[Interview] OSL Ro8:Day2

Fantasy
“My goal is 1st place, so I cannot be celebrating yet”



On January 7th, Fantasy(SKT1) defeated teammate Hyuk(SKT1) 2:0 in the Bacchus OSL 2010 Ro8:Day2 held at the Yongsan E-sports stadium to claim a spot in the Ro4.

Fantasy opened with a 14CC and went bio heavy with mass barracks to crush Hyuk. It was a bold move on Fantasy's part despite being up by 1 game, but it worked so he was able to win easily. Fantasy said "since I knocked my teammate out I must win."

- How do you feel reaching the Ro4 for the 4th time
▲ Even though it feels good because it's been a while [since the last time I reached the Ro4] my goal is to win it all, so I cannot be satisfied yet. I also feel terrible that I had to knock my teammate out to get there.

- It must have been difficult preparing for a teamkill match
▲ Same goes for Hyuk so that's fine, but I am regretful that we had to meet in the Ro8, not the Ro4.

- How was the game itself
▲ As for the game, Hyuk likes to go lurkers before mutas in practice. When I saw the Hydralisk Den I thought 'He's going lurkers' so I could prepare calmly. I prepared my mind for the case that we play the third and last game, and I was one game ahead so I chose to open with a greedy build.

- Why do you think you haven't won anything in the past
▲ Lack of skill and misfortune. Now I have more experience in BoX matches and I have grown alot as a player, so I am confident.

- Your next opponent is Mind or Calm
▲ It's fine, I am confident against either. Furthermore, if I make it to the finals, I hope I can play Stork [T/N: Me too!!!] Advancing to later stages feels easy now that Jaedong and Flash are out, but I don't want to hear that I won just because of their absence so I want a strong opponent like Stork.

- Winners League is around the corner
▲ My team is helping me concentrate on individual leagues, and in Winners League, solid mechanics and foundation go a long way so I think I will do well.

- The finals will be held in Kwang Ju
▲ If I get to go this time, it will be my first time visiting. I think it will be fun and I think I excel in matches held in the country side, so I am confident.

- Any last words
▲ I thank my teammates who helped me practice, along with Hydra, oDin and Saint who also helped me. I will also make sure to win the whole tournament since I knocked out Hyuk.

Source: Fomos

Calm
“My match against Fantasy will be my ultimate test”



On January 7th, Calm, the 'Brain Zerg,'(STX Soul) defeated Mind(Wemade Fox) in the Bacchus OSL 2010 Ro8:Day2 held at the Yongsan E-sports stadium to claim a spot in the Ro4.

Calm, who started out the day 0:1 from his loss during the Ro8:Day 1, took the second game with a fast 2 hatchery mutalisk allin, and the last game with an all over the place, long macro game to earn a ticket to the Ro4.

- You have returned to the semis after 4 seasons
▲ I didn't realize how hard it was to reach the Ro4 the first time I made it, but now I have. I am so happy to have advanced.

- You will be playing Fantasy in the Ro4
▲ To be honest I have alot of stuff to settle with Fantasy from past events and I'm glad that I can do it in such a grand setting as the OSL Ro4. I wanted Fantasy myself. I am way behind in head-to-head records but if I prepare rigorously and win it 3:0 I think I can catch up alot.

- What did you think after seeing your opponents opening in game2
▲ I was preparing for a long macro game thinking 'he prepared well for this match' but I saw a timing window as my lings slipped into his base. If not for that I think my muta aggression would have failed but since he was thrown off his game plan I think my mutas were super effective.

- The third game was all over the place
▲ Even though dropships and vessels kept flying over my base the whole game, I never felt overwhelmed. Especially when I dropped his base at the end, he did a pretty bad job fending it off so I thought I had the game in the bag.

- How did you prepare for ZvT
▲ It's never easy for a zerg to beat a terran but when you do it feels really rewarding.

- Winners League is about to start
▲ I will be sure to balance it well with my individual league schedule. Tomorrow I have an MSL match and then I have ProLeague. I'm not the best at distributing my practice time when multiple events take place at the same time, but I always push myself and hold myself up to high standards.

- What's your mindset when playing in later stages of tournaments
▲ Even without Jaedong and Flash there are plenty of good progamers. From my perspective I think Fantasy, whom I am meeting in the Ro4, will be my ultimate test. That match will decide whether I am cut out for bigger and better things.

- Who do you want to meet in the finals
▲ Of course I would want a teammate to reach the finals but I think the viewers would not have that much fun watching an teamkill finals.

- Any last words
▲ I'm not really good at answering this question during interviews, but Coach Park Jae Suk stood behind me all day and gave me alot of advice. I really want to say thank you to him and also to the terrans on our team who helped me. Lastly, I want to thank all my fans that cheered me on.

Source: Fomos

Modesty
“Since I knocked out teammate Kal, I want to reach the finals”



On January 7th, Modesty(STX Soul) displayed remarkably improved ZvP abilities agsint teammate Kal(STX Soul) in the Bacchus OSL 2010 Ro8:Day2 held at the Yongsan E-sports stadium to claim a spot in the Ro4.

Modesty started out down 1 game, but tied up the score through a long macro game with excellent defiler usage. In the last game, he used relentless drops and lurker harrass, then a late mutalisk switch to crush any remaining hope for his opponent.

Modesty, who has reached his first career Ro4, said "Since Kal is so good, I just emptied my mind and played with the intent of at least showing what I had in store. Now that I am in the Ro4, I want to at least make it to the finals."

- Thoughts on making it to your first Ro4
▲ I still can't believe it. If I had beat another opponent I would have been happy, but I am not so pleased that it was my teammate Kal.

- The games were intense
▲ Coach Park told me to play as if I were in the practice room so I tried hard to control my nerves. I thought that I should at least drag the game on to lategame, and I somehow ended up with a comeback win.

- You were deemed the weakest link in group C
▲ For real, people all saw me as a ZvZ sniper, but since I made the Ro4, I want to show that I am not a one trick pony, and leave the impression that I am a solid player all around.

- Your last game showed great strategic depth
▲ I prepared that build since the Ro32 and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to unleash it.

- The game was up in the air until the very last moments
▲ If everything had gone according to plan, the game should have ended with hydralisks, but Kal was even better than I had thought him to be. It should not have reached mutalisks, but the game got longer, and I just focused on securing the game.

- Going up against such a player must have been stressful
▲ There was so much pressure. Even though I hadn't played alot of ZvP's, I had played all of the six dragons, and I thought that Kal was the best among them, so I just concentrated on at least showing what I had in store. I kept a positive attitude thinking whoever wins, STX Soul will be advancing to the Ro4.

- There are alot of rookies who reached the Ro4 then proceeded to crash and burn
▲ Since I am already in the Ro4, I want to keep this run alive and reach the finals. And since I had to knock a teammate out, I would feel so sorry for Kal if I were booted from the Ro4.

- Who do you want to meet in the Ro4
▲ Even though both HiyA and Stork would be good matchups, I want to use this opportunity to solidify the public's image of my ZvP, so I choose Stork.

- This is a big opportunity for you personally
▲ I am so happy to have reached the grand stage of OSL Ro4. However I do not want to be remembered as the guy who only reached the Ro4, so I want to make it to the finals.

- Any last words
▲ I want to thank all my fans and friends who cheer for me, especially my friends Yoon Seung Taek and Lim Hyung Soon who always give me strength before my matches.

Source: Fomos

Stork
"Glad to be a Protoss"



The Yongsan Esports stadium was filled with the chant 'Song Byung Goo' tonight. Whenever Stork, who has a large number of male fans, is involved in a match, the stadium's atmosphere rivals that of a World Cup game. As if he were responding to his fans' support, Stork succeeded in advancing to back-to-back Ro4's in the Bacchus OSL 2010.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the only protoss player who has consistently made the podium is Stork. With his advancing to the Ro4 this time around, he has already earned a seed for the 2 subsequent OSL proper rounds, and he may subsequently set the new record for most appearances in the OSL proper.

Q How does it feel advancing to the Ro4
A I am so glad to have earned a seed, and it's convenient that I am guaranteed a spot up to the next next OSL proper. This guarantees that I break the record for most appearances in the OSL proper, which is great.

Q You started out with an advantage in game 2.
A After my shuttle reaver harrass, I saw with my observer that his factory count had suddenly exploded, so I thought it was going to be a timing push. I usually don't wall off my expansions in case of dropship harrass, but I had to wall it off with a pylon this time to prepare for the push. However, he flew in two dropships instead and it really caught me off guard. The proper response would have been to expand somewhere else, but because I was so flustered I didn't even think about that. I didn't expect him to snipe my nexus either, but he did. After the dropship harrass, I couldn't think properly. I stepped on mines everywhere and couldn't utilize the map properly. However since I ultimately won, it's okay.

Q Your reaver control shined in the last game
A My shuttle only had 7 health at the end. Since the ridge was so narrow I thought he would scan and kill it with marines, so I was praying 'please don't scan, please don't scan'(Laughs). If I had lost my reavers before the timing push, I would not have been able to delay his advances, and since my zealot speed had barely finished, it would have been very bad for me.

Q People were hoping for carriers at the end
A I could have gone carriers, but carrier builds have a weak period until you mass enough units. Since I had so many gateways and units everywhere, I thought regardless of whether I went arbiters or carriers, if I rallied my forces and pushed, I would win. I just wanted to end the game. I felt like I had such a huge advantage. Since I had four bases running, I thought I would be in good position if we traded armies.

Q You are going up against Modesty in the Ro4.
A First of all I think PvZ is easier than PvP. I'm relieved it's PvZ. The last time I won I didn't play a single PvZ since the Ro16. That was regretful so I am glad that this time around I have to beat a zerg on the road to winning the OSL. It feels more meaningful when you have to beat a zerg on the way.

Q The finals will be held in Kwang Ju, a place that brings back bad memories for you.
A When I was heading towards the stadium, my girlfriend texted me that the finals were decided to be held in Kwang Ju. I looked it up and it was the same place as the Bacchus OSL 2008 finals. I'm guessing my opponent won't be Flash this time around but it's a place I am familiar with. I hope alot of my teammates come to cheer for me again. Even though we have a busy ProLeague schedule, I hope our coach brings everyone to cheer(Laughs).

Q Even though you seem to go through mini slumps at times, you always manage to come back to form.
A When I was sucking in practice, even I thought that I had hit my prime and I was on my way out, but somehow I did well in broadcasted matches. I've always had my ups and downs, so I am worried I will crash again with Winners League. If I can get past Winners League, I think I will be okay.

Q What's the secret to your consistency.
A First the game is fun for me, and our team has a very relaxed practice environment, so we don't burn out. I think it encourages efficient use of time during practice and that's the biggest factor to my performance.

Q Did memories of failing due to your addiction to World of Warcraft in the beginning of your career help.
A WoW definitely served as good medicine(Laughs). I haven't even played Cataclysm. To be completely honest when the Wrath of the Lich King came out, I secretly went on the website to look up information even though I didn't actually play it. However, now I don't even go on the website, and in fact, I don't even go on the internet that often. I think I've learned how to resist temptations. Sometimes I think that if I hadn't wasted a year on WoW, it wouldn't be TaekBangLeeSsang but just me at the top. As regretful as that is, as the saying goes, better late than never, and I am glad to have shaped up.

Q Why do you think you have so many male fans.
A No idea(Laughs). Whenever I see that [I have so many male fans] I am glad to have picked Protoss. It started with my first OSL, and I think consistently being in the OSL as protoss helped me gain male fans. Maybe it was because they all felt bad for protoss(Laughs). Everybody cheers for the underdog. Before Incruit OSL, I only got silvers, and I think alot of Yellow fans started cheering for me. If I had started out winning like Flash or Jaedong, people might have not cheered for me thinking that I would win again anyway, but since that's not the case for me, I think a lot of people genuinely want me to win.

Q Any last words
A Thank you to my fans for supporting me so much. It's all thanks to you that I can practice hard and achieve good results. Also, I want to thank all my teammates who helped me practice.

Source: Daily E-sports