TeamLiquid.net: Hello Liquid, and thanks for joining me today! None of you are strangers to our community, but Jinro and TLO, why don't you start by telling us how you got involved with Liquid?

Jinro: Nazgul asked me to join ages ago, but I hate leaving clans (I was in Dream.t for SC1) so I said "I'll join when SC2 comes out"... and now SC2 is out!

TheLittleOne: Nazgul invited me after my good results at the TLI. I was pretty suprised as I never expect to become part of such a renowned team. I left my old clan IPS which is awesome as well, but I couldn't possibly decline his offer.

TeamLiquid.net: Given that both you guys could have pretty much had your pick of the clans out there, why Liquid, and most importantly, why now?

TheLittleOne: I'll give you the same answer I gave some guys that wanted me in their teams but I rejected because its Liquid, that's why.

Jinro: Well, for one given how long I've been part of TL (the website), it felt like the natural choice.

TeamLiquid.net: What I'm asking is - why that! Why Liquid? You said renowned, but there are a ton of other well known teams out there, right?

Jinro: Yeah, but there are very few this old - can't think of many except like ToT and maybe WeRRa (wc3).

TheLittleOne: Many teams perished but Liquid will always be.

Nazgul: I brainwashed you well.

Jinro: :D

TheLittleOne: Yes my lord.

Jinro: Ah, I see what you are doing now, recreating the 9 ring wraiths.

TeamLiquid.net: Liquid`Nazgul, It's pretty clear that you've always wanted to reboot Liquid with SC2. So far, you've acquired two of the biggest new names on the block. What next?

Nazgul: We are definitely not going to stop here, but recruiting players is more tricky than it seems. We don't just want anyone, we want people who we all get along with and are able to perform in tournaments at the same time. We are keeping our eyes open.

TeamLiquid.net: Liquid`Nazgul, So Liquid is definitely hiring?

Nazgul: More like inviting. No job interviews at Liquid sorry.

TeamLiquid.net: To Jinro and TLO - Both you guys are pretty young at the moment. How do you see yourself balancing Liquid/SC2 and IRL commitments over the months and years to come, especially as the game goes gold and more leagues and events open up?

Jinro: I'm pretty much commitment-free at the moment, I feel like it's too early to talk about how I plan to balance anything yet, I don't even know if there'll be anything to balance (i.e we'll see what happens to SC2/me as we go).

TheLittleOne: The past months I had semester break so I was able to play a lot and still have enough time to go out with my friends. But monday university starts again and I feel like it is going to pretty stressful. I will try to make time for everything though.

TeamLiquid.net: Nazgul - In your eyes, what should an up and coming player be doing to get noticed by Liquid? Let's say someone who hasn't played SCBW but is definitely putting time into SC2.

Nazgul: Any skilled player should be playing as many tournaments as he finds the opportunity to. It's a chance to play yourself into the spotlight and as a result get into invitational tournaments, where you really play against the best and prove what you can. That doesn't have much to do with Liquid it'd be my advice to anyone who plays SC2 at a serious level.

TeamLiquid.net: Alright. Liquid has been around for a long, long time. TLO and Jinro, how old were you when Naz went to Korea?

Jinro: That was 2003, right? 14.

Nazgul: Very early in 2003

TheLittleOne: 12.

Jinro: I'm born in January so...

TeamLiquid.net: So, given Liquid's age, and given how much ESPORTS has changed in the past half decade or so, what will Liquid do different as it gets into SC2? TLO and Jinro - so far, and I know you've only been around for a week or two, but how has playing for Liquid compared with your other clan experiences?

Nazgul: We'll try to get more involved with the other teams, playing clanwars and whatnot. Hopefully in the future we can find some arrangements that allow us to send our top players to live tournaments.

Jinro: Well, I haven't had any team matches for liquid yet, I used to be completely terrible in any team event (got better eventually), but I think I've - hopefully - gotten past that.

TheLittleOne: I like that we play alot together. Practicing with Nazgul and Jinro improved my play a lot already. We dont just play but also analyse the games together I really like that.

TeamLiquid.net: So do you guys have a daily practice schedule, or is it a more 'oh we'll play when we can' kinda setup?

TheLittleOne: I dont think a daily practice schedule would fit to the spirit of Liquid, right Nazgul?

Nazgul: Probably not.

Jinro: Yeah, it's more of a "want to play?" - "sure" affair.

Nazgul: Sometimes we ask the other if they have time tomorrow to help prepare for a certain tournament match but thats about it.

TeamLiquid.net: Righto. Speaking of practice, you guys must be readying yourselves for the 17th. What is your mindset going into this game? Jinro and TLO, it's your first clanwar for Liquid - what's going through your heads right now?

Jinro: I'm gonna crush those Yankee dogs obviously - for mother Europe.

TeamLiquid.net: Continental clash! Yeah, I was about to ask, do you guys feel all 10k Euros on your shoulders as you step into this?

Nazgul: I agree the most interesting part of this match is to see how the servers stack up against each other.

Jinro: More seriously, I haven't done any specific preparations - the 8th patch changed a ton about the game and I feel I've had to rework all matchups so just working on that. Well I feel confident naz and TLO will carry their games so even if I lose, the Euro pride will be intact.

TeamLiquid.net: Indeed, do you think you guys are going to face different builds? Jinro you've been talking on the TL Beta podcasts wtih Day[9] about playstyles across both servers. What do you think?

Nazgul: Different builds for sure. Builds we did two weeks ago.

Jinro: Honestly, I'm not sure what the matchups look like currently on US servers, I think most of what me and day talk about in that regard is slightly out of date, as trends are kinda hard to observe in real time without playing ladder on both servers.

TeamLiquid.net: Are there any specific styles you guys are anticipating?

Jinro: I'm not sure, it'd have been easier to predict if the patch hadn't just happened - as I said I feel like it's changed some things a lot (TvP especially).

Nazgul: I don't have a feel for styles yet. It's too early to really have a style I think.

TheLittleOne: Well I guess they will have a bad start because I am random!

Jinro: P can probably void ray rush blind with the new void ray anyway You aren't safe!!

TeamLiquid.net: TheLittleOne, let's talk a bit about being random. You mentioned in an earlier interview with us that you'd change to a static race if it ever became difficult to compete at the higher levels. Do you foresee that happening anytime soon?

TheLittleOne: I feel more confident in all matchups now. Two weeks ago I felt like I still had very weak Matchups, but I worked on them. I am not scared of bad luck getting my worst mu anymore.

TeamLiquid.net: TheLittleOne, I remember you saying you hoped you never randomed ZvZ. With the recent patch, has that changed much?

TheLittleOne: ZvZ is still very weird. But at least its not always roach vs roach anymore. Zergling Baneling vs Zergling Baneling at least ends fast ^^.

TeamLiquid.net: Jinro, You mentioned that you have no set plans at the moment. Seeing that SC2 is still in beta, what sort of energy do you think you'll be able to pour into the game as it goes to release? Where would you like to see yourself this time next year?

Jinro: I don't really know, I'd like to be able to really compete at the highest level at least for a while... I tried pretty hard with SC1, but I was young and the game was already pretty old. And when I finally started getting somewhere, poker came along and I basically stopped playing for a couple of years [end of 2006]. It feels really hard to predict what I want to do exactly because the game is really only 2 months old. And of course I need to qualify for a WCG - maybe Sweden will finally have one again (last one for SC in Sweden was in 2004)

TeamLiquid.net: TheLittleOne, A similar question - the next year is going to be pretty exciting, SC2 wise. What goals do you have for it?

TheLittleOne: My goal is to be one of the three best German players. Be in the semis or finals of most national tourneys. And maybe score at a few international tournaments. I definitly want to qualify for the WCG Grandfinals one day. (I hope that doesnt sound too arrogant xD)

TeamLiquid.net: Liquid`Nazgul, When you left to Korea you had just finished HS. Now, both these guys are around the same age. If you could tell them one thing you learnt from over a decade of experience, what would it be?

Nazgul: My advice would be try to get something out of the things you commit to. Be it enjoyment, money or experience make sure you have something to show for your time. There's definitely something to be learned from playing games it's not all a waste of time it's just what you do with it.

TeamLiquid.net: Liquid`Nazgul, As a team, where would you like Liquid to be in 2 - 3 years? Would a live-in training environment be a possibility? As more LANs open up, do you see Liquid going 'on tour'? SC2 may well open doors that SCBW never managed to for Liquid. How do you hope to take advantage of these?

Nazgul: Live-in training environment sounds like a lot of fun for those who want it, though I have too many commitments to partake in something like that myself. We'd never force or demand it upon anyone but if there are enough people who would like it it could be something to look into in the future. Some people are good playing from their bedrooms others would benefit more from such an environment. It's hard to predict how things will develop we'll just take it one step at a time while having fun playing the game with a nice group of people.

TeamLiquid.net: So, good luck for next Saturday! We hope you bring us some good games. Any words for your opponents?

TheLittleOne: Incontrol, I'll show you who really is in control.

Nazgul: You guys bring the vaseline?

Jinro: If he dies, he dies. Wait, does Drago win in that Rocky movie?

TeamLiquid.net: When the opportunity came, I couldn't resist asking a few of the Evil Geniuses to take a step back and briefly comment on the state of the game itself.

Incontrol: At the beginning of March, Incontrol said that while he loved the new game, it was no StarCraft 1. Today, he lavishes more praise on the sequel: "The game still has some ways to go but it is damn near perfect in my opinion. Broodlords need some tweaking along with other things but frankly they are minor save for the BL nerf that needs to happen. There simply is no point in making ultras when BL's are so good. I love this game though and am thoroughly enjoying practicing, competing and generally hanging around in this era."

Machine: "There are still a lot of balance issues to work out and I have never been a fan of MBS or Auto-mining but I think the game has potential. Already, a lot of money has been thrown in for tournaments and that's exactly what I have been looking forward to." Machine almost always plays specific training partners and never plays the ladder because "I get very bored of starcraft 2 very quickly, so I dont like to waste my time hoping I run up against a strong player on ladder when I have plenty of great opponents to practice with on my team."

Louder: At the end of Feburary, Louder said that the more he played, the more the beta was falling short. Recently, he's only somewhat changed his mind: "Balance-wise it's better but I still feel it's fundamentally lacking in some important areas in terms of the game's mechanics. I feel there's a great deal of disparity between the macro mechanics and the advantages they have, particularly in longer games. and I think the lack of a good high ground mechanic hurts the game as well."

TeamLiquid.net: With those perspectives out in the open, let's get a close-up to the games at hand. How do the Evil Geniuses think they stack up against their Team Liquid opponents and, for the sake of a good argument, against their own teammates?

Incontrol: "Well as of now I am just a win or two away from overtaking IdrA in my division for group leader. I play each day and do fairly well ... a nice complement to my play is the coaching I do. Allows me to play the other two races and gain understanding of the game and those races specifically. In general, I revolve my day around this game with a smattering of things like school, work and a girlfriend.

Team Evil Geniuses is made up of some of the finest in the NA. Not just currently but talent wise, we have what it takes to go the long haul and dominate in SC2. Currently I am towards the top [of the team]. But that can change, all these guys are working hard to be the best so it is pretty dang even at the end of the day!"

Machine: "It is very hard to say [how well I stack up against my team], we have a strong group of teammates, always pushing each other and helping lift our skill level as a whole nearly every single day. At this time I believe that I can hold my own against all of my teammates, but the same can be said for each member of the team.

I have not been able to play against the TL members but I have heard rumors, and I think that it should be a very fun, close match."

Lz: "I would say I'm in pretty good shape. I'm obviously better then all of those EG guys except Nyoken haha! As for the TL players hard to say.. considering I have not played them much."

Louder: "I tend to go 50% or so vs EG. Some days are better. I play a pretty good bit - it's a hobby like any other, and I make time for it. Work and getting gosucoaching.com going, and the family do cut into my sc2 time quite a bit though I'd probably play 10 hours per day if I had nothing else to do."

TeamLiquid.net: Getting to the meat of it, I asked for the Evil Geniuses to talk about their best match-ups and throw a prediction out.

Machine (playing Nazgul): "I have not been able to play against the TL members but I have heard rumors, and I think that it should be a very fun, close match. I think it will be a close series, 3-2 or 2-3 hopefully EG can practice very hard for these matches and pull out a good victory, but it will be a struggle either way thats for sure."

Louder (playing Drone): "I guess my best match-up is TvZ. I've known Eri since I started playing StarCraft but I haven't played him or watched his replays on SC2 yet. He basically taught me, assem, and artosis how to play back in 99 :D

[As for a prediction,] I have no idea. I don't know enough about the EU guys to comment really."

Lz (playing Nony): "My best matchup is TvZ. I think I played Nony once - back when warpgate's were still broken. As for who won, I'm going on a limb here and say he did. I have not seen much play from Nony so I'm not too sure of what style to expect."

Incontrol (playing TLO): "I think he is a gifted and talented player with lots of potential. I do feel confident however as I am strong in all 3 match-ups and I think playing random actually disadvantages you. I feel if I get PvP I am a sure victor and the other mu's can go either way. That being said I anticipate a win! PvP is not necessarily my best... I just feel confident in it vs him. My worst is probably PvT. Sometimes I get too fancy for my own good or I make stupid decisions.. but usually I do ok!

[The TL vs. EG outcome] depends. If we randomly hit these guys in different tourneys we'd kill em. But in clan wars EG apparently sucks from time to time... it's some kind of curse! I expect us to do very well. But it will be really tough, we haven't faced a team this good and we need toplay our absolute best to make these remarks not look like over optimism!"

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