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This interview was conducted on Sunday the 3rd of August 2014. It was after the regular season of proleague so most of the players were away and not in the teamhouse.
______________________________________________________________________ ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/qr5GuoL.png) GerrardPrime![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/0Wtt5WAl.jpg) ______________________________________________________________________
Last time we talked together, MKP was taking a break from SC2 to play LoL. Many things happened since.
Q: First i want to talk about the League of Legends team. PRIME managed to qualify for the OGN Spring season but not the Summer one. Where is the LoL team at these days and how do you feel about it ?
PRIME Optimus did a really good job for the Spring season and we had high expectations for the Summer one but unfortunately it fell short.
So we are trying to do better for the next championship, changing some players and doing everything we can to aim for top 4.
Q: So players are changing again. Since LoL is a team game, don't you think it's important to let 5 players play together for a long time instead of switching them often as it's been the case for PRIME ?
LoL is such a competitive game in South Korea. When we have good players, we want to keep them, but every time this happens they just leave for bigger teams with better salaries.
The next line up will be contracted and we will be able to build a team with long term objectives in mind.
Q: Alright. Let's switch to SC2, obviously finishing last in Proleague is a bad result and there is nothing to be happy about that. Even then, i want you to find something that was positive this season, and also is there something that you would have done differently in retrospect ?
One good thing was  CreatorPrime playing well and winning a lot. We actually have big news coming out tomorrow, we are getting a new main sponsor and we will be able to contract players, so we can recruit some solid players. So if there is something different that i wish i could have done, it's having the ability to do that : recruiting better players.
Q: During this Proleague season there was a big recruiting wave, none of those players are in the line-up anymore. Can you tell me what went wrong with this recruitment ?
Most of them didn't had any previous experience or career before coming in. Their skill level was not very good and i feel it was dragging the global level of the team down, so i had to let them go. What i want to do now is bring more experienced and skilled player to the house, raise the level and attract bigger sponsorship.
Q: So none of them stayed ? There isn't anyone who showed enough potential to stay ? einsPrime looked good to me !
einsPrime retired from progaming after his last game.
Q: And there is another player that i want to ask you about, all the fans are asking about him. There are some rumors he went to the military, or that he is in the hospital…Where is  ByuN ?
I don't know ! Maybe he started his civil service [NDLR: An alternative to military service where you work for the city instead of the military], i think he is at his house now. To be honest i don't really know he is always living like a shadow !
[Edit: So i want to clarify the last sentence, he literally said "it seems like he loves to live as a shadowman", "shadowman" is a common korean word that is best translated with "recluse"]
Q: Lately there was some revelations about some payment being held by TtEsports. It looks like KeSPA is helping to solve this issue, and is even about to sue them (?), how do you feel about those issues ?
Actually KeSPA is not suing them, maybe it will happen but nothing is done yet.
We've been with TtEsports for 3 years and the relation was always really good, we had good interactions when saw each others at various events.
But suddenly they stopped to pay us. I feel they acted very selfishly, they are a big company and we are a small team so there is nothing we can do about it.
KeSPA is trying to help but honestly i feel the money will never come, as a manager i feel helpless so that's why i want the fans to know about this issue, so the attitude of big companies towards smaller team like us will change.
Q: You are announcing a new sponsor tomorrow, can you talk about it ?
KTC is a company taking care of emergency situations, think of it as a private 911.
This kind of service is not really known in Korea so it's a good opportunity for both of us. I am also in talks with a few other companies right now and i hope to have some more good news in a week or so.
Q: Since the first time we met, you were always looking to secure good sponsorship for the team. Do you feel that you are finally getting there ? Was KeSPA a big factor in securing the sponsorship ?
Jun Byung Hun, KeSPA's chief executive, is helping PRIME a lot. Actually there are really helping the smaller teams, getting new sponsors and so on.
As for being sure that big sponsorship is secured, it's impossible for us to always be sure about it, the way to achieve it is by getting excellent results and trying hard to get there.
Q: You now have  Cezanne helping you coaching the team. Last time we talked it was a priority for you, getting some help with the coaching. How is that going so far ?
I was the only one taking care of everything, watching over both LoL and SC2 players and managing the team. It was a lot of work.
Now there are two coaches with me, one for SC2 and one for LoL. I can focus more on getting new sponsors and thanks to their help i am able to share some good news today [about sponsorship].
Q: PRIME is the one of the very few Korean team to have a foreigner player in the roster. How is it going with StatePrime and what do you think about his skill level ?
Ahh Ryan…Of course he has to do his best and train hard like every player.
He is very kind and friendly, and he is definitely very hard working.[in the game but also at learning korean and adapting to the teamhouse].
I feel that this period of rebuilding is good for him and we are happy to have him around.
Q: Ok so now let's talk about GerrardPrime the player ! You played some hearthstone tournaments. You got some decent results, placing 3/4 in the OGN Invitational (highest placing Korean player), and you were also the only one winning a match in the China vs Korea ASUS league. So does that make you the best Hearthstone player in Korea ?
Ahaha ! I actually stopped playing competitively. I was thinking that if i made it to the finals of the OGN Invitationals, even not winning it, i would try to pursue playing HS competitively[NDLR: he was eliminated by Artosis].
But i didn't managed to get there, so that was it !
So many Korean players are getting into Hearthstone seriously and the competition is fierce .
Q: You used to play MTG extensively, what do you think about the state of HS in Korea ? Do you think Korea will be competitive ? Historically asians countries have not been doing very well in TCGs…
Even if it will probably not be as big as the European or American server, Blizzard is pushing the game very hard to casuals like students. The game is on iPad already and will be on smartphone soon to. it will bring a lot of players to the game.
If there are a lot of people playing the game, there will be some very good Korean players for sure.
Q: Before we close this interview, i want to talk about MarineKing. You had some nice words for him when his release was announced. Do you have anything more to add to this ?
Everything i said i truly meant. What makes me sad is that MarineKing was always a top player, he could even be one of the best when the team was not doing so good and i think the team might have held him back.
He sacrificed a lot for us, and with the right circumstance around him, i am sure he will be unstoppable.
PRIME will do its best to be a top team again, and at that time, i am sure he will come back.
Q: Any words for PRIME's fans ?
PRIME could have that many fans thanks to MKP.
Now that he is gone, it's really heartwarming to see that so many fans are still with us, they are helping us keeping our heads up when the time are not best.
Many of those fans have been following us since the very beginning of Starcraft2, for them i want to bring back the honor of our beginnings and moments like the finals in Las Vegas[NDLR: he is talking about  2012 Global StarCraft II Team League Season 1].
Q: It's true that PRIME has been around since the beginning of SC2. How come PRIME is still here and fighting whereas almost all the of teams that were created at the same time are gone ?
Well we always had a player doing well in tournaments so that helped keeping fans around.
When we created this team, we had one goal in mind : be on the top of the [starcraft] world. We never lost sight of this goal and we are continuing going for it, for our fans and everybody supporting us.
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I probably left out some typos and english mistakes here and there. I will proofread it later as the sun is rising here and i have to get some sleep. I have another interview with StatePrime ready to be transcripted that i will do sometime this week.
And also i forgot to add something that he asked me to put in the interview : the prime sc2 uniforms and the LOL uniforms will be available on the KeSPA shop soon. I just got one of the SC2 uniform, man do i love those pants :D
Another thing that we discussed off record was that he is pretty sure that he will field a Heroes of the Storm team as soon as the public beta is released. So i asked him if he were to make another team, why not DotA2 instead of Heroes of the Storm ? To which he answered that he thinks DotA2 is not popular enough in South Korea now, if it gets more popular he will consider it but it's not in the plan for now.
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United Kingdom50293 Posts
I don't know ! Maybe he started his civil service [NDLR: An alternative to military service where you work for the city instead of the military], i think he is at his house now. To be honest i don't really know he is always living like a shadow !
So even prime doesn't know where byun is. At this point I'm calling illuminati, curse you illuminati why are you killing esports!?
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PRIME. <3
Lorning must be happy now. 
No ByuN tho. :/
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United Kingdom31935 Posts
Thx for that! So happy for Prime!
And lol even Gerrad doesnt know where ByuN is xD
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Seeker
Where dat snitch at?37014 Posts
So basically ByuN doesn't even live at the team house anymore. He's just somewhere in this world doing something.
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What a great interview. Thanks for the translation!
Gotta love Prime <3
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On August 05 2014 06:16 Seeker wrote:
So basically ByuN doesn't even live at the team house anymore. He's just somewhere in this world doing something.
I am sure he knows more but he is not telling me. i want to know.
edit: i added an edit for this question because it obviously one of the things that people are focusing on and my translator told me that my edit was not really accurate. There was also a bit of comic tone in his voice when he said that.
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It is really great to hear so many good things coming out of Prime, it seems like some things are looking up, despite the player losses. I am so excited now to see where Prime is going in the next few months! :D
ByuN????! how does Gerrard not even know where he is? Did he get kidnapped by another team and they are keeping him locked up and forced to play practice games so their players can become stronger?? Sounds like someone might need to call KTC
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Damn Kespa jail is too OP
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"He sacrificed a lot for us, and with the right circumstance around him, i am sure he will be unstoppable."
i'm sure too, MKP said "2014 year of MKP" - i believe him, if not this year - 2015 is going to be him year. gogo MKP, gogo Prime!
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On August 05 2014 06:19 Marou wrote:Show nested quote +On August 05 2014 06:16 Seeker wrote:
So basically ByuN doesn't even live at the team house anymore. He's just somewhere in this world doing something. I am sure he knows more but he is not telling me. i want to know.
When i first read the answer I thought that was one of Seekers *insert comedic answer* that he used to do.
I definitely agree with you though, there's no way Gerrard DOESN'T know what he's up to. Yet he keeps him on the roster so it must be something good
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Thanks for translating! Looking forward to the State interview.
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Lorning
Belgica34432 Posts
We actually have big news coming out tomorrow, we are getting a new main sponsor and we will be able to contract players, so we can recruit some solid players.
Fuck yeaaaaaaaaah
Their skill level was not very good and i feel it was dragging the global level of the team down, so i had to let them go.
That's unfortunate. I hope they kept Kassia.
I am also in talks with a few other companies right now and i hope to have some more good news in a week or so.
Moooooore sponsors :D
Jun Byung Hun, KeSPA's chief executive, is helping PRIME a lot.
<3 Kespppaaaaa
He is very kind and friendly, and he is definitely very hard working.[in the game but also at learning korean and adapting to the teamhouse].
I feel that this period of rebuilding is good for him and we are happy to have him around.
Ryan such a godly god.
Many of those fans have been following us since the very beginning of Starcraft2, for them i want to bring back the honor of our beginnings and moments like the finals in Las Vegas
Biggest moment ever for Prime ;;;
When we created this team, we had one goal in mind : be on the top of the [starcraft] world. We never lost sight of this goal and we are continuing going for it, for our fans and everybody supporting us.
And there you have it people, Prime's secret: A passionate Coach/Manager. You are a legend Gerrard!
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On August 05 2014 06:16 Seeker wrote:
So basically ByuN doesn't even live at the team house anymore. He's just somewhere in this world doing something.
I remember Byun saying in his stream chat a looonnnggg time ago that he didn't live in the team house anymore.
We may soon have to face the facts, ByuN is gone forever 
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Man, it's just impossible not to like PRIME
aslo, WHERE THE FUCK IS BYUN
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So happy that Prime is doing better ! :D
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I really hope he gets some good players into the team now. DRG and Trap would be nice, Keen maybe too. Creator would benefit a lot from some good inhouse practice.
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Very interesting interview and good news for Prime fans, thanks a lot . Byun still MIA.
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We talk about unsung heroes of esports sometimes. Gerrard is among them. There's a very good chance that if he didn't work as hard as he does, this team would live on only in the pages of Starcraft history, alongside SlayerS, oGs, and IM.
But I am sad to see he gave up on Hearthstone. He was a good player and a very fun streamer!
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I'm imagining Byun in a Fangtasia-like basement, all chained up with a bunch of vampires feeding off of him ;;
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Awesome interview, thanks for doing it!
Really shows how passionate Gerrard is. Back when I visited korea he personally thanked me for support after the games since I cheered for them, he seems like a great and very passionate manager. Having kept Prime around all these years is a testament to that.
Im so happy to hear that they are finally getting more stable and have sponsorships after all these years. I will definetely keep cheering them on even though my favorites MKP and Salvation left. And like he said, maybe MKP will come back after they are a top team again :D His comment about wishing MKP the best was very heartwarming too and even admitting that the team might have held him back.
Also LOL @ ByuN comment.. i wouldnt mind this otherwise but why on earth do they keep him on the proleague roster round after round if they dont even know where he is ??
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so nobody knows what happened to byun?
Not even his own head coach?
:O
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He's off the grid.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/i1rGGqK.jpg)
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I don't know ! Maybe he started his civil service [NDLR: An alternative to military service where you work for the city instead of the military], i think he is at his house now. To be honest i don't really know he is always living like a shadow !
Wow D:
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Thanks for doing this Looking forward to the State interview!
On August 05 2014 07:00 neoghaleon55 wrote:
so nobody knows what happened to byun?
Not even his own head coach?
:O
Yeah that was sketchy o_o
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ByuN is in Kespa Jail...pretty much confirmed now
I hope all the best for Prime and still keep supporting them even tho my 2 favorite players MKP and Maru aint playing in the team anymore.
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I love Prime not only because of MKP but for their resiliency and hard work through even the hardest times, gogo Prime! Also, I want to see State kick some Korean butt soon.
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looks like someone is punching holes in their door. nice interview
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Team Prime is simply invincible. For how long have people been predicting their imminent downfall? Gerrard truly is an unsung hero.
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Yay Prime lives on!! :D Good interview, thanks to Marou and Gerrard!
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"PRIME could have that many fans thanks to MKP.
Now that he is gone, it's really heartwarming to see that so many fans are still with us, they are helping us keeping our heads up when the time are not best."
This makes me feel a bit guilty, since I don't really care about Prime while they're lacking MKP, Byun, and Maru, who were the members that made me care about the team by extension.
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I don't understand this aura of mystery around byun...
Why cant they just tell what's going on?
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The interviewer forgot to ask the most important question of them all.....How do you feel about being an organization that uses its players to gain sponsorship and give no salary in return? If it weren't for MKP, Prime would not be known as much as it is now, that is 100% for sure(chances are they probably would not have gotten a sponsorship either lol). You could make arguments for Creator but no one thinks of him when you hear Prime, everyone thinks of MKP. MKP is the most deserving of them all and he gets shhhhhhafted ;/
Poor MKP
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thanks for the interview. hope the team doesn't die. would make my apparel something fit for a memorial if that happened
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Lol even Gerrard doesn't know where ByuN is? Yet he doesn't release ByuN? I smell BS.
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On August 05 2014 08:06 ReachTheSky wrote:The interviewer forgot to ask the most important question of them all.....How do you feel about being an organization that uses its players to gain sponsorship and give no salary in return? If it weren't for MKP, Prime would not be known as much as it is now, that is 100% for sure(chances are they probably would not have gotten a sponsorship either lol). You could make arguments for Creator but no one thinks of him when you hear Prime, everyone thinks of MKP. MKP is the most deserving of them all and he gets shhhhhhafted ;/ Poor MKP
if MKP stayed on the team he would be getting a salary now. he didn't. has he always deserved a salary? of course. but if the team can't pay it then they can't pay it, it was his choice to stay with them.
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Thanks for the interview!
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Nice interview, thanks, man!
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Thanks for the interview!
Good to hear that things are starting to look up for Prime
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Really cool interview, thanks! Seems like a lot of teams are changing around a bunch after this season, but glad Prime seems like it'll still hang on! :D
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I wonder if kespa was less forgiving of byun with his matchfixing past...
But then again, they let coca, who was byun's co-conspirator, play in proleague too.
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On August 05 2014 12:09 Iodem wrote:
I wonder if kespa was less forgiving of byun with his matchfixing past...
But then again, they let coca, who was byun's co-conspirator, play in proleague too.
That "match-fixing" was not really conventional match-fixing. It was like an accident because of they were young, and totally didn't realize they were doing it. Don't take it out of context please.
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/closed-threads/285566-coca-and-byun-match-fixing-for-code-a-seeds
They discussed match-fixing in INGAME chat! Come on, obviously no serious person would do that, obviously it was an accident. Like fuck, Coca was 17 at the time, and Byun was 18.
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On August 05 2014 08:06 ReachTheSky wrote:The interviewer forgot to ask the most important question of them all.....How do you feel about being an organization that uses its players to gain sponsorship and give no salary in return? If it weren't for MKP, Prime would not be known as much as it is now, that is 100% for sure(chances are they probably would not have gotten a sponsorship either lol). You could make arguments for Creator but no one thinks of him when you hear Prime, everyone thinks of MKP. MKP is the most deserving of them all and he gets shhhhhhafted ;/ Poor MKP
"How to burn bridges 101"
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Q: It's true that PRIME has been around since the beginning of SC2. How come PRIME is still here and fighting whereas almost all the of teams that were created at the same time are gone ?
Well we always had a player doing well in tournaments so that helped keeping fans around.
When we created this team, we had one goal in mind : be on the top of the [starcraft] world. We never lost sight of this goal and we are continuing going for it, for our fans and everybody supporting us.
Wow this hit me pretty hard actually. Taking a look at Liquipeida, the only teams left from GSTL number 1 are Prime and Startale...and besides those two the only other two teams from even further back, GSL 2010 Open Season 1, are the foreign participants- EG and Liquid. (oGs, ZeNEX, fOu/FXO, TSL, IM, SlayerS all gone, most long ago)
I can't say I've ever been really impressed with Gerrard, to be quite honest - the team seemed to always really rely on star, talented players, never acquiring or really rigorously training up many new ones, and then having his stars leave one by one. But considering the team's longevity compared to its peers, it's really an amazing feat to keep things going for so long. Hopefully this new sponsor will really lead to a PRIME revival!
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I would like to say few words to Gerrand but I think he doesn't read TL (:. So all I will say is that fans will there for PRIME (not only MK(P)) and a lot of ppl have been looking on States result so I think as time will go and state will have some good results you will have a lot of new fans not even from korea ^^
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On August 05 2014 08:06 ReachTheSky wrote:The interviewer forgot to ask the most important question of them all.....How do you feel about being an organization that uses its players to gain sponsorship and give no salary in return? If it weren't for MKP, Prime would not be known as much as it is now, that is 100% for sure(chances are they probably would not have gotten a sponsorship either lol). You could make arguments for Creator but no one thinks of him when you hear Prime, everyone thinks of MKP. MKP is the most deserving of them all and he gets shhhhhhafted ;/ Poor MKP
I will answer this and took you out for a kid dream u living in !
You have a team (already expecting u have no idea about financial stuffs) you will do a interviews with players take them to the commercial medias and stuffs and everything you made from it will be used as salary. I don't know about Korean laws but there if you not pay electricity bills, water, food etc. etc. you mostly likely die and your house will be executed. I bet every cent of my money that PRIME leadership talked with players and their "salaries" were used to keep PRIME going. I think most of them were happy that they have food, place to practice and team spirit. Even Gerrand saying MKP sacrifice alot (prolly means the money he could make somewhere else)... so that's it. We all know fat american kids would cry like ***** and leave team after one month without salary, because rich parents will fix your life  )!
P.S: User was warned for this post inc... but this guy is a douche-bag and has no clue about how hard is to run a team
User was warned for this post
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Q: And there is another player that i want to ask you about, all the fans are asking about him. There are some rumors he went to the military, or that he is in the hospital…Where is (T)ByuN ?
I don't know ! Maybe he started his civil service [NDLR: An alternative to military service where you work for the city instead of the military], i think he is at his house now. To be honest i don't really know he is always living like a shadow !
Then go to that house and ring the friggin bell! It´s not that hard!
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EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/tiO8x35l.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/7Beb8ILl.jpg)
