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2014 GSL Season 2 Interviews:
Code A Qualifiers
Code A Winners
Code S Ro32 Winners
Code S Ro16 Winners
Code S Ro8 Winners
Code S Ro4 Winners
2014 GSL Season 2 Grand Finals Winner
Day 1 Winner:
ClassicDay 2 Winner:
soOSK Telecom T1 Classic![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/4ofonmT.jpg)
Source: inven eSports
How do you feel about advancing to the finals for the first time ever for individual leagues??
Maru is such an excellent player so I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it through. But I’m so glad that I was able to advance through, and now I really feel it since I finally get to participate in the finals and not just watch it on TV.
Anything you did specifically to prepare for Maru?
Maru is so good at medivac plays, so I decided to play defensively and aim for the late game. But his aggressiveness was so much stronger than I had anticipated, so I got flustered. I was initially planning on utilizing phoenixes again for the final game but his responses to them were just too good. That’s why I think my decisions to improvise my build order was a good one.
You showed us a very daring one gate into triple nexus play for game one.
Once I saw that Maru was going for a no rax dual CC, I decided to improvise. I knew he was going to go for a barracks style of play so I went for a triple nexus build. Even though I had the advantage early on, Maru’s resistance was really powerful towards the middle. But I’m relieved that I was able to win. If I had lost, things would have gotten very difficult for me.
You frequently showed us a phoenix/colossus composition play today. Why did you keep doing this build?
I was anticipating ahead of time for Maru’s medivacs. So I went for phoenixes so that I could have air control but as it turned out, I needed to refine that build order more.
You seemed to be in a good position for game four on Habitation Station because of your oracle play, but then you were crushed afterwards because of a doom drop. What were you feeling then?
Honestly, I would have won that game had I just held that one timing attack. I felt down after I lost game four, but I was able to recover since I won game five by playing patiently.
You will face a Zerg player for the finals. Is there a chance that your style has been greatly exposed since you tend to show sky Protoss plays a lot?
Honestly, I’m worried about that part as well. But I still have time so I am going to prepare extensively so I can show some new styles.
Out of soo and TRUE, who would you prefer advanced through?
TRUE plays such a unique style that it would be cumbersome to face him, but none the less, I feel very confident. I’m sure a fun match will play out even if soO does advance. I also think we could paint a funny picture if soO grabbed second place three seasons in a row (laughs).
After your pro gamer debut six years ago, you have now finally made it to a finals for an individual league. You must be feeling something completely different than everyone else.
I heard that it took me 1821 days for me to get here. Honestly, I actually thought to myself, “What have I been doing these past six years?” But still, I think it’s incredible that I made it to a finals. I want to take full advantage of this opportunity and grab the championship.
With your GSL finals appearance, you also secured a seed for the KeSPA cup.
I had absolutely no idea. Today really was the most important day out of my entire pro gaming career. That’s what I told myself as I worked hard to prepare. I was able to really feel the notion that hard work does not betray you.
It seems like you have been winning constantly ever since your switch to Protoss. Why did you switch to Protoss?
When I first tried out SC2, Protoss looked really fun and flashy. But I figured that it would be impossible for me to race switch right away so I chose to stick with Terran. But after practicing, I was able to see that SC2 Terran just doesn’t fit me well.
Then, once HotS came out, I was able to get about a month to figure things out. That’s when my life changed. It was really an earnest moment for me. As I began to practice Protoss, I told myself that if I didn’t make it this time, then it would be the end for me. Also, the style of Protoss really fits me well.
Anything else you would like to say?
I want to thank my teammates for helping me with practice. I also want to thank Acer’s INnoVation for helping me with practice. Even though it took me forever to get to a finals, my fans still waited for me and cheered me on so I want to thank them for that. I really want to show everyone a picture of myself holding the championship cup no matter what.
SK Telecom T1 soO![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/9NKjOSH.jpg)
Source: inven eSports
How do you feel about advancing to a finals three seasons in a row?
Even though this will be third finals appearance three seasons in a row, I didn’t think that I’d accomplished something amazing. It wasn’t until Classic hyung told me that he had no idea it was this difficult to get to a finals and that he was amazed at what I achieved, that I realized that I actually did achieve something amazing. I’m proud of myself.
You probably expected Zest to advance through. What were you thinking during that time?
Since I had already lost to Zest twice during a big tournament, I saw this as an opportunity for him to not advance through. I was disappointed that Zest got eliminated but things were okay in the end in my opinion since TRUE, who I’m close with, advanced.
After taking down Solar in the quarter-finals with a perfect performance, you then went on to face TRUE for the semis. What were you feeling then?
I didn’t watch any of TRUE’s LIVE performances. Mainly because I was so sure that Zest was going to win (laughs). I turned it off after I saw that TRUE lost game one because I thought for sure that Zest was going to advance through. Then later on, my teammates started cheering and told me that TRUE won. In a dazed state, I ended up cheering along with them (laughs).
TRUE attempted the supply trick. Did you know about it?
I had no idea at first. But once I scouted him, there were signs that he had canceled something. I just thought that he canceled some buildings, but then I noticed that he was on par with me during the battles. I initially felt that TRUE was really good at doing battles, but since the end result is like this, perhaps his battles are not as good as I thought.
It also looked like you were ahead in the mind games. What did you think?
I scouted TRUE’s base with my overlord and I noticed that he wasn’t getting any gas. After thinking to myself, “what is this?” and then I guess correctly what he was up to. Other than that, I really had no way of seeing what TRUE was up to.
Did you prepare specifically for TRUE’s surround style?
I faced him before for the Ro32. Since I had the image of him surrounding me from before, I decided to play it as safe as possible, but then I still ended up losing. I was later on able to realize that his style wasn’t just about surrounding me, so I decided to just proceed through without difficulty this time around. Rather than just focus on responding to his surround style, I prepared for all kinds of possibilities.
Recently, you have been standing out because of your ZvZ performances. Do you take any pride in your ZvZ performances?
I know that I am good at the matchup, but I also think it’s because I know a lot of build orders. Since I know a lot of build orders, I have a lot of options. Skill wise, things are pretty similar. Since I had the mindset that I would win as long as I didn’t have to face any hive units as I kept on defending, things flowed just like I thought they would.
You will face Classic for the finals. This will be your third time facing a Protoss in the finals. How do you feel?
Even though I feel bad about what happened during last season’s finals, I think something like that was actually able to strengthen me. During last season, I learned that things were very difficult for me during the late game stages. I wasn’t able to handle the pressure mentally so I ended up throwing a lot. As long as I don’t do that, I can win.
If you do lose again, you will set a record for finishing second three seasons in a row. Isn’t that burdensome?
Rather than put burden on me, that kind of title actually makes me drop my guard. Since I keep hearing about my second place finishes, I sometimes find myself thinking that second place is not that bad. I shouldn’t think this way, but I still get influenced by it. I need to be aware of the fact that I should do my best to not keep thinking about this since that’s what people keep saying around me. Even my friends do this.
If you had to compare yourself with Classic?
I think I’m the strong one. I won’t say anything like I wouldn’t ever lose, but Classic hyung has too many strong features about himself. Even though he doesn’t reveal everything he knows during televised matches, I am still plenty aware of all of his features. I am going to expose his weaknesses. I am not scared at all. I think I’m on top for this one.
Who is going to help you practice?
I have Rain, PartinG, and ParalyzE at my disposal. But he has Soulkey hyung and Dark so it’s not going to be easy (laughs). Back at the team house, I share a room with two people but Classic hyung sleeps alone. I get to sleep real close to ParalyzE and Soulkey hyung. I think that might give me an advantage (laughs).
It’s been 10 years since an SKT finals occurred. How do you feel about becoming the person to make this happen again?
Even though I am a person to have made history, I feel like I am always a secondary character in these situations. This time, I want to become the main character.
What do you think the final score will be?
I think even a 4-0 is a possibility.
Are you disappointed that the finals will be at the GOM studio?
I am disappointed, but I’m sure the situation was a difficult one to figure out. So even though I’m disappointed, I think things will be fine once it ends.
Anything else you would like to say?
I want to apologize to TRUE. I hope we can still be close after this (laughs). There was a chance for me to go on a tilt after losing game three, but since the coach and the supervisor were able to catch me before I fell, it helped me out greatly. I want to let them know that I am grateful for that. I am also thankful to the fans who always come to cheer me on. I hope a lot of them will come for the finals as well.
Methods to locating SC2 interviews!
- Go to the TL.net search bar and type in [Interview] and then search. You will find the most recent interviews at the top
- Go to the SC2 Interviews/Translation Archive
- Go to the liquipedia page for that player and look at the section titled "Interviews" http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/PartinG#Interviews
- Go to the liquipedia page for that specific tournament and find this icon:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wfoGKzI.png)
If you click on that icon, it will take you to the interview for that group's match winners
