WCS America Season 3 Challenger League

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Interviews by monk

Get to Know your WCS AM Challenger Player is back! Though we had a brief break (mostly due to zero foreigners qualifying during season 2), we now have a whole host of new interviews ready for you. Please welcome Core.JonSnow, the only American to make it through Challenger qualifiers.

JonSnow

So let's begin! First off, can you start off by introducing yourself?
Hello, I'm Jarod.

lol, sorry, lemme retype.

IS YOUR NAME NOT JAROD? Did you already get the first question wrong?!?!?!
Hello, I'm Jarod "JonSnow" George a 16 year old Zerg player from the United States. XD, interviews so hard.

Ah, is this your first interview?
Yes I think this is my first official Starcraft interview.

Oh wow, excited?
Yeah!

So you said this is your official Starcraft interview. Have you done any other types of interviews before? And how do you think this will be different from those?
I've done some small interviews for jobs and such, but I assume this will be much more fun =)

Yea, the hard part is over. You already got the job by qualifying to WCS. So Mr. jonsnow, I googled your name and I assume your name is from Game of Thrones?
Haha yes you could say that, have been following the books and tv series for a while.

As you can probably tell from me having to rely on Google, I don't really follow game of thrones =( What can you tell me about Jon Snow the character, and why did you choose him as your name and not another Game of Thrones character?
Well, he's pretty much the best character and he has the coolest name so it was a no brainer for me.

You still haven't told me anything about the character =( For those of us who don't watch the show, what makes him cool?
He has really nice hair.

Do you have really nice hair too? Or do you just really wish you had really nice hair and are compensating with a SC2 user id?
My hair has always been one of my biggest insecurities, it just cannot compare the magnificence of JonSnow's hair.


Do you watch any other shows, maybe something I can relate to?
I really enjoy Breaking Bad, but i havent seen the last episode yet.

Have you talked to or interacted with anyone today? If not, i don't recommend it. I do hear it was a good finale though!
Only been to school and practice, and was able to survive without spoilers!

What did you practice? A secret SC2 practice training camp?
Haha, no it was Cross Country after school.

What races do you run and what are your best times?
I normally run the 5k...any let not talk about my times ;P

It's ok. I think I can only run a 5k right now in like 32 minutes(i'm slow). So i agree, let's move back onto sc! How were the WCS AM qualifiers? Any exciting or difficult matches? You even beat a korean and a taiwanese person along the way!
The qualifiers were pretty good, admittedly I had one of the easier brakets. There were some difficult matchups that I went 2-1 in, but the hardest opponent was probably Slam. Even though I went 2-0 I was quite nervous during the games and always felt behind. Regardless I pulled through!

How do you feel about being the only American to qualify in 2 seasons and what do you think that says about the scene?
It feels amazing to qualify, and I'm glad to bring another American to the tournament. I think the American scene is a little behind many other countries in terms of esprts, but there is still tons of talent in the scene and potential to grow.

Did you know that the last time Xenocider did one of these interviews, he was picked up by EG a few days after? What do you think your chances are?
Haha, not very good. Regardless i'm extremly happy with my current team, Core Gaming, they've been very good to me and I see a good future with them.

But don't you ever look back at his signing and think "IT COULD HAVE BEEN ME". If only you had done this interview a few months earlier, then you would be partying it up with players like EGJaedong and EGTLO with all those hookers and blow.
Not sure I'd be very good at Starcraft after all the hookers and blow.

Are you suggesting that that's the source of the EG curse?
It's something they should look into.

Seeing that you're still in high school now, what are you ambitions for SC2? Do you plan to take the traditional path and go to college or pull an Illusion and go into full time gaming?
I think its a great hobby that I will continue into college. Going full time seems like a huge risk and I'm not sure if it would be a good idea for me.

What about any role models in the sc2 scene, both in terms of in-game play and out-of-game manner?
I really admired Stephano in his play and his ability to be a good entertainer, but he's gone now. So currently I think Suppy and Demuslim are probably my best role models. Suppy because of he is able to balance school and Starcraft very well, and Demuslim because he's so handsome.

You know, Xenocider talked about how handsome Demuslim was in his interview as well. You're really trying to get into EG, aren't you?
Haha, I think Core is the team Xenocider should have tried to get on.

I normally save this question for much later in the interview, but i figure now's as good a time as any for it. If you could be on a team with any five players, who would they be? My guess for you is: Suppy, Demuslim, Incontrol, Xenocider, Alex Garfield.
Hmmm Naniwa, Lucifron, Scarlett, Demuslim, and Innovation. Would be so imba in teamleagues.

Because Innovation would all-kill everyone?
Yup, get the monies and never have to play =) whats better than that?

I noticed that on your ideal team, Scarlett is the only Zerg. Is that because she's your favorite Zerg that you look up to? Or do you have others? Is the reason you only picked one Zerg on your team because you secretly want more playtime?
I think she's the best foreign Zerg. And I was just trying to produce the most imba team in terms of skill, wasn't thinking of races.

Do you think the players you listed are better than any Korean alternatives?
Not necessarily but I'd like to be able to talk to most of my hypothetical team. I don't want to be lonely.

So here's a hot topic. What's your opinion on region locking? And do you think there should be residency restrictions placed in WCS?
I think region locking can be good for the foreign scene to grow, although it will drastically reduce the skill level for competition. I've always looked forward to competing vs Koreans, but maybe that should wait for the global finals.

Being that you're an up-and-coming player in the NA scene, can you give us some insight on any other up-and-coming hidden gems? I'm going to limit you to 2 players on your own team here.
Alright =P starting with my own team I think JonnyREcco and Sonic are two players on my own team who are improving extremly fast and have potential to become amazing. Aside from that I haven't seen much of Jig playing but he's been doing pretty well. And I'm sure there are some EU players who we should watch for...but i don't know the EU scene well.

I liked how I asked you about the best players in the NA scene and you gave me a british guy. The NA scene is that bad, huh?
Haha...well it could be better.

On that somber note, I think that about wraps it up. Would you like to give any shoutouts or say any closing words?
Thank you for the interview. I'd also like to thank my team Core Gaming, and you can follow me on twitter @JonSnowSC2 and watch my stream at www.twitch.tv/jonsnowsc2 .

Interviews: monk