• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 07:08
CEST 13:08
KST 20:08
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
[ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall9HomeStory Cup 27 - Info & Preview18Classic wins Code S Season 2 (2025)16Code S RO4 & Finals Preview: herO, Rogue, Classic, GuMiho0TL Team Map Contest #5: Presented by Monster Energy6
Community News
Flash Announces Hiatus From ASL54Weekly Cups (June 23-29): Reynor in world title form?13FEL Cracov 2025 (July 27) - $8000 live event16Esports World Cup 2025 - Final Player Roster16Weekly Cups (June 16-22): Clem strikes back1
StarCraft 2
General
RECLAIM STOLEN BTC HIRE BLOCKCHAIN CYBER RETRIEVE Weekly Cups (June 23-29): Reynor in world title form? The SCII GOAT: A statistical Evaluation PiG Sty Festival #5: Playoffs Preview + Groups Recap The GOAT ranking of GOAT rankings
Tourneys
Korean Starcraft League Week 77 Master Swan Open (Global Bronze-Master 2) RSL: Revival, a new crowdfunded tournament series [GSL 2025] Code S: Season 2 - Semi Finals & Finals $5,100+ SEL Season 2 Championship (SC: Evo)
Strategy
How did i lose this ZvP, whats the proper response Simple Questions Simple Answers
Custom Maps
[UMS] Zillion Zerglings
External Content
Mutation # 480 Moths to the Flame Mutation # 479 Worn Out Welcome Mutation # 478 Instant Karma Mutation # 477 Slow and Steady
Brood War
General
Player “Jedi” cheat on CSL BW General Discussion Flash Announces Hiatus From ASL BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ Unit and Spell Similarities
Tourneys
[Megathread] Daily Proleagues [BSL20] Grand Finals - Sunday 20:00 CET Small VOD Thread 2.0 [BSL20] GosuLeague RO16 - Tue & Wed 20:00+CET
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers I am doing this better than progamers do.
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Nintendo Switch Thread Path of Exile What do you want from future RTS games? Beyond All Reason
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Trading/Investing Thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Russo-Ukrainian War Thread The Games Industry And ATVI
Fan Clubs
SKT1 Classic Fan Club! Maru Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Anime Discussion Thread [Manga] One Piece [\m/] Heavy Metal Thread
Sports
Formula 1 Discussion 2024 - 2025 Football Thread NBA General Discussion TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 NHL Playoffs 2024
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
Blogs
Culture Clash in Video Games…
TrAiDoS
from making sc maps to makin…
Husyelt
Blog #2
tankgirl
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Trip to the Zoo
micronesia
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 628 users

[TSL] Transformation - NaNiwa Interview and Bio

Forum Index > PokerStrategy.com TSL3 Forum
Post a Reply
1 2 3 4 5 Next All
Heyoka
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
Katowice25012 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-05-17 01:42:08
May 13 2011 17:22 GMT
#1
[image loading]
(Wiki)TSL3 on Liquipedia


[image loading]
Naniwa is perhaps the scariest Protoss in Europe right now. His tournament history is outstanding, his achievements list is littered with 'firsts' and he just won the most recent MLG. But things haven't always been smooth sailing for Naniwa, and as a result he is misunderstood by a lot of people. Despite all the haters that seem to pop up, he is now one of the finalists for the TSL and one step away from silencing his critics for good.

Nani has always been a predominant figure in the SC2 scene. During the beta, Nani became the first player to win three Zotac cups back to back - including wins over Dimaga and Jinro. The key to his success in these three cups was his use of the 4gate. He refined the build and turned it into one of the most lethal weapons in the Protoss arsenal. It is very reasonable to say that Naniwa is one of the true masters of the 4gate. But his pioneering use of the 4gate also made fans characterise him as a one dimensional and cheesy, an image which still remains today.

After the beta, Nani set about refining his gameplay and developing more macro oriented builds. Together with Mana, he developed the 3gate/robo opening which lead the way in PvT innovation during the first months of release. He also moved to Germany to live with Cloud and participate in the German EPS. Throughout this time his tournament results were few and far between, but he was still able to perform well in the EPS - holding the 3rd place position at the end of October.

Nani was notorious for his bad manners throughout the Starcraft II beta, a trait he links back to troubles when he was growing up. Eventually these bad manners earned him a number of penalty points in the EPS which put him in danger of being disqualified. He then missed one of his matches which put him over the penalty point threshold and was disqualified from the ESL. The community went spastic about the decision; most comments being highly critical of Nani. Soon after he left MYM and it looked like Nani had hit rock bottom.

Some people would just give up at this point - the community despised him for his actions in the ESL and they had him labeled as a cheesy 4 gate Protoss - but not Nani. He resolved to improve his play and his image and his disqualification became a turning point in his career.

First off, he became a practice machine. Do you recall boyardee? He was the first person to reach 3000 points on the NA server. Yes, that person was Nani. Do you recall MeatyOwlLegs? He was the first person to reach 4000 points world wide. Yup, once again that was Nani. Ironically, many players commented on how talented boyardee/MeatyOwlLegs were - comments which were sparingly used when discussing Nani. It really goes to show just how fixated the community can become and the power of image.

The practice gave Nani's career a second wind and he began picking up more and more tournament wins. His playstyle completely changed. His builds were innovative, his macro was perfect, but most notably he could read his opponents like a book - striking where they were weak and making them look really bad in the process. And yes, occasionally he threw in the odd 4gate (which he executed better than anyone). Further, he resolved to correct his manner issues and has kept his word. From such a dark past has arisen a mighty competitor. Like a pheonix from the ashes, Nani had come storming back into the scene and was consistently ranked in the top three of the international TLPD.

Nani quickly made an impression in the first TSL qualifier where he reached the semifinals - losing to the eventual winner Kas. Displeased with this result, Nani backed up his semifinal appearance by winning the second TSL qualifier. In the final he defeated Goody 3-0 after cruising through a relatively easy bracket.

His run also demonstrated just how far Naniwa had come since his 4gating days. His games were played with exceptional care and anytime he was able to gain an advantage he held onto it for the course of the game. There were no weaknesses in his game - he could 4gate at will, he could play a straight up macro game - he was flexible and that made him dangerous.

In the months leading up to the TSL he placed well in a few more LANs in Europe before heading over to the USA to win MLG Dallas. By now Nani was at the top of his game and he demonstrated this at MLG by winning the open tournament without dropping a game. In fact, he only lost 2 sets in the entire tournament - which was to KiwiKaki in the finals. Since MLG he has been incredibly busy, playing in just about every tournament imaginable (and winning more often than not).

Until just a few days ago, Nani was on a 35-0 Best of X series streak. That kind of dominance is absurd.

Naniwa's style can be best summed up by calling it "abusive". Abusive in the sense that he will abuse every last one of his opponents weaknesses and exploit them to his advantage. The moment his opponent makes a mistake, Nani pounces and dismantles him. For instance, Nani figured out in the semifinals that Hasuobs could not stop his 4gate - so he simply did that four times and won. He honed in on Hasu's vulnerability and came away with the result. Because Nani is so fluent in all parts of the game, he is able to adapt his game to his opponent and that makes him an incredibly scary player to face. It is this ability to read his opponent that has lead to Nani's absurd Best of X series streak since he is able to figure out his opponents weaknesses as the series progresses.

Despite being the perennial villain of SC2, Naniwa remains as one of the two finalists of the TSL. His image is still tarnished from his past, but it is clear to anyone who is observant that the Naniwa of today is nothing like the Naniwa of last year. He is the current "man to beat" on the European scene and boasts 92% winrate against Terran in his last 25 PvT's. Love him or hate him, Nani deserves to be here and perhaps a TSL win is exactly what he needs to illustrate to the world that he is the real deal.


[image loading] NaNiwa Chats


[image loading]
Q: You have been enjoying a lot of success in the past months, has anything changed in the way you view the game or your approach to it?

No not really, the only part thats changed is that I don't really get as satisfied when I win things anymore, I just want to win more and more.

Q: Does it make you happy to face other Warcraft players in big tournaments?

Doesn't really matter to me to be honest. The stronger the opponent the more fun it is, always!

Q: Recently you beat Thorzain the PlayDH tournament, does this change how you will prepare in any way?

Nope, I think he as well as I were hiding builds for the real deal and did not really play our most serious styles.

Q: Sweden has been doing very well in international events lately, does that come as a surprise? Are you proud of the all-Swedish finals?

I am obviously proud of an all-Swedish final, it is a bit surprising because the support from the community in sweden is so bad for swedish players compared to a lot of other nations like Germany. Player quality wise its not surprising in the least.

Q: You have plans to go to Korea, are you confident you can do well in Code A/S?

If I was not confident I would not go there, but I don't think I can truly say until I have tried playing the Korean players. Right now I think I can do well, but will see when I arrive.

Q: Do you have anything special planned against Thorzain? He is not as easy to study as someone with more public games.

I think the fact that I have a lot of games out only will show him one thing: that I'm unpredictable. I play a lot of different styles. Never the same for a long period of time. Obviously I have a lot of strategies prepared against Thorzain, this match I actually have time to prepare unlike the other TSL matches.

Q: You have a very busy schedule between LAN competitions and online tournaments, is it ever overwhelming preparing for all of them?

Well its quite busy but most of the leagues have been very flexible which I appriciate. But for example Rakaka Road to Korea was extremly unflexible and had me play in the worst conditions possible with no regard to my situation (obviously don't want to take anything away from Sase since he is a great player and I have nothing but respect for him).

Q: Since your MLG win, do you feel any increased burden to win or is it the same as before? Do you think opponents are more likely to play or prepare harder against you now?

I think my opponents prepared before against me as well, if they didn't I think they are quite foolish. But my burden to win has become a lot bigger, people expect me to win every game at every tournament, but I think I have adapted well to the pressure and it will only go uphill from here.

Q: Give us some idea as to who you are outside of the game. What do you like to do when you aren't practicing?

well lately I haven't had the time to do anything, but mostly I eat with friends, watch movies and TV series. I recently invested in a one year gym membership so I will do that for as much as I can, as I stopped when I bought sc2 and became in terrible physical shape.

To get to know you further, we're going to try a series of questions that have short answers. This is our lightning round.

Q: What do you eat for breakfast on a normal day?

Bacon and eggs.

Q: What is your drink of choice, while practicing or out on the town?

Milk.

Q: Have you ever been to New York? Are you excited to see anything in it?

Nope, well a bit but I don't really care much for sightseeing.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

American Psycho.

Q: Dogs or cats?

Cats.

Q: Do you have anything to say to your fans and supporters before the finals?

I hope my fans will continue cheering for me as I will give my best in this final and at MLG and possibly later on GSL! Also big shoutout to my team Dignitas which have been helping me overcome the stress and pressure. Shoutouts to http://www.sixpoolgaming.com check them out.



This TSL is sponsored by PokerStrategy.com, the world's largest poker school and community. With hundreds of Poker VODs and an assortment of learning material in 18 different languages, PokerStrategy.com offers the chance for aspiring Poker players to learn from a beginner to a professional level. Sign up using TL's referral link.

By signing up, you can also enter the TSL3 Raffle, where you can win a 5-night trip to South Korea for 2 people to watch StarCraft live in person and tour the oGs-Liquid house.

Discuss with other fans in the TSL3 Forum.
@RealHeyoka | ESL / DreamHack StarCraft Lead
kellymilkies
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
Singapore1393 Posts
May 13 2011 17:27 GMT
#2
Naniwa the badass
Be the change you wish to see in the world ^-^V //
Kisra
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United Kingdom466 Posts
May 13 2011 17:31 GMT
#3
Naniwa just went up in my book: He is a cat person. This makes him awesome.
:D
Blackrobe
Profile Joined August 2010
United States806 Posts
May 13 2011 17:35 GMT
#4
Gooooooooooo NaNiwa!! :D
"To make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future."
Kauz
Profile Joined December 2010
United States38 Posts
May 13 2011 17:36 GMT
#5
I just wish the dude was a little more happy with himself. I know he wants to improve, it just kind of comes off as self-loathing, which is sad, because he's awesome and I think he could be the bonjwa he wants to be some day.
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
SiguR
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
Canada2039 Posts
May 13 2011 17:37 GMT
#6
Milk...

nice.
Halcyondaze
Profile Joined January 2011
United States509 Posts
May 13 2011 17:37 GMT
#7
Naniwa just went down in my book: He is a cat person. That makes him lame.
Endure
Profile Joined March 2011
Canada287 Posts
May 13 2011 17:39 GMT
#8
I used to really dislike naniwa, but he cleaned up his act very well and is now one of my favourite players on the scene :o love seeing players get their head straight and this is just an example of what you can achieve if you do that!
asdfTT123
Profile Blog Joined June 2009
United States989 Posts
May 13 2011 17:45 GMT
#9
cats...nice
n.Die_Jaedong <3
Dimorgh
Profile Joined October 2010
Sweden22 Posts
May 13 2011 17:46 GMT
#10
Nice interview!
mDuo13
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
United States307 Posts
May 13 2011 17:49 GMT
#11
I'm glad that Naniwa has straightened out his attitude, and I hope to see him riding his reformed wave to many more successes in the future. On the other hand, he's up against ThorZain! It's a tough call.
sVnteen
Profile Joined January 2011
Germany2238 Posts
May 13 2011 17:54 GMT
#12
he says that he will see if he could do well in korea WHEN HE ARRIVES
does that mean he is going to korea???
MY LIFE STARTS NOW ♥
preon
Profile Joined February 2011
Sweden48 Posts
May 13 2011 18:02 GMT
#13
Q: Sweden has been doing very well in international events lately, does that come as a surprise? Are you proud of the all-Swedish finals?

I am obviously proud of an all-Swedish final, it is a bit surprising because the support from the community in sweden is so bad for swedish players compared to a lot of other nations like Germany. Player quality wise its not surprising in the least.


Ehm.. lol? I bet he'll take that back whenever/if ever he comes home from korea, after making it to the semifinals in the gsl twice in a row, and beeing celebrated at the airport..

All in all, cool interview though, he's a baller!
aDd3z
Profile Joined March 2011
Germany885 Posts
May 13 2011 18:02 GMT
#14
nani for bonjwa!
Cj Entus | Effort | Prime | MarineKing | mouz | HasuObs
Skilledblob
Profile Joined April 2011
Germany3392 Posts
May 13 2011 18:04 GMT
#15
Nani gets + points for being a cat person. I allready wrote him off after he dropped out of the EPS but it's great to see that he was able to focus and seemingly turn around his live.
kawoq
Profile Joined November 2005
Guatemala357 Posts
May 13 2011 18:05 GMT
#16
On May 14 2011 02:31 Kisra wrote:
Naniwa just went up in my book: He is a cat person. This makes him awesome.


for me too... though he plays toss so he is kind of tied right now...
"It is not a shameful thing to be unable to reach the goal. It's becoming afraid and running away, even before considering the fact that the road is long and rough, that is truly cowardly." by - Lim Yo Hwan aka SlayerS_Boxer from "Crazy as me"
Bosu
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
United States3247 Posts
May 13 2011 18:07 GMT
#17
How can you not care for sight seeing :x So many amazing experiences can be had traveling around to tournaments.
#1 Kwanro Fan
Nifel
Profile Joined June 2010
706 Posts
May 13 2011 18:13 GMT
#18
Hell yeah. I knew he was a cat person! Now I have no doubt he'll be the first foreign bonjwa.
McKTenor13
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
United States1383 Posts
May 13 2011 18:19 GMT
#19
That's the secret to his success. Milk! White-Ra called it, and Naniwa proved it. =)
If you can chill. chill. - Liquid'Tyler
Mobius_1
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
United Kingdom2763 Posts
May 13 2011 18:25 GMT
#20
American Psycho?

Thorzain might want to lock his door at night.

Also, someone make a Naniwa "Got Milk?" cheerful.
Starleague Forever. RIP KT Violet~
1 2 3 4 5 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
RSL Revival
10:00
Season 1: Playoffs Day 3
ByuN vs ChamLIVE!
herO vs Reynor
Tasteless1169
Crank 947
IndyStarCraft 159
Rex97
3DClanTV 75
IntoTheiNu 37
LiquipediaDiscussion
CranKy Ducklings
10:00
Master Swan Open #93
CranKy Ducklings81
LiquipediaDiscussion
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
Tasteless 1169
Crank 947
IndyStarCraft 159
Rex 97
ForJumy 32
MindelVK 4
StarCraft: Brood War
Calm 5941
Larva 1612
Horang2 1504
Flash 963
Jaedong 383
Stork 347
BeSt 204
actioN 200
Hyun 170
TY 128
[ Show more ]
Last 125
Soulkey 105
sorry 72
Yoon 57
Mini 51
Free 35
Mind 30
GoRush 30
sSak 29
Shinee 24
NaDa 24
Mong 20
Barracks 19
yabsab 17
hero 16
Icarus 8
SilentControl 6
Sea.KH 6
ivOry 5
Dota 2
XaKoH 598
XcaliburYe545
canceldota78
League of Legends
singsing389
Heroes of the Storm
Khaldor266
Other Games
B2W.Neo364
DeMusliM220
SortOf146
Lowko98
Organizations
StarCraft 2
ComeBackTV 654
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 13 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Adnapsc2 9
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
Dota 2
• WagamamaTV415
League of Legends
• Lourlo2414
Upcoming Events
WardiTV European League
52m
FEL
4h 52m
RSL Revival
22h 52m
Clem vs Classic
SHIN vs Cure
FEL
1d
WardiTV European League
1d
BSL: ProLeague
1d 6h
Dewalt vs Bonyth
Replay Cast
2 days
Sparkling Tuna Cup
2 days
WardiTV European League
3 days
The PondCast
3 days
[ Show More ]
Replay Cast
4 days
RSL Revival
4 days
Replay Cast
5 days
RSL Revival
5 days
RSL Revival
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

BSL 2v2 Season 3
HSC XXVII
Heroes 10 EU

Ongoing

JPL Season 2
BSL Season 20
Acropolis #3
KCM Race Survival 2025 Season 2
CSL 17: 2025 SUMMER
Copa Latinoamericana 4
Championship of Russia 2025
RSL Revival: Season 1
Murky Cup #2
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025
PGL Astana 2025
Asian Champions League '25
BLAST Rivals Spring 2025
MESA Nomadic Masters
CCT Season 2 Global Finals
IEM Melbourne 2025

Upcoming

2025 ACS Season 2: Qualifier
CSLPRO Last Chance 2025
2025 ACS Season 2
CSLPRO Chat StarLAN 3
K-Championship
uThermal 2v2 Main Event
SEL Season 2 Championship
FEL Cracov 2025
Esports World Cup 2025
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
IEM Cologne 2025
FISSURE Playground #1
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.