EPT
Group B winners Classic and herO talked about their RO8 matches, and mused about their careers and how they could add to their legacies.
Interviews by Mizenhauer; translated by verecunda
herO: "I think every progamer wants to leave a legacy and I’m hungry to set more records in the future."
![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/GSL/2025/codes2/heroro8.jpg)
TL.net: According to Aligulac your PvP is the best in the world, but Zoun knocked you into the loser’s match right away. Did you alter your approach at all when you two played with a spot in the semifinals on the line?
herO: I think I made some rash decisions tonight since I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to advance in first place so as not to eliminate my former teammate, Bunny. Once he was knocked out, however, I was determined to make sure one of us advanced. I think that helped me calm down.
You went for glaives/immortals in both series against Zoun, but he shut it down each time. Do you think that composition still has a place in the meta?
Honestly, I don’t think it’s very good [laughs]. I wanted to shake things up a little so as to not be so predictable, but I doubt I’ll use it again.
This is the second season in a row that you’ve been able to skip the Round of 12 and go directly to the Round of 8. Do you think the extra time gives you an advantage or is it just business as usual?
It’s not so much about the extra preparation time and more so about the energy you have to expend to come to the studio for an extra matchday. That being said, I do think it’s an advantage because I was able to focus solely on practice.
Maru and NesTea are the only players to win Code S in back to back seasons. What would it mean to you to accomplish something that only two people have done in the past 15 years?
It’s funny you mention it. I wasn’t aware at the time, but apparently I’ve set a number of milestones lately. I was already the first player to win as a military returnee, but I was delighted to find out that I’m the first person to win GSL in their 30s and the first Protoss to win in five years. I think every progamer wants to leave a legacy and I’m hungry to set more records in the future.
Winning this season of GSL would give you your third GSL title and fourth individual league overall. What would it mean to you to pass Mvp and tie INnoVation and Dark for the third most Korean Individual League wins in sc2 history?
It’s a shame there’s no Golden Mouse like the old days [laughs]. As I said, I’m thrilled to add to my accolades, but winning GSL isn’t my only goal at the moment. EWC isn’t far away and GSL almost feels like a prelude to the main event.
Both GuMiho and Rogue expressed doubts about their ability in TvP and ZvP respectively during their post-match interview. What's it like going into the Round of 4 when you know your opponent considers themselves an underdog?
I was watching Rogue’s post-match interview last night and I couldn’t help but get mad when he said that, if he had to face a Protoss, he would pick me over Classic and Zoun. I think it’s time to teach him a lesson.
Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but winning Code S last season meant you didn't have to fight for an invite to EWC during this season of GSL or at DreamHack Dallas. Has it been a relief to play without that pressure or do you think it would have spurred you to practice even harder given you've stated that you're not happy with how you played today?
I think a little pressure actually helps me perform better, but I wouldn’t say I was feeling a lack of it in recent events just because I qualified for EWC.
8 years ago, Rogue beat you in the finals of IEM Shanghai and Super Tournament 2 to make it to BlizzCon, where he beat you again in the quarterfinals. But, now you have the chance to get revenge and possibly prevent him from going to EWC. How would that feel?
There’s no denying Rogue has gotten in my way in the past, but I’ve learned my lesson and my motto is he needs to be stopped as early as possible [laughs]. I’ll have to put my all into preparation so I can send him packing.
Last time we asked you if you have any words for your foreign fans, so this time we'll change things up. If your loved ones were kidnapped by pirates and you could only rescue them by recruiting a team of three other SC2 players, who would you pick and why?
That’s actually pretty funny. Well, the first player that comes to mind is Dark because he’s bulked up a lot recently. Next would be Bunny since he’s very caring and supportive. As for the third person…I really need to think… You know what, I’ll go with Stats. He’s loaded which should help out a lot.
Classic: "It’s been such a long time since I last won a tournament that I find myself constantly thinking about just how much I miss the joy of victory.."
![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/GSL/2025/codes2/classicro8.jpg)
TL.net: Bunny's tank push caught you off guard in game one, but you stymied his aggression after that—with game three being particularly one sided. Was that psi storm timing a direct counter to Bunny's push or did things just work out in your favor?
Classic: I was thinking a lot about why I lost once game one came to an end. I knew the reason I wasn’t able to defend was because I didn’t have psi storm in time for his push, so I made some alterations to my build to ensure I’d have storm in time for his push.
You said you were expecting Zoun to try to push the tempo. When it comes to PvP do you feel more comfortable in those types of scenarios or would you rather play a more passive style?
I usually prefer macro games—especially when I’m practicing for an upcoming tournament. But, when you’re in an offline event such as this, I find you often do better if you play more aggressively and catch your opponent unprepared
Game two devolved into complete chaos once you and Zoun both went for dark shrines. The crowd loves games like that, but it has to be extremely stressful for you. How mentally taxing can a game like that be on a day where you have to play multiple matches?
It goes both ways. If you lose a game like that it’s very stressful, but if you win it’s really exhilarating.
You’re now three for four when it comes to making the Round of 4 of an S-Tier event since the beginning of May. What is it going to take to make it one step further and get to the finals?
After getting knocked out in the semifinals of the last two events, I want to make it to the finals even more. I don’t have much time to practice, but I was able to prepare for every race in the days leading up to the Round of 8 and I’m feeling confident.
You’ve had some really bright moments since returning from the military, but you’ve been unable to put it all together for an entire tournament. What kind of struggles do you face that you might not have in the first half of your career?
From a physical perspective I can feel my abilities declining the older I get. It’s as if I have to put in more effort to get the same results. As for the mental effect, StarCraft II has been around for a long time. I can’t help but worry when tournaments like GSL are going to stop.
You lost to Cure in the Round of 4 of Season 1 just a few weeks ago. You insinuated that you feel comfortable with PvT but how does preparing for GuMiho differ from a more standard player like Cure?
GuMiho is different from other Terrans in that he throws a lot of early pushes at you. It can be very challenging at times to find an answer for his brand of aggression.
You won SSL and GSL in back to back years, (2015 and 2014 respectively) but it’s been nearly a decade since you’ve won a premier individual event of this scale. What would it mean to finally win GSL again?
It’s been such a long time since I last won a tournament that I find myself constantly thinking about just how much I miss the joy of victory. I’m fully aware that this season GSL is a legitimate opportunity for me to recapture those emotions and it’s become my primary goal to experience that happiness again.
You have some really dedicated Korean fans dating all the way back to your time on stx soul, but you have a strong fan base overseas as well. What do you have to say to your foreign fans who are cheering you on?
I’m always incredibly grateful for the fans who cheer me on—Korean and otherwise, so I want to make sure to say thank you. Something I notice when traveling overseas is just how enthusiastic the foreign fans are. They’re constantly coming up to me to say hello and they cheer really loudly—which gives me a lot of energy and makes me play better.
