[Interviews] 2015 S2SL Season 2 Ro16 Winners

Jin Air Green Wings Maru



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the quarter-finals?

My games were not good because I didn’t have a lot of time to practice. But I’m still glad that I was able to advance into the quarter-finals.

Your winning streak against Protoss was shattered.

I had no idea that I was going to lose. He was much better than I expected. It’s disappointing but it’s fine because I just need to go on a winning streak again. It’s not a big deal since I was able to advance into the quarter-finals.

What process did you undergo for practice?

For my match against Hurricane, I prepared for macro games where I would play as safely as possible. For my match against Zest, I just did what my hands told me to do. I decided to improvise.

You went for a 11/11 on KSS.

During all this time, I’ve always done weird builds on KSS. But I had never done an 11/11 before on that map so I went for it. I guess you could say I caught him off guard.

Who would you like to face in the quarter-finals?

I don’t care who I face. However, I really hope PartinG hyung hurries up and gets eliminated. Dear hyung told me he would take him out for me. I believe in him. Ever since I lost to PartinG hyung during last season’s GSL, I just don’t like him (laughs).

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank coach Ha Tae Jun for coming with me.

KT Rolster Zest



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the quarter-finals?

Individual leagues are going on right now even though we’re supposed to be on break so I wasn’t able to practice properly. I am relieved that I was able to advance through despite that. I want to prepare properly from the quarter-finals and onwards so that I can win with overpowering performances.

You suffered a crushing defeat for the winners’ match. It seems like you are strangely weak when it comes to Maru.

I really don’t have anything to say on that. If I do get to meet him again then it would be during the finals, and that is why I want to meet him in the finals no matter what. Maru chose to do a build order where he starts off economically well off while at the same time being able to attack me. I shouldn’t have taken damage from that. Game two was particularly disappointing. I always do a gate search but I excluded it for that game and it ended up screwing me (laughs).

Who would you like to face in the quarter-finals?

Everyone in Group D is an excellent player. I don’t care who advances through. However, I just don’t want to undergo a team kill.

What did you feel after the Proleague loss?

It was an unexplainable disappointing loss. I want to say that I’ll win the next time we face each other but I think it will sound strange since I just keep losing to the same player over and over again. So I’ll have to show it through a changed performance result.

KeSPA Cup will be starting soon. You are the defending champion.

Similar to last time, there are a lot of Protoss players. I think I’m going to have to focus on mirror matchups even more than I’m doing right now. I’m paying particular attention to the players who were seeded in.

Has PvZ gotten easier since the Swarm Host nerf?

I can’t help but feel like this is happening because Zerg players are just making dubious decisions. They should just grab ahold of the current concept and configure a unit composition that is needed at those moments, but it looks like they can’t yet. Of course, since the Swarm Host weapon option disappeared, PvZ is pretty comfortable at the moment.

Anything else you would like to say?

I’m glad I advanced into the quarter-finals. I want to thank the players who helped me with practice even though we’re on break. Coach Ryu Won even came to the studio with me today even though he’s also supposed to be on break. I am really grateful for that.

KT Rolster Stats



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing out as first from the group of death?

I am really glad that I was able to advance through easier than expected. I was worried because my condition was not good when I arrived at the studio.

How did you feel after going into a four Protoss group?

It was so difficult to prepare for these matches since all the Protoss players were so good. There were games that went as I prepared for and games that I won through improvising. If I had to give a percentage, then I would say it was around 70/30.

Any matches that stuck out most to you for today?

That would be my last game on Merry Go Round against herO. I was able to win but if my micro had been better during my early game stalker aggression then I could have grabbed the advantage but I wasn’t able to so it was disappointing.

It looks like your time to win championships has finally arrived. How do you feel?

I have been triumphant recently in both individual leagues and for Proleague, so now I’m starting to feel greedy for individual league championships. I really want to win a championship before I retire from progaming.

Earlier this week, your fellow teammate and friend, Action, decided to retire. We’re curious how you feel about it as his friend and teammate.

I am really close to Actino. We’re teammates and we’re the same age. He gave me lots of advice during his progamer years. He’s getting ready to leave for the army so I want to applaud him on the start of his second life.

You will face teammate Zest for the quarter-finals.

Zest probably wanted me to advance through as second (laughs). But I also need to survive and that is why I made it through as first. So now I am hoping that Zest will make a gigantic mistake in the quarter-finals.

Anything else you would like to say?

I think I was able to win because Zest and First worked really hard to help me out with practice. Also, our newest teammate, Super, also recommended a lot of build orders. Since I was able to win because of the, I want to thank them. Lastly, I want to thank Rain for happily agreeing to help me out with practice last night even though I contacted him really late.

CJ Entus herO



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about surviving through the group of death?

It’s been a while but I think I was able to return to my beginner days through today’s matches. If I am able to keep this feeling alive from here on out then I can’t help but think that I’ll be able to establish good results through that.

You faced PartinG twice.

Rather than pay attention to who I would end up facing for todays’ matches, I just tried hard to focus on my games.

Was your state of mind affected when you lost game one?

I approached game one with a calm mindset so it didn’t affect me all that much.

It must have been quite difficult to prepare for today’s matches since everyone was a Protoss. How did you practice?

We were given break time after the Proleague Round 2 finals so I just did mostly image training as I made sure to maintain my health. Also, I felt good whenever I was practicing.

It didn’t look like you used blink stalkers that much today.

It’s easier to get countered if you use blink stalkers a lot. So in order to have various kinds of build orders prepared in hand, I did not put a lot of focus on blink stalkers.

Advancing through second means you will face Maru. How do you feel about that?

I think I was able to advance through with the best case scenario. I wanted to advance through as second from my group, but the things you want normally not end up working out, right (laughs)? But I am really glad that I was able to advance through as second. If I had advanced as first then I would have ended up facing Zest. It’s difficult to prepare for PvP and build order battles are also terrible.

Are you confident enough to aim for the championship if you can get through the quarter-finals?

My quarter-finals opponent is Maru. He is last season’s champion and by no means an easy opponent. So rather than focus on anything else, I just want to focus on the match ahead of me right now.

Anything else you would like to say?

I was feeling so hungry that I couldn’t focus well during my winners’ match with Stats. So after the winners’ match ended, the coach went out and bought me some bread, and that’s why I was able to approach the final match in a comfortable fashion. I want to thank him for that.

CJ Entus ByuL



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the quarter-finals?

I really can’t think straight. I can’t even feel it right now. My condition was in a really bad state so I worried a lot. I feel good that I was able to advance through. I wasn’t able to do the strategies that I had prepared beforehand and I didn’t even get that much sleep.

Despite your bad conditions, why do you think you were able to advance to the quarter-finals?

The coach is also in the same situation as I am, but I was able to advance through because of coach OriOn. He really helped me out a lot in the mentality area. He even helped me out by preparing build orders with me. I am so thankful.

How were you able to win your mirror match against Life?

The KeSPA Cup match sure didn’t help much (laughs). But I do know that I am a little ahead of Life in our head-to-head score, so I played with a comfortable mindset.

How are you preparing for your GSL match tomorrow?

Well I will be facing Maru tomorrow and I really want to make sure that I win that one.

Your momentum these days is really good. Any special reason as to why?

I just think it’s a time in my life right now where the game is going really well. I don’t think there’s really any other reason. For a week now, I’ve spent more time playing in the studios than practicing back at the team house. My teammates are always cheering for me to do well. I am grateful to them.

Anything else you would like to say?

Since I’ve been doing so well lately, many people around me have really liked that. I want to thank singer Kei Jun, caster JYP, Alicia, and aLive for coming to cheer me on today. Lastly, I want to thank coach OriOn.

KT Rolster Life



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the quarter-finals?

I came in a dazed state today. I also played the final match in a small dazed state. I’ve been playing really well lately so I just kind of let things happen as they pleased (laughs). I felt like I was going to win somehow.

You lost 0-3 to Dark in the KeSPA Cup. Did that anger you a little?

Honestly I did get angry. I felt like I lost because of how we picked the games. But since I have a lot of tournaments left, I’m not letting it affect me all that much. I’ve never been hit with a baneling all-in strategy before on a four player map. I think I need to practice more.

There was a lot of talk that today was a battle of the best Zergs.

I just played with a comfortable mindset. I didn’t even feel disturbed during my match against ByuL. But that’s not to say that I’m not acknowledging how good ByuL hyung is since he’s been doing so well lately. If ByuL hyung wins the championship, then I feel like for sure he will become a rival of mine.

As of late, mostly all your matches are going all the way to the last game.

I think the levels have been going up. I feel like I keep losing one or two games because my hands just aren’t loose enough. My first game is like that and my hands keep clamming up. This happens from time to time for televised matches.

You will face a player from Group B in the quarter-finals. How do you feel about it?

I don’t really know. I won’t know until I play first. I have a lot of matches where I lose even though I don’t even think of the possibility. I can’t guarantee my victory (laughs). But I have beaten HyuN hyung rather a lot.

You have accumulated a lot of WCS points. It looks like your placement in BlizzCon is pretty much taken care of.

I feel like I’ll still be able to make it into BlizzCon even if I were to take a break from playing for six months (laughs). But I still plan on preparing for all the rest of my tournaments.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank my fans that came to cheer me on. I am also grateful to the coach since he works so hard. I will show a good form for both Proleague and GSL next week.

SK Telecom T1 Dream



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the quarter-finals with a clean two straight victories?

Advancing to the quarter-finals was a result that obviously had to happen for me.

You finished second last season but you are entangled with the “Bubble Lock.” Were you a little upset by that? (NOTE: I have no idea what Bubble Lock means)

I don’t think that I am a bubble. At the group selections, people kept making fun of me by calling me a bubble so I just let it happen. I didn’t think that I was going to lose in the Ro16. I really wanted to make sure I win since I had the feeling that I would really be considered a bubble if I got eliminated in the Ro16.

If you had to rate your overall performance today?

I don’t think I was able to perform to my fullest. As I thought, my condition was not the best because I have to participate in a league match two days in a row. I think I made a lot of mistakes.

How do you plan on preparing for the quarter-finals?

I have Life in the quarter-finals and I have either Maru or herO for the semi-finals. So I think I’m going to have to prepare harder than I normally do.

You will face Flash tomorrow for GSL. What do you anticipate will happen?

I think Flash’s TvT is top class. Truthfully speaking, I don’t think he’s that good when it comes to TvZ or TvP but he is really good at TvT. He’s so good at it that I don’t really have that much confidence.

Anything else you would like to say?

This time, I will work hard to make sure that I pummel Life. I failed last time during the KeSPA Cup (laughs).

SK Telecom T1 Classic



Source: inven eSports

Even though it was difficult, how do you feel about advancing to the quarter-finals?

There was a notion that my group was easier compared to the other groups, but I was worried since I knew everyone was good. I am so relieved and glad that I was able to advance through into the quarter-finals.

Which match was the most difficult?

Game two against Soulkey was difficult. Stamina wise, I was feeling tired because the game turned long. When I played against Dream, since it was a team kill, we were both dried out. It was disappointing.

In game two of the winners’ match, you did not get the thermal lance upgrade.

I thought I had queued it up, but then during the game, I was like ,”Oh, oops.” But since I took on so many hits because of Dream’s medivac plays, I don’t think the reason I lost was because I forgot to get range upgrade.

These days for PvZ, we see Protosses use immortals and high templars more than colossi. Does that style fit you well?

There is a feeling of comfort there since swarm hosts are no longer utilized as much. I think it is fine because Zergs don’t use a diverse unit composition. At first, when the swarm host got nerfed, I thought Protoss would become very advantageous, but I think Zergs have adapted as of late because it feels like Protoss is only a little advantageous, or it’s 50/50.

You will face ByuL in the quarter-finals.

I think he is very good at ZvT but I don’t think he’s all that good when it comes to ZvP. I think I am capable of winning just as long as I prepare real hard.

You defeated the curse of caster Canata.

As I was practicing yesterday, I unluckily saw Canata give his forecast for today’s matches. But thankfully, since Life had already beaten the curse, I didn’t think much of it.

What are your goals for this season?

I feel like my form has gotten a little better these days. Of course my goal for this season is the championship. I felt like I could win the championship if I just got through the Ro16. I think I’m perfectly capable of winning the championship just as long as I practice real hard.

Anything else you would like to say?

I am glad that I was able to advance along with Dream. I showed a lacking form when I played in the winners’ match, but I will improve and show a good form for the quarter-finals and Proleague.