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Hey guys, I've done the following interview of Thomas "Khaldor" Kilian this morning for the team Millenium (link to French version) :
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[M]Nazca : Hi Khaldor ! First of all, I'd like to talk about GomTV and about the evolution the SC2 scene seems to be undergoing in Korea. The Gom house closed a while back…
Thomas "Khaldor" Kilian : It didn't really close in that sense. They decided to not continue the lease when it was due. So it closed in a way but for them it was more the question if they want to continue with it. I know it's a subtle difference but I think it matters. They didn't make a "decision" to close it down but just thought if it was worth it to continue. It's a bit of a sensitive topic in the community so I wanted that to be clear ^^.
Thanks for making it clear  . GomTV took the head of the eSF which is suffering some losses nowadays (players going to KeSPA, teams disbanding, …) with respect to KeSPA which is looking everyday stronger and stronger. Are you worried, do you feel there's a reason to be worried ?
I don't think that KeSPA is looking stronger every day. Not a single of KeSPA's players was able to get through the Up & Downs into Code S. They picked up PartinG and rumours are that Squirtle is joining a KeSPA team as well but that's already about it.
I'm not worried at all to be honest, KeSPA has shown in the past that they'll try to pressure Gom but that was to be expected. In my opinion it's a competition which will help to improve things, but at the same time I am disappointed in KeSPA because originally both parties were talking about working together which would have helped eSports in Korea a lot more.
Don't you think KeSPA players are more focused in Proleague and that it may be a reason why they're not investing as much preparation into the GSL ?
No, I don't think that at all. You could even see that EG was saving Jaedong for the Up & Down match instead of using him in Proleague. Technically he is not with KeSPA anymore but it just shows how important the individual leagues are. KeSPA players are definitely taking the GSL very seriously (as do the ESF players take OSL seriously).
Right now the GSL is still the toughest league in the world. The level of play is currently above the level that we see in Proleage. The level of play in Proleague will definitely continue to improve but at this point the GSL Leagues are still ahead.
About the GSL only, lately it's been more of ZvZ. It's a very very hot topic in the community right now : only 5 Protosses in Code S, which hasn't been seen since November 2011. What do you think are the reasons for that ? People have talked about the maps, others about the broken late game in PvZ…
It's a very controversial topic and I have been talking about a few things that are related in the past. Covering it entirely here wouldn't really be possible and usually it just ends in people hating on various aspects of the answer ^^. I'll try my best though to express my opinions about the essentials.
There are several things that sets Zerg apart right now and one of them is of course the ongoing issue of the infestors being too strong. Blizzard is dealing with this as we speak and they should. At the same time though especially Protoss is still able to show results, the PvZ matchup works in a very silly way as Protoss has a lot of very strong 2-base-allins that give Zergs problems whereas in the lategame Zerg is the more dominant force.
The bigger problem is with Terran, they have a very hard time these days and are trying to find ways to deal with the situation. Maps are certainly also an aspect that changed a lot. I think we will see a lot of improvement within the next patches but at the same time I doubt that we will achieve a decent level of balance before HotS is released.
The big problem when you are talking about balance is that looking at a single tournament or league will never give you a decent picture. ZvZ dominated a lot of cups at the end of last year but at the same time we had a Top 3 Protoss finish at the WCS Grand Finals and others (Korea and Asia). At this point there are definitely imbalances within the game that have to be addressed, but quite often the Zerg dominance (even though it exists) is exagerated beyond reason. But once again, it's a too complicated topic to address all the matchups and problems here in detail.
This season in the GSL is going to be the last in Wings of Liberty. You've already casted the HotS Invitational at the Blizzard Cup with Wolf but I think that was the only time you casted some HotS. How are you guys preparing for the transition ?
We casted some HotS games for the Iron Squid 2 as well and I personnally had a few online tournaments that were played in HotS that I commentated. In general we try to watch a lot of the pro-players HotS streams and of course we also both play the new addon. It's gonna be really interesting to see how all the pro-players transition and what kind of strategies are going to evolve over time  .
You've been living in Korea for over a year now. Also players like NaNiwa, SaSe, MaNa and others have spent long periods of time in Korea. How does one take such a decision to leave behind his family and friends ?
I always wanted to visit Korea back when I was still casting WarCraft III and managing 4Kings and mousesports. After I got the opportunity to cast for GomTV, I was pretty happy and wanted to give it a shot. I was always very independent so staying in Asia for a longer period of time wasn't really a problem for me.
Right now I take it one year at the time. I don't plan to stay in Korea forever, but I can certainly see myself living there for another few years.
Regarding the players you've mentioned, I lived together with all of them at one point or another and knew most of them even before. I'm really good friends with them and it's always great to have fellow europeans around you that you can talk to . I think it's easier for them to take the decision because they can always leave, they don't have a contract, and in addition they grew up travelling a lot to events.
Who do you think will win the Iron Squid 2 ?
A Zerg! To be honest, they all look strong and I have no clue. Anything is possible.
You've been casting with Wolf for about a year, and your duo has grown to being very appreciated in the community. However, i think everyone noticed that you are everyday more and more mean to him as you refuse to grow your hair.... How do you feel to put your cast-mate under so much suffering ?
LOL :D Well he was trying to convince me to wear a wig or grow it out but I got used to my look and it's really convenient as well. Especially since it cuts down the time spent in the shower by half and there are several other benefits as well. So while Wolf has a hard time dealing with it, I still feel that I have to make him suffer for a bit longer .
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I would like to thank Khaldor for his time, and of course you can follow him on his facebook/KhaldorTV and his twitter @Khaldor. I hope you guys enjoyed this interview !
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Haha, at least Wolf got his wish in some Off the Record episodes.
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Great interview and really good points about Kespa vs GSL. Both are entertaining to watch and its nice to have a change in format and see the Kespa play styles but GSL IS The Global Standard. I think the top 5 GSL players would AllKill any Kespa team, the kespa player results in the Up and Downs are also a good point. I want to give credit to Rain he is on the same level as the top GSL players.
@ Khaldor - You and Wolf have really grown as a casting team in the last year and I want you guys to get to the next level. IMHO I feel more synergy would go a long way, when your co-caster says something silly or blatantly off topic as Wolf is known to do (I'm not talking about incorrect information of course)... Go with it or at least try to get on board with him, help yourself out by helping him out and see where it goes. Let the hilarity ensue because we as an audience will eat it up with a xel'naga sized spoon!
GL HF
-KobayshiMaru
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Awesome interview and agree with cnegrin totaly!
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Great interview Nazca, I hope the management will stay true to their words and finally open a english version for the eSports news; I hope as well to see you there.
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Very nice interview. Good answers by Khaldor. Liking the Wolfdor combo more as each tournament passes by.
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Nice itw ! Hope to see more khaldor in 2013 !
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stupid question but what is Khaldor casting at GomTV? Tastosis are casting Code S.
Is Khaldor/Wolf casting Code A and/or GSTL? i also think he casted Preliminaries (to get into Code A)
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On January 16 2013 02:42 Nazca wrote:
Don't you think KeSPA players are more focused in Proleague and that it may be a reason why they're not investing as much preparation into the GSL ?
No, I don't think that at all. You could even see that EG was saving Jaedong for the Up & Down match instead of using him in Proleague. Technically he is not with KeSPA anymore but it just shows how important the individual leagues are. KeSPA players are definitely taking the GSL very seriously (as do the ESF players take OSL seriously).
I really don't agree with this. For one, like he said, EG is not KeSPA, so I really don't understand why he used them as an example to refute the interviewer's idea. In interviews, KeSPA players are always saying how important PL is to them. Team achievements are more important to them than individual leagues. To think they practice for GSL as much as they do for PL is just wrong. Especially with the prize pool this PL.
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On January 16 2013 09:41 Beta2k wrote:
stupid question but what is Khaldor casting at GomTV? Tastosis are casting Code S.
Is Khaldor/Wolf casting Code A and/or GSTL? i also think he casted Preliminaries (to get into Code A)
Yes Khaldor & Wolf cast Code A and GSTL... pretty much everything Starcraft @ GOM that Tastosis doesn't cast.
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On January 16 2013 09:56 cnegrin wrote:Show nested quote +On January 16 2013 09:41 Beta2k wrote:
stupid question but what is Khaldor casting at GomTV? Tastosis are casting Code S.
Is Khaldor/Wolf casting Code A and/or GSTL? i also think he casted Preliminaries (to get into Code A) Yes Khaldor & Wolf cast Code A and GSTL... pretty much everything Starcraft @ GOM that Tastosis doesn't cast.
Just a side note, its pretty funny in a cool way that Tastosis are rly taken as a single person :D ("Tastosis doesnt cast")
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Khaldor is a fucking boss i gotta say. Also a true machine when it comes to casting. I still remember some tournament that Khaldor and Wolf requested the rights to cast (gsl code a qualifiers, wcs korea qualifiers? or something) and did so from their aparment/studio without even proper equipment. Real passion towards the game and bringing it to viewers. Thank you sir.
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On January 16 2013 09:56 cnegrin wrote:Show nested quote +On January 16 2013 09:41 Beta2k wrote:
stupid question but what is Khaldor casting at GomTV? Tastosis are casting Code S.
Is Khaldor/Wolf casting Code A and/or GSTL? i also think he casted Preliminaries (to get into Code A) Yes Khaldor & Wolf cast Code A and GSTL... pretty much everything Starcraft @ GOM that Tastosis doesn't cast.
And Up&Downs and WCS Korea and every special tournament like Blizzard Cup etc. because Tastosis basically only do Code S.
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Oh nice interview, thank you. Khaldor and Wolf have become my favorite Full time casters.
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Khaldor is great. Thanks to Millenium for the interview and the translation.
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On January 16 2013 09:52 Gorilla23 wrote:Show nested quote +On January 16 2013 02:42 Nazca wrote:
Don't you think KeSPA players are more focused in Proleague and that it may be a reason why they're not investing as much preparation into the GSL ?
No, I don't think that at all. You could even see that EG was saving Jaedong for the Up & Down match instead of using him in Proleague. Technically he is not with KeSPA anymore but it just shows how important the individual leagues are. KeSPA players are definitely taking the GSL very seriously (as do the ESF players take OSL seriously).
I really don't agree with this. For one, like he said, EG is not KeSPA, so I really don't understand why he used them as an example to refute the interviewer's idea. In interviews, KeSPA players are always saying how important PL is to them. Team achievements are more important to them than individual leagues. To think they practice for GSL as much as they do for PL is just wrong. Especially with the prize pool this PL.
Actually the prize pool is not THAT much. It's huge but look at how many players there are in each KeSPa team, the prize pool must be divided by 15 at the end. A regular participation to GSL (who gives money to all the players, even in Code A) seems more profitable than Proleague (who rewards only the finalists).
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On January 16 2013 09:52 Gorilla23 wrote:Show nested quote +On January 16 2013 02:42 Nazca wrote:
Don't you think KeSPA players are more focused in Proleague and that it may be a reason why they're not investing as much preparation into the GSL ?
No, I don't think that at all. You could even see that EG was saving Jaedong for the Up & Down match instead of using him in Proleague. Technically he is not with KeSPA anymore but it just shows how important the individual leagues are. KeSPA players are definitely taking the GSL very seriously (as do the ESF players take OSL seriously).
I really don't agree with this. For one, like he said, EG is not KeSPA, so I really don't understand why he used them as an example to refute the interviewer's idea. In interviews, KeSPA players are always saying how important PL is to them. Team achievements are more important to them than individual leagues. To think they practice for GSL as much as they do for PL is just wrong. Especially with the prize pool this PL.
Team leagues are important to them only because they receive significant incentive payments based on proleague performances. Doing well in individual leagues is a much bigger achievement in terms of a players progaming career than team league. Let me ask you, doyou think Bisu is remembered as one of the best protosses in the world because he pwned his opponents left and right in proleague? Think about it.
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On January 17 2013 01:47 mongmong wrote:Show nested quote +On January 16 2013 09:52 Gorilla23 wrote:On January 16 2013 02:42 Nazca wrote:
Don't you think KeSPA players are more focused in Proleague and that it may be a reason why they're not investing as much preparation into the GSL ?
No, I don't think that at all. You could even see that EG was saving Jaedong for the Up & Down match instead of using him in Proleague. Technically he is not with KeSPA anymore but it just shows how important the individual leagues are. KeSPA players are definitely taking the GSL very seriously (as do the ESF players take OSL seriously).
I really don't agree with this. For one, like he said, EG is not KeSPA, so I really don't understand why he used them as an example to refute the interviewer's idea. In interviews, KeSPA players are always saying how important PL is to them. Team achievements are more important to them than individual leagues. To think they practice for GSL as much as they do for PL is just wrong. Especially with the prize pool this PL. Team leagues are important to them only because they receive significant incentive payments based on proleague performances. Doing well in individual leagues is a much bigger achievement in terms of a players progaming career than team league. Let me ask you, doyou think Bisu is remembered as one of the best protosses in the world because he pwned his opponents left and right in proleague? Think about it.
I don't have a brood war background but from what i understand Bisu's performance in OSL is not that good. If this is true for what else would he be remembered then proleague. A better comparison would be someone who did beastly in solo tournaments and proleague.
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EPT
