EPT
No, he's not THAT Winter. As a Swedish Zerg player living in Japan, Winter found an alternative path to WCS Jönköping through the Taiwan/HK/Macau/Japan qualifier. I talked to Winter about how he ended up living in Japan, his history as a competitive StarCraft player, and his experiences living in the domain of 
Has, the mad king of East Asian StarCraft II.
*This interview has been edited and condensed.
![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/wintersweden.jpg)
Wax: Alright, could you start by introducing yourself to the people who have never heard of you, or are confused as to how WinterStarcraft made it through the WCS qualifier?
Winter: Sure. My name is Felix Bengt Hjalmar Hegethorn Moreau. I have been playing StarCraft II since 2011 but not competitively until about 2013. At that point, even though I had some skill in the game, as is the European standard, I was not able to do anything significant and was kinda swept under the rug with other semi-good EU players. Then, in 2014 started playing for mYinsanity, and lived in the mYi teamhouse for about a year, where I got to learn and play with some of the best players in the world. But still I did without any real results, so I kinda gave up on the game until I then moved to Japan in 2016.
Here, I could abuse the WCS and play in a relatively easy region compared to the EU region and actually qualify for major tournaments. So that's kinda my story in SC2: been here a long time, but have not but recently been able to do anything relevant.
Gotta appreciate the honesty of a guy who admits he abuses broken systems. Did you have the same attitude when you were using BL-Infestor?
I was actually really bad at the game during the BL-Infestor time. Was more just watching "pro players" abusing, while I would just clump it all up and get Archon/Vortexed by the Protoss player. Though, I must say I have never really liked playing to the norm. During the roach-ravager meta, I was almost only playing ling bling for example. This is because I have tried to play more to my own strengths, rather than do what is currently doing really well in the meta.
Could you talk about how you ended up living in Japan?
During 2012, I spent some time as an exchange student in the north of Japan. I lived with a Japanese family and went to Japanese high school, etc and I ended up really enjoying the country and the culture, and I decided to go back and study Japanese in Tokyo. That is why I am here currently, but also since last month I got into a University here in Tokyo as well, so I will be staying in Japan for at least 4 more years.
So if I called you a weeb, would you be insulted or wear that as a mark of pride?
Hahaha, I unfortunately am not too into anime. But I suppose that it is better to not wear it as a mark of pride, as most people in Japan has a really negative outlook to the "weebs". Was thinking, though, that it might have a better acceptance outside of Japan, but not really sure if outside of conventional halls and cocaine filled cosplay parties, it still is not looked very nicely upon.
What made you decide to go on that exchange trip to Japan when you were in high school, and what about the country charmed you so much that you decided to commit to such a long stay?
Was probably cause I did not want to study much more at the time. Taking some time away from school and restarting your mind really helped me focus for the rest of my education. I really just picked Japan randomly without any real forethought; I barely knew more then 20 Words when I got to the mainland.
Think it was a combination of most things, as I really enjoy the food, history and the social culture here. Learning the language is an eye opening part of it as well, being able to speak to people more and more and being able to take part in the on-goings really makes the country become more alive and interesting.
What particularly about the culture was appealing, compared to where you had grown up?
Probably how everyone kinda works like they are a part of the system. I have not witnessed a crime since I got here, people leave their phone on a seat to reserve it, while they go out to have a cigarette. It just baffles me how everyone is so kind and helpful and just able to work together to create a really safe and warm society.
So at what point did you realize "wait, the StarCraft competition here is way weaker compared to Europe"? Did that make you decide, in a weird way, to practice even harder at StarCraft?
I think I realized before I actually got it. At the time when I moved here it was a part of the ANZ region, but even though that might be a little stronger then the Taiwanese region, I saw it as a big bonus to actually coming here. Of course I practiced a bit more cause of it. Actually having a tournament to play in that you know that if you do well, you can get something out of it, really motivates you to try harder. Feels like in Europe it is hard to make even a little bit of money without already being established and playing full-time. I feel sorry for all those grassroots players who give up cause they have no opportunity to make the game in any sense relevant to their life and future.
You defeated Has in your path to qualifying for WCS Jönköping. How did it feel to defeat a god?
Felt quite embarrassing, honestly. He said at the time that he did not feel confident playing vs me with his Protoss, so he choose to play Zerg. To then lose two games to his Zerg felt really awkward, as I felt like I should not have lost a single game vs him really. But yeah, it is always really awkward playing vs Has. You are always paranoid second guessing every move he makes. To then take even a game vs him is a relief beyond comprehension.
Did it make sense to you that he preferred to play Zerg vs you? Or was your reaction "WTF?"
No, it was a WTF reaction, but I was happy. The only person I was afraid of in the bracket was Has. So it felt like after defeating him I had already qualified for Jönköping. I feel though, that he still could have beaten me with Protoss. Even if you know it is coming, mass Oracle and DT attacks can still be very hard to hold.
How do you feel about earning a spot at WCS Jönköping? Are you disappointed you couldn't make it through the Austin and Valencia qualifiers?
In the Austin qualifier I feel like I got a really unfortunate bracket. It was only single elimination, and me and Has met in the semis where I unfortunately lost. If I would have been on the other side of the bracket, I do not feel I would have lost to anyone but Has in the finals. When it comes to Valencia I would actually not have been able to go to the offline part of the qualifier, because of exams scheduled at the same time. So I played the qualifier just for fun knowing that even if I would have won, I would still have had to forfeit my spot. But I still made $500 dollars losing, so it feels very good. I will be back playing more seriously in the Montreal qualifier
It's great though to have qualified for Jönköping. I have not been home for a year, so it will be fun to eat the Swedish cuisine and to meet old friends and family. And I will do my best to provide some entertaining games and to try and get as far as possible in the tournament.
How do you think you'll hold up against the best players from around the world?
They are not Korean, so I'm not really sure if they are the best players, haha. But I feel like I will actually do really well. I play a very different style from the norm and feel like I can use that to my advantage as almost none of the participants have experience against my current styles.
Wow, that disrespect!
Sometimes it's better to tell the truth, at least when we all know that it is true.
What are some great things about Sweden and Jonkoping the visiting fans and players can look forward to?
I would say try to get as far from Jönköping as possible if you have the time, visit Stockholm and Göteborg and any other place. Jönköping is really only a fun place to be at cause Dreamhack is there. Outside of that its a small city out on the country side, with not that much to offer. Though I suppose if you come from a country with a different kind of atmosphere and environment you would enjoy the surroundings.
Having been to Jönköping for DreamHack Winter, I totally agree. Okay, it's time to answer our famous pirates question. If your loved ones were kidnapped by pirates, and you could only take three StarCraft players with you to rescue them, who would you take and why?
I feel like no matter who I would take, we would all die trying. So I would choose the people I want to die with me. So let's let Pengwin, Winter and Has die. Pengwin cause he would not be able to live without me, so better to just let him die quickly. Winter, cause I hate it when people think that I am him (I would like to have everyone asking me if I am "the real winter" to come with and die as well). And Has just cause it's such a pain to play vs his style.
Well, you better do well at WCS for Has' sake. Any final shout-outs, comments, or stuff you wanna say?
Yeah, I would like to thank my team 1FPro and my managers for supporting me now for the last eight months or so. And I hope that I can represent Japan in the tournament. In a sense, I qualified through Japan, so I feel like it is important to represent the region. And lastly I would like to thank you for the interview, was very pleasant!
Watch Winter play an off-racing Has in a baffling match from the WCS Challenger tournament:
You can follow Winter on Twitter at @1FProWinter, and you can find his competitive statistics on Aligulac.com.
You can read more interviews with the WCS Challengers who will compete at WCS Jönköping during June 17-19!
More interviews are coming soon™
Has, the mad king of East Asian StarCraft II.*This interview has been edited and condensed.
Wax: Alright, could you start by introducing yourself to the people who have never heard of you, or are confused as to how WinterStarcraft made it through the WCS qualifier?
Winter: Sure. My name is Felix Bengt Hjalmar Hegethorn Moreau. I have been playing StarCraft II since 2011 but not competitively until about 2013. At that point, even though I had some skill in the game, as is the European standard, I was not able to do anything significant and was kinda swept under the rug with other semi-good EU players. Then, in 2014 started playing for mYinsanity, and lived in the mYi teamhouse for about a year, where I got to learn and play with some of the best players in the world. But still I did without any real results, so I kinda gave up on the game until I then moved to Japan in 2016.
Here, I could abuse the WCS and play in a relatively easy region compared to the EU region and actually qualify for major tournaments. So that's kinda my story in SC2: been here a long time, but have not but recently been able to do anything relevant.
Gotta appreciate the honesty of a guy who admits he abuses broken systems. Did you have the same attitude when you were using BL-Infestor?
I was actually really bad at the game during the BL-Infestor time. Was more just watching "pro players" abusing, while I would just clump it all up and get Archon/Vortexed by the Protoss player. Though, I must say I have never really liked playing to the norm. During the roach-ravager meta, I was almost only playing ling bling for example. This is because I have tried to play more to my own strengths, rather than do what is currently doing really well in the meta.
Could you talk about how you ended up living in Japan?
During 2012, I spent some time as an exchange student in the north of Japan. I lived with a Japanese family and went to Japanese high school, etc and I ended up really enjoying the country and the culture, and I decided to go back and study Japanese in Tokyo. That is why I am here currently, but also since last month I got into a University here in Tokyo as well, so I will be staying in Japan for at least 4 more years.
So if I called you a weeb, would you be insulted or wear that as a mark of pride?
Hahaha, I unfortunately am not too into anime. But I suppose that it is better to not wear it as a mark of pride, as most people in Japan has a really negative outlook to the "weebs". Was thinking, though, that it might have a better acceptance outside of Japan, but not really sure if outside of conventional halls and cocaine filled cosplay parties, it still is not looked very nicely upon.
What made you decide to go on that exchange trip to Japan when you were in high school, and what about the country charmed you so much that you decided to commit to such a long stay?
Was probably cause I did not want to study much more at the time. Taking some time away from school and restarting your mind really helped me focus for the rest of my education. I really just picked Japan randomly without any real forethought; I barely knew more then 20 Words when I got to the mainland.
Think it was a combination of most things, as I really enjoy the food, history and the social culture here. Learning the language is an eye opening part of it as well, being able to speak to people more and more and being able to take part in the on-goings really makes the country become more alive and interesting.
What particularly about the culture was appealing, compared to where you had grown up?
Probably how everyone kinda works like they are a part of the system. I have not witnessed a crime since I got here, people leave their phone on a seat to reserve it, while they go out to have a cigarette. It just baffles me how everyone is so kind and helpful and just able to work together to create a really safe and warm society.
So at what point did you realize "wait, the StarCraft competition here is way weaker compared to Europe"? Did that make you decide, in a weird way, to practice even harder at StarCraft?
I think I realized before I actually got it. At the time when I moved here it was a part of the ANZ region, but even though that might be a little stronger then the Taiwanese region, I saw it as a big bonus to actually coming here. Of course I practiced a bit more cause of it. Actually having a tournament to play in that you know that if you do well, you can get something out of it, really motivates you to try harder. Feels like in Europe it is hard to make even a little bit of money without already being established and playing full-time. I feel sorry for all those grassroots players who give up cause they have no opportunity to make the game in any sense relevant to their life and future.
You defeated Has in your path to qualifying for WCS Jönköping. How did it feel to defeat a god?
Felt quite embarrassing, honestly. He said at the time that he did not feel confident playing vs me with his Protoss, so he choose to play Zerg. To then lose two games to his Zerg felt really awkward, as I felt like I should not have lost a single game vs him really. But yeah, it is always really awkward playing vs Has. You are always paranoid second guessing every move he makes. To then take even a game vs him is a relief beyond comprehension.
Did it make sense to you that he preferred to play Zerg vs you? Or was your reaction "WTF?"
No, it was a WTF reaction, but I was happy. The only person I was afraid of in the bracket was Has. So it felt like after defeating him I had already qualified for Jönköping. I feel though, that he still could have beaten me with Protoss. Even if you know it is coming, mass Oracle and DT attacks can still be very hard to hold.
How do you feel about earning a spot at WCS Jönköping? Are you disappointed you couldn't make it through the Austin and Valencia qualifiers?
In the Austin qualifier I feel like I got a really unfortunate bracket. It was only single elimination, and me and Has met in the semis where I unfortunately lost. If I would have been on the other side of the bracket, I do not feel I would have lost to anyone but Has in the finals. When it comes to Valencia I would actually not have been able to go to the offline part of the qualifier, because of exams scheduled at the same time. So I played the qualifier just for fun knowing that even if I would have won, I would still have had to forfeit my spot. But I still made $500 dollars losing, so it feels very good. I will be back playing more seriously in the Montreal qualifier
It's great though to have qualified for Jönköping. I have not been home for a year, so it will be fun to eat the Swedish cuisine and to meet old friends and family. And I will do my best to provide some entertaining games and to try and get as far as possible in the tournament.
How do you think you'll hold up against the best players from around the world?
They are not Korean, so I'm not really sure if they are the best players, haha. But I feel like I will actually do really well. I play a very different style from the norm and feel like I can use that to my advantage as almost none of the participants have experience against my current styles.
Wow, that disrespect!
Sometimes it's better to tell the truth, at least when we all know that it is true.
What are some great things about Sweden and Jonkoping the visiting fans and players can look forward to?
I would say try to get as far from Jönköping as possible if you have the time, visit Stockholm and Göteborg and any other place. Jönköping is really only a fun place to be at cause Dreamhack is there. Outside of that its a small city out on the country side, with not that much to offer. Though I suppose if you come from a country with a different kind of atmosphere and environment you would enjoy the surroundings.
Having been to Jönköping for DreamHack Winter, I totally agree. Okay, it's time to answer our famous pirates question. If your loved ones were kidnapped by pirates, and you could only take three StarCraft players with you to rescue them, who would you take and why?
I feel like no matter who I would take, we would all die trying. So I would choose the people I want to die with me. So let's let Pengwin, Winter and Has die. Pengwin cause he would not be able to live without me, so better to just let him die quickly. Winter, cause I hate it when people think that I am him (I would like to have everyone asking me if I am "the real winter" to come with and die as well). And Has just cause it's such a pain to play vs his style.
Well, you better do well at WCS for Has' sake. Any final shout-outs, comments, or stuff you wanna say?
Yeah, I would like to thank my team 1FPro and my managers for supporting me now for the last eight months or so. And I hope that I can represent Japan in the tournament. In a sense, I qualified through Japan, so I feel like it is important to represent the region. And lastly I would like to thank you for the interview, was very pleasant!
Watch Winter play an off-racing Has in a baffling match from the WCS Challenger tournament:
You can follow Winter on Twitter at @1FProWinter, and you can find his competitive statistics on Aligulac.com.
You can read more interviews with the WCS Challengers who will compete at WCS Jönköping during June 17-19!
More interviews are coming soon™
