EPT
$100,000 Dollar Men
StarDust and San
On March 13th, some of the best StarCraft 2 players in the world will gather in Katowice, Poland for a shot at winning the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship and its $100,000 grand prize. Not just the grand prize, but only prize.
IEM's decision to make the World Championship winner-take-all has been controversial, with some fans eagerly anticipating the heightened stakes, and other fans angered by the inequitable distribution of prizes.
But what do the players think? We talked to
yoe.San and mYi.StarDust, two of the underdog Koreans, about their thoughts on the stacked tournament.Interviews have been edited and condensed.
mYi.StarDust
"I know what the most popular build is, even if it's not the best build. But I don't like to copy that build, because then there will be nothing that makes me different from everyone else. So instead, I try to use builds that counter the most popular builds."How are you feeling ahead of the tournament? Has it been hard adjusting to the balance patch?
Hmm, personally I'm doing alright. I actually thought Terran players were so bad that they needed an advantage. A few Terrans were constantly working hard to find a solution, but the rest of them were only complaining. The hydra buff, Ican't really tell how much it's increased their efficiency.
Do you think you're one of the championship contenders at IEM? What do you think of your chances?
Usually I don't have a huge amount of confidence in my skill, but looking at the roster ahead of this tournament there's a lot of Protoss players. PvP is half/half, so I think I have a shot. Even so, it will be hard to take first place. I think bracket luck, as well as my condition when I arrive at the tournament, will be very important.
Your PvP win rate over the last few months is incredibly high. Why do you think it's a half/half match-up?
Personally I'm confident but... When I go into game at a tournament, I start feeling uncomfortable and afraid. I've come to the weird conclusion that I'm confident but it's still half/half. In other match-ups, if there's a big enough skill difference, you can even get to the level where you almost never lose. PvP's not like that.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Waxangel/iem/wc2014/stardustsmall.jpg)
There's been a lot of talk around it... I don't think it's good. It feels like you're making 15 losers for the sake of one winner. In other tournaments if you get knocked out in the semis, then you can still recover yourself thinking that you've at least made some prize money.
For second to fourth place at IEM... I think there will be some damage, especially for second place. And if you lose the final 4:3? Just thinking about it makes me shudder.
If two of my friends play in a final, I usually go to the loser first to give him encouragement since the winner is always happy regardless of the prize money. This time around, I don't think I'll be able to approach the loser, lol... As a joke we say it's retirement for the loser.
San says it's suicide.
That kid doesn't have a thought in his head. Please edit his interview, you're not supposed to use such extreme expressions, lol.
Have you thought about where you'd use the $100,000 if you did win?
There's so many things I want to do... I guess around $70,000 would be left after taxes? I'll nomnom on about $40,000 for myself and give $30,000 away to charity, so please cheer for me.
Donate to who?
Uh, smart students who don't have money, LOL. And of course I'm not just saying this because I don't think I have a chance
You've been in Europe a while. Do you think you've assimilated somewhat?
No, I don't think so at all. I may be living on the continent of Europe, but I spend so much time in the team house. When I go out and try to talk to regular people, they have a hard time understanding me at first because my pronunciation is poor.
Still, you must feel like you have an advantage over some of the players at IEM due to your experience traveling to and competing at European tournaments.
Yes, I do benefit from that point, but on the other hand, living in Europe means I can't practice with Korean players... I think that disadvantage might outweigh the advantages.
When Korean players see a good build, they all work to develop that build, tweak it into a version of their own.
Foreigners all have builds that are uniquely their own, so sometimes when I play them I think "ah, this isn't something a Korean would ever do" and think that it's just not useful practice.
What do you think of Polt then, who is actually enjoying the best results of his career after moving abroad?
I think that players like Polt who have the ability to create their own style of play can succeed abroad. Some players have a very stubborn and rigid way of thinking, I don't think they would do well abroad. Polt hyung lives is in a world of his own, and he works to improve inside that world. I think that's why he can do well.
Even before I started playing SC2, he was already famous as 'the Marauder from Seoul National University.' He hasn't changed the larger framework of his play, and he's continuing to improve on his own terms.
Also, you can play on Korea from the US... T_T
Don't you think you're a creative player as well? For instance, your unique PvZ style helped you win the DreamHack Summer championship.
This is the way I am: I know what the most popular build is, even if it's not the best build. But I don't like to copy that build, because then there will be nothing that makes me different from everyone else. So instead, I try to use builds that counter the most popular builds.
My games tend to be either really long or really short. It's tough to figure out a timing in the middle of a build, you have to go by feel. So I prefer to just keep increasing my lead incrementally and taking it to a late game where I can't lose.
Who do you think will win IEM?
I think sOs probably has the highest chance. Watching him in individual leagues, he wins so easily. Especially in GSL.
When you watch SC2, there are players who win because they win because they are good, and players who 'just' win. I think he's both. Me, I think I'm the type who wins because I HAVE to win.
I'll pretend I understood that.
LOL. I mean, it's like....
sOs knows how to take the initiative and control the course of the game, and he makes timings where he knows he can win. Part of that is because of his ability to make builds. In any case, he's on a roll right now and I think he'll do well.
If your girlfriend was kidnapped by Somalian pirates, which three progamers would you take along with you on a rescue mission?
MC is rich, so I'll throw him to the pirates as bait. Then I'll go in for the rescue with Stork.
Why Stork?
He's a ghost!
What about the third member?
Don't need one, I don't think it would be worth the risk to take another person. What would I be worried about, we have a ghost in the party! A Darth Vader ghost at that...
Okay, any final comments or shoutouts before the tournament?
RIP Naniwa.
yoe.San
"We joke around and say that if you take second place you'd probably kill yourself, but really, I think it would be alright... I'd feel very empty and deflated, but it would still be an interesting experience in life and people would give you a lot of attention. I'd have to take some solace in the WCS points."How are you feeling ahead of IEM Katowice?
When I first heard that they were only giving prize money to the winner, I thought man... why can't they just do it like last year, this is some serious business right here.
But right now, it actually feels like a relief because my skill has dropped so much. Last year there was a prize difference between each round, and it would have been disappointing to lose in the earlier rounds. This year 16th place and 2nd place are the same, so I feel like there will be less pressure.
I've been practicing hard in the lead up to the tournament, but I don't know if it will be enough.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Waxangel/iem/wc2014/sansmall.jpg)
ROFL. We joke around and say that if you take second place you'd probably kill yourself, but really, I think it would be alright... I'd feel very empty and deflated, but it would still be an interesting experience in life and people would give you a lot of attention. I'd have to take some solace in the WCS points
Has your mindset changed after finally winning a big tournament?
It's just made me think that I want to try harder and win a championship again. I don't have a trophy T_T [ASUS ROG Winter did not award a physical trophy]
Did you end up taking the novelty check back to Korea at least?
Yes... From Finland to Switzerland to Germany to Finland to Korea... the edges have become rags.
What are your thoughts on the new balance patch?
Me, as well as my friends Daisy and PartinG, we're just cursing as we ladder together T_T. But I'm repenting as I watch GSL and see Protosses advance.
Your PvP played a big part in you winning ASUS ROG. Do you think the nerfed MSC scouting has made it a more random match-up? How do you feel about the prospect of playing many PvPs as IEM?
I don't MSC scout much in PvP so it doesn't change much for me in PvP. But since I keep losing PvZ and PvT after the patch... StarCraft 2 is a game of mentality, and because my mentality is broken from PvZ/PvT right now, I'm losing PvP as well. I've become awful at SC2 lately, and rather than hope to do well, I just just hope that I can avoid playing embarrassing games.
Any players you want to face? Any you want to avoid?
I want to avoid Terrans. Especially TaeJa, these days he's showing god-like gameplay.
Who do you think will win the tournament?
If it's Protoss then sOs, if Terran then TaeJa.
Any final comments then?
Thanks for the interview. IEM is the big tournament that wraps up an entire year, so I think it will be a great memory for me just to have been there. Cheer for me please!
