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.
NaNiwa Chats
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.
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.
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!
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.
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..
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.
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!
I don't see what is wrong with his statement. Swedish fans in general suck at supporting their team/player compared to a lot of other nations. And to be honest I wasn't that impressed by the welcome Jinro got at the air port. It was a nice arrangement but the turnout wasn't anything special.
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!
I don't see what is wrong with his statement. Swedish fans in general suck at supporting their team/player compared to a lot of other nations. And to be honest I wasn't that impressed by the welcome Jinro got at the air port. It was a nice arrangement but the turnout wasn't anything special.
Yeah, well. I don't honestly know how other nations are.. sweden might suck in general compared to others.. I just know i rooted for jinro, sjow and morrow like a madmen during the invitationals.. but then again.. I have no idea how the germans are.. so he/you might have a point.
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!
I don't see what is wrong with his statement. Swedish fans in general suck at supporting their team/player compared to a lot of other nations. And to be honest I wasn't that impressed by the welcome Jinro got at the air port. It was a nice arrangement but the turnout wasn't anything special.
While there seems to be a fairly vocal, Swedish minority here on TL which holds Sweden in very high regard (perhaps too high as it tends to get fairly embarrassing from time to time), the "jante" law runs deep in most. Not that many Swedes cheer for the home team. I also feel the majority of the Swedes I've met in some SC2-related way hold Korea in much higher regard than Sweden. Personally I feel it's a pretty healthy stance though. In an ideal world people would value high skill and sportsmanship over nationality in every sport. :D I guess it wouldn't do much for the competitive spirit though..
By the way; to cheer Naniwa and Thorzain up, TL could always play the Swedish national anthem before the game! ..or not..I guess it's best that tradition stays out of eSports.
I wish I could've heard him answer the favourite movie question. I can picture it now: the dead-serious look, the lack of effort in thinking, the badass composure and the barely audible, "American Psycho."
Him not feeling the community support in sweden is not surprising tbh, its all cuz of his past bm. He should see alot more support now that he has changed his ways =)
I've always said nani would be the player to look out for once he got into some major tournaments, and I feel good about not only being right , but also the success he's been able to create for himself. I would love to see NaNi and SeleCT get into GSL, I don't think much else could happen in the scene right now to make me happier save Bisu switching lol.
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.
I get so sad =( I'm a huge fan of Naniwa from Sweden. Naniwa i support you! :D
On May 14 2011 02:22 heyoka wrote: 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.
To be honest, most of the criticism has been due to his manners and he WAS the worst sort of bm kid in Wc3/Sc2 beta - I wouldn't say he was misunderstood, rather that he's finally got his act together thanks to the iron hands over at Dignitas.
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!
I don't see what is wrong with his statement. Swedish fans in general suck at supporting their team/player compared to a lot of other nations. And to be honest I wasn't that impressed by the welcome Jinro got at the air port. It was a nice arrangement but the turnout wasn't anything special.
By the way; to cheer Naniwa and Thorzain up, TL could always play the Swedish national anthem before the game! ..or not..I guess it's best that tradition stays out of eSports.
I kinda like the tradition of playing the national anthem before a sports event. It wouldn't feel too out of place for me personally. I'd rather hear them play "Sverige" instead of "Du gamla du fria" though!
I have been a fan of naniwa since launch, i always thought that he was misunderstood and that the EPS ordeal was such a big deal , a bit of bm and not showing up for a match shouldnt have everyone placing such a negative light on a player. I thoroughly enjoyed watching all of his games, especially during his meatyowllegs run he had some amazing games on that account that were casted by husky and a few others. Honestly he doesnt even BM as bad as idra but received alot more flack for it. Im so glad to see hes doing well and has smartened up a bit, he still has that same attitude (wich i like) but i think he just cares alot more now so he shows up for most of his games and is more well mannered in tournaments.
GO NANI! I definitely think he can take on thorzain and i cant wait to see the finals! should be such a good finals between Nestea Inca today and thorzain nani on sunday this will be a good weekend for finals! my birthday weekend too! (birthday earlier this week) :D
Disappointing he lost the road to korea but I really hope he still goes to give korea a shot. Sase is also a really good player but i think naniwa would have had a far better chance to get through code a prelims. Sucks that it was a PVP that decided who got to go, the matchup is still fairly volatile, although hopefully as people start to figure out the new patch more that will change.
Would *love* to see Naniwa in the GSL. More foreigners to support is never a bad thing, and I think he'd be more than a match for a few of the Korean players!
Originally when I read the Naniwa "bonjwa" comment, I thought it was kind of silly. I mean to be a bonjwa you have to be absolutely dominant in Korean SC. But I think it's cool that he has that as a goal, and even better that he's actually headed to Korea to play.
On May 14 2011 02:37 Halcyondaze wrote: Naniwa just went down in my book: He is a cat person. That makes him lame.
Why? Cats are way more awesome than dogs. To be that independent and not really care about what the humans do to them while dogs are satisfied with being slaves to humans.
On May 14 2011 02:37 Halcyondaze wrote: Naniwa just went down in my book: He is a cat person. That makes him lame.
Why? Cats are way more awesome than dogs. To be that independent and not really care about what the humans do to them while dogs are satisfied with being slaves to humans.
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.
Respect for recognizing it, admitting it publicly and (most importantly) acting on it. Hope he finds time to work out every now and the. Good luck in the finals!
Was never the biggest Nani fan, but I'm with most the others saying he really seems to have changed for the better and I can appreciate him as a player a lot more as a result. GL tomorrow, I'm expecting an awesome series
Oh and about drinking milk in Sweden: Yeah... most people drink milk with dinner over here. They really shouldn't though, as all that calcium inhibits your ability to absorb iron from your food. I'd rather take a glass of milk like an hour before I go to bed, so I can use the calcium while I sleep (which is when you need it mostly). But maybe I'm just obsessed with stuff like that...
Anyway: I wish you the best of luck Nani, even though I'll root for Thorzain. Make it epic!
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.
On May 14 2011 04:14 Meatloaf wrote: these swedes , they drink that "mjölk" all the time! even for dinner!
believe me I saw them doin it!! lol
How is that weird?
Also gogo Swedish TSL victory :D
South Europeans are strange in that regard :D When I was in Italy I asked for milk at a restaurant they first gave me a tiny box of milk to put in coffee, and I said I wanted a big one they gave me a big glass of WARM milk, WTF???? I just want a big glass of normal cold milk!
I am so puzzled who I want to win, both are Swedish so that doesn't factor... Nani is protoss, but Thorzain is an underdog.. Ahhh I hope Thorzain win, sorry protoss brothers, because Nani will go to Korea and dominate either way, so Thorzain can have this
edit: today is the World Championship Ice Hockey finals at the exact same time as the game!! Sweden - Finland, hate-match, omg which to watch?
On May 14 2011 04:14 Meatloaf wrote: these swedes , they drink that "mjölk" all the time! even for dinner!
believe me I saw them doin it!! lol
How is that weird?
Also gogo Swedish TSL victory :D
South Europeans are strange in that regard :D When I was in Italy I asked for milk at a restaurant they first gave me a tiny box of milk to put in coffee, and I said I wanted a big one they gave me a big glass of WARM milk, WTF???? I just want a big glass of normal cold milk!
I am so puzzled who I want to win, both are Swedish so that doesn't factor... Nani is protoss, but Thorzain is an underdog.. Ahhh I hope Thorzain win, sorry protoss brothers, because Nani will go to Korea and dominate either way, so Thorzain can have this
edit: today is the World Championship Ice Hockey finals at the exact same time as the game!! Sweden - Finland, hate-match, omg which to watch?
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!
I don't see what is wrong with his statement. Swedish fans in general suck at supporting their team/player compared to a lot of other nations. And to be honest I wasn't that impressed by the welcome Jinro got at the air port. It was a nice arrangement but the turnout wasn't anything special.
While there seems to be a fairly vocal, Swedish minority here on TL which holds Sweden in very high regard (perhaps too high as it tends to get fairly embarrassing from time to time), the "jante" law runs deep in most. Not that many Swedes cheer for the home team. I also feel the majority of the Swedes I've met in some SC2-related way hold Korea in much higher regard than Sweden. Personally I feel it's a pretty healthy stance though. In an ideal world people would value high skill and sportsmanship over nationality in every sport. :D I guess it wouldn't do much for the competitive spirit though..
By the way; to cheer Naniwa and Thorzain up, TL could always play the Swedish national anthem before the game! ..or not..I guess it's best that tradition stays out of eSports.
Well said! I completely agree with your philosophy there. Seeing as in a way, we're all our own nations and fight for ourselves, or our teams. And like you hinted, it doesn't really do much for the competitive spirit. So I don't think Swedes should stick their support for Swedish players beneath their chairs!
I'm very proud of being interested in e-sports, even though it needs to deal with sexism among other pressing issues at the moment. It's wonderful to be interested in something like Starcraft 2 which everybody can play despite of physical conditions and etc. And the fact that Naniwa has been practicing rigorously on his playstyle AND his manners, that makes him shine internationally! By doing so he's becoming a great example for me to introduce others to e-sports. Seeing as sports in general takes out the worst in people. We don't need people to be rude, it's a harsh world enough as it is. (Even though, you can never blame the things you say during the heat of the moment.)
I think Swedes should be proud of their fellow Swedes taking their opportunities to practice and fight in a format that isn't as generally embraced by the public. Sweden is a great gaming nation, as living here grants the population tons of opportunities to 'game on'.
And with those aspects in mind, I say; gogo Swedish gaming and Naniwa HWAITIIIIING!1!
On May 14 2011 04:14 Meatloaf wrote: these swedes , they drink that "mjölk" all the time! even for dinner!
believe me I saw them doin it!! lol
I just came back from a trip to Spain... near impossible to find milk... and if you tried to get anything else than beer/wine for lunch/dinner, the waiter looked like a questionmark...
I'm averaging 1.5 liters of milk per day, but I did grow up on a milk farm...
On May 14 2011 04:14 Meatloaf wrote: these swedes , they drink that "mjölk" all the time! even for dinner!
believe me I saw them doin it!! lol
I just came back from a trip to Spain... near impossible to find milk... and if you tried to get anything else than beer/wine for lunch/dinner, the waiter looked like a questionmark...
I'm averaging 1.5 liters of milk per day, but I did grow up on a milk farm...
I would say it's strange for us too
In France it's same as Italy or Spain i guess. Nobody drinks milk for dinner. Water, soda, wine, beers, champagne sometimes, but i never seen anybody asking for a big fresh milk glass, even children !
EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Hot_Bid/TSL3/TSL3_Logo_Banner_1.png){kind=logo}
TSL3 on Liquipedia![[image loading]](/staff/heyoka/tsl3/NaNi.png)
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. 
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.![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/a/ab/Picon_small.png)
NaNiwa Chats![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/heyoka/tsl3/naniint.jpg)
, but also the success he's been able to create for himself. I would love to see NaNi and SeleCT get into GSL, I don't think much else could happen in the scene right now to make me happier save Bisu switching lol.
![[image loading]](http://cute-n-tiny.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/firstlapper.jpg)
