[Interview] OSL Ro16 D5 Winners

This Is Game

How do you feel about winning three matches in a row for the Ro16?

I was already set for the Ro8 since I was up 2-0, but since I'm known for my terrible PvPs, I really wanted to win this one.

Of all the match ups, people seem to say that your worst match up is PvP. Why do you think this is so?

I think it's because my finishes are not good. It seems like people think this because I have better finishes regarding my PvZs and PvTs. Honestly in my opinion, I have less confidence about that in my PvTs.

You won pretty easily.

I prepared a specific strategy in order to counter a build order that was commonly used on Ohana, and it worked just like I thought it would. I play defensive in all my recent games, but today I decided to go for the aggression.

It must be such a shame that you fell out of ProLeague.

I think we lost because I did so terribly so I really want to apologize to my teammates. But since what's done is done, I am just going to keep working hard from here on out to ensure our final placement for next season.

Any specific player you would like to face for the Ro8?

I don't really have anyone in mind. I just want to avoid any team kills. If I have to play in a team kill, I can't prepare for it very well and I also play terribly. So I think even the viewers would find that match boring.

If you keep win the Ro8 undefeated, there is a prize on the line.

There are a lot of good players in the Ro8 so it's going to be hard. Can't I just get it for the Ro16? (laughs)

Anything else you would like to say?

I stated in the group nominations that I was going to go to the Ro4 and now I only have one more opponent before this statement becomes true. That's why I'm feeling even more greedy right now. I feel like I have been given a major opportunity for my career and I plan on working really hard in order to fully grasp this opportunity

Source: This Is Game

It was late but you achieved your first StarLeague victory.

This was a win I should have achieved from the get go but I ended up getting it after two losses so it was a real shame. But I am relieved since I was able to grab a at least one victory like this.

This was your first ever OSL victory.

I should have been able to do better but I wasn't able to so it is disappointing. It's too embarrassing to say that I did well with this one measly victory so I am going to have to work harder. I can't be satisfied with just this.

Your previous two games were not very good.

I normally don't pay attention to settings but I came to realize that I dislike the OGN's mouse settings. I suffered because of that.

Recently, your ZvTs have not been the best.

During my practices, I win a lot of my ZvTs. I really think I did poorly for the OSL because of the settings. But it was inevitable since I wasn't able to adapt to the OGN booth.

You won pretty easily today.

I scouted with my overlord and saw that he wasn't scouting with his probe. I also saw with my overlord that he didn't have an expansion so I predicted that he was going for a gateway expansion. So I decided to play greedy so I could take the advantage later on.

How is your current schedule looking right now?

Regarding my games, I have a lot of events upcoming. I fear that my skills will keep dropping if I don't get enough time to practice.

There has to be a regame in order for you to make it to the Ro8.

I really hope there will be a regame. If I just get the opportunity, I think I will be able to make the Ro8. I just really hope Last does well.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank YongHwa for practicing with me and I also want the coach to know that I hope he remains strong since he always works so hard for us. I want to thank our sponsors LG, Steelseries, Nvidia, Coca-Cola, and Googims,

Source: This Is Game

You achieved a victory during your final match in the round of 16 with a good performance.

During the group nominations, I acted very brash, so I would have felt too embarrassed if I had gone 0-3. I'm glad that I was able to take at least one game like this.

During the group nominations, you acted extremely confident, but you got knocked out in the round of 16.

I knew that my skill was still very inadequate, but I wanted to have some fun, so I just spoke without thinking. Because of that, I don't feel too ashamed about dropping out. I already knew that I would have had a great amount of trouble even if I had reached the quarterfinals given my current level of play.

At what moment did you anticipate that you would win today?

I thought that I had won once I destroyed my opponent's Nexus at his natural. After that, when I saw Flying's army coming towards me, I thought that I could block it just by building Bunkers, but I was still at risk of losing because of how powerful his attack was.

Since this is now the KeSPA free agency period, how are you planning to spend the rest of your time?

Because there are various tournaments left such as the GSL and the IeSF, I don't think it will be easy to find time to rest.

Any last words?

During this season, I regretfully got knocked out, but I promise to patch up the weaknesses in my play next season and show some great performances.

Source: This Is Game

How do you feel about making it to the quarterfinals after winning three matches in a row?

I've recently had a lot of difficulty with my TvP, so it's fortunate that I was able to make it through to the round of 8 like this, and I promise to show some great performances there, too.

How did you prepare for today's match?

I watched several VODs. Since I was already guaranteed to advance, I just played comfortably.

Did you predict that you would go 3-0 for your matches during the round of 16?

I didn't. But I feel like I'm riding on a lot of momentum after winning three matches in a row, so I feel great.

There were some precarious moments during your match.

I had a lot of Bunkers at the rear, so I thought that my opponent would not be able to penetrate into my base. If you kill the Colossi, you can hold that kind of attack. Since I had lots of Vikings left, I believed that I would be able to block it.

Your SC2 skills seem to be growing rapidly as we enter the off-season.

To be truthful, even during the Proleague season, I was performing very well on ladder. I just wasn't able to show off that skill during my Proleague matches.

There were some comments that your style in BW doesn't fit well with SC2.

During practice, if I play using my style, my win rate is quite good, so I looked far forward and stuck with it. I think that that's the reason why I was able to play so well recently.

The GSL qualifiers are ahead of you.

Having to play in qualifiers is a difficult situation. Even playing in a final is easier; there are no guarantees during qualifiers. Making it through qualifiers is like picking the stars from the sky, but I will still try my hardest.

There has been talk that the skill gap between ESF and KeSPA players has disappeared.

Even many of the Federation players have acknowledged this. There have been a lot of well-known ESF players going down recently, so this can't be a fluke. I think that this is happening because our skills are similar.

Any last words?

There has been talk that if you perform an all-kill during the round of 8, you will be given a prize, so I'm feeling an even stronger ambition to win. I will show good performances during the round of 8.

Source: This Is Game

You advanced to the Ro8 as first within your group.

I advanced as first in my group to the Ro8 but I wanted to beat NesTea hyung as I advanced but I couldn't do that so it was a shame. I felt like I tortured his hope so I want to apologize for that.

Wasn't it a shame that you lost your match against NesTea?

I prepared really extensively for my game against NesTea hyung because I held this game to a high standard like 8:2. In the last Dual Tournament, I did a cannon rush in a PvZ so I thought just like that, NesTea hyung wouldn't expand. I also hit my gateways so I didn't think he would go for a three hatch play. But then he did do a three hatch play and he did it so comfortably. As it turns out, NesTea hyung didn't watch my Dual Tournament game. I felt really hollow.

In your match against Last, you were the victor.

I found this out later but I blocked his early game hellion drop a lot better than I thought I did. I just thought to myself that I had such an advantage after I blocked his hellion attack that there was no way I was going to lose.

Who do you want to face in the Ro8?

There aren't a lot of players that have been decided to advance as second in their group yet. So I'm not sure who I'm going to face yet but if the opportunity arises, I want to face a Terran.

What is the reason for your recent results not being the best?

I attend a lot of foreign tournaments so I couldn't maintain my health very well so my condition affects my results. It's been a year since I fell to Code A in the GSL and I'm also doing badly for overseas tournaments so I feel like I'm in a slump. So that is why right now I am forsaking going to tournaments and just focusing on practicing. Rediscovering my work pattern is the most important thing right now.

Your next GSTL match is against NSH.

Since I hadn't been making the best results, the coach gave me a lot of leeway so that I could practice. I've been losing a lot for our team in the GSTL so I want to apologize to him for that but I am going to do my best for this match against NSH.

Anything else you would like to say?

So lately people have been saying that I look like Kim Kyung Ho (김경호) but I wish people would say that I look like someone else. Instead of someone like Kim Kyung Ho is pretty girly, I want to resemble a more mach type of guy.