R1 Interviews (spoilers)

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Congrats on your victory today! How are you feeling after beating Technics?

EG.iNcontroL:
I was so relieved. Technics is a very capable player but what is scarier is the matchup.. zvz has always been a strong suit for me but vs a guy I DON'T KNOW I realized I was in quite danger. Winning this first round is a huge ape off my back.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
I heard you were sick this morning? Did that affect your play at all, or were you able to overcome it?

EG.iNcontroL:
Nah it didn't affect me at all. I woke up at 4am with food poisoning and vomited for a couple hours. In fact it was so bad my friend who lives on the top floor with me went downstairs to sleep so he couldn't hear me cleaning out my system hah. Fortunately it was just whatever was in my stomach that was causing the problems, once I got it all out I felt weak and sick but nothing unbearable.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Can you describe a bit about how each game went from your perspective, and what you were thinking at crucial times?

EG.iNcontroL:
Well I over prepared. Sen is my friend so I was able to get the reps from Technic's 4-1 defeat of Sen from the end of the ladder. He did a 12 hatch in main zvz build with emphasis on lings. I expected this game 1 so when I saw he had 8 lings on his ramp and I had 20 or so I figured he was hiding the others so I backed off. Fatal mistake!

The other 2 games were fairly standard, both games I 9pool speed since I figured I could outplay him in a equal game and would take advantage of a macro hungry build while not risking myself with a macro build vs a potential rush. I was able to capitalize on his aggression game 2 and my better macro game 3 sealed the deal.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Did you come in with a set game plan for how you'd play each game?

EG.iNcontroL:
Vaguely. I went into it thinking that my 9pool play would be the safe fallback. I took a risk with the 12hatch opening game 1 and I SHOULD have been rewarded for it but like I said, my own preparation shot me in the foot.

Going into this I felt like he was a ling oriented zvz player so I wanted to do the faster stuff to try and take advantage of that read.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
You give BW lessons on the side, right? Do you find that that affects the amount of time you can dedicate to practice? Do you worry that you'll give away your mindset such that others can capitalize upon it when they play you in tournaments?

EG.iNcontroL:
Awesome question.. actually I practiced with one of my students DeuS- and it helped quite a bit. He isn't a top player by any means but the raw ZvZ time gave me an indication of timings on these maps and how things play out. I feel it helped a lot. And generally, my time with students is as productive for them as it is for me. Spending the time hammering out basics and discussing strategies and philosophy has actually deepened and clarified my understanding of this game. It has been a huge help!

But the same student asked me "What map are you canceling out?" before the match and I declined to answer.. for the reason you just hinted at. I love my students but I trust team EG and a few others with information I feel is particular to my success in specific matches hehe

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
So which map did you cancel out, and why?

EG.iNcontroL:
Andromeda.. in ZvZ I have no idea how to play there safely and given the fact that the distance from main to main is so large both 12 hatch expand AND 9speed is viable.. which makes it a HUGE coin flip. I wanted to play maps where I felt like the timings were fairly predictable and the coin flip'ness of ZvZ was less a factor. Destination, Fighting Spirit and Outsider are good maps for zvz imo.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
You're up next against Shaman. How do you rate your chances against him? Any thoughts about that matchup?

EG.iNcontroL:
I will take him VERY serious. I am 1 match away from where I want to be, staring down one of the scariest players in the tourney. I was able to play him a bunch during the TSL ladder and I feel very confident against him. He is a tough opponent with a wide spectrum of tendencies but in ZvT I feel very strong and confident. I will do everything in my power to prepare. Oh and this iNcontroL won't be vomiting so that means green tea. Which means Romania is about to get their hopes and dreams crushed.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Haha, well, several American players were defeated relatively resoundingly 2-0 today, like
EG.Nyoken and [Pan]KawaiiRice. As a vocal proponent of American BW, do you think you have previously overrated them, or did they just have off days vs tough opponents?

EG.iNcontroL:
I think it is easy to overrate them, especially given my perspective. Nyoken as a practice partner is about as hard as they get. Kid is rock solid. But in tourneys he has bad luck and some nerve issues so it doesn't always show up in the results catagory. His games against Dreiven were no different.. he coulda won both games but the windows to make that happen closed fairly quickly. Drevien is no joke btw.. he is amazing. Losing to him first round is no real upset.

Kawaii on the other hand played poorly and lost to a relatively unknown player. I actually don't think Kawaii is overrated or rated in general but he definitely was the better player (overall), just not today. Gamtja deserves his victory.

As far as American BW goes.. we are pretty damn good. IdrA[Media] is going to crush this. Liquid`NonY is a natural and we have others who are worth mentioning.. but we surely do overrate ourselves.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Did you get a chance to check out the NonY vs IdrA match today? What did you think of the games?

EG.iNcontroL:
I did. Was a great series.. honestly better than I expected. I have to admit, I didn't think NonY would be in a kind of shape where he could take the group but he is looking that way for sure!

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
What do you think about the tendency of some players, probably most famously IdrA, to not say 'gg' and to make comments after the game? Do you feel that acting that way detracts from the concept of e-sports, or does the drama it produce actually help fuel interest?

EG.iNcontroL:
I don't like it. Obviously it has a tangible impact on the entertainment value of this game but it certainly has a negative impact on the sportsmanship and overall integrity of the game. People down play this but in all seriousness it sends FAR better waves to just be a man when you lose than it does to be a prick.

When people acted like children after a football game they were regarded that way. I think the same is lesser here but still relevant.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Do you have any shoutouts to friends/teammates/practice partners you want to make? Any last statements?

EG.iNcontroL:
I want to thank IdrA who played some zvz's with me right before haha, DeuS- and team EG. I had tremendous support and I am so thankful for that. Also thanks to all those that take me up on my lessons, it is a huge passion of mine and so far the results have been great!

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Great, thanks for the interview! Good luck in the rest of TSL, and against Shaman tomorrow!

EG.iNcontroL:
Thanks a lot dude!

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
First off: congratulations for your win vs Sawyer! How have you been preparing since the ladder ended? Had you played him before your TSL qualification match?

mTw.Infernal:
Thanks, indeed with the exception of Christmas and New Years Eve I did practice as much as I possibly could, just because I really didn't want to regret anything afterwards. I've only played one game vs Sawyer before - which was in the last TSL and was a 55 minute game on Gaia, so I atleast knew he's quite good at turtling. ;p

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Did you win or lose that game? Also, did you also try to find out more about his game and maybe prepare for that specifically or did you rather practice BW in general?

mTw.Infernal:
I won the game back then yea. I downloaded 6 replay of Sawyer from iCCup-Clanleague vs other Protoss players and tried to gain an advantage by doing so - however unlike in those games he never used a Starport build against me, other than that I just practiced a shitload of PvT and PvZ (only on the TSL maps - thus mainly non-ladder games).

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Were you nervous before and during the match? Tell us a bit about how today's games went from your perspective.

mTw.Infernal:
I was nervous before the first game started and like 10 minutes into the first game, after that I knew I had that game. Second game I was pretty chilled but panicked when he attacked me, then I confused my Goon groups and instead of moving back a little bit both of my control groups of Dragoons just went into his push... yea, after that I was nervous again in the third game.
I was really really pissed about losing a game that I should have won, however I somehow managed to get some Templars out in time to save the day in game 3. And yea after I defeated Sawyer's allin in game 3 it was just like... yea bring it home, not nervous anymore or anything, just during the push hehe.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Yeah, that looked pretty dire for a moment! Your next opponent should be much more familiar to you than Sawyer - it's HayprO, a team mate of old, what are your thought going into that match?

mTw.Infernal:
Oh Haypro... ohhhh haypro... my beloved Iraqish Terrorist...
I'm coming for you Hayder, I'm coming.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
I'm sure you have already had a look at some of the other results of Round 1. Any comments on those? Did they go as you expected or are there any that really surprised you?

mTw.Infernal:
Oh I'm actually really surprised that HoRRoR managed to defeat the unbeatable hero of Bulgaria, NeMu. Really. I'm happy that all Germans managed to pull through - then again I'm really sad to see Eri drop out - that match definitely was a lose-lose situation for me. Other than that nothing really surprising IMO, GhosTa-Marwin could've gone either way. Guess most surprising to most is MikOeL defeating Arew (another friend of mine, better luck next time Vytas TT) - however Mikoel is pretty damn strong in TvP as I've experienced in a clanwar before.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Who knows, you might get a chance to avenge him in the Round of 16! Any shout outs you'd like to give? Or a bold prediction like "all Germans will make it to R3 now"?

mTw.Infernal:
I really hope all of them will make it, the odds ain't all that bad, Closer has a ZvZ tho so that might be ugly... Yan vs GhosT should be good... hmm well not too sure. Anyway, I'd like to thank NarutO, jimpo, merz, DaZe, LS, HoRRoR and 0201[KaL] who gave me some games vs a coule of KaL nerds. Thanks for the support dudes, it's appreciated.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Congratulations for winning the series! 2:0 is a clean result, did you expect to win the series so clearly?

mouz.Dreiven:
I was expecting a win because I won wgtcl vs Nyoken like 2 weeks ago when I wasn't in the best shape. I didn't underestimate my opponent and I prepared for it. Games wasn't easy and I'm glad I won it.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
How did the games go in your opinion? Game 1 seemed very close at one point.

mouz.Dreiven:
I thought Nyoken would 2 expos into a macro game but he surprised me with his push and made the game difficult for me. It was really close but I had nice economy with good arbiter timing so I managed to defend it well without big losses.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
What did you think about Nyoken's strategy in Game 2? Did the Biomech surprise you? How do you play against that usually?

mouz.Dreiven:
Second game was also a surprise. I guess Nyoken had prepared some strats for me because I wasn't expecting any of it. Normally only chance to get on top of Biomech is to make reaver or storms.. When I saw his marines I didn't have a good tech for such a combo. I defended his push with goons and zeals and I felt relieved when I started to gain advantage. When the reavers and temps were ready it was only a matter of time till the game was over.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
You have only Terran opponents in your group. How do you feel about the upcoming matches against Casper and potentially Fenix? Who will be the tougher opponent?

mouz.Dreiven:
Definitely Fenix, he's tough opponent. I heard that he plays a lot so he's in the best shape lately, the games will be really hard if I make it to him in my group . I don't know Casper and I think I haven't played him before or I just don't recognize him. If I keep up with my training I'll surely make some good scores again them.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Good to see you're confident! If you advance from your group, who would you like to face in the Ro16? Who would you rather not play against?

mouz.Dreiven:
I'd like to play some Terran since my training is mainly concentrated on PvT. Would be nice if I didn't get Idra or Ret because they're top non-foreigners nowadays and games vs them r always extremely hard. Anyway, I will put up a good fight for any opponent I will face

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
I am sure you will! You and many players from ESC moved to the new mousesports BW team. How did the switch go for you? Are you happy with the new team?

mouz.Dreiven:
I only know mousesports from their CS team which is great. I'm really looking forward for our cooperation and hoping for some good result with new team. Few of our clanmates didn't move with us and that's sad.. our team is aiming for the highest spot in every league we take part it so some changed are inevitable for that to happen.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Alright good to hear that. Let's wrap this up. You won many fans over the last TSL and through your appearance on TL:Attack. Anything you want to say to them? Any shoutouts?

mouz.Dreiven:
I'm really happy that there are people enjoying my games.. It's like every players dream to achive such level so that the other gamers would look up to your game / gamestyle. I never thought I would have fans and it's hard to describe how great it is. Thank you all for cheering ! I appreciate it a lot

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
OK thank you very much for the interview, and good luck in the TSL!

mouz.Dreiven:
Thank you too

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Congrats on the win! How do you feel?

Avi-Love:
Thanks! I feel really happy, I started out with a pretty embarrasing loss and managed to turn it around - I feel a bit like Jaedong.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Your opponent was Datoby - is this someone you've played a lot in the past, and how did you prepare for the game?

Avi-Love:
Well I played him a couple of times, beat him 2-0 during the ladder stage of the TSL, but he's a really good player, very underrated I'd say, I didn't do anything special to prepare, just played iccup really.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
How did you feel after the rocky start in game 1, did you feel confident with the maps for games 2 and 3?

Avi-Love:
Honestly I think that apart from outsider (that I thumbed down) Destination is my worst map; so playing it while being down 0-1 was very discouraging, I felt like I would probably lose 0-2
Game 3 was on fighting spirit and that's probably my best map, so once I won game 2 I felt like I could win the series

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
At what point did you feel confident you had the series won?

Avi-Love:
Honestly in game 3 when I got a few ultras out I figured it was over, I don't think I've lost a single game of ZvP on FS with ultras out, it's just too hard for the protoss to stop me from getting 6 gasses while defending his own expansions

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
You are playing [Pan]KabaL (Aka TT1) tomorrow, what are your thoughts on this matchup?

Avi-Love:
Well honestly when the brackets were first released I was quite happy, zvp is my best matchup and if I won game 1, I'd have to play it twice in a row - makes it easier to prepare and practice - I also played him in the ladder stage where I won 2-0, so I feel that I should be the favourite, but you never know! I had a very close series today.

PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Any last shoutouts you want to make - practice partners, friends, etc?

Avi-Love:
I would like to give a shoutout to all the people that posted in my interview thread, I was really surprised at how well perceived it was - heartwarming!
that's it, don't have any friends or practice partners.



PokerStrategy.com TSL:
Thanks for the interview, and best of luck in the next round!

Avi-Love:
Thanks a lot :3