best matchup at the moment. Other players are having trouble but for some reason, I find it easiest. I’m comfortable taking on Zerg armies but against Terrans, I feel uneasy.

There’s talk that this is the season for you to win

I want to win. Also, I want to face someone whose name carries a lot of weight in the finals. I hope to face either Nestea or DRG. I don’t think I’ve ever faced a champion in the GSL yet so I want to try it out.

You said you would give away your old keyboard so when’s that going to happen?

I plan to do that once all the matches finish. I’ll wait for people who might come in late.

Anything to add?

Nada announced his retirement and it feels like we have lost a great hero. Many players helped me practise so I want to thank them. I’ll be going to Germany to participate in Homestory Cup soon so I’ll make sure to do well. I want to thank my girlfriend and my mother and want to give my congratulations ot the winner of the keyboard today. Lastly, I want to thank the author of the Webtoon.

You advance to ro8 in second place after some close matches

I came to the studio thinking that the first match was the most important. I expected all-ins but didn’t prepare for them adequately. Luckily, this changed for the later match so I am able to advance. I’m feeling fantastic.

You suffered a one-sided loss to Squirtle in the first match

Despite knowing my opponent would go for an all-in on Whirlwind, I think I got careless after seeing him expand. That’s why I was crushed. The same went for Set 2 where my defence wasn’t up to par despite knowing that an all-in was on the way which led to bad skirmishes and inadequate drop defence.

Aren’t you under pressure because of all the attention you are getting?

Not particularly. Receiving attention as a gamer is a great privilege. Since there are so many who expect great things from me, I wanted to show games I could be proud of even if I were to be eliminated.

You took down MKP in a nail biting loser’s match.

In the game that I lost, I wasn’t able to produce drones properly. Also, MKP’s pressure was strong and I took a lot of damage. That’s why I couldn’t win.

You faced Squirtle once again in the final match.

I expected him to do all-in after all-in even in the final match. So I decided to make units which he tried to counter by taking an expansion but I also had a counter to that so I was able to win. In Set 2, Squirtle chose Entombed Valley but it felt like another rush was on the way so I went for units instead of economy once again to defend and win.

You face Seed in ro8

Seed said in an interview a while ago that he wanted to face me but didn’t say anything at group nominations. That’s why I didn’t pick him but since we face each other now in ro8, I will crush him

Your win rate is dropping slightly, doesn’t that worry you?

You win some, you lose some. For now, I want to enjoy my ro8.

You now have multiple series format, are you confident about that?

I actually don’t like double elim and group play. However, ro8 is single elim so I am very confident. I think I can make the finals.

There is GSTL, OSL coming up so what do you think about those?

I’ll trust my teammates for the teamleague and for OSL, I’ll just rely on my fundamentals. For now, I will focus on the GSL.

Players who may pose a challenge to you on your way to the finals?

I think Zergs like Nestea and DRG. Those two players are so extremely good.

Anything to add?

I want to thank the coach and my parents who have been watching my games and giving me helpful advice. The strategies I used today all come from Hyun. I am learning so much from Hyun for which I am grateful and I’ll help him out for his games in the future. I’ll treat Cyrano and Inori to something nice since they helped with practice.