[Interview] Code A RO32 Day 2 2012 GSL Season 5

Please tell us how you feel about taking down Shine in order to make it to the third round of Code A.

I'm happy that I was able to advance 2-1. I was nervous because it was colder than usual while I was playing.

You were defeated rather easily in the first set. What do you think was the cause of this?

I'm sorry to my opponent for saying this, but it was because my hands weren't yet moving as nimbly as they normally do because of the cold, which stopped me from showing him my full skill level.

After managing to bring the series to a tie, you made a comeback victory with a successful timing rush.

I planned two potential timings in advance, intending to use the one that was appropriate for the situation. I felt that because my hands weren't moving as well as I wanted, I would be at a disadvantage in the late game, which made me proceed with the attack.

Your opponent in the third round is Mvp, who defeated your teammate, Flying, to advance. Do you have confidence?

Instead of depending on confidence, I intend to win by preparing as much as I can.

There's one match left between you and Code S.

The probability that I will advance is 50-50, but I have a personal feeling that the chance is higher. I will do my best so that I can advance.

Do you have any last words?

I was able to win today because luck was on my side. I will work hard so that I can win the third round of Code A and make it through. Last season, when I dropped out by losing to Sniper, people called my PvZ hopeless. Although I am have shown a weak performance against Zerg, I'm not that bad. I will work hard now so that I don't have to hear such words again. Just keep watching over me.

You've made it up to the third round of Code A. How do you feel?

While I did have a long time to prepare, I wasn't able to practice much because of issues at home, so I mainly prepared strategic builds. They didn't work too well, but I'm happy that I was able to win anyway.

Today, you continuously dragged your opponent around.

I didn't have much time to prepare, so I focused on playing strategically rather than going for standard macro games.

After your early attack failed during the second set, you bought time with Dark Templar in order to take an expansion and narrow the gap, but lost a large engagement and were defeated.

When I went out with my early attack, I had no hope of winning, but Squirtle mysteriously had a smaller army than I had anticipated. I could have won if I had microed properly, but I lost because I because I became overeager to win.

Your opponent for the third round is Life, who has been called "NEXLife" [Originally "넥라", an abbreviation of "넥스라이프"]. Do you think that it will be possible for you to defeat Life and reach Code S?

I feel that the maps in the GSL have a large effect on which races perform well. I believe that who wins or loses will depend on who gets lucky with the maps.

What are your personal goals for this season?

Back when I wasn't able to make a breakthrough, I was curious about what being in the press room for a player interview felt like. Now that I've successfully conquered the press room, I want to experience the Code S Group Nominations.

Do you have any last words?

I want to send my thanks to Hong-duk [Not sure who this is], Seed-hyung, LucyPrime, NSH_Tassadar, and FXO_Tear for helping me practice. Whenever I play my matches, my manager accompanies me from start to finish and gives me good advice. I think that that is what let me win. Googims has released a new padded jacket that's so warm that I think I'll have no trouble during winter. I'm also thankful to LG Electronics, SteelSeries and Coca-Cola.

You've advanced to Round 3 of Code A. How do you feel?

If I win just one more time, I can make it to Code S. When you look at it, you can see the second round as not being meaningful, but I'm happy that I'm able to play in the third round.

You lost the second set and let your opponent tie the series. How did you feel at the time?

I don't really know how the build went, but it was a new Roach build. Because it was my first time facing the build, I felt that I would have a hard time afterwards.

In the first set, you won in the late game using mech. What effect did the recent Raven patch have?

There was a time when mech went unused because of the strength of Infestor compositions, but I feel that the simultaneous Infestor nerf and Raven buff has made it more effective. Mech has definitely feels more comfortably for me now than bio.

Your opponent in the third round will be the winner of the match between Trap and Vampire. It's possible that you will face Vampire, your teammate.

Although he may be a teammate, they are both Protosses, so I'm fine no matter who advances. Since one of us will [still] be able to reach Code S through the Up & Downs, I would prefer that my teammate advanced.

Do you have goals for this GSL?

Last season, I fell apart completely in Code S, so I'm making an effort to show a better performance than I did back then. Before I knew it, over a year passed before I last reached the Code S quarterfinals. I think that it'll be possible for me to make it to Code S, and I want to get through the Round of 16 in order to secure a spot in Code S afterwards.

Many KeSPA players are advancing through Code A. Do you personally feel that they will be a threat to you?

I think that many of the KeSPA players in Code A specialize in specific matchups instead of being good at all three, so I'm not too worried.

Do you have any last words?

I'm thankful to my teammates for helping me with practice. I also want to thank my team's sponsors, Lotte Chilsung, Razer, and GOMTV, as well as our partners, MYM and Wayi Spider.

You've reached Round 3 of Code A. How do you feel?

I feel good, but there's still a match between me and Code S, so I'm not too happy (laughs).

You easily won the first set with Warp Prism harassment. Did you plan this strategy in advance?

I had prepared the strategy before the match. I ended up choosing it because Killer-hyung recommended it to me, and I think that it was thanks to him that things turned out well for me.

In the second set, you won without much trouble using an Immortal-Stalker attack.

My opponent tried too hard to snipe my Immortals during his Blink all-in. After seeing him lose his Stalkers, I felt that I would be guaranteed to win if I went for a timing attack.

You are set to face your teammate, KeeN, for the third round. KeeN said that since one player in the match will reach Code S and the other can make it through from the Up & Downs, he looked forward to seeing his teammate advance.

I think that KeeN, my friend, is an incredibly skilled player and one of the most difficult Terrans to face. As KeeN said, it's great that one of us can directly reach Code S and the other can advance from the Up & Downs.

During the previous winner's interview, KeeN has stated that the KeSPA players are specialists in specific matchups. What do you think about this personally?

Today's match went as I had planned. But I still don't know that well, and I think I will have to play macro games against them to find out. During the second set, I had anticipated that my opponent would go for a macro game and prepared to do the same, but he used an all-in, which allowed me to win without much difficulty.

Please tell us any last words that you may have.

I want to send my thanks to my parents for always cheering for me. While I was preparing, Killer-hyung kept helping me with PvP and studied builds together with me, and he also came to the studio today to give me hot packs, so I want to give many thanks to him. I want to thank my team's sponsors, Lotte Chilsung, Razer, and GOMTV, as well as our partners, MYM and Wayi Spider.

You've made it to Round 3 of Code A. How do you feel?

I thought that my opponent would be extremely strong, but I'm surprised because I was able to win much more easily than I thought I would. I thought that Round 2 was going to be the hardest match. Now that I've won, I'll work hard to enter Code S.

You lost the second game to a Warp Gate attack and allowed your opponent to tie the series.

I did notice something when I scouted my opponent's lack of a natural as my SCV died. But even though I was vulnerable because I had gone for triple Command Centers, I still played greedily and suffered great damage.

In the third set, you took the victory rather easily.

I I did more damage than I thought I would with my Medivac harassment. I was planning to go for the long game, but I was taken aback about winning so easily like that. I'm happy that I didn't have to show off my whole skill but regretful that I wasn't able to.

Your opponent in the third round will be the winner of the second match. Who would you like to face?

I don't really know. I don't have any particular preference, and I think that it'll be the same either way. I don't think that it'll matter who makes it up.

What would you say your chances of making it into Code S are?

I think that it is around 50%. I thought that today would be the largest obstacle, but I won more easily that I thought, so I think that my true greatest hump will be in the third round. Either of my potential opponents is a strong player, so I think that I will have to beat him in order to prove that I'm qualified for Code S.

Beforehand, you stated that you believed that Round 2 would be the greatest obstacle. What was the reason for this?

My teammates tried to scare me before the match by telling me that my opponent was an incredibly strong player. I was also very anxious because he had defeated TaeJa last season and showed good form in the Up & Downs. But still, I think that that feeling of tension of great help to me.

The Proleague is going on right now. Isn't it hard to play in the GSL while dealing with the new Proleague maps?

Proleague does have maps that introduce different concepts, but it isn't interfering much. Even if they do introduce different concepts, I don't think the Proleague maps change too much. The standard maps do get stale after a while, so the change in feel that the Proleague maps create is great. I'm enjoying practicing on Arkanoid and Bifrost because of the various changes that they create in the game.

Do you have any last words?

I want to send my thanks to Best-hyung, Bisu-hyung, Rain, ParalyzE, Kim Dong-gyun, and Brown for helping me with practice. I'd like to buy them something delicious to eat (laughs).

Please tell us your thoughts on reaching Round 3 of Code A by taking down MC.

I feel good because today's match went as I envisioned it would. I want to send my thanks to my younger teammates for suggesting builds to me.

You broke into MC's base to easily take the first set. It looked as if you had correctly read MC's attack timing.

It wasn't a strategy specifically tailored for MC, but one that my teammates recommended when playing against Protoss. After looking for a timing to use the build, I decided that it would be a good idea to use it in the first set and went for it. Although the build wasn't one I had prepared in particular, I think it worked out well.

In the second set, you went for gutsy mass Drone play. Is it because you gained confidence after taking the first game?

Today's games went just as I had pictured. When I thought about which build to use for the second game, I decided to follow a build that DongRaeGu had used. It wasn't a strategy I specifically prepared for MC, but it went well.

In the third round, you are facing FanTaSy. Don't you feel worried?

I'm not worried. I fought against DRG during the third round of last Code A, and compared to how nervous I felt back then, I feel much more comfortable now.

So do you think that it will be possible for you to advance to Code S?

I performed unsatisfyingly in the Round of 32 last time and got knocked out, so I want to ensure that I reach Code S.

The Infestor got nerfed greatly with the recent patch. How did things go during practice?

While I read the patch notes, I didn't think there would be much of a change, but I felt that the 1-range decrease made a big difference once I played the game. I do feel uncomfortable at times, but Terran and Protoss have already complained a lot, so I won't say anything (laughs).

Do you have any last words?

I want to thank BBatta and Park Jin-hyeok for suggesting builds to me, as well as Lee Jae-heon for helping me practice.

You took down HerO and rose to Round 3 of Code A. How do you feel?

I'm happy that I won against HerO, who has been on a roll recently, and I'm in a good mood because I feel like I'm getting used to playing in broadcasted matches.

Your opponent was HerO, who was champion of DreamHack Winter and NASL 4. Weren't you nervous?

I did have my worries, but I didn't feel too uncomfortable because I was playing PvP. Because of all of the foreign tournaments that he played in and the VODs that were released, it was fairly easy to get a read on him.

During the first set, you appeared to have seen your opponent's Warp Gate rush coming in advance. Was this a result of practice?

I hadn't anticipated it in advance, but when I scouted, I saw that he had a quick Zealot, one Gas, and a saved Chrono Boost. Having identified the Warp Gate build, I was able to defend by moving my Probes.

For Round 3, you will meet FXO's GuMiho. Do you feel confident?

Because GuMiho is an aggressive player who uses a variety of styles, I think that the match will be a difficult one. But since he's not a Zerg, I think it'll be okay.

Your momentum is quite strong right now. Do you have goals for this GSL?

For now, since I can advance to Code S if I beat GuMiho, my initial goal is to reach Code S. From there, I want to steadily make it further up, step by step.

During YongHwa's interview, he listed several teammates who helped him practice but didn't mention you.

The reason we didn't help each other was because it was PvP (laughs). Since we're on the same team, know each other's styles, and can predict most of what we do when we play against each other, we try not to practice together if possible. It's just the same for other teams, whose Protosses also avoid practicing PvP with their teammates.

Please tell us any last words that you may have.

Even though our manager hasn't been in good health recently, he still came with me to the studio, so I'm grateful to him. I also want to send my sincere thanks to san, who practiced with me for today's games in the same way that he practices for himself. Our new teammate and mood generator, Hong-duk, has made team life more interesting, so I want to thank him as well.

You've advanced to the third round of Code A. Please tell us how you feel.

From the first set onwards, I suffered damage from Marines. I was even at a disadvantage beginning from the first set, but I think that all of the practice that I've done recently had a positive effect on me.

As you said, you started off by suffering heavy damage from an early Marine attack.

I was in a really unfavorable situation, but TaeJa make a mistake and spread his units apart, which gave me an opportunity. After scouting this with a Probe, I felt that I could manage to make things work.

In the second game, you went all-in and lost to a nearly perfectly executed defense.

Abyssal City is a really bad map for Protoss. I think it's even worse than Antiga Shipyard. I don't know who the mapmaker is, but I cursed him as I practiced. I apologize for saying these things, but I would like it if [the mapmaker] created a proper map (laughs).

You let your opponent tie the series with your failed attack, but you won the third game with another all-in attempt.

When I was defeated perfectly in the second set, I wondered whether this was the limit of what I could accomplish with my all-in skills, so I tried an all-in again in the third set.

In the third round, you will face Curious, the "Code S Reader". Are you confident?

The patch that was released recently has done absolutely nothing good for Protoss. A lot of Zerg players have been whining, and I want to sew all of their mouths shut. Terrans may be doing slightly better, but Protoss hasn't gained a single thing. I am cursing David Kim.

You have stayed teamless for a fairly long time.

Right now, I've completed a team signing and have secured a considerably high salary through a good contract. Before, I played games whenever I felt like it, but now that I'm going to be belonging to a new team, I think that I'll have to work very hard.

When do you think an announcement will be released regarding your team signing?

Originally, the announcement was supposed to be made at the start of December, but I've been informed that there has been a slight delay.

What are your goals for this season?

Because I have to face a Zerg in the third round, I don't want to play, but my goal for now is to advance to Code S. Curious has been called the Code S Reader, so I hope that he lets me, who has been in Code S for 10 of 12 seasons, through, safe and sound.

Do you have any last words?

I want to send my thanks to Dream, Bang, and Sculp for helping me with practice.