Ahead of the Code S finals on October 19th, GomTV held a media day with finalists Dear and soO. Check out their surprisingly entertaining smack talk. (check out Liquipedia for more info on Code S)
Q:There's not much time until the finals. How are preparations going? soO: They're going very well.
What did you think of Dear normally? soO: I never thought that he was particularly good; I didn't even pay any attention to him.
Did you expect to face him in the final? soO: I had no idea. I didn't even realize he had made it to the semis.
Dear says he's going to win the championship. Your thoughts on this? soO: I don't know why he says he's sorry [that he's going to beat me]. I'm thankful just for the fact that he's my finals opponent.
(To coach iloveoov) You have a finalist not long after you were appointed as the acting Head Coach. iloveoov: I'm happy that soO reached the final, but I'm a little disappointed we couldn't have a final between SKT players. soO was very stressed preparing for his team-kill match against PartinG in the semis, and I was very surprised when he won. Right now, I think he's absorbed Soulkey's momentum. The SKT coaching staff is full of confidence.
How do you rate Dear's style? soO: I watched all of his games, but he only beat players with so-so styles as he came up. I think I'll win without trouble. The more I watch his games, the more confident I get (laughs).
You were always getting eliminated in the Ro16 before. You think getting cosmetic eyelid surgery changed your destiny? soO: Given the timing, I guess you could think so. I thought that it might be true myself (laughs). I changed my mindset this season and shook off my Ro16 trauma. Before, when I reached the Ro16 I became too complacent. This season, I thought that it would be hard to get any more opportunities like this and I worked very hard.
(To iloveoov) You have a piece of paper in your hand. What's on it? iloveoov: It's my first media day, so I prepared some answers to questions I predicted. I forgot to put the piece of paper down beforehand, but I guess it's not bad to be seen this way? (laughs)
How's it different reaching the finals now, compared to when you were a player? iloveoov: As a player, coach, and head coach it all feels different. I think the pressure the smallest as a player. When I was a player, all I would think about is how to beat my opponent and what ceremonies to prepare. When I was a coach, I wondered about what the player might be thinking, how could I make him win, and how could I help him stay in good mental condition etc. Right now I feel all of these things have combined together. However, I'm confident, and will make my first finalist into a champion.
No SKT Zerg has reached a final up to now. soO: When I was a practice partner, I was mockingly called a "T1 Zerg." We took a lot of criticism back then, and that helped me a lot. Looking at the older Zerg players struggling, it gave me motivation to help my team. They were all good players, but they just didn't get looked upon fondly from the outside.
Back in the day, there was a bit of a distance between the practice facilities and the team house. I don't know about the other players, but the Zergs had to walk. I remember power walking alongside Coach Park. I get treated a bit better now (laughs).
iloveoov: I think it's a difference in viewpoint – Coach Park just wanted them to do better. I think those 'dark ages' are just relative. Confidence is a huge part of playing the game, and there was a time when our Zergs had a lot of trouble. soO has come out of that swamp, and he'll be able to lay the first stone toward redeeming the T1 Zerg name.
Does soO get nervous easily? iloveoov: You can tell who gets nervous from their unit movements. soO doesn't get nervous at all.
What score do you predict? soO: When I learned that Dear was my opponent, I predicted a 4 – 0. However, I'm not entirely happy with the map order. Because of the map order, I think I might give up a map. About 4 – 1. I think the first map is the most important. It's cute that Dear is predicting a 4 – 1 or 4 – 2 in his favor (laughs).
What kind of ceremonies do you have prepared? soO: Pay close attention to the minimap during the games. You never know what I might write.
And if you win the championship? It was my dream since I was young. I've always thought that kissing the trophy was really cool. If I could see a picture of myself kissing the trophy, then I'd be proud.
(to iloveoov) What score do you predict? iloveoov: As the players mentioned, I feel the first map is the most important. Depending on how that goes, the result will swing greatly. If soO wins the first map he will win 4 – 0, if he loses it the I think he will win 4 – 2.
Any final comments? soO: I'm sorry to the fans that my opponent is kind of weak. People who want to see Dear crying should come watch live. I'll show you his tears of defeat. I will do my best to win the championship.
Q: What do you think of soO? Dear: soO compliments me a lot on battle.net, so it's unfortunate [that he's now saying I'm an easy opponent].
Do you have anything to say to him? Dear: Sorry soO hyung, I'm going to have to win this one.
You seem hungry for the title. Dear: It's my first finals and I'm a potential royal roader, so I want it that much more.
In soO's case, it's taken him 1,843 days to reach a final. Dear: I've been a pro-gamer since 2009, so it's not like it's taken me a short while to get here either.
(Question to coach) Did you expect Dear to reach the finals? Head coach Choi Won Seok: I didn't expect it at all. There were some unfortunate happenings with the team, and our players must have felt things were chaotic as they adjusted to the new environment. I'm glad they've done well in this situation. Looking at soO's games, I think it will be difficult for him to beat Dear because of the difference in their styles. I'll be able to watch this this finals comfortably.
Have you broken down soO's style? Dear: SoO is good in the early and mid game, but there's not much to him in the late game. If I can get past the early-mid game well, I think I can win easily.
How's life at Soul? Dear: I'm comfortable with the team, just as it was with STX.
Who do you get along with best on the team? Dear: I get along best with YoungJoo.
What do you think of your style? Dear: I think I'm a solid player, and I'm sad that other people don't seem to think that way.
Soul's Protoss players are doing well. Dear: These days, I'm thinking about the game in a calm way. I think that's my greatest weapon. Because I think that it's okay to lose every game even after trying my best, I think my games are going well.
Do people treat you different now that you've reached the finals? Dear: I think they treat me the same. Head coach Choi: When Dear had his semi-final match, he washed the dishes for lunch before heading to the studio.
What kind of score do you predict. What is the most important map? Dear: I think the maps are good for me, so I predict 4 – 1 or 4 – 2. The first set is important. If I win the first set, then I think even a 4 – 0 is possible.
Do you have any ceremonies planned? Dear: I will perform manner Nexuses. If I'm sure that I'm going to win, then you'll see me build a lot of them. [note: Another source (Inven has transcribed this as being "I will NOT perform manner nexuses anymore" after his humiliating loss to symbol in the GSTL. It seems that's probably what he said?]
And if you win the championship? Dear: I would want to cry, but I think I'll win so easily that I just won't be able to.
(To Coach Choi) What kind of advise do you want to give Dear, and what is your prediction? Head coach Choi: Because there are a lot of good maps early, I am predicting a 4 – 0. It would be worrisome if it went until the final map. Protoss suffers a lot of reverse-sweeps, so I hope he can win cleanly in a 4 – 1.
Your final words heading into the final? Dear: I'm the final Protoss left this season, so I hope a lot of fans come to the final. soO said that he escaped from the swamp, but I'm going to push him back in. I'll make him continue the "SKT Zerg" line.
iloveoov: As a player, coach, and head coach it all feels different. I think the pressure the smallest as a player. When I was a player, all I would think about is how to beat my opponent and what ceremonies to prepare
On October 17 2013 07:53 Paljas wrote: also, who is Kim Myung Joon?
I'm wondering this too, it's not anyone who's listed on the roster, at least according to Liquipedia. And I think Dear might have mentioned this player in a previous interview as well.
Dear is apparently unaware that when Khaydarin Amulet was removed, the SC2 gods decreed that any Protoss will always lose in the GSL finals, so a Protoss GSL champion would require another PvP finals.
On October 17 2013 07:53 Paljas wrote: also, who is Kim Myung Joon?
I'm wondering this too, it's not anyone who's listed on the roster, at least according to Liquipedia. And I think Dear might have mentioned this player in a previous interview as well.
was wrongly transcribed, looked around for a different source, seems to be YoungJoo
On October 17 2013 07:53 Paljas wrote: also, who is Kim Myung Joon?
I'm wondering this too, it's not anyone who's listed on the roster, at least according to Liquipedia. And I think Dear might have mentioned this player in a previous interview as well.
Most likely some rookie that went unannounced that dear befriended.
On October 17 2013 07:53 Paljas wrote: also, who is Kim Myung Joon?
I'm wondering this too, it's not anyone who's listed on the roster, at least according to Liquipedia. And I think Dear might have mentioned this player in a previous interview as well.
was wrongly transcribed, looekd around, seems to be YoungJoo
On October 17 2013 07:53 Paljas wrote: also, who is Kim Myung Joon?
I'm wondering this too, it's not anyone who's listed on the roster, at least according to Liquipedia. And I think Dear might have mentioned this player in a previous interview as well.
Most likely some rookie that went unannounced that dear befriended.
On October 17 2013 07:53 Paljas wrote: also, who is Kim Myung Joon?
I'm wondering this too, it's not anyone who's listed on the roster, at least according to Liquipedia. And I think Dear might have mentioned this player in a previous interview as well.
was wrongly transcribed, looekd around, seems to be YoungJoo
On October 17 2013 07:53 Paljas wrote: "iloveoov:[...]I was very surprised when he won." hahaha, probably not the best way to give your player selfesteem for the upcoming ZvP
also, who is Kim Myung Joon?
According to Liquipedia there is not player on the team with that name. It is probably YoungJoo whos name is Kim Young Joo. Myung Joon might be an error in translation from Hangul to the roman alphabet
On October 17 2013 08:01 Yakikorosu wrote: Dear is apparently unaware that when Khaydarin Amulet was removed, the SC2 gods decreed that any Protoss will always lose in the GSL finals, so a Protoss GSL champion would require another PvP finals.
So stoked about the partnership with TL if this is what we get! haha, this is so classic. I really like both of the players we have in the finals, but I hope this makes some more people hyped like me.
On October 17 2013 07:53 Paljas wrote: also, who is Kim Myung Joon?
I'm wondering this too, it's not anyone who's listed on the roster, at least according to Liquipedia. And I think Dear might have mentioned this player in a previous interview as well.
was wrongly transcribed, looked around for a different source, seems to be YoungJoo
Do you have any ceremonies planned? Dear: I will perform manner Nexuses. If I'm sure that I'm going to win, then you'll see me build a lot of them. [note: Another source (Inven has transcribed this as being "I will NOT perform manner nexuses anymore" after his humiliating loss to symbol in the GSTL. It seems that's probably what he said?]
I assume they're pretty good friends to have this kind of banter? Regardless, it's really fun to read and good hype for the match :3 Should be an awesome finals!
Am I the only one who thought that aside from a comment or two, this was rather weak. There wasn't much well, shit talking between them. Maybe something got lost in translation ...
Any final comments? soO: I'm sorry to the fans that my opponent is kind of weak. People who want to see Dear crying should come watch live. I'll show you his tears of defeat. I will do my best to win the championship.
And if you win the championship? Dear: I would want to cry, but I think I'll win so easily that I just won't be able to.
iloveoov: As the players mentioned, I feel the first map is the most important. Depending on how that goes, the result will swing greatly. If soO wins the first map he will win 4 – 0, if he loses it the I think he will win 4 – 2.
The smack talk is pretty good I admit. I felt this finals was gonna be anti climatic, but after reading that. Helped me gain more interest and hype into it at least. Honestly, idk who I want to win. I guess I'll side with soO so the SKT zerg line can finally end up doing well.
I think soO has this because he's a much more solid player. But, if you are guys are hoping for NaNiwa to get into Blizzcon, Dear must win to increase NaNi's chances.
Hmm, even though soO in the past insulted my favorite team, this is some excellent smack talk, and after all he did win me many many points in fantasy Proleague, so I just have to root for him!
On October 17 2013 08:18 BigFan wrote: Am I the only one who thought that aside from a comment or two, this was rather weak. There wasn't much well, shit talking between them. Maybe something got lost in translation ...
This is the most smack talk I have personally ever seen in sc2. It was all over the interview on both sides, especially with soO.
OOOOO the bm sike these guys are probably good friends, gonna be a good finals but i give this one to soO sorry dear :'[, ill make up for it by rooting in more proleagues
On October 17 2013 07:53 Paljas wrote: "iloveoov:[...]I was very surprised when he won." hahaha, probably not the best way to give your player selfesteem for the upcoming ZvP
also, who is Kim Myung Joon?
According to Liquipedia there is not player on the team with that name. It is probably YoungJoo whos name is Kim Young Joo. Myung Joon might be an error in translation from Hangul to the roman alphabet
In the original post on thisisgame, the name is 김명준, which is actually Kim, Myoung Joon, instead of 김영주 which is for youngjoo.
On October 17 2013 08:18 BigFan wrote: Am I the only one who thought that aside from a comment or two, this was rather weak. There wasn't much well, shit talking between them. Maybe something got lost in translation ...
This is the most smack talk I have personally ever seen in sc2. It was all over the interview on both sides, especially with soO.
DRG vs Genius in GSL 2012 had a lot of smack talk between them, especially since they were like best friends on MVP and they played each other in Ro32, Ro16, and the finals that season. Might want to check that out if you want to see two players really go at each other for an entire season of GSL. If I recall correctly, the matches were quite good too (at least by my standards back then).
I really hope Dear wins, he has shown solid play, but he seems to lack in some aspects probably because he gets nervous, so, I hope he can show 100% of his play in the finals and give me new builds that I can copy and try on ladder and latinamerican tournies ^_^.
On October 17 2013 08:18 BigFan wrote: Am I the only one who thought that aside from a comment or two, this was rather weak. There wasn't much well, shit talking between them. Maybe something got lost in translation ...
This is the most smack talk I have personally ever seen in sc2. It was all over the interview on both sides, especially with soO.
it was but it felt lacking. Like, I dunno, everyone thinks it's good but things like I didn't realize he made it to the semis, well, that's doesn't seem that smack talky to me lol.
On October 17 2013 08:18 BigFan wrote: Am I the only one who thought that aside from a comment or two, this was rather weak. There wasn't much well, shit talking between them. Maybe something got lost in translation ...
This is the most smack talk I have personally ever seen in sc2. It was all over the interview on both sides, especially with soO.
DRG vs Genius in GSL 2012 had a lot of smack talk between them, especially since they were like best friends on MVP and they played each other in Ro32, Ro16, and the finals that season. Might want to check that out if you want to see two players really go at each other for an entire season of GSL. If I recall correctly, the matches were quite good too (at least by my standards back then).
I probably missed that but that tweet from MC against Genius a couple of weeks ago before their match was more smack talkish than these two(to me at least).
Doesn't matter though, hoping for a great final between them. Dear to win this so that one more protoss has won WCS KR(GSL)!
On October 17 2013 08:18 BigFan wrote: Am I the only one who thought that aside from a comment or two, this was rather weak. There wasn't much well, shit talking between them. Maybe something got lost in translation ...
This is the most smack talk I have personally ever seen in sc2. It was all over the interview on both sides, especially with soO.
On October 17 2013 15:42 Liquid`Ret wrote: Judging from the interview, Dear will not win. He's going to play macro games and lose.
Protoss is a 2 base race (with 3 base plays thrown in as a strong/good surprise strategy) and none of the top protoss seem to abuse it to the max.
Well that's also why they don't win the final very often. Bo5s and especially bo7s are hard for them, because the opponents adjust to the all-ins and timings and once the surprise factor is gone Protoss hardly wins.
In my opinion Protoss are the strongest in bo1s and get weaker the longer the series goes. I think PL stats and the results in big finals support the idea.
Edit: Also nice interviews and Soo will crush Dear!
On October 17 2013 15:42 Liquid`Ret wrote: Judging from the interview, Dear will not win. He's going to play macro games and lose.
Protoss is a 2 base race (with 3 base plays thrown in as a strong/good surprise strategy) and none of the top protoss seem to abuse it to the max.
Well that's also why they don't win the final very often. Bo5s and especially bo7s are hard for them, because the opponents adjust to the all-ins and timings and once the surprise factor is gone Protoss hardly wins.
In my opinion Protoss are the strongest in bo1s and get weaker the longer the series goes. I think PL stats and the results in big finals support the idea.
Edit: Also nice interviews and Soo will crush Dear!
Nah, it´s because Protoss is the easiest race, which is supported by the fact that only Protoss got through the KR-EU lag, when they had to face several EU players...
On October 17 2013 15:42 Liquid`Ret wrote: Judging from the interview, Dear will not win. He's going to play macro games and lose.
Protoss is a 2 base race (with 3 base plays thrown in as a strong/good surprise strategy) and none of the top protoss seem to abuse it to the max.
Well that's also why they don't win the final very often. Bo5s and especially bo7s are hard for them, because the opponents adjust to the all-ins and timings and once the surprise factor is gone Protoss hardly wins.
In my opinion Protoss are the strongest in bo1s and get weaker the longer the series goes. I think PL stats and the results in big finals support the idea.
Edit: Also nice interviews and Soo will crush Dear!
Nah, it´s because Protoss is the easiest race, which is supported by the fact that only Protoss got through the KR-EU lag, when they had to face several EU players...
On October 17 2013 07:53 Paljas wrote: also, who is Kim Myung Joon?
I'm wondering this too, it's not anyone who's listed on the roster, at least according to Liquipedia. And I think Dear might have mentioned this player in a previous interview as well.
was wrongly transcribed, looked around for a different source, seems to be YoungJoo
On October 17 2013 15:42 Liquid`Ret wrote:Protoss is a 2 base race (with 3 base plays thrown in as a strong/good surprise strategy) and none of the top protoss seem to abuse it to the max.
On October 17 2013 15:42 Liquid`Ret wrote: Judging from the interview, Dear will not win. He's going to play macro games and lose.
Protoss is a 2 base race (with 3 base plays thrown in as a strong/good surprise strategy) and none of the top protoss seem to abuse it to the max.
Well if the zerg overdrones every game I'm not surprised 2 base toss seems way stronger than macro play.
Dunno, I've always thought that Ret was way better than most Zergs at sniffing out Protoss intentions and cutting drones at jsut the right moment to stop all-ins and pressure.
I think the more applicable stereotype is impaling roaches on force-fields at various phases of the game.
On October 17 2013 15:42 Liquid`Ret wrote: Judging from the interview, Dear will not win. He's going to play macro games and lose.
Protoss is a 2 base race (with 3 base plays thrown in as a strong/good surprise strategy) and none of the top protoss seem to abuse it to the max.
It's not 2011 anymore. IMO Rain has shown that protoss can be an extremely strong makro race, it's just way harder to do and there is almost nobody who does it well enough. IMO the fact that warpgate disables defenders advantage (which star 2 minimized anyways via removing high ground miss chance) does obviously first and for most lead to stronger allins/cheeses, however I feel like it also stresses the importance of build orders more than any other race in the history of rts which leads to players having to have abilities that go way past the obvious mechanical challenge known from brood war. However buffing attacking like that also means that the lategame can become your strength as protoss pretty much gets 2 production cycles in the time of half of one production cycle if you use chrono boost, to me that means that the the race can definitely play for the lategame and be successful, and imo rain has proven that enough times by now. I do agree however that due to the stressed importance of build orders in all protoss matchups (which imo is not a bad thing just a meta skill for players to have beyond the game, the better player should not only have better mechanics but also better builds anyways) that protoss pretty much has to mix it up to actually win as proven by naniwa vs life where he went void ray storm every single game. I just don't feel like you should call the entire race a 2 base race just because that is the most obvious way to abuse warpgate tech. Also compared to other races I think protoss does become exciting because you can deviate between 2 base/3 base and total makro styles, while all we see in matchups like tvz is the same makro build on both sides with a few deviation and cheeses. I guess it's personal preference whether you think more highly of mechanically demanding play or mentally demanding play.
This is fucking great, it actually got me noticeably more excited for the final. I wish more koreans would do this, it's a great way to market yourself without having to put much effort in.
sOo will win 4-1 or 4-2, I can't really see any other outcome. There are players like San that have many strong two base attacks, and I feel like with using recall and the new warp prism there should be powerful ways for protoss to keep zerg honest. But if Dear is likely going to mix in macro games he will lose, and I don't think he can keep surprising sOo with two base attacks to win four games either.
On October 18 2013 00:02 Grumbels wrote: sOo will win 4-1 or 4-2, I can't really see any other outcome. There are players like San that have many strong two base attacks, and I feel like with using recall and the new warp prism there should be powerful ways for protoss to keep zerg honest. But if Dear is likely going to mix in macro games he will lose, and I don't think he can keep surprising sOo with two base attacks to win four games either.
soO beaten Soulkey in GSL, he is destined to get 2nd place now. Or he will pull an MvP and actually 4-2 Dear.
On October 17 2013 23:59 Squat wrote: This is fucking great, it actually got me noticeably more excited for the final. I wish more koreans would do this, it's a great way to market yourself without having to put much effort in.
On October 17 2013 23:59 Squat wrote: This is fucking great, it actually got me noticeably more excited for the final. I wish more koreans would do this, it's a great way to market yourself without having to put much effort in.
If more people did it, it would get noticed less.
It encourages creativity, but this way, these guys actually have some honor on the line too!
I would be really happy to see a protoss win for a change but I am pretty sure that for Dear to win he must dominate Soo (If they play at a similar level zerg will probably win in the end).
As mentioned Protoss has to many weak spots in long series. If you take away sentry based 2-3 Base All-ins then Toss would probably rarely ever win a pvz.
Do people treat you different now that you've reached the finals? Dear: I think they treat me the same. Head coach Choi: When Dear had his semi-final match, he washed the dishes for lunch before heading to the studio.
Great trash-talking as promised. Dear is pretty awesome for washing dishes before calmly coming and crushing Maru in the semis.
EPT
SKT_soO
Soul_Dear
Phoenix.
