[Interview]Grubby on WCS EU, BWC and more!

Nice to meet you，Grubby. We are S.163.COM, the best StarCraft 2 Fan site in China. Before we start, as usual, say hello to your Chinese fans!
Hi gamers from China. Welcome to SC2.

Congratulations on making Top 6 at WCS EU finals, thus sealed a ticket to the Battle.Net World Championship in Shanghai.

This victory was meaningful for me. I had convinced myself that I belong in the Top 6 for WCS European Final. I had to prove that to myself and my fans. I am extra happy because I am coming back to China.

How do you feel after that, and your anticipations and goals for BWC?

I was aiming for the first place, but I was also fearful of not qualifying at all. It would have felt quite bad to me. My hope right now for the BWC is Top 3.

Your run at WCS EU was legendary. Losing to sLivko in WR1 but then defeated JeaL, DarKFoRcE, StarEagle, Ret, and with an epic comback against Nerchio to lock down a place in the Top 6.

Did you also watch the stream? I'm glad if people from China are watching my games in Starcraft 2. I didn't plan on making the games exciting, I would rather win 2-0 instead. But it seems I was always on the verge of defeat. My will to win was quite strong, and I also got lucky. I'm glad to have such a thrilling and adventurous journey through the Lower Bracket. It was very fun and exhilarating.

your victory against Ret in LB4 is indeed a miracle, tell us what exact happened there and your thoughts after he left the game.

My plan was to defeat his army in a direct confrontation. When I saw 20+ Broodlords, my only thought was, "I can't beat this army." So instead I went for the elimination race. I was sending units everywhere in an effort to find his bases. I had Mothership and Carriers, but I'd have had a hard time defeating mass BL, Corruptor and Infestor. I was glad to kill off his last building. I was a little shocked when I was ejected from the game as the winner.

Then you narrowly lost to LucifroN, who was also a Orc player in Warcraft 3. How did you think about that game? Is coming up against a old rival in Warcraft 3 something special for you?

LucifroN is an intelligent and skilled player with whom I usually have about 50% winrate in WC3 & SC2. I think this one should've been mine, but I made some big mistakes. I will work hard to improve my play for next time.

Did you watched the grand finals? Vortix almost made a huge upset by defeating Stephano but the French ultimately took the crown. Do you have any thoughts about that game?

I watched the whole finals together with SortOf. I think Stephano played a lot better than VortiX, so I was surprised the Spaniard took the first series. Stephano is the indisputed #1 in Europe for a long time already.

The WCS Asia Championship is coming up next. 10 Chinese players will be battling for 6 BWC spots, including your old rivals like Infi and MacSed. As a old friend, which Chinese players do you think will make it out? Or the Koreans will dominate it all over?

To make the 17-18 November BWC more interesting for the Chinese fans, I hope multiple Chinese players will qualify in the WCS Asia Final. However, realistically I think top 6 places will have at least 4 Koreans because they are very strong right now. Jia you, Zhong guo SC2 players! ("Fighting! Chinese SC2 players!"--T/N)

In November, 32 of the world's very best will gather at BWC. Since your transition to SC2, you break the bottle-neck in 2012, and burst into the scene. What would you say about yourself?

My strength is not at its peak yet. I believe my result at the coming tournaments can be better. Please watch my games. My next tournaments are MLG Dallas and the IEMs'. Thank you.

You are not a stranger both to Chinese RTS players and the country itself, do you have any thoughts on the idea of BWC in China and its influences on esports as a whole?

I believe this tournament will function as one of the most important events of 2012. Why? Because BWC has the potential to finally involve China more into the world of SC2. I feel like China has not embraced SC2 completely yet. I really hope that China can become an equal factor in the world-wide competition for SC2. I hope BWC will be a resounding success. Please come and visit the BWC and say "hello" to me in person.

Starcraft 2 has been released for 2 years, and you played in a lot of tournaments, even guest casted events like MLG and ESL events, maintaining as a huge fan-favorite. Why do you have so many fans all around the world?

I really appreciate that. I believe people are attracted to my genuine passion for the game and open personality. I always give everything from myself, I don't hold back anything to entertain the fans.

What keeps Grubby so passionate about esports from Warcraft 3 era to Starcraft 2? Love for the games? Responsibility to the fans?

Only love for the game and for eSports has the power to lead the way to my continued presence. It's love first, and then everything else. Of course, all elements combined form the perfect formula.

Did you play Heart of the Swarm beta?

I don't play Heart of the Swarm. I prefer to focus completely on Wings of Liberty for now.

Thanks Grubby for the interview! Any last words to add for your fans in both Warcraft 3 and Starcraft 2 in China?

Bu ke qi. Xie xie ni. ("You're welcome and thank you." --T/N) I humbly request all my WC3 and SC2 fans to come and see me in Shanghai for the BWC on 17-18 November. See you there!