Q: You haven't played much SC2 until the last few months. Tell us how your progress has been going.

To be honest, I haven't played that much the last two months either because I was in my exam period once again (like every TSL you host ). But still, you know that I never talk about any progress because I can only win if I am lucky.

Q: You will have participated in all three TSLs. Does this tournament mean anything special to you? What are your goals for the TSL3?

TSL was, is, and will always be the greatest tournament. It has been so much fun to participate every single time even, if you stopped me first TSL with Wuthering Heights :D. Second time was the better one apparently because there was no Wuthering Heights and no one really expected me to achieve too much, because I was not really in the spotlight at all the months before. It was a pleasure to see Tyler and me in the final of TSL2, I think that both him and me were quite inactive until TSL and people did not really consider us favorites before the tournament. It was fun to play him in the final even though I lost, but he's a great guy and he deserved to win. My Goals for TSL 3 ... lets see what happens .

Q: Many fans are very curious as to your current skill level. Are you confident in your SC2 ability at the moment? Do you feel you have something to prove?

I am never confident in my skill - as usual only luck decides if I am able to win. I don't feel like I have something to prove. Of course many people have high expectations that I must be at least as good in SC2 as I was in BW but the games are too different to actually compare them. Being good in BW doesnt necessarily mean that you are good in SC2 as well.

Q: Your first round opponent is Zeerax. Do you know anything about him? How do you feel about him? Are you confident you can beat him?

I do know him from some games, we have played in the ladder but those were quite a while ago. I do not really think I can beat him since I consider him a very skilled opponent who can cause some upsets in this tournament and unfortunately I am the first one in his way.

Q: Describe your style in SC2. What are your best and worst match ups?

I am still trying to stick to a macro orientated style as I did in BroodWar but it feels different in SC2 because I hate Queens! Using Larva Injection regularly asks too much of me :D. I do not really know what are my best and worst matchups. I guess they are all equally ... (insert any word you think that might fit).

Q: Do you feel the Koreans will dominate the TSL3 or do you feel that the international players stand a good chance?

We saw at IEM that Koreans are once again dominating in StarCraft 2 though the skill gap does not appear as big as it was in BroodWar (yet). There are not many international players that can stand a chance but I am looking forward to seeing possible surprises.

Q: Do you feel your experience in SC1 gives you an advantage against all the newer players? Are you excited to finally be competing again?

Experience does not help. Only thing that helps is practice and game sense - and game sense comes from practicing. In the end it is all about practicing until you have reached a particular skill level.

Q: How is MYM? Do you practice with the other MYM players? Do you plan on traveling to any future big LANs or tournaments?

MYM is great, we have a great team, we have great players and MYM supports everyone as well as they can. I do practice with the others but because of the lack of time due to my studies I did not practice as much as I might have wanted. I do not have any concrete plan concerning attending offline tournaments / LANs. We will see about that.

Q: If you had to introduce yourself to our fans who never met you, how would you describe yourself? Write a few sentences about your personality.

I hate questions like that were I have to talk about myself :D Oh well, I'm Mondragon and I've been a BroodWar player since 1998 and I have been the leader and player of ToT for almost one decade. I am very proud of this 'personal' achievement to lead a team with many unique players (who sometimes behave like a diva) for so many years, knowing that ToT was the best team in BroodWar. This is something really unique and special. I do not want to talk too much about my achievements because everyone can look that up if they want to .

Q: What do you think are your greatest strengths and weaknesses as a player?

I consider my macro, my game sense and probably my 'crisis management' as one of my greatest strengths (at least in BW). My weakness concerning eSports is probably that I do not put as much effort into practicing as other just because I dislike mass playing and I prefer to do other things in my life than just playing SC2 several hours day by day. I rather try to think about some situations in the game more deeply and try to even out the lack of practice time.

Q: Which matches (other than your own) are you interested in? Why? Who do you believe will win?

I'm interested in Kas vs HayprO and I hope they can put up a great show. Even though I really like Kas I will be rooting for my former team mate . Sen vs Fenix is gonna be nice to watch too because Sen is just ... Sen - as well an old team mate of mine. Besides of that I hope that Ret is going to win against NaNiwa because I like to see Jos playing. He knows what it takes to be an extraordinary player. In general I am less interested in Korean games but I have never been too much into following Korean scene in BroodWar either.

Q: Do you have anything to say to your fans and supporters before the Round of 32?

First of all I want to thank everyone for your support. I hope that my fans bring me luck once again and that I can win a map in order to hit the imaginary easy button at least once .

Q: You qualified for the TSL on points. Give us your thoughts on the qualifiers. Have you been watching the later qualifiers?

I really liked the qualifying methods (not just the winners being able to qualify, as I think it is the most fair and precise way of getting the best players to qualify). Also having best of 3 as early as round of 32 was really nice. Qualifiers ran really smooth and admins were really helpful and understandable when needed.

Q: You are a lesser known player. What are your goals for the TSL3? Do you feel you have something to prove?

Also I am less known player, I consider myself to be one of the top European players since the beta. I've been doing pretty good on the ladder (being number 1 numerous times). Unfortunately, I don't like the structure of most online tournaments (too much luck involved, too time consuming, low prize money)
and that keeps me away from playing them and being a more recognizable name. Considering myself one of the top Euro guys I definitely want to prove it. I haven't set myself any exact goals, just want to play to the best of my abilities.
If I do so, I am sure I can go pretty far.

Q: Your first round opponent is MYM.Mondragon, who is a mystery as well. How do you feel about him? Are you confident you can beat him?

I haven't played him lately but 4-5 months ago he was playing very unique style. He is a very smart player and a nice guy and only not being very active keeps him away from being one of the top European players. If he puts in enough practice for TSL I am sure he will be very tough to beat. So the only thing I can be confident in is my skill, I have to make sure
I play my best in order to beat him.

Q: You did the same build in PvT many times in the TL Open you finished second in. Do you have special strategies planned for Mondragon? How are you approaching the match?

I like using same opening builds as my game is oriented around taking bit by bit advantages troughout the game; not being bitbybit.prime . I like to mix it up when good oppurtunities come though, and having a few weeks to prepare is one of those. For now I am just playing on the ladder sorting some ideas/strategies out, but I will start practicing
on the exact maps for the last week before the match.

Q: Many fans believe Koreans will dominate this tournament. Do you feel the same way? Are you glad you didn't get matched up with a GSL champion?

Generally Koreans have more solid strategies and decision making, but thats also my exact strength. When two very solid players meet, the metagame can be of great effect and I am pretty good at this, being very old school gamer and poker player. To some degree I would even prefer playing a GSL champion.

Q: If you had to introduce yourself to our fans who never met you, how would you describe yourself? Write a few sentences about your personality.

Spontaneous, likes to joke around a lot, lazy (but puts a lot of effort in what he likes, believes).

Q: What do you think are your greatest strengths and weaknesses as a player?

Solid, innovative player with very good understanding of how the game works. Sometimes I can get overconfident or not pay enough attention to small things.

Q: Which matches (other than your own) are you interested in? Why? Who do you believe will win?

As I play with almost all european players in TSL on a daily basis I would like to see them doing good. So generally I am looking for korea vs europe matches. I would predict some pretty big "surprises" coming from europe. Nightend is clearly a favourite for me against Boxer, and Nada vs TLO is 50/50 if TLO picks terran, which I think he will.

Q: Do you have anything to say to your fans and supporters before the Round of 32?

Both me and Mondragon are highly strategical players so I hope for some great games. I wouldn't be surprised if TSL viewers see some nonstandard or unique games. I really don't like to play Mondragon as he is such a nice guy, but I hope I am victorious.

Q: You qualified on points. You knew you were qualified relatively early. What do you feel about the qualifier process? What are your goals for this TSL?

I think the qualification process of the TSL was awesome, I liked the mix of direct qualification, invites and the point system. That way it was guaranteed that the best of the best got into the tour. I dont`t think a single other tournament had so many great names gathered before. Well for now my goal is to beat Nada, with him facing me in the first round I cant really think about anything else yet ^^.

Q: How have you been in Europe? Are you happier than you were in Korea? How are your hands?

I have been really good, I am really happy and motivated right now, definitely happier than in Korea. Europe is a great place to be right now with a lot of opportunity, and I missed the culture. My hands are better, but I haven't gotten rid of the Carpal Tunnel yet, I am afraid I will have to deal with it for quite some time still.

Q: Your first round opponent is a legend, NaDa. You played him back in the beta in a show match at IEM. What race will you play against him? Are you confident?

I will play Terran against him, I don't think I can allow myself to practice random vs a tough opponent like him. I am confident that I can give him a honorable fight, but I see myself as the underdog.

Q: Many fans are predicting the Koreans to dominate. How do you feel the NA/EU players will do against them?

I have to back that opinion, Koreans seem a lot stronger than the NA/EU players right now, and I think in most cases the Koreans will be victorious, however them dealing with a higher lag will help a little! ^^

Q: If you had to introduce yourself to our fans who never met you, how would you describe yourself? Write a few sentences about your personality.

My name is Dario Wünsch I am 20 Years old and from Germany. I like to see myself as a friendly person who gets along well with most others. Being active in E-sports is my dream job and I am extremely grateful and happy about what I am doing. Whenever I face a problem I try to get rid of it and find a solution everyone can live with, even if sometimes I fail with that. Most importantly for my career but also my life in general, I would never give up on something truly important and special to me. Even if I have to fight and struggle.

Q: What do you think are your greatest strengths and weaknesses as a player?

My greatest strengths are my aggression and diversity as a player, however those are also my biggest weaknesses.

Q: Which matches (other than your own) are you interested in? Why? Who do you believe will win?

I am really looking forward to see Jinro vs Morrow, they are both from Sweden my teammate went to Korea and I am curious to see how things will play out. In general I am most interested in matches with my team mates of course and I believe all of them will win! ♥

Q: You recently tried out commentating at IEM World Championships. Do you enjoy casting or playing more? Should we expect more TLO casting in the future?

Yeah I enjoyed casting a lot however it was very exhausting to me to be in the spotlight like that for such a long time, and everyday that passed I got a stronger tingling senstation in my fingers cause I didnt wanna look at the action. I wanna be in the middle of it. I might to more commentary but I really prefer to play myself.

Q: Do you have anything to say to your fans and supporters before the Round of 32?

Thanks to all of you for believing in me. I have an incredible fan base and I am really grateful for all your support even in periods in which I am not doing so well you guys stick to me and that always helps and reminds me why I am doing this, and that I should believe in myself.

+ Show Spoiler [Korean Version - 한국어 원문] +

Q: Hello and welcome to the TSL3 tournament. Have you heard of TeamLiquid before? What made you decide to accept your invite? What are your goals for the TSL3?

After Jinro introduced the tournament to me, I quickly decided to participate. I had heard a lot about TeamLiquid, and I thought there was no reason I shouldn’t compete in a global tournament.

Q: You were a legend in SCBW and many members of TeamLiquid remember your Golden Mouse and great games. What do you think of the international fans who watch GSL and follow Starcraft? What do you have to say to them?

The fans will always be my reason for being a progamer. I want to show my international fans me at my best, and I want to be with them as I take on challenges until the day I depart.

Q: Why did you switch to StarCraft 2? What are your goals for your career in SC2?

I switched to Starcraft 2 because I was thirsting to play meaningful games and wanted a more free environment, something I could do alongside my academic pursuits, and because I was thirsting for a championship. If SC2 is to succeed, they need to get great games broadcasted on TV.

Q: Why did you join oGs? What do you think of the Liquid players that spent time in Korea like Jinro, TLO, Ret, Haypro, and Huk?

I was touched by what oGs team manager Spunky had to say to me. I trusted and agreed fully with his words; and since he was a man of great vision, I had high hopes. When I joined the team, he treated me very well, and my teammates made me believe I made the right choice. The foreign gamers are all so innocent, mannered and fun. I’m trying to get to know them better, and I even plan to improve my terrible English in the future, lol.

Q: Do you think Korean Pro-gamers are more aware of international events? There are many big events like IEM and MLG with big prizes in America and Europe. Would you like to go to any of them in the future?

I don’t think Korean progamers know much about foreign tournaments yet. I learned more about them as I played Starcraft 2. They’re great because they let me meet international fans, and it’s a nice bonus that I get to travel abroad, keke. I would like to compete in them, keke.

Q: Who do you feel are the best non-Korean players? Who have you heard of and who do you wish to play against?

I think Jinro is good. I’d like to face him in a tournament.

Q: Your opponent is Liquid`TLO, someone you played already in showmatches in IEM Cologne. Do you know him? How will you prepare for him? Are you confident you will win?

I think he’s a really difficult opponent… He has a really genius style, keke. I think it will be fun, and I’ll have to prepare for a lot of variables… I’m about 50% confident that I will win.

Q: Do you think international players and Korean players play differently? How so?

Hmm, I don’t think they’re that different… But I think in terms of builds or overall game management, they come out with slightly more innovative strategies and builds. I think Korea and international players have their own unique strengths.

Q: Who do you feel are the best players in the GSL currently?

SuperNoVa, and MC.

Q: If you had to introduce yourself to our fans who never met you, how would you describe yourself?

Freestyle, absolute timing, and the instincts of a genius? keke.

Q: What do you think are your greatest strengths and weaknesses as a player?

I think my strength is that I know myself well, and my weakness is my practice time.

Q: Who do you believe will win the TSL3? How do you feel the Koreans will do against the best international players?

I think the games with foreign players will be close. I think that the foreigners’ level of play is high.