[Interview] IEM champion Rogue talks about bouncing back f…

Rogue was surrounded by cloud of doubt headed into the IEM Season XII World Championship—In January, the 2017 WCS Global Champion had flopped out in the RO32 of Code S, leaving many to wonder if Rogue would be yet another champion to suffer a lengthy BlizzCon hangover.

Over the span of four days in Katowice, all such doubts were dispelled. After surviving hard-fought battles in the group stage and RO12 bracket, Rogue once again earned the title of world champion with a 4-0 demolition of Classic in the IEM grand final. TeamLiquid.net had a chance to sit down and chat with Rogue a few hours after he lifted the trophy.

*This interview has been edited and condensed.



Wax: It might be a trite question, but let's start with 'how do you feel about winning the championship?'

Rogue: First off, I didn't have any expectations, so maybe that's why I feel so overwhelmed. Still, it's a championship I won after having very poor results this year, so I feel happier than when I won BlizzCon last year.

A lot of Korean players say they feel kinda numb the moment after they win a title, and it only really hits them later. When did it hit you after BlizzCon, that you had won the championship?

The way people view me changed a lot, that made me realize it. It really took me by surprise. Whether it was from other players, my family, friends—they all congratulated me for my good result so I felt overwhelmed, I think that's when it hit me.

You said you had poor results this year, but it was really just for one tournament, the GSL. You mentioned during the tournament that you slacked off after BlizzCon—was that the main reason for your poor results?

The fact that I neglected practice—I'm the kind of player who needs to practice a lot—I think that had a big impact. I became lazy. After I dropped out of GSL, I thought to myself "I can't let this happen" and started playing hard again. I could feel that I was playing very poorly, so I worked that much harder.

How do you feel about your skill level? During the tournament you suggested you were still working your way back, that you still had to improve in some areas. Despite that, you won the tournament, even winning the grand finals very easily. Do you still think you're lacking in skill?

I think my ZvT is quite lacking, so I'm planning to work hard on that after I get back to Korea. But I was confident in my ZvP and ZvZ, so even though I didn't expect to get good results, I think I was able to win because things broke SO well in my favor.

You said you didn't completely know the right way to play ZvT at the moment, yet you were able to take out TY and Maru. How did you do that?

Against both of them, I tried to play a safe macro game in the first game, but it was just so hard and difficult. I felt like I couldn't win that way, so I tried to use deception, planned to use all-ins—I didn't play standard—I think that's why I was able to win.



Do you think that kind of mid-series improvisation is an ability you picked up in 2017? At least from my point of view, you used to be a player who could be stubborn in his playstyle. Do you think during your championship runs in 2017, you improved your abilities outside of in-game skill: keeping calm, planning series, picking builds, etc?

In 2017, I think I improved a lot both in terms of skill and mindset, and in my ability to plan series out. It's not like I prepared all-ins for every single game—I think I got in my opponents' heads.

You've been good at all-in type strategies for a long time. Do you think that aspect of your play has improved even further?

I think my win-rate improves when I mix in all-ins as a mindgame, so I use them a lot for mindgaming. Even when I macro, I can see in my opponent's movements when they're worried about all-ins, so I switch back to macro in those cases.

Since I see Elazer sitting over there—you said you were inspired by his Nydus all-in against Classic and used it yourself. Even though Classic had seen a similar strategy before, you made it work again. Did you change it up?

After seeing Elazer's build, that strategy, I added another layer of changes and brought it out.

You said you got lazy after winning BlizzCon last year. Are you worried that you're gonna fall into that pit again now that you've won IEM?

Right now, I'm feeling that I want to work really really hard. But you never know how things work out once you get home and get some quality rest. That's just human nature—back then, I just wanted to keep taking it easy once I laid back. This time, I plan to just go back home for a brief period, so I don't take too much time off.

To be fair, you've won BlizzCon and the IEM World Championship—there's not much left for you to win. In that regard, isn't it hard to set a goal and stay motivated?

Still, I haven't won GSL Code S. It's the biggest Korean tournament. I still want to win GSL Code S at least once.

I heard from someone that after BlizzCon, you cheaped out on buying the other players dinner, even though it's tradition among Korean players to do so. Explain yourself.

Who said that? First off, Blizzard bought us the dinner after BlizzCon, so I didn't have a chance to buy them dinner. And at the airport when we left, I bought expensive hamburgers for everyone. When I got back to Korea, I bought everyone on the team dinner, and I even sent gift packs of beef to TY and Dear. These accusations are absurd.

How did it feel to play in the Spodek Arena in Katowice?

It was my first time playing in such a big arena. It was so new to me, and I was so grateful to the fans.

Okay, anything you want to say to international fans to conclude the interview?

Thanks so much for cheering for me. I'll keep working hard.

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Rogue doesn't have twitter, but you can follow his team, the Jin Air Green Wings. Also, follow Wax because something something content creation.