[Interviews] 2014 GSL Season 1 Code S Ro32 Winners

CJ Entus herO



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16?

I had to defeat Rain, who is a close friend of mine, so it’s not like the sun is shining or anything like that. I was worried about today’s matches ever since I was on the plane but it feels like I was able to get through much easier than expected so I’m happy.

After winning on the opening day for Code S, you became the first player to get into the Ro16. Is this feeling new to you?

First off, this is my first time advancing to the Ro16 so I think it’s made me happier and gladder. There is a bit of disappointment because I couldn’t participate in the IEM Cologne qualifiers because of GSL, but now I think it doesn’t matter.

You lost game one in your match against DRG but you were able to win in the end. What’s your secret?

It felt like the balance for the maps were not correct so I got my composure together. Thanks to that, I think I was able to perform well for games two and three.

Your head to head record against Rain is overwhelmingly in your favor. How far do you plan to widen this gap?

I do not naturally see Rain as an enemy. I see him as another Protoss player, but for some reason, I get strangely lucky every time I play against him. Honestly, I would prefer not to face him anymore (laughs).

You were able to see Rain’s proxy play because of your scouting pathway. Were you able to predict this?

While I did send that probe because I had this feeling, I initially sent that probe to the 1:00o’clock position because I wanted to hide a probe in that location. I got lucky this way because I was able to scout his hidden building.

You will partake in the group selections for the first time. How do you think it will go?

Participating in group selections is something I’ve wanted to do since the BW days so I think it’s going to go great regardless of how it’s done and I want to make that experience as enjoyable as possible.

Who would you like to face?

I don’t know who is going to advance through so I don’t really know for now.

Anything you would like to say to the player who might end up picking you?

I don’t care who decides to pick me during the group selections. There probably won’t be anyone who wants to pick me (laughs). If PartinG ends up picking me because he wants to grab revenge, then I will deliver a “welcome” message to him.

This season’s goals?

I think my goal is always to get the championship.

Anything particularly memorable regarding your IEM Sao Paulo experience in Brazil?

I was stuck in the team house the whole time so nothing really happened. But I got to say that it felt like there were a lot of hot babes walking around the streets (laughs).

Why did you decide to do a tumbling for your ceremony?

Actually, I had something prepared beforehand, but it was too difficult to execute. So the only thing I could do was that (laughs).

Anything else you would like to say?

For my trip to Brazil, I went with coach trOt. I want to thank him because it felt like I was able to win the championship because he supported me well. Also, I want to thank all my fans who cheered me on.

SK Telecom T1 Rain



Source: inven eSports

The matches for today were not easy ones. How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16 rather difficultly?

It was a difficult one. I thought I was going to advance through easily but I had such a difficult time that I think I’m going to have to prepare even more extensively for next time

You and herO are pretty much one and the same. Is he really a difficult player to beat for you?

There is actually something that I’m rather sour about. I played proxy strategies the whole time but the sound soundproofing in the booths was not done well. I was able to slightly hear the crowd when they were being loud so I already knew that my proxy buildings had been scouted. But I had had no choice but to act like I didn’t know about it and just play on. I heard the crowd yelling when it looked like herO would either see or miss my buildings. I’m sure herO didn’t try to utilize the crowd’s yelling, but it’s true that it was very off-putting.

Why were you struggling against Solar?

It’s not like I think of him as a bad player or anything like that. My plan was to win my PvZ with a 2-0 score, then play one round of PvP, and then advance through. But I didn’t have any prepared build orders for afterwards so I just had to use the same build orders from the previous match. It was a lack of preparation on my part.

You must be feeling confident in your PvT but there are no Terrans to face. Will the championship be a possibility?

Honestly, in my current state, I don’t think it’s going to be possible. Truth be told, I’m not feeling confident right now. I rested a lot for the Chinese New Year break so I only prepared for one day. Right now I’m feeling uneasy a lot, but I think I’ll find confidence again once I start practicing. I don’t think the championship will be a possibility for me unless I pick up some momentum by getting through the Ro16.

You will participate in IEM Cologne along with teammate Classic. Do you feel confident?

Honestly, Classic fools around a lot (laughs). Classic hyung was the one who first mentioned playing in the qualifiers together, and I was able to get through because I got lucky. I’ve personally been to many overseas tournaments before, but I’m worried about Classic hyung. He has a fear of foreign lands so I think I’m going to have to babysit him (laughs).

This season’s goals?

It’s good to aim high so I want to go to the finals. The $70,000 1st place prize is nice but it’s not really that big of motivational factor. Regardless of the prize pool, I plan on always working really hard.

Who would you like to face for the Ro16?

I would prefer it if Terran players could make it through. The way I see it, In order for a league to be fun, all races need to be represented. So I would like it if all three Terran players could advance through. I think it would be fun to be in the same group with Maru. I don’t play against him these days so there’s some curiosity there as well.

Isn’t it possible for team kills to occur if all the SK Telecom players advance through?

I don’t like to do team kills but it’s inevitable if a lot of us make it through. If it does end up happening, I will win just like I do for practices no matter what.

Anything else you would like to say?

I am sorry to my fans since I advanced through with such difficulty, but I hope I’ll get a lot of support since I will practice even more for the Ro16 so I can show a good form. My teammates will be partaking in their Code S matches soon, so I hope they will all advance through.
The Proleague playoffs will be kicking off next week. I want to apologize for not doing so well in Proleague lately. But since the playoffs will be an all kill format, I think I will have to grab an all kill at least once.

KT Rolster Zest



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16 after a clean 2-0 victory?

Since I advanced through my Code A group with an undefeated 4-0 score, I also wanted to do the same thing this time. Unfortunately, things got twisted up as I lost the very first game. But I was overflowing with confidence. Since I was able to do well for the rest of my games and cleanly advanced to the Ro16, I felt good.

How did you feel about your group when you found out about it?

Honestly, my Code A group was unbelievably difficult. WCS champion INnoVation, herO, and Stork were in there. Since I got through such a difficult Code A group, I think my Code S group was actually easier in comparison.

Did you expect to advance out of your group today as first?

I had a feeling that I would be fully capable of doing so if I just won my first match.

How did you feel about the first game where your failed attack eventually led to your defeat?

Game one did not go the way I practiced for. I don’t know why I all of a sudden felt the need to attack at that moment, but it felt like it would work if I went for it. But he bought a lot of time because he had two photon overcharges. But I had already beaten Trap yesterday for the IEM qualifiers with a 2-0 score, so I was confident.

You lost to Rogue in the IEM qualifiers. What can you tell us regarding that?

Even though I lost, Rogue advanced in the end. So it’s fine since I lost to the guy who ended up qualifying (laughs). I might have been mad had he not even made it through after I lost to him. Since I understood that Rogue is a good player, I was able to cleanly admit my defeat.

KT Rolster is the first team in Proleague right now, but your role has been rather weak. How come?

I had no confidence in my skills last season so I just played aggressively. I thought things would go better for this season. I thought things would go well since I had found a lot of confidence, but as it turns out, since we only have to prepare for one game, my opponents also worked really hard. So after losing one game, then losing another game, things just turned out that way.

Can we expect you to perform for the round one finals?

The finals will be an all-kill format. Our team has an excellent record for all-kill formats. I think the situation is just right for our team, and we definitely have a chance to win the whole thing. Since the rest of my teammates are all doing so well, I’m not sure if I’ll have a chance to get sent out. But if I do, then I will try to get a lot of kills like I did for last season.

Anything you would like to say to the people who could potentially pick you?

Since this will be my first time, I’m not sure who will select me out of the blue, but I have confidence within myself so I will take on anyone without caring about who will pick me.

This season’s goals?

This season’s goal is of course the finals, and if I do get to the finals, then it will be the championship no matter what.

Anything else you would like to say?

For some reason, I am performing badly for Proleague and doing well for individual leagues, but I am going to become that kind of player that can excel in both areas so I hope people will give me a lot of support.

IM_Trap



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16 after winning the final match?

Before I even came to the studio, I had this feeling that I would be in a difficult situation if I didn’t make it through the winners’ match. But since the end result was that I was able to overcome adversity, I feel good.

Why did you feel that you had to advance with a 2-0 score?

I felt that I was still lacking in skills so I figured things wouldn’t get easy until after I won my PvP match.

You won the first game against Zest but he pulled off a comeback win. Why do you believe this happened?

I lost in the IEM qualifiers yesterday to Zest. It looked like he hadn’t lost any of that momentum for today, and during our game on Polar Night, I went for a stargate strategy, but Zest sent out a scout towards a direction where we would meet each other. But I don’t know if Zest predicted all this and decided to send his scout the other way or what, but I think this is where things started falling apart.

You were able to grab a comeback victory against SuperNova. What was the situation like?

I went for oracles but it got blocked. I was in a very disadvantageous situation. After that, I told myself to just “stay still”, but then I think I was able to pull off a comeback because I was able to block his medivac plays. I probably would have been at a disadvantage had the game been prolonged, but the game turned into a constant back and forth scenario so I think it was actually better.
For game two, I felt strongly that SuperNova was feeling impatient, and I had also experienced a similar kind of ghost rush before during the Auction OSL. So I started remembering that time. Overall, I felt the style of SuperNova’s for game one, but I felt impatience for game two.

You really tortured Leenock rather crudely for the final match. Was that a planned play style?

I always play aggressively even for practices. I do practice timing precision games also but those always get blocked. I knew that Leenock has a tendency not to use swarm hosts, so I decided to play as safe as possible and head into a long game. I already kind of knew that he didn’t really like to use swarm hosts, and I was able to confirm this through his match against Zest.

So is it comfortable for you to face Zerg players that don’t use swarm hosts? Does this mean that swam hosts are your weakness?

It’s comfortable for me to play against them. I like to play games where precise timings are involved, so I actually have games where I lose against players that don’t use swarm hosts. But I’ve already deciphered that area so that’s why I played as safely as possible. The swarm host is a flawless unit. It has no flaws. It can synergize with just about any unit composition, and Protosses get tortured the tinier the maps are.

It looked like this group was also a rather difficult one. What did you think after seeing your group for the first time?

I thought to myself that things were going to be difficult since it’s Code S, but it felt like the other group were much harder. So I came with the mindset that I had to get through mine no matter what. Since I had to get through an even tougher group for last season, I just told myself to play with my original skills.

This season’s goals?

The goal for this season is the championship, but I don’t think my skills are quite there yet. But still, I am working really hard right now. I keep telling myself “I am working really hard.” But still, I am going to have to grow more as I keep beating my opponents.

If you can’t secure your spot for next season’s Code S, then there is the possibility that you may fall back to the qualifiers if you fail to perform for Code A. Is that burdenful?

There is some burden there, but it did not exist in the past when I failed to get into Code S. But now that I’m actually here, it exists. I know that I should not allow myself to get eliminated no matter what, and since my goal is to not be content with just securing a spot for next season, I have a feeling that I won’t have these kinds of worries as long as I can make it high.

Any specific player you would like to face for the group selections?

I want to play against a Terran player. There are only two left, but I don’t care even if I do have to face Maru. I don’t think they’re struggling because Terran is weak, or because the balance is off. Rather, I think it’s because Terran as a race demands a lot of physicality, it’s just difficult to stand out.
If people have the highest of physical capabilities, then I think Terran could be the strongest race. When I watch Terrans play, I feel like you can’t do well if you’re not physically up to the task. I think it’s difficult to just win through strategies.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank Mvp hyung for helping me with practice. I want to thank my fans for cheering me on. I appreciate how good the supervisor has been to me, and I want to thank our sponsor Joon System.

SK Telecom T1 soO



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16 after two straight victories?

Compared to the other groups, it felt like mine was rather an easy one. So I am satisfied because I think things went well as expected.

Even though you say your group was easy, you still had sOs in it. How did you practice?

Honestly, because I didn’t have a lot of time to practice, I couldn’t really study any VODs or replays. I had no information on Panic and Ruin so I mainly strategized with those two in mind. So I practiced with my main focus upon those two.

Was there anyone who gave you any advice regarding those two?

I talked to Soulkey hyung… He told me I would be fine as long as I used my swarm hosts well, but then my opponent came with a swarm host counter prepared. I don’t think I should rely on advices (laughs).

Did you scout early for game one of your first match because you anticipated some kind of proxy strategy?

I didn’t send out my scout because I was expecting a proxy play, but rather because I wanted to scout what my opponents was doing and then respond to that. But I think I was able to win because I got lucky and scouted the proxy building.

Throughout today’s matches, we saw you scout quite thoroughly. Were you trying to be cautious of all strategies?

I’ve learned a lot recently ever since Soulkey hyung joined the team. Soulkey hyung is really thorough with his scouting. Even just copying that thoroughness is so good for me.

Were you feeling pressured because you started off the winners’ match with a loss in game one?

I did feel uneasy after game one because I lost while not being able to do anything. But because I knew that sOs’ style mainly relied on matching what I was doing, I knew that I would be able to win as long as I was able to twist up my build order. Since I had that kind of confidence, I didn’t get overly nervous or anything like that.

You took down sOs in game two with a roach/hydra composition. Was it an all-in attack?

It wasn’t an all-in. Rather, it was a situation where I would win if I went in. I blocked his attack well initially, so I had the chance to end it if I went for a counter attack. But I don’t think that was an all-in.

You showed a muta/corruptor composition for game three. Did you prepare that kind of strategy on purpose for Alterzim Stronghold?

I had a feeling that I was going to get attacked early on so I decided to play safely. sOs is a really gutsy player so I would have been in a tough situation in a macro game. Since I didn’t really have an answer to that, I decided to just go for something that I felt confident in and it worked out well. I don’t really play on Alterzim overall, but I think my muta/corruptor play went fine today. The muta/corruptor decision was an improvised one.

Anyone particular you would like to face for the Ro16?

Since there are only five people qualified so far including me, I’m just going to calmly keep watch of everything. Even though Zest is in the Ro16 and he gave us our Proleague loss, our entire team is really angry right now, and not just me. So if SKT players make it to the group selections, then I can’t help but feel that he’ll become the main target for all of us (laughs).

Do you feel confident enough to win if you do face Zest again?

Of course I feel confident. I think yesterday was just a result of the influence from the atmosphere. We were plenty capable of taking the win but we weren’t able to so we are all disappointed. But if we meet up for individual leagues, there will not be a single player on our team who will lose.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank the fans for coming to cheer me on. In fact, even my cousin came today. Lastly, I want to thank coach Hyuk for always coming to the studio with us.

Jin Air Green Wings sOs



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16 as second from your group?

I like that I was able to advance to the Ro16, but I think it’s also off-putting because I advanced as second. I wanted to advance as first no matter what. I’ve also lost a lot of my matches recently, so it’s even more disappointing.

What did you think after your group got announced?

I didn’t really think much of it. I just saw that it was a “three Protoss, one Zerg” group. And then I started seriously preparing for my matches after Proleague ended starting yesterday. I think I was able to win my PvP matches because I played like I always do.

Were you feeling pressured because you lost the winners’ match after winning the first game?

After I won game one, I didn’t expect anything for game two because I don’t like the map Daedalus Point. I had a feeling that I would win game three even if I did win game two since I would have the map choice, but things didn’t pan out that way. I guess you could see this as me being nitpicky but it was also really hot inside the booth.
I build a robotics facility and a fleet beacon, but they both were built about a minute or two later than expected. It looked like my opponent wasn’t actively using muta/corruptors, so I thought he was switching up his unit composition. Overall, I was angry at myself for making so many mistakes. But after that match was over, the supervisor mind controlled me so I was able to get a lot of help psychologically.

So does that mean you would have had an answer against his muta/corruptor composition?

If you gather a group of anion pulse-crystals upgraded phoenixes, then Protosses get the advantage. But I performed way too terribly.

soO stated in his interview that he had a difficult time because you prepared swarm host counter build orders. Is that true?

They weren’t swarm host counter build orders, but rather I just planned to ease into macro games. I think I did okay for game one. Game two was so-so, but I’m most disappointed about game three because it was so disappointing. These days, if you’re the kind of player who can’t block swarm hosts, then you can’t block swarm hosts, and if you’re the kind of player that can block swarm hosts, then you can block swarm hosts. In my case, I think I handle them pretty well.

You went for dark templars twice against Panic. Was there any pressure that they would get blocked?

I was watching Panic’s losers’ round matches and I saw that he played an aggressive style while excluding the possibility of dark templars. I took a note of that, and I think the maps fell in my favor. In the case of my match on Yeonsu, I think my opponent thought that I was going to go for a sentry/blink stalker build since I do that often.
I didn’t care even if my dark templar build order did get blocked. I like to play PvPs where I chase my opponent. Since I always have these build orders that make me think that I have to win no matter what for Proleague that I often use, I had the mindset that I didn’t care even if my strategies did get blocked, so I played comfortably.

There will be a nerf incoming for Protoss soon. Do you think it will have any influence?

Blink stalkers will be getting a nerf. I don’t really use stalkers all that much anyways so I don’t think it will make that big of a difference but things do come to light regarding balance once I play PvPs. So I think things are going to get difficult in various ways. I think PvPs are going to become fun though. But still, I think 15 seconds is too long.

Anyone particular you would like to face for the Ro16?

I don’t really think about it much. I just want to hurry up and meet my opponents so I can win. I think I’ve been going into a recession because I’ve been losing so much lately. I want to be able to win so I can turn the atmosphere around. I plan to win against everyone I come to face.

So this season’s goals?

Initially, after the prize pool got established, it was supposed to be the championship. But these days, I want to win all my matches that get scheduled in a hurried state. I keep losing in Proleague somehow. Since I feel bad for my team, I want to hurry up and do well for Proleague, and I want to experience a lot more matches for individual leagues.

Anything else you would like to say?

Before I came to the studio today, the executive director, Cho Hyun Min, bought me pizza and chicken. Thanks to that, I was able arrive here after eating plenty of food. I think I was able to win because I received strength from that. I will work hard so that I can advance through my Ro16 group as first, and I will do my best so that I can do well for Proleague as well.

SK Telecom T1 Soulkey



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16 with two straight victories?

Because I lost a game in the Proleauge Round 1 finals that I had already won, I was feeling really bad. I think I was able to make up for it a little bit with today’s victory.

It seemed like it was an easy victory for you. What did you think about today’s matches?

I prepared for my matches by sticking to the basics. I didn’t feel like I was going to lose. I came with the group selections already in my mind. I felt confident. I am always well prepared. I am confident regardless of who I face.

Anybody specific you would like to face for the group selections?

I plan to pick an easy opponent. I want to aim for six times straight. So I want to pick an opponent I can handle easily.

Why did you do a six pool against Sora for Match 1 Game 2?

Protoss players like to go nexus first on that map a lot, and I felt like it was going to work so I improvised.

Did you plan to do a six pool vs Squirtle?

I had feeling that I would win if I played macro games so I didn’t really plan on doing it. And it’s not like the maps were bad for Zerg.

Is your goal the championship?

That’s correct. The prize pool is $70,000 this time right? I think that honor does come first, but money is also important (laughs).

Do you have any plans to get revenge against Zest?

In my game for Proleague, had I just focused like I did for today’s matches, I think I would have won. We were not in a situation where we should have gotten all-killed like that. I feel like he grabbed an all-kill because he picked up momentum. So I do have this mindset of getting revenge.

If you pick Zest, then there’s a chance that a team kill will occur. Any pressure there?

We have a lot of SKT players in Code S right now so I don’t think we can avoid a team kill from happening. I don’t want to go through it, but I think I need to keep it on my mind.

What do you think about the trend these days where all the Zerg players are using swarm hosts?

There’s no helping it. If you want to win against Protoss, the swarm host is the best unit. You can’t win with any other unit. Swarm host is the only answer. I know this for a fact, which is why I use it.

A lot of people say that swarm hosts need to get nerfed. What do you think about this?

Swarm hosts are not OP. It’s the only unit that we can use. In regards to the tempest buff, I don’t think it’s going to be that big of an issue since they only get additional damage against buildings, but in my opinion, giving Protoss a buff when they don’t even get nerfed enough is just going too far (laughs).
But because we have so many strong Protoss players on our team, in order for us to grab the championship for Proleauge, I think not nerfing Protoss is the right decision (laughs).

Anything else you would like to say?

I am sorry for putting on a shameful performance for the Proleague Round 1 finals, and I am also sorry for losing even though the executive director bought me some 산삼액기스 (some kind of Korean energy drink I believe). I will work even harder because of that purchase.

IM_Squirtle



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about returning to the Ro16 after five seasons?

First off, I honestly do really well during practice. I even came to the studio today with the mindset of getting revenge against Soulkey. I made it through in the end, but since I wasn’t able to win against Soulkey, I feel bitter.

After grabbing second place in GSL two years ago, you have now returned to the Ro16 after four seasons. How do you feel now?

It’s not the same feeling I get for when I get o the finals, but I seem to feel something similar during practice. I get really nervous when I come to the studio. I think I’ll be able to make good results as long as I can overcome this nervousness.

You played only PvZs today. How did you feel about your overall performance?

Overall, I think I drew the picture that I wanted to draw, but I was lacking in detailed micro for my matches today. I was lacking in a lot of areas, like throwing away too many units and whatnot. Overall, I think I was lacking in concentration.
In my match against Pet, excluding my mistakes, I think everything went well. But I’m not completely satisfied because it felt like I was falling behind in my match against Soulkey.

Soulkey stated that swarm hosts were the only answer that Zergs had. What do you think about this?

If it was any other Protoss, they probably would have won. I lost because I didn’t do well. But I do think swarm hosts are OP because it’s impossible to push a Zerg player if he gets swarm hosts. Zergs get a chance if the game progresses to the late game stage, so there’s just no answer behind pushing in an all-out battle. I’ve even though about getting a mothership, but I can’t handle corruptors.

This season’s goals?

First off, my goal is to win all my matches that are right in front of me. So getting through the Ro16 and getting to the quarter-finals is my goal.

You will be merging with StarTale for Proleague. What do you think about that?

I am amazed that I get to work with StarTale again. StarTale moved locations so now they will be with us in the same building. We have different team houses but I think it’s going to be fun to be able to travel back and forth.

Anyone particular you would like to face for the Ro16?

There are barely any Terran right now. For me, I don’t feel so good when I have to face against swarm hosts when I play against Zergs. So I want to play against Terrans. I won’t care even if the only available Terran player is Maru.
PvPs are okay too. I was hoping Sora would make it through against Pet but Pet ended up advancing.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank Lucky for practicing a lot with me, and I want to thank my teammates who helped me with practice. I also want to thank the supervisor for cheering me on right before I came here. Lastly, I want to thank our sponsor, Joon System.

SK Telecom T1 PartinG



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16 after some difficulty?

I came with the mindset that I would obviously advance, but I had no idea that I would have to endure such difficulties in the winners’ match and just barely advance like this. I didn’t practice my PvZ at all. I was planning on winning by sticking to the basics, but TRUE did really well. I got flustered because it wasn’t the TRUE that I knew from before. He was really daring. The situation was rather cumbersome because everything I just excluded everything I wanted to exclude. It was difficult because it felt like he was a different Zerg player than all others.

How did you practice?

I focused mainly on practicing PvT and PvP. I had specific builds prepared for the winners’ match because I thought Bbyong would make it through, but I wasn’t able to use any of them. I also had specific builds prepared for my match against MyuNgSiK but looks like I won’t be able to show them until the Ro16.

How did you play for your first match?

It felt like MyuNgSiK would go for blink stalkers. So I practiced mainly with that in mind, and then it ended up happening exactly that way. I thought to myself that I would win game one with ease as long as I didn’t make any mistakes. While trying to grab some kind of advantage, he ended up losing all his blink stalkers after I found out about them, so I figured that MyuNgSiK was shaken up by that loss in game one. That’s why I went for a cannon rush in game two.
However, MyuNgSiK also had something prepared. He did a 10 gate, 3 warp gate all-in. I had no idea whether or not my build order would win against his. I didn’t think a cannon run would beat a warp gate all-in, but I think I was able to win because MyuNgSiK made the mistake of losing his stalkers.

Why was the winners’ match so difficult?

TRUE opened up with a very greedy build without a care in the world for game one. I accepted that there wasn’t much that I could do, but I wanted to at least force him to make some zerglings so I decided to build a pylon in his territory, but he didn’t end up making any in the end. That’s when I felt it. “He’s grasped the concept for the game today. He’s playing superbly.”
I scouted his spire with a hallucinated phoenix, and that’s when I felt that I would lose unless I tried to shake him up somewhat with a timing attack. The attack ended up working out, but there is a regretful part, and that is that I would have been able to take it to a macro game had I just retreated afterwards. I felt that TRUE was the kind of player who was unknowingly aggressive, and so I was pushed back because of that.
Even for game two, he played like such a man. During that critical time, had my immortals gotten caught, then I would have had no chance to win. If 20 more seconds had passed, I would have given up. But then I saw that he was needlessly pushing into my main base, so I figured that I could win as long as I kept defending and stacked up my immortal count. After I won game two, I realized that I had had fun during that time. Also, it felt like he would do the same thing for game three, so I decided to just play responsive
I did my thumbs up ceremony because TRUE played so well. I think he is good at pushing his opponents back.

This season’s goals?

The goal is of course the championship. Before the matches began, I stated that “the GSL is my home.” But the truth is, I’ve never been to a final before. My best record was a semi-finals placement, but for this very first season of GSL for 2014, I want to overcome that semi-final wall, head to the finals, and win the championship. I want to show everyone that I can even win in Korea.

Anybody specific you would like to face or avoid for the group selections?

There’s no one I want to avoid. Regarding KT players, I don’t care who I face. I especially want to face Zest. That playoffs finals loss was so disappointing. I was so mad at myself. I made mistakes that I normally don’t make on a regular basis. I was supposed to be our team’s redemption, but because I wasn’t able to do that, I felt sorry to the team and angry at myself.
After Zest won against me, he did some kind of ceremony where he was hitting me. He also stated in his interview that he wanted to teach me a lesson. I wasn’t angry just because he did a ceremony against me. I know that Zest is a good player. He’s also really famous on ladder. His skills are heavily acknowledged by our team. If I do end up playing against Zest, I can’t help but feel that we’ll produce a fun match, and I want to approach that match with the mindset that I would be able to learn a thing or two.

Anything else you would like to say?

I faced Flash hyung for the SPL Race Wars. During the pre-game interview, Flash hyung told me not to do another ruler ceremony. But I honestly did not hear him say that. So I want to apologize to Flash hyung. As it turns out, when Flash hyung stated in his interview that he has never disliked a pro gamer before and that I was the first one ever, I put my head down and felt ashamed because of that. Right then, during that interval was when he requested that I don’t do a ruler ceremony.
After I won my game against him, it felt like I just had to do a ruler ceremony. It’s not that I wanted Flash hyung to feel bad or anything, but the audience was wanting it too. I want to take this moment to apologize to him and I hope that he doesn’t hate me too much for it. Every time I play against Flash hyung, it is always fun and I feel good. Even though I have yet to lose against him, I think it will feel good when I finally do. I hope to meet Flash hyung in the GSL or in a high place for Proleague.

CJ Entus Bbyong



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16 after some difficulty?

I am really glad, and I’m also taking note of the significance behind the face that I am the first Terran player to advance. I think that’s why I am twice as happy. There is one point that I am disappointed about, and that’s the fact that I had to beat TRUE to get here. It just sucks because he’s a close friend. But since I did lose match one to him, I guess we’ll just see it as me grabbing revenge for that.
I remember that one time that I eliminated TRUE for OSL in the past. I don’t really have that many friends I am that close with, but the fact that I ended up facing him out of 32 potential players, just shows how strange fate can be.

There are like no Terrans. Wasn’t it burdensome that the focus was on you?

There was some pressure there, but I just thought of it as “this is the Ro32.” I had the mindset that I would not be the Terran player to get eliminated out of the remaining two of us. Since I had never gotten through a Ro32 before, I saw it as a good test on stage.

How did you practice?

I practiced mainly with people around me. But since I had my Code S match coming up, the supervisor gave me special permission and allowed me to focus purely on practicing for the GSL. So I want to thank the supervisor for that.

You were not in the best condition. Anything to say regarding your catching a cold again?

It is up to the player himself to take good care of his own condition. But I could not even fathom the idea of me catching a cold twice in a row. I hope everyone will watch out for colds. I’m not sure who is responsible for giving our team a cold.

How did you play match one against TRUE?

Whenever I show TRUE that I’m going for a starport play, his upgrades get delayed. So I purposely showed him that and then won game one because I quickly grabbed my upgrades as I played bio. But for game two, he macroed way too well. Since I was playing game three while feeling pushed back, it did not go so well for me. But I was able to regain my composure after speaking to the coach afterwards, and that’s how I was able to establish a good result for the final match.

You fell down to the losers’ match. Was there any pressure behind the fact that you would get eliminated if you lost again?

Since Terran is so weak right now, I had been feeling pressured even during practices. So no, there wasn’t any pressure there. I just focused on the concept that I would play my game. And it ended up working out well. For the losers’ match, the Protoss’ high templar usage was superb. Even though I hate dealing with warp prisms and zealots, my opponent didn’t use them. Since he played strictly WoL style, it was rather comforting.

You met the player who sent you down to the losers’ match for the final match. Was there any pressure there?

As I stated before, I had already deciphered TRUE’s style, and since I was able to re-grasp what TRUE was doing thanks to the first match, I didn’t really feel any pressure. In fact, I was more concerned about the possibility of TRUE beating PartinG with a 2-0 score and having to face him in the final match.

There are a lot of players in Ro16 who are sending you a love call. (as in a lot of players have stated in their interviews that they would like to face Terrans) Anything to say regarding that?

Since Terran is really not that good of a race right now, I think rather than people feeling that they are “confident in XvT,” it’s more along the lines of, XvT is just so much easier and easy for me to win against. If they do pick me, I’ll take them on whenever. I’ve got the honey right here. Just don’t throw up once you get it (laughs).

Would you like to take this moment and talk about balance?

I read some interviews done by Protoss players and they really have no shame (laughs). I even thought to myself, “how could they say such things?” I trust herO, but then even herO said things like that so only laughter came out (laughs). Terran is really not that good of a race right now. I’m not sure if it’s because we are so vulnerable to Protoss or what but nowadays, it’s pretty much over for us even for TvZ if we end up making one mistake.
You know, it’s a game where one person is in control of everything. So I really dislike the fact that this game has the potential to change the entire outcome just because of a couple of mistakes. But since Terran is in this state right now, I guess there’s nothing we can do. The only way to overcome this is by an enormous amount of practicing. These days, if you want to play well as a Terran player, you have to just become a machine.
Terrans can’t play strategically. Because unlike Protosses and Zergs, if our strategies get blocked, the risks are just too high. That’s why there’s just no choice but to play standard. Unless you’re someone like TY, who can master strategies and execute them, it’s really burdensome to play strategically.

Maru has his match coming up soon. Anything to say as a fellow Terran?

I think he’s going to do well. His control is great, and he does really well for Proleague too. I think he’s going to advance easily. I think he’s a player that will make it through all on his own even if people don’t cheer him on much.

Anything else you would like to say?

Be careful of colds (laughs).

SK Telecom T1 Classic



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16 of Code S with an undefeated score for your Code S debut?

I am really glad that I was able to advance with a clean, undefeated score into the Ro16 for my very first Code S performance. Honestly, before I came to the studio, I was worried a lot about my PvZ but I am relieved that things went better than expected.

What were you worried about specifically regarding your PvZ?

During practice, Soulkey used swarm hosts so well that PvZs were difficult.

You did not seem nervous at all for your first Code S performance.

I didn’t focus on any facts like having a long gaming history, or being sent out as an ace for Proleague.I just had the mindset that I would execute well everything that I had prepared.

Your victory against Maru was a clean one. Did your IEM match vs Polt help you there?

I am normally confident in my PvT on a regular basis, but I realized what I was lacking in after I faced Polt. I think I was able to win though because things went exactly as I had prepared.

Anyone specific you would like to face for the Ro16 group selections?

First of all, I want to avoid any team kills. I don’t really have anyone I want to face because avoiding a team kill is my first and foremost goal. But if it does happen since we have so many players in the Ro16, then I’ll have to think about what to do then.

This season’s goals?

It was really cool how Dear was able to grab a royal roader GSL championship last season. So I’m going to do my best so that I can also accomplish that.

Anything else you would like to say?

Recently, it feels like I’ve been putting on a better form than before. I will make sure to put on a good form for both Proleague and individual leagues so I hope a lot of people will cheer for me.

Jin Air Green Wings Maru



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16 after a fierce battle as second from your group?

I did worse than I thought I would today. But I am glad that I was able to advance in the end.

There must have been a lot of pressure behind the fact that Terrans are so scarce right now.

I tried not to think about that kind of stuff, but it didn’t work well. There was some pressure there.

It seemed like your first match against Classic was an unexpectedly quick loss for you?

After the first match ended, it just felt like things weren’t going to go well today. But I hung in there and advanced as second from my group so that was good.

You showed a lot of reaper/hellion/banshee play in today’s matches.

That specific build order is the safest for early game. I chose to do a build where you can respond to any kind of early game all-ins from Zergs, while also establishing your macro game.

For your third game in the final match, we saw your trademark 11/11 after not having seen it for a while. Was it improvised?

I haven’t used it at all recently, so I had this mindset that I would use it at least once someday. And today, that feeling came to me.

At the current state, it looks like half of the Ro16 will consist of Protoss players. What do you think about this?

As long as I practice extensively, then I’ll be confident enough.

This season’s goals?

At the very least, I want to be able to advance to the quarter-finals and grab a Code S seed for next season.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank my teammates who helped me with practice, and the supervisor. Lastly, I want to thank the Jin Air organization.

StarTale_Life



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16 as first from your group?

I normally don’t sleep well the night before a match is due, but I think things went well because I was able to sleep comfortably this time.

Your results last year were not the best. But it seems like things have been looking great for you recently. What do you think about this?

I do fine for practice. But recently, I think I’ve developed a kind of phobia for televised matches.

So you are starting to fear televised matches because you’re getting older?

Not necessarily. I’m just a little afraid of the army (laughs).

There were two Protosses in your group today. There is a notion that Protoss is really strong, so how did you prepare?

My performance for practice is fine. I think I was able to win comfortably today because my opponents did a lot of all-ins.

For match one today, you showed an all-in that added in drones.

I saw that he built his forge rather late, so I attempted an improvisation. There have been instances where it works out well from time to time.

You seemed very cautious in your match against Dark.

Dark is an excellent player on ladder. But I too was confident in my ZvZ so I felt confident that I would win as long as I played cautiously.

Any disappointment in your Proleague debut loss?

I wanted to do well, but I lost so it was disappointing. It felt like everyone else also lost because of me so I felt sorry to my team.

Was there any pressure behind your first ever Proleague performance?

Even though we merged, I’m still on a different team so the pressure was huge because it felt like losing has that much more weight.

Will we be able to see you more often for Proleague from now on?

I personally would like to be sent out a lot. I had no idea that I had that may fans who wanted to see me perform in Proleague.

Do you have confidence to get to the quarter-finals?

Things are looking well for me right now so I am confident. There are a lot of Protosses in the Ro16 currently, but I do well for practice so I’m not really worried.

Anything else you would like to say?

We have another Proleague match this Sunday. I hope we will prepare extensively so that we can win. I am working hard right now, so I hope to get through the Ro16 and the quarter-finals so that I can get to a high place. Lastly, I want to thank our sponsors ZOWIE Gear, MSI, and Red Bull.

mousesports Dear



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16 as second form your group after experiencing difficulty?

I’m still dazed right now because I advanced much harder than expected. I’m not satisfied in my own performance, and I’m sure my fans were also disappointed. But I will put on a good form for the Ro16.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen you in an official match. How’s life with an overseas team?

There really isn’t that much difference between now and back when I was on a Korean team. Aside from not being able to find practice partners as easily or communication, there’s not that much difficulty.

You lost match one against Dark, who you chose to play against. How did you feel?

Personally, I felt like my group was too difficult. I didn’t pick Dark because he was a weak player. Rather, I picked him because I knew he was a good player, and because I wanted to prove to myself that I had to overcome good players like that in order for me to perform better. I did lose that first match, but I was able to advance in the end so I am glad.

There have been a lot of instances where skills drop for players who transfer to an overseas team. How about for you?

There's not really anything that I feel uneasy about, but a lot of stuff happened recently during the last two weeks so I wasn’t able to practice properly. The only thing I felt uneasy about was that. There really isn’t anything uneasy about joining a foreign team.

Have there been any exchanges between you and overseas players?

Since I’m playing in Korea for WCS, the only times I meet foreign players are during overseas tournaments. Not much exchange other than that.

Does mousesports want you to function from Europe?

There hasn’t been any word about that yet. And I don’t really have any thoughts on that since I’m still functioning in Korea for WCS.

Currently, there are three Zergs, two Terrans, and nine Protoss players in the Ro16. You’re probably going to have to play a lot of mirror matches.

I really dislike mirror matches. It’s because of the recent patches. Things have been going downhill ever since that oracle buff. As soon as I feel like I’ve adapted to something, it just gets patched again (laughs).

You are the champion of last season’s WCS. Looks like people have somewhat forgotten about you because of the long downtime. What do you think?

People haven’t forgotten about me because of the long downtime. It’s because I haven’t established any good results for the most recent overseas tournaments I’ve participated in.

A lot of people are saying it’s because you moved to a foreign team.

Personally, I don’t think so. I’m not sure what it is, but for some reason, I’ve been making a lot of mistakes for televised matches lately. I think the fans have been thinking that it’s because of my move to a foreign team just because I’ve been doing badly coincidentally around that time. But I will put on a good form from here on out.

Anybody specific you would like to face for the Ro16?

Not really. I just want to avoid mirror matches as much as possible. Personally, I feel like PvPs are like 80% luck.

A lot of Zergs have been saying lately that Protosses are too strong. What do you think about this?

I’m not really sure why Protosses have gotten so much stronger all of a sudden. It’s doable, and it’s definitely not OP. Personally, I just think that the superior player wins. Protosses have the advantage for PvT for sure, but I’m not too sure about PvZ.

Anything else you would like to say?

While I was in Germany, I spent time with MC hyung. I want to thank him for taking care of me so well. I also want to thank Rogue and sOs for helping me with practice. Lastly, I want to thank our sponsors BenQ, XMG, and EpicGear.

StarTale_Curious



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16?

I waited for a long time because I started preparing as soon as the groups came out. I am glad that I was able to advance since this was not an easy group. I want to do even better for the Ro16 so that I can advance to an even higher place.

You chose to use mutalisks more than swarm hosts. How come?

Honestly, it was improvised. Take for instance Alterzim Stronghold. Since the map layout makes it impossible to utilize swarm hosts, I decided to just go for mutalisks after pondering about what to do.

This is your first Ro16 appearance since 2013 GSL Season 1. Do you think you’ve overcome your poor performances?

It feels like I’ve overcome it a little, but since this is my first Ro16 appearance in a while, I am not going to be satisfied with just that. I feel like I still have a long way to go. Even if I did advance through, if I get eliminated in the Ro16, then there won’t be much significance behind today’s victory.

ParalyzE’s immortal aggression was really fierce for game one. Were you shaken up by that?

That map is a map where immortal all-ins are really strong, so just thinking about the surface in which I had to fight in made it a difficult situation. I noticed that ParalyzE had come well prepared. But because he was so focused on dropping me, I was able to take advantage of that and expose his empty base with my lings.
Thanks to that, I was able to bust through into his base, he missed his force field timings, and I was able to defend my base. And then the game was in my pace from there on out.

In the winners’ match against Stats, he put on a disgruntled expression after you took down all his phoenixes. What was the situation like?

I was in a really good situation. In the case of Alterzim Stronghold, you cannot finish off a Zerg player no matter what kind of units you send to attack. I wasn't really sure what was going to happen for the late game, but I was able to put myself in a good position because of my mutas so there wasn't really any uneasiness there.

There was a tricky situation where your muta/infestor/corruptor composition got blocked by Stats even though you had done such a good job of hiding such a composition from him. What were you feeling?

I was like, “what the-?” I was flustered. I thought I would win with that composition because I was in an advantageous situation, but the map distance was quite long. Afterwards, I wasn't in a good situation, but I was able to respond to it properly, and even though I was flustered, I had a lot of economy banked up so I felt like I was still going to win.

Ro16 group selections are gone. What do you think about that?

I am disappointed that the group selections are gone, but I don’t think it will be totally bad as long as the groups drawn turn out good.

Even though you can’t choose, anyone specific you would like to play against?

I don’t care who I face. ZvT is easy for me, but it’s so hard to practice for it. We only have one Terran player on our team. It’s just Hack. It’s so bad that I can’t even find Terrans on ladder (laughs).

How do you feel about the merge with IM?

I haven’t really felt it yet. But I am practicing real hard.

This season’s goals?

My biggest goal is to grab the championship, but there are just too many good players. I don’t think I can aim for the semi-finals or the finals until I have better workmanship. I’m going to work hard, instead of being satisfied with just the fact that I advanced to the Ro16 from the Ro32.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank our sponsors. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Ro16. I am going to work hard so that I can advance through with a good performance, so I hope a lot of people will keep cheering me on.

Samsung Galaxy KHAN RorO



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the Ro16?

I am glad that I was able to make it through to the Ro16 somehow. It felt like a really difficult Ro32.

It feels like it’s been a while since you’ve been to the Ro16. Anything to say regarding your performance?

I don’t really have anything to say regarding how I feel about advancing to the Ro16. Rather I’m disappointed in my performance for today.

What were you disappointed about?

Normally, I like to just improvise how I play whenever I arrive for my matches. So I did just that depending on each map I was playing on, but because of that, it felt like I wasn’t really prepared, and I wasn’t happy with my performance so it just felt like everything was a mess.

Were you worried at all about losing to Stats in the first match and falling down to the losers’ match?

I’ve had many experiences where I was able to advance through in the end even though I had lost the first match. My performance was a rather weird one, but I the thought of losing didn’t occur. I didn’t have an uneasy mind going into the final match, and I was able to play comfortably.

You were able to win the third game in the losers’ round with a timing attack even though you got shaken up pretty badly by ParalyzE’s phoenixes. What was the situation like?

Since I started off the game by successfully harassing ParalyzE, I thought I was in an advantageous situation. So I grabbed a ling/hydra composition and tried to finish him off but it kept on getting blocked. But it felt like ParalyzE was economically suffering, so I thought I could still finish him off if I switched to mutas. But then that plan crumbled because he had a lot of phoenixes.
However, I didn’t reveal to him that I was gathering an army of hydras and only revealed my muta/corruptor composition. I’m pretty sure he had no idea that I was gathering hydralisks. I think I was able to win because of that.

In game two of the final match, you disappointingly allowed him to break through with his stalker all-in. How come?

I had already prepared my defense beforehand because I expected his attack to come, but I kept throwing away my lings, I was lacking in my decision making regarding defense, and I didn’t micro well. I’m sure I would have been able to block it had I done better, but since I lost that first fight, it became too difficult to block his efficient blink utilization.

Stats went for an all-in in game three of the final match. Were you flustered by that?

That was like almost the first time I had ever experienced a cannon rush in a tournament. So I was flustered because I wasn’t sure of what to do. But then he kept on sending zealots into my base because I think he was curious as to what I was up to. So I blocked my ramp entrance with queens so as to make him think that I was up to something.
Thanks to that, I was able to take down his zealots. But I didn’t feel like I had the advantage just because of that and I still had no idea what was going to happen afterwards. I think I was able to play comfortably from then on because Stats decided to go for an all-in. Also, Stats made a lot of mistakes. He wasn’t sure of what to do once I blocked up my entrance, and I think he made the wrong decisions. I approached this game with the mindset that it would be a difficult one, but I was able to win because of Stats’ mistakes. It also felt like I was going to be able to block his attack once my ling speed finished.

Did you expect to advance through by enduring such difficulties?

I wasn’t able to use any of my builds that I had prepared beforehand in my first match against Stats. I was also disappointed because a lot of all-ins occurred today. I told myself that today was going to be difficult after my first match against Stats occurred. Even during practice, I had to go through a lot of difficult games. But I had no idea that it was going to be difficult beyond my expectations.

Are you satisfied with how your Ro16 group turned out?

I feel like it’s going to be difficult regardless of which group I get put in. But I really did want to be in Group A. I was hoping for some ZvZs. But I am a little concerned about having to play right away next week.

This season’s goals?

I felt like I could get to an even high place these days because I had found a lot of confidence recently. But now that I’ve gone through my matches, I think a lot of that has disappeared. I think I’m going to need a lot of replenishing.

Anything else you would like to say?

First off, I want to thank eMotion for helping me with practice. Also, eMotion taught me about the build order that I used in game one of the final match. It’s a build order that eMotion learned from Suppy. He showed me that replay, and then I copied that exactly. So I want to thank him for that.
It’s all thanks to eMotion that I’ve been able to improve my ZvP so much. I want to take this moment to let him know how I much I appreciate that. He was actually pretty upset that I hadn’t been mentioning him in my interviews (laughs).