[Int] GSL Up/Down Day 3 Winners

Marineking – ‘This time I really want to win’

- Your thoughts on retaining your code S spot?
I am happier about beating MMA who has been doing so well recently more so than just keeping my spot.

- How did you prepare for today’s matches?
I know MMA’s style pretty well so I wasn’t under great stress. Recently, I have been practicing for TvTs a lot anyways, so it really worked out well for me.

- Between the two possible matches you could have had, which did you put more emphasis on?
I am confident in my TvP right now so I thought that if it came down to it, I would win my second match for sure.

- Were you nervous about being down in the up and down matches?
When good players fall (to the up and down) and get anxious, it becomes more of a hindrance to their play, so I practiced without thinking about that too much.

- Your reason for your poor performance this season?
I think my TvT was in a weak state. I had the upper hand against Nada but he rallied to beat me. Also my TvP style became too well known and I was too slow to react against a strategy designed against that.

- Have you gotten rid of those weaknesses?
After losing, I have had a lot of free time for practice so I think I have gotten rid of maybe 80 to 90 percent of those problems.

- Your goal in code S?
This time I really want to win. I have gotten 2nd place many times but I don’t want to settle for those, I just want to win.

- What do you think about the 1.3.3 patch?
The 4 gate became weaker so I think terrans will have a better time in the early game. Amongst the gamers right now, the belief is that protoss is a bit stronger than the other races. But with this patch, I am worried that terrans will get too much better. (**Marineking worried about balance )

- There will be a new map in the GSTL.
I think I will have to play on it a lot to get used to it. Instead of cliffs you have oceans so it may be a bit difficult to get used to the terran for the first time. But I think it will be fun since it is a change of scenery. There is nothing wrong with having more maps.

- Your goal going into the super tournament?
If I can win in the super tournament, I will consider that to be two victories in the regular reason.

- Any players you want to avoid in the super tournament?
I don’t want to face Mvp or MC in the early part of the tournament. I want to test myself against Kyrix or LosirA, as I haven’t played too many zergs in recent tournaments. I think personally it’s about time that I face a zerg so I want to face one in the tournament.

- Any last comments?
I want to thank Mvp, Maka, and sC for helping me practice. I also want to congratulate my coach Gerrard for getting through the preliminaries and hope that he does well. Finally, I want to say some words of praise for Sun Young.
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(**Notes: This is a translation from English to Korean back to English…)
Huk – ‘That ceremony was a celebration for my birthday’

- Your thoughts on retaining your code S spot?
I feel good. I hope to get better results than last time.

- You had some “words” to say after the up and down groups were chosen.
Both of those players that were in my group were players whom I considered to be some of the strongest in the up and down so I was a bit nervous, and I chose to say those things in jest.

- How did you prepare for today’s match?
I got a lot of help from oGs’s TOP and Supernova. They taught me a lot about terran builds and counter strategies.

- Did you get any help from MC?
No, he didn’t help me.

- Your reason for your recent poor performance?
I faced Inca then July, and both of those players play excellently against protoss opponents so it was really difficult for me.

- Your goal in code S?
I always want to win. I hope to get to the semifinals this time.

- The meaning behind today’s ceremony?
Yesterday was my birthday, so I prepared it for fun.

- Were you able to enjoy your birthday, since you had this upcoming match for today?
Yesterday, we ate some cake and had a small simple party with the team. I am not going to reveal what we are planning for today.

- Any last comments?
I want to thank my friends, family, and fans for their support. I also want to thank our manager, my teammates who helped me out with my strategies, Team Liquid, our sponsor the little app factory, and the new sponsor Razer. Finally, I want to say a word of thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday.
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viOlet – ‘I only practiced for Xel’Naga Fortress…”

- Your thoughts on making code S?
I am happy that I was able to complete my first goal. I always felt that Genius, who is a code S player in my team, was always shining a bit more, but since I am code S now as well, I feel really awesome.

- Your game was a mirror matchup; did you have any problems in preparation?
I put a lot of thought into it. In ZvZ wins and losses depend a lot on your build order so I focused in honing my builds.

- Did you prepare knowing that Kyrix is a very aggressive player?
I saw him games against July and LosirA. It feels like he always tries to be the first one to be aggressive. As for myself, since my WC3 days, I also had a very aggressive style, so I wanted to see just how aggressive he was.

- Did you predict that Kyrix would be so aggressively attacking in the 2nd set?
I didn’t think about that all. I was really surprised when I saw the baneling. Then when I was deciding how I would defend against it, I thought I would defend using some sim city and counter attack. I think I was a bit lucky to have held that off.

- What do you think personally is the best ZvZ strategy?
I think playing it safe is the best, but my personally is a bit rash so I end up playing aggressively. In the end, I think improving what I am good at is the best thing.

- What did you think after your up and down group was chosen?
I was a bit sad at first, but after looking at the other groups, I thought to myself that this wasn’t too bad. Also, I thought that advancing after a series of ZvZs would be good for improving my play. I was 70 to 80% sure that I would advance today.

- How did you prepare for today’s matches?
I practiced around 30 to 40 games on Xel’Naga fortress. But when the game started, I noticed that it was Xel’Naga caverns. I was a bit shocked, so I thought about asking for a pause but then just played it out. I just thought I would play in general like I practiced.

- Any players who you want to face in code S?
Code S zergs are really strong. And personally terrans are difficult to face, so I want to face some protoss players.

- What do you think about the new map for the upcoming GSTL?
I think it looks good and well made. I think it will be fun. However, from first look, it looks like a terran favored map. There are a lot of entrances so hellion play will be hard to block.

- What do you think will be your team’s result in the GSTL?
Of course I want to win. As a main player, I will practice as much as I can, to the point where it is like I am practicing for other players’ shares.

- Any last comments?
I want to thank my friends who came to cheer me on and the coach’s mother for preparing our food. I also want to thank my teammates who helped me practice.
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Kyrix – ‘I thought I was going to get demoted’

- Your thoughts on retaining your code S spot?
I lost 3 in a row so I thought I was going to get demoted. Even during the game, I was playing so poorly that I thought to myself that if this is my skill level, I may as well fall to code A to start from scratch. Somehow, after all that, I was able to advance.

- Was facing ZvZs difficult for you?
I had confidence in my ZvZ, but ever since several days ago, it hasn’t been going well for me. I came upon this interesting counter build and I think I got caught up in thinking about that too much.

- What were your thoughts after the groups for the up and down matches were chosen?
Back then, my confidence in my ZvZ was high, so I thought it wasn’t bad.

- Your reason for your recent poor performance?
I think it is because I haven’t practiced enough.

- How about now?
When I lost to LosirA in the round of 32 that was the first time I’ve been that angry with myself. I increased the amount of practice thought to myself that I would take this more seriously. But after today’s matches, I think I need to try even harder and practice more.

- Your goal in code S?
Right now, I just want to get past the first round. I don’t want to fall to the up and down matches again.

- Do you have any plans to change your style?
I always thought my style was more macro than aggression, but I don’t really know.

- What do you think about the 1.3.3 patch?
I don’t think it matters that much. I don’t feel like there were any big changes.

- Your ambition going into the super tournament?
I barely made it today, so it feels a bit weird to say this, but I have increased the amount of practice than previously. And I will definitely show a different side of myself in the upcoming super tournament.

- Any players you want to face in the super tournament?
I don’t care who I face.

- Any last comments?
I want to thank my team’s Coca, NSHoSeo’s Seal, SlayerS’ YuGiOh, and StarTale’s handsome Tandongho for helping me practice.
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Mvp – ‘I have felt the importance of code S’

- Your thoughts on getting back into code S?
I have only been in code A for one season but it feels like it has been much longer. Getting back into code S is something that has been on my mind for a while.

- How did you prepare for today’s match?
Compared to other matchups, I don’t need as much practice to practice for TvT. I just need to think about my macro or builds in order to do them (as it comes naturally) so I can practice for the matchup without much worry.

- Did you put more focus on the 1st match or the possible 2nd match?
I put much more focus on the 1st match. Since I picked my group, if I had lost my first game, I feel like that would have been really embarrassing.

- Anything you gained from your code A experience?
I am not that disappointed about not winning in the finals. I have been winning a lot of TvTs in the past, but losing like that will just make me practice harder for my future matches. I think my loss to Bomber will prove to be useful for me in that aspect. Also, (by being in code A), I felt the importance of code S. I will not fall down again in the future.

- The super tournament is soon.
Ever since they announced it, I have been awaiting my chance to win the tournament. I am looking forward to it.

- Marineking said that he would like to face you again in the finals.
Of course, since I have beaten him twice in the finals, I have great confidence in that matchup.

- Anyone else you want to face?
I want to face either MC or Nestea.

- Your team will not be in the upcoming GSTL.
That’s the rule so there’s nothing we can do. I think it will be good for us as a team to take a break for one season to conserve our energy and rebuild for the future.

- What do you think about the 1.3.3 patch?
I think the increased warp gate research time will be good for TvP matches. Ghosts also cost less gas so that is also good for terrans. Some users have complained about the infestor speed nerf, but after playing many games, I feel like that is a buff to the zerg, since many times, the faster infestors ran out to the front to get killed by accident.

- Any last comments?
I want to thank Yoda and Maka for helping me practice. I hope that Nestea can take the victory in the finals. I trust in the higher powers (for that to happen).

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Rain – ‘I will try to revive that feeling of the open seasons.’

- Your thoughts on retaining your code S spot?
I am happy that I am staying in code S.

- Your reason for your poor performance recently?
I think I was lacking in effort. Since my results were not so good, I also lacked motivation to continue practicing. This time, I will definitely try my best.

- How did you feel when Mvp chose you to be in his group?
I felt pretty stunned since I had to play him in a match.

- Which match did you focus on, 1st or 2nd?
I wanted to try to win against Mvp. But after practicing a lot, I realized that goal was probably too farfetched so I focused on the 2nd match.

- Were you confident that you would retain your spot?
I was confident.

- Any particular player you want to overcome?
I think in terms of terran, I want to overcome Mvp (one day).

- In the 1st set, did you not notice your starport and orbital command had gotten destroyed?
I didn’t notice. When I checked later on, I couldn’t find them. I didn’t even notice that my orbital was burning.

- The super tournament is approaching.
I am looking forward to it. I will try to revive that feeling from the open seasons to get some good results this time.

- Anyone you want to avoid?
Mvp, and though I am not too particular about it, I don’t want to face zergs if possible.

- What do you think about the 1.3.3 patch?
I think the change on the archon is unreasonable. I know that they are not as good when compared to the SCBW version but they aren’t that bad. They became massive and their range was increased so they will be much better against terrans. It will be fun to face that in matches… The warp gate research nerf will help prevent the early game pressure from protoss so that will be good. Finally, I hope they stop nerfing the bunker.

- To what do you attribute your lack of success after the open seasons?
I think I had a problem with my mindset, and I was unable to adapt quickly to the up and coming builds.

- Any last comments?
I want to thank everyone who helped me practice. Also, parent’s day was a few days ago but I want to say thank you again to my parents.

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Bomber – ‘I have confidence that I will keep my code S spot’

- Your thoughts on making it into code S?
I have finally made it into code S. I think this is the starting point. I think I will have to perform even better in the future to show that my win in code A wasn’t for nothing.

- Which match did you focus on, 1st or possible 2nd?
I mainly focused on the 1st match. I didn’t even practice for the 2nd.

- Was it hard for you to practice mirror matchups?
Since I have been facing terrans all the time in code A, there wasn’t even anything to practice. Lyn focused mainly on expansion builds so it was pretty easy to face.

- Did getting through the qualifiers help you find your confidence?
I had confidence even before then, but since I failed to qualify twice before, it helped a bit in finding my rhythm.

- Do you have the confidence that you will retain your code S spot?
I think it is harder to fall from code S than to retain it. I have great confidence that I will retain this spot.

- The super tournament is soon.
At first, I was looking at the points and thought it may be difficult to get into. But since I am now in it, I feel like I have finally caught some luck.

- How far do you think you will get in the tournament?
My goal is to make it to the round of 4. I think it will be relatively easy to at least get into the round of 16.

- Anyone you want to face?
I am bored of TvTs. So I want to face some zergs or protosses. I am a bit afraid of Nestea but I don’t really care which protoss I face. And although TvT is boring right now, I am confident in that no matter who I face.

- If you were to get to the finals, who do you want to face?
MC. In January I lost to MC in the ygosu cup so I want to face him again.

- Anyone who you think will be difficult to face?
Nestea, who has gotten to the finals twice as zerg even though zerg is tough to play.

- Your prediction on the GSTL?
I want to go out there first and get an all-kill. Our first opponent will be oGs but I am feeling a bit of momentum right now. If we win against oGs, I feel like we will have a good chance at winning the whole thing.

- What do you think about the 1.3.3 patch?
I don’t think there are any big changes, but I think protoss will get a bit better. Also I recognize that the bunker salvage was a bit strong, so I understand the change. But if they make it salvage for 50 in the future then that’s a bit…

- Any last comments?
I want to thank StarTale’s virus and TSL’s heart for helping me practice.
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Ensnare – ‘I won but it feels a bit bittersweet.’


- Your thoughts on retaining your code S spot?
Before the game, I heard that Lyn’s great greatmother passed away so I deeply sad for him. I know that he hasn’t practiced that much because of that so I was able to win today and that feels bittersweet.

- Your reason for your poor performance recently?
I think other players have gotten extremely good and so I have changed the way I practice. My mind control in the booth was bad, and I had a lot of stress that built up. Right now I am in the middle of training in order to increase my hand speed. I think some of those things have gotten better for me now.

- Your group was all composed of terrans.
I don’t think Bomber chose this group to get friendly with us. So I just thought I will have to try my hardest. Personally, I am pretty friendly with Lyn but I don’t have much of a relationship with Bomber.

- Any difficulties in preparing for today’s match?
There wasn’t anything especially hard. I just prepared like I usually do.

- The super tournament will be starting soon.
It will be a 64 person tournament like the open seasons; I think it will be fun.

- Anyone you want to face?
With the exception of my team, I want to face a protoss.

- Any reasons for that?
I have thought about that matchup for a while. I feel like I have figured out a solution to that matchup.

- What do you think about the 1.3.3 patch?
Bunkers now cost a net 25 minerals after salvage but I don’t think that is a big change. And I don’t use thors that much so that doesn’t affect me much. But I think the strategy where protoss players put a pylon near the cliff to warp in DTs will occur much less, so I am happy about that.

- Your goals going forward?
I have retained my spot, so now I want to get further than before.

- Any last comments?
I want to thank coach TheWind for believing in me.
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Up & Down Group Winners Interviews
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Code S
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Code A
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