[Interview] Code A Ro48 Day 3 2012 GSL Season 5

MVP_Noblesse



Source: This Is Game

Tell us how you feel about advancing to the second round.

Up till now, I had just kept on going back and forth between preliminaries. but now that I've actually secured my spot for Code A next season, I feel like a load has been lifted off my shoulders.

Your opponent was JYP, who is known for having a fragile PvT.

I don't think JYP is bad at PvT. I just think that whenever he has televised matches, he tries out several build orders and they just don't end up working out for him.

Did your games go well today?

I had a feeling that JYP was going to go for obs/blink stalker for gamer one so it was easy to prepare for that. As for game two, I got pushed back during the beginning but I was able to make it work in the end.

Last year, you were a very solid Code A player, but nowadays your results have been poor.

I've been to Code S before, but after I fell back to the preliminaries, I just kind of lost my passion. But nowadays I'm having so much fun with this game again because my teammates always remind me that they have my back.

MVP will have GSTL this week.

Right now, our team is in such good shape that I don't think we'll lose even if I don't get sent out. I feel like we won't lose no matter who we face.

Your next opponent will be Happy. Are you confident?

The victor will be decided based on who prepared more extensively.

If you advance to the third round, you will face fellow teammate DRG. Your chances of making it to Code S?

I want to face DRG hyung because I'm dying to know just how good he is during televised matches. Whenever I watch his matches, I feel like it's more the opponent that does badly. Even during our practices, I don't feel that DRG is especially good or anything (laughs).

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank my teammates for practicing with me and thank Galaxy for waking me up today. Lastly, I want to thank our sponsors Lotte Chilsung, RAZER, GOMtv, and partner Wayi Spider and MYM.

StarTale_Bomber



Source: This Is Game

You advanced to the second round of Code A. Tell us how you feel?

After I lost game two, I really thought I was headed to the preliminaries. I think I won because I got lucky.

You lost a majority of your scvs because of his DT but then you decided to go for a furious all in to take game one.

I took a lot more damage than I thought I would so I figured I couldn't go for a macro game so I decided to go for a different approach.

You attempted a drop attack in game two and then you ended up losing the game thanks to psionic storms.

I was not in the best condition because I was so ill. I knew I shouldn't have tried to force my way in like that and yet I still ended up making the wrong decision.

There were a lot of errors in that match. What with you losing medivacs, losing most of your army to storms, and overall, your performance just seemed unsatisfactory.

I was very embarrassed after game one. I pretty much figured I was headed straight for the preliminaries with this kind of performance, but then I ended up getting lucky. I am going to work hard so I can show a much better performance for my next match.

Your next opponent will be GuMiho. Most likely, it will not be an easy match.

I feel like we always meet whenever there is GSL. I really want to stop meeting him (laughs). Personally, his style is a style that I hate playing against so the match is going to be a real pain (laughs).

With PartinG's BWC championship, he broke the StarTale second place curse.

I was so envious of the fact that he won $100,000. I am very glad for him though because I knew PartinG was always good, but he was never able to win a championship to prove that. StarTale has a lot of first place finishes, but we have even more second place finishes so it's a really big negative influence. It especially doesn't help that Squirtle has gotten second place three times.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank our sponsors Red Bull, ZOWIE, Joy Gear, and Panic, Squirtle, PartinG, and Avenge for practicing with me.

ByuNPRIME



Source: This Is Game

Tell us how you feel about advancing to the second round.

I think ever since my deubt as a pro gamer, today's match was the most burdensome on me. But I am so glad because I was able to win like this.

Why were you feeling burdened?

In the past, after I advanced to the semi finals of Code S, I fell straight to the preliminaries after that. Today's date was the exact same date as last year's date so I kept feeling this anxiety that I was going to fall to the preliminaries.

You lost game one to a proxy robotics facility.

That was a strategy that I never could have expected. Even if he was going to rush, I thought he was going to send gateway units.

You tied up the score 1-1 in game two with your great usage of EMPs.

Personally, I think that game two was really overwhelming. I think I was only able to win because there is a special timing attack I use and it's a special strategy that I came up with.

If you had to evaluate today's match?

Aside from my terrible loss in game one I think everything else went well. But my skills right now is not the skills that I had when I made it to the semi finals of Code S. It's the skills of when I fell from Code S to Code A.

As of late, Terrans really just can't seem to make a splash.

Personally, I think Terrans are advantageous in TvPs. The problem is TvZ. It is unbelievably difficult. But then Bogus defeated Soulkey yesterday so now I can't even say that.

Yesterday, Blizzard stated that there need to be changes regarding the Raven and Fungal Growth.

Although Mvp popularized Ghost usage, I'm the one who first began doing it, so I think that it'll be good that Psionic units will no longer be affected by Fungal Growth. The patch will have to come out before we know for sure. I also think it's great that the Raven's Seeker Missile will no longer need to be researched.

Your next opponent will be Center. How do you think that match will go?

It's going to be a TvT so I guess half and half. I watched that match because I thought Seed was going to advance but Center played so well that I realized that I'm going to have to prepare extensively for him.


Anything else you would like to say?

I felt bad for Classic losing his match because it felt like he wasn't able to show his true skills. In our practices, me, Maru, and MarineKing, we all lose to him. I hope he remains strong cause there's always a next time. JYP hyung helped me with practice but it was such a shame that he got eliminated. I want to thank FXO's Tear, Woongjin Stars' free, hOn_sin, and Prime's Lucy for practicing with me. Lastly, I want to say that I hope asd wins his match.

STX SouL_Trap



Source: This Is Game

Tell us your thoughts on reaching Round 2 of Code A.

My greatest worry was falling back down to the qualifiers, so I'm in a good mood about making it to the Up-and-Downs through winning today's match. I didn't play any matches for a while because it was off-season, so I've wanted to return to playing lately.

In the second set, you gained a large advantage with continuous Warp Prism harassment but lost to a one-shot attack.

After succeeding with my Colossus defense, I threw away too many High Templar. You have to keep your army together, but I was pushed back and lost the game because I wasted too many HTs. I hadn't actually gained a [net] advantage.

Your Dark Templar play failed to do much damage during the third set, but you still won using a single blow.

I hadn't opted for DTs in advance but improvised once I had scouted my opponent's 2 rax with a Probe scout. My opponent was prepared, but I had already thought of my follow-up, so I didn't feel that I would be at a disadvantage even if my DT attack were to be blocked.

How would you rate your performance today?

There were many things that I wanted to show off to the viewers, so I'm dissatisfied about being unable to do so. I'll make sure to show them off at the next opportunity.

Last season, you were stopped at the Round of 24. Do you have confidence for this season?

I would like to make it directly into Code S, but I'm also fine about advancing via the Up-and-Downs. If I enter Code S through the Up-and-Downs, I feel that I will be able to gain a lot of experience through the many games that I'll have to play. Since I still have two ways left to reach Code S this season, I don't feel that I'll end up stumbling this time.

Your opponent for the next round is MVP's Vampire.

I still don't know how things will go. I wonder whether I'll have to end up taking the match through build order wins (laughs).

Your teammate, INnoVation, has advanced to the semifinals and will be traveling to the US. Are you jealous?

I followed his matches along with my other teammates. Personally, I do feel jealous (laughs). I felt that INnoVation-hyung would break out eventually.

Do you have any last words?

Last-hyung and INnoVation-hyung helped me with practice this morning, so I want to send my thanks to them. I wanted to play as I usually did, but I felt that because I'm not very familiar with the game, I should draw up my strategies in advance, before the match started. I think the help that I received from my hyungs during practice was of assistance to me.

Team8_BaBy



Source: This Is Game

We would like to hear your thoughts on making it through to the second round of Code A.

I was very troubled because my skill level hasn't increased recently, so I'm glad that I won like this. I want to show some more refined play in my next match.

You've secured a spot in next season's Code A with today's victory.

My objective is Code S, so I don't want to place too much importance on qualifying for next season's Code A.

In the second set, you put just one SCV inside one of your Refineries. Was this intentional?

It was an optimized build. It was unnecessary to put in three SCVs, so I stuck with one for the sake of efficiency.

It seems that Brain's mistakes helped you out a lot.

Although I was extremely tense, my opponent showed even more nervousness, which helped me stay calm while playing.

Overall, how would you rate your performance today?

I'm still getting very nervous when I play. I didn't show anxiety when I played Brood War, but I'm not good at making decisions based on the situation at hand when I play SC2, so I keep getting tense and make mistakes.

How well do you think you would play if you weren't affected by nerves?

To be honest, I think I could make it to the second round of Code S. But because of nerves, I often get supply blocked and display poor control during engagements.

Your next round's opponent will be either Brave or Flash.

Because Flash-hyung plays incredibly well, I think that there's a high probability that I will be pitted against him. Even so, I have the most confidence in my matchup against Terran. I may have lost many times to Flash-hyung during BW, but I will try my best to get my revenge in SC2.

Do you have any last words?

I'm thankful to the fans who always cheered for me. Now that I'm in the second round of Code A, I will work my hardest to advance to Code S.

ByuL



Source: This Is Game

You've adorned your GSL debut with a victory. How do you feel?

Because I kept losing the ladder games that I played before coming to the studio, I felt uneasy, but I'm in a good mood now that I've easily won.

During the first set, you set up your Lair and were planning to enter the late game, but changed your mind after successfully scouting with Zerglings.

I had originally chosen to go for Mutalisk tech, but I scouted my opponent's build and felt that I would be sure to win if I went for a Baneling build.

You easily took a second victory with good Zergling scouting.

Watching MMA's VODs, I saw that he likes to start with Medivac attacks in order to give himself an advantage, so I felt that I could stop him if I secured a wide field of vision with Zerglings.

How did you prepare for today's match?

Because I don't have any Terran players on my B.net friends list, I wasn't able to practice much at all, but YoDa still helped me out.

Your opponent in the second round is KeeN, so you'll have to play ZvT again. Do you feel confident?

I think I can do it. I think I can manage to win if I watch many of his VODs and do research.

You're riding on a lot of momentum right now. What do you think your chances are of making it into Code S?

I think that I might do well enough to advance to Code S.

You're teamless right now, so you must have trouble practicing.

Nobody was helping me with practice when I was on the team, either, so there isn't all that big a difference from before (laughs).

You've said that you have trouble finding a Terran practice partner, but you're facing a Terran in the second round.

I think I'll find a practice partner soon. I wonder if maybe the Terran players who watched my games today could help me out (laughs).

As of now, you're playing while being teamless. Are you seeking out a new team?

I've done so, but nothing has been decided yet.

Do you have any last words?

I want to send my thanks to YoDa for helping me with practice. My friends came to cheer me on a lot today, so I'm thankful to them, too. I feel happy that I showed great skill during my first debut in the individual leagues.

MVP_Dream



Source: This Is Game

You've defeated Rain and advanced to Round 2 of Code A. How do you feel?

I felt really nervous because I was facing an OSL champion, so I'm glad that I was able to win like this.

After your bracket was confirmed, you must have been very worried.

When I first saw my bracket, I felt that I was very unlucky, but my Protoss teammates told me that I could win and cheered me on.

In the first set, you showed some impressive Observer snipes.

Taking out the Observers was key. Because I chose a build that left me vulnerable to early game attacks, I judged that I could win as long as it wasn't seen.

You powered up your tech quickly.

My teammates informed me that Rain uses safe play, so I worked on playing greedily, confident that I wouldn't be attacked during the early game.

What thoughts ran through your head when you destroyed your opponent's Templar Archives with Medivac harassment?

At the moment I tried to harass with Medivacs, I was hit with Zealot harassment, too. To tell the truth, I felt so nervous at the time that I wasn't thinking at all; my hands were moving on their own.

So far, the highest you've gotten in the GSL is the Round of 8 of Code A. It seems that you could potentially advance to Code S now that you've taken down Rain.

I felt that if I could beat Rain, it would be possible for me to reach Code S. I've always gotten nervous in the booth, but I feel that I've mastered how to overcome my anxiety.

Your opponent for the next round is BBoongBBoong. How do you think things will go?

My teammates have told me that BBBB has strong ZvT. I think that as long as I can listen well to what my teammates tell me, I can win.

If you win your match against BBBB, you will fight against YoDa in the third round, but your win rate against Terran has been low. What do you think of this?

I'm not the type to believe in the statistics. I have a high win rate against Terran in practice matches, so I have confidence in my TvT, too.

Do you have any last words?

Even though DongRaeGu-hyung said that it would be absolutely impossible for me to win today, I still won. I'm thankful to Killer-hyung for giving me confidence, the Protoss players on my team, my team's sponsors, Lotte Chilsung, Razer, and GOMTV, and our partners, MYM and Wayi Spider.

KT Rolster_Flash



Source: This Is Game

You've advanced to Round 2 of Code A. Please tell us your thoughts.

I did manage to win, but I feel as if I've fallen into a dilemma regarding my TvP. I've reached the second round, so I will patch up my weaknesses and show a good performance for my next match.

You lost the first set to Brave's Hallucinated Colossus strategy.

I panicked during that game once I was fooled by the Hallucination. Although I've played over 500 practice games, I had never faced that kind of strategy. I panicked the moment that I saw two Colossi.

During the second and third sets, you lost the small engagements but twisted your way to victory.

Even I wasn't satisfied with my performance during the second game. I arrived late because of a traffic jam and had to play my first game in a while, so I got nervous. Next time, I want to prepare thoroughly, come on time, and play out some proper games.

In the third set, you appeared not to have seen your opponent going for a Warp Gate all-in rush.

Because Terran has a narrow field of vision, you have to save your scan in order to get as much out of it as possible. I got the feeling that my opponent would try something but felt that I would block it since I had a large army.

BaBy is your opponent next round. BaBy has stated through his interview that he wants revenge on you.

BaBy is doing well nowadays, but I have confidence against Terran, too, so I will prepare thoroughly and show a good match.

Rain, who made it to the Code S semifinals last season, has been knocked out.

I was late, so I wanted to see him win after going to the third set but was bewildered when I came and heard that he had lost. Because of that, I became more anxious when I played.

During the recent MLG Fall Championship that you attended, you reached the Round of 4 but unfortunately weren't able to make it to the finals.

I think it was partly because Life played well and partly because I let my guard down after previously defeating him in macro games. More than anything else, I found that you can't use mech against him because of his exceptional Infestor harassment compared to that of other players.

Since you went to the Invitational, this was your second time going to MLG.

I was happy about just being able to participate in an overseas tournament. It's unfortunate that I couldn't take the championship, of course, but I feel that I've gained a lot through the good results I achieved. I got the feeling that KeSPA players can compete with the eSF players now. I want to travel to foreign events whenever possible.

You must have gained a lot of confidence through the Fall Championship. What are your goals for this season?

My biggest goal is to advance to Code S because I feel that I'll have to make it there in order to feel comfortable. If I reach Code S, I think I'll be able to play out my matches more comfortably.

Do you have anyone whom you would like to play against or get revenge on?

It would be great if I could play against Life, but I haven't lost to him to the point that I'm seeking revenge. Everyone is spread across evenly, so it's hard to pick out any particular person.

You're expected to secure an MLG seed next year, too. How are overseas leagues different from domestic ones?

I don't think that they're all that different. Since there were good players at MLG, too, they felt similar to Korean ones, but I felt that I performed better when I traveled overseas. I want to do well in Korea, too, but I haven't been able to achieve good results because the circumstances weren't right.

Having to play three days of matches must have been taxing for your endurance.

I thought that I wouldn't have a hard time at foreign events as long as I didn't attend multiple ones in a row, but playing for three days straight was extremely difficult. The next time I go, I'll have to make use of some know-how.

Have you heard things about tournaments other than MLG?

I've heard that there are a lot of huge tournaments such as DreamHack going on currently. If I'm able to attend other events, I want to participate in tournaments where there's a lot of excitement.

Please tell us about your determination for the next round.

I lost in the second round during the last season, too, so I want to make sure that I advance directly into Code S this time.