EPTNation Wars: Norway vs Korea
An Interview with Eiki
An Interview with Kerri
Brackets and standings on
Liquipedia
Norway vs Korea
by CosmicSpiral
Thanks to the generous donations of fans around the world, NationWars II gets to add a cherry on top of its successful run. To cap off the season O’Gaming TV will broadcast and run a showmatch between Team Norway, the most recent champion, and Team South Korea, composed by three teammates chosen via popular vote. If you've seen Iron Squid II you know what to expect from this event. Excellent production, fervent casting, and fun times will be a given. Close games...well, we will have to wait and see.
The two-time winner of NationWars, Norway still enters the booth as heavy underdogs. Their three representatives here may be the cream of the crop, but they’ll face a hard task . Most eyes and hopes will be drawn to Liquid’Snute, perhaps the best performing foreigner in 2014. We know from IEM Toronto that he can easily obliterate top-end protosses in a macro game; he can also accomplish great things in ZvZ, beating Dreamhack Stockholm champion Solar last weekend and HyuN at Moscow. Snute may find it difficult to overcome mental barriers here as the two Korean zergs have recently destroyed him in convincing series. Meanwhile TargA and Eiki are not names that command monumental recognition, nor do their achievements spark much confidence. TargA had undergone a small resurgence at the beginning of 2014, finishing second to Snute at Nemean LAN and bLAN Winter; Eiki’s most notable accomplishments are winning StillExpo 2013 against his fellow countrymen and all-killing Poland in the semifinals of NationWars II. Both perform best in the XvZ matchup, so expect some fine-tuned strategies when they step up to the plate.
They face a Korean lineup that is strong, but not necessarily as indomitable as the phrase would suggest. Jaedong, MC, and Life are not at the height of their powers right now, plus the lack of terran leaves them open to playing more volatile matchups. MC’s PvP has recently quavered from strong to susceptible, paving his way out of the WCS Ro16 while dashing his hopes at Stockholm. Any fan knows Jaedong can be as variable as the tides. Over the summer he has switched from poor to great form with startling rapidity, doing great at one point and looking awful a mere week later. If the trend continues, he might crash and burn after finishing in the Stockholm Ro8. Life has been slightly better in that he only regularly loses in ZvP these days. He is Team Korea’s best chance at cleanly running through TargA and Snute, and I expect Eiki to come out at least once as a possible countermeasure.
Whether or not Norway will prevail, it will shine some much needed light on an overlooked part of the European scene. With that said, we've had the pleasure of talking to one of Norway's representatives and the showrunner prior to the showmatch.
Eiki isn't Polish: An Interview
Most people on Team Liquid probably won’t recognize your name. Tell us a bit for those unfamiliar with the Polish scene.
Polish? Don't you mean Norwegian?
LOL, sorry about that. Yes, I meant Norwegian.
Haha, no problem. Well, I'm Eiki Johannes Nysted Grødem, I'm 18 years old and I'm currently studying to become a civil engineer. In my spare time, I play SC2. I've played since late 2010, and mostly participated in Norwegian tournaments. I won the 2013 Norwegian championship, beating Targa in the final, which led to me being selected to play for Team Norway in Nation Wars 1, together with Targa and Snute.
Civil engineer, nice. Any relation between your studying and SC2 career?
Not really, I always studied while playing sc2, and I got pretty good grades, so I went to university after high school. The type of engineering I'm studying is Materials Science, so it has little to do with gaming.
Haha, not the most entertaining answer I've ever but definitely one of the most sensible. You mentioned winning the Norwegian championship against Targa last year, but it seems like he gets the better of you whenever you two usually meet. How does it feel to be teaming up with him now?
Yea that win was before he started using swarmhosts, now he's more difficult to defeat 
. We meet quite often in Norwegian tournaments but we're also good friends, so it's easy for us to be teammates. It can get a bit strange though. For example we're playing vs Korea tomorrow, so we're practicing together and sharing strategies, but on Friday we're both going to a Norwegian LAN where we'll most likely play each other.
. We meet quite often in Norwegian tournaments but we're also good friends, so it's easy for us to be teammates. It can get a bit strange though. For example we're playing vs Korea tomorrow, so we're practicing together and sharing strategies, but on Friday we're both going to a Norwegian LAN where we'll most likely play each other.Hopefully you guys will arrive there feeling good from doing well in France. A lot of fans are happy to see Norway representing, but don’t believe you guys have a realistic chance. Would you agree or does Norway have some aces up the sleeve for Korea?
On paper, the Korean team is definitely better. Life is always a top player, Jaedong's form varies, but lately he's looked good, and MC is MC. Despite them being a team of allstars, I still think we have a chance. Snute can beat anyone on a good day, and he has shown good results vs top korean zergs before. Both him and Targa are quite confident vs MC, and Targa's ZvZ is also top notch. I think I have a decent shot at beating Jaedong and maybe Life. Most of all, I think we'll have an advantage in preparation. We're the underdogs, just like we were at Nation Wars I and II, so I doubt they're thinking about this match as much as we are. If we win, it will be due to better preparation.
It’s interesting that you bring that up. Beforehand Sweden was the darling of European SC2. Then the focus shifted a bit more onto France. Now with Snute’s rise, the spotlight is moving to Norway. In your opinion, is there any rhyme or reason behind the changes?
I guess you can tie it to the title of "best foreigner". Sweden had Jinro and Thorzain and most notably Naniwa. France had Stephano, and now we have Snute. At the moment we hold the title of best country outside of Korea, but I think both Sweden and France have more developed scenes, with Dreamhack in Sweden and O'Gaming, Millenium etc. in France. Other than Targa and Snute, we don't really have a professional SC2 scene in Norway, with most players studying or working full time. I don't think there is any reason behind the changes other than Sweden and France's best players dropping off while Snute, Targa and I kept improving.
No mention of Elfi the god. So sad, very disappoint.
With your successes at SpillExpo and NationWars II (good job on sweeping Poland!), what does SC2 mean to you right now? Is it still just a side thing or have you given some thought to a dedicated career?
I was thinking about taking a year off school to pursue SC2 before summer, but decided against it. At NationWars II I got a taste of what it's like to be a progamer, and I kind of regretted my decision. Now I'm committed to school for at least a year, but I want to keep competing while studying. If I get a good schedule and am efficient with my time, I think it's doable.
Here's hoping that you will be at more tournaments. Thanks for lending me some of your time, it was definitely enlightening. Good luck at NationWars II!
No problem, thank you
A Peek Behind the Magic Curtain: Kerri the Admin
Currently you’re the head admin of O’Gaming SC2 and HearthStone. Tell us a little about how you came to be involved in eSports and O’Gaming TV.
Hi! I’m Sebastien, also known as ‘Kerri’. I am the SC2 & Hearthstone Tournament Director for O’Gaming TV. I’m been involved in eSports for 4 years. I began SC2 WebTv with another French caster called Anoss (@anosssc2). Together we've grown our audience from 10 to over 1 million viewers. I managed a SC2 team during those years as well, but I really prefer to work on tournament production. I joined O'Gaming TV around 18 months ago. Alex ’Pomf’ Noci is the CEO and he was looking for a SC2 tournament director at the time. I’m really happy he chose to believe in me! I’m also been in charge of Hearthstone tournaments for over one month. My first Hearthstone project is GamersOrigin Cup #2, the biggest Hearthstone tournament of the world and I’m very excited for it!
Being the head admin, what exactly do you do for O’Gaming TV? What kind of responsibilities and challenges do you face?
If I had to describe my job, I would summarize it in 3 categories:
The first is management. Of course I manage all the administrators, but I’m also in charge of coaching the Starcraft II casters. Currently we have 5 main casters in the O’Gaming crew: Pomf, Thud, Anoss, Moman, and Funka (whom you all know as the best obs in the world). It’s really exciting to work with them and build all the workable duos.
The second is more on the marketing side. I mostly work on that part with Pomf. We decide the way we do our tournaments. Pomf will ask something like "Ok Kerri, I want a tournament focusing on nations." I respond with "Give me a proposal, ask me Pomf" and work out the details. For example, a question I asked him for NationWars was how many players did he want on a team. 3? 4? 5?
The third part is networking and contacts. It’s work I have to do every day, and I have to make sure to get all the large scoops. The most important part is to know and be known by all players and casters .It’s important to publicize our tournaments or for example, discuss broadcast rights for an external tournament.
The first is management. Of course I manage all the administrators, but I’m also in charge of coaching the Starcraft II casters. Currently we have 5 main casters in the O’Gaming crew: Pomf, Thud, Anoss, Moman, and Funka (whom you all know as the best obs in the world). It’s really exciting to work with them and build all the workable duos.
The second is more on the marketing side. I mostly work on that part with Pomf. We decide the way we do our tournaments. Pomf will ask something like "Ok Kerri, I want a tournament focusing on nations." I respond with "Give me a proposal, ask me Pomf" and work out the details. For example, a question I asked him for NationWars was how many players did he want on a team. 3? 4? 5?
The third part is networking and contacts. It’s work I have to do every day, and I have to make sure to get all the large scoops. The most important part is to know and be known by all players and casters .It’s important to publicize our tournaments or for example, discuss broadcast rights for an external tournament.
With the closing of World Cyber Games earlier this year, there seems to be a lack of SC2 events based on national pride and representation. The national mindset was always a bit feeble to hold, with all the online competition and easy access to viewing events around the world, but now there are few popular and respected outlets for that sentiment to flourish. Where does NationWars II and O’Gaming TV fit within this tradition?
As you said, a lot of tournaments have tried to work on the national concept over the last few years. But none of them have taken on an important part in the Starcraft II scene, nothing as major as Dreamhack or IEM. I think it’s important for all of us to identify with a player who fighting for your country. NationWars is a good concept that fills that slot!
I realized how much players were attached to Nation Wars on the day of the final. There were 2 particular moments I’ll share with you: the distress of the Polish team when they lost (specifically Mana, who felt a lot of emotions that day) and Eiki's joy when Snute won the famous game, and the title, against Major. After that, I thought "Wow, Nation Wars is really important for these players". I was not aware of it before the show.
I realized how much players were attached to Nation Wars on the day of the final. There were 2 particular moments I’ll share with you: the distress of the Polish team when they lost (specifically Mana, who felt a lot of emotions that day) and Eiki's joy when Snute won the famous game, and the title, against Major. After that, I thought "Wow, Nation Wars is really important for these players". I was not aware of it before the show.
When organizing the Korean lineup, O’Gaming decided to leave it up to a fan vote. Was that purely meant to be a gift to the viewers, or was there a mixture of personal and practical concerns involved in the decision?
Voting for players is in the DNA of NationWars. The entire tournament is based on a democratic mindset. Players are voted into participation just like elections, and the public votes for players who are registered. It’s really important for O’Gaming and for the public, but also for players who really appreciate that system.
I think we can agree that the foreigner team is definitely the underdog here. The community is a little despondent but the Norwegians are arriving with some confidence. What chances would you give Norway here?
The Norwegian team always prepare for each match. They're the only country who really works like that. When I go back home even evening, I find hundreds of messages of Norwegian conversation. There is a really strong team spirit between Eiki, Targa and Snute, and I think that team spirit can fill the level gap. And don't forget it's all Bo1 matches. A baneling on 20 zerglings in ZvZ can change things.
Norway has never been viewed as a hub for SC2 talent. Yet here they are again, the winners of NationWars for a second straight installment. What encouragement, if any, do you think this will give to the Norwegian scene to grow and develop?
We hope so! Norway has some great talent. Eiki is the best example, he was the revelation of the last NationWars. The Norwegian press even came to France to cover the tournament, and to follow Eiki, Targa & Snute during those 3 days. For O’Gaming, it’s really important to develop the European scene. Currently we have a brand of showmatches called 'Underdogs’, which exist to develop the scene of a particular country. Right now we are in the 11th season in France and we are thinking about expanding to other countries. Norway could be a good test!
Thanks to crowdfunding, O’Gaming TV is able to put on this highly anticipated event. According to the website people have donated over 165,000 Euros. What does it mean to the staff to know fans remain so passionate about SC2?
First, I want to once more thank all the fans who crowdfunded us. NationWars II was a success thanks to all of you! We are all really proud of that! We love Starcraft II and want to continue growing with it! I think we are all aware SC2 is not in its best period right now, but we continue to feel the enthusiasm of all the fans for the game and it's really amazing!
Many fans are extremely passionate but have little idea how to add to the scene besides money. What’s your advice for people who want to contribute to the SC2 scene, but don’t know where to start looking?
Keep up the passion for Starcraft II! Watch a stream, share the passion with your friends in Barcraft, and talk with others on forums like TeamLiquid. And of course, watch all the competition on O’Gaming TV! 
Thank you so much for your time. I wish the best of luck to you and the rest of the O’Gaming staff, and look forward to a great tournament.
Thank you for the interview, and a huge thanks to TeamLiquid for doing a wonderful job every day!
