2011 WCG Korea Ro32 Interviews

Liquid'HerO



Q. You're through to the Ro16. Any thoughts?
A. Since it was my first time playing at the Yong-san stadium, I was very nervous. I'm very happy to have overcome that to reach the Ro16 with my 2 wins.

Q. How were the games?
A. I had some trouble loosening up my hand during the first set because I was so tense. I made a few mistakes in assigning units to control groups. Still, the winners match played out surprisingly well. I had experience playing against MarineKing in international tournaments, and have beaten him before, so I was quite confident going into the game.

Q. Since this is SC2's inaugural year as a WCG event, you must be very determined to do well.
A. After dropping out of GSL (Code A) early, I was only looking forward to the WCG and giving my absolute best. I will continue to do my hardest for future matches.

Q. The new patch came out a couple of days ago. Did it affect your games in any way?
A. I haven't played that many games after the patch, but I feel like the infestor nerf has made PvZ a lot less difficult. Also, I really like the shield buff for the warp prism.

Q. Any further thoughts?
A. My poor showing in the GSL must've disappointed my fans. I want to show better games in the WCG. I would like to thank Team Liquid's manager Victor (Nazgul) and the schedule manager Robin (Bumblebee), as well as manager oGsTheWind, coach oGsGon, and oGsJookTo for accompanying me to the stadium.

Source: Daily Esports

MarineKingPrime.WE



Q. Your thoughts on making it to the Ro16?
A. The last game was very difficult, but I came back after focusing on defending. Feels like it took ten years off my life.

Q. Is this your first time playing at the Yong-san stadium?
A. In the qualifiers I played in the subsidiary stadium, and this was my first time at the main stadium. The facilities were better than I thought it would be.

Q. This is SC2's first year as a WCG event.
A. I've yet to win any prestigious tournaments. I am eager to become the first champion of WCG SC2. However, my first goal is to win WCG Korea.

Q. All in all, how were the games?
A. My first opponent Jjun is known for his unconventional play. I expected him to use some unusual strategy. I was a little flustered since it was the first time I've faced this particular one, but I remained calm and held it off well.

Q. You must be disappointed with how the winner match played out.
A. HerO uses phoenixes quite often, but I just didn't deal with them very well. The mistakes stacked up and that's why I think I lost.

Q. The deciding game was nail-bitingly close.
A. I was pretty relaxed when I was practicing for the game. However, when I realised he wanted to bust me with zerlings and banelings, I knew it would be hard to hold on. Nevertheless, I kept my focus and managed to turn things around.

Q. Any resolutions for the Ro16?
A. There is a month-long gap until the Ro16. I will practice thoroughly and perform well to win. Finally, I want to thank TSL.MinSeOk for helping me practice. (T/N: Apparently MinSeOk is part of IM according to TLPD. Either that hasn't been updated yet or MKP was talking about TSL.Heart and the original article just misspelt his name).

Source: Daily Esports

SlayerS'Taeja



Q. How does it feel to advance on to the Ro16?
A. It feels good. (T/N:...............)

Q. Did you expect to go through in first place?
A. I always play with confidence whoever the opponent is, so I did think I would go through with 2 wins.

Q. How do you rate your performance today?
A. In the first game, because the equipment setting was different than usual, I didn't play my best. However, in the second game, I think I adapted to a certain degree and displayed my true abilities.

Q. Did you check the map before the winners match?
A. I saw the live broadcast yesterday so I knew about it. (T/N: Little unclear as to what this about. I think the interviewer is asking whether he knew the map was the correct/wrong version before the match, but Taeja seems to think he was asked whether he knew which map the winners match was on. Interviewer seems to let that pass.)

Q. This is SC2's inaugural year as a WCG event. What are your ambitions?
A. I really want to be one of the representatives of Korea. I'll also do my best to win the Grand Finals as well.

Q. Any resolutions before the next match?
A. I'll prepare diligently and makes sure I win.

Q. Do you have anything else you wish to say?
A. I want to thank SlayerS'Jessica and SlayerS'BoxeR for always supporting me.

Source:Daily Esports

FXO.GuMiho



Q. How does it feel to advance to the Ro16?
A. I was worried because my group was difficult, but now I'm happy that I'm one step closer to representing Korea.

Q. There were some twists and turns in your path to the next round.
A. I was a little shaky today, but I just approached the game with the thought that SlayerS'Taeja would have a harder time.

Q. How do you rate your performance?
A. I was supply blocked a few times and had some difficulty assigning control groups to my units and locations.

Q. There was a delay due to the map choice after the winners match.
A. I didn't spot the mistake as well, but since I lost the game, I'm don't feel it was unfair. I understand the situation since this is OGN's first time broadcasting SC2. I hope these problems don't surface again and the rest of the tournament runs smoothly.

Q. What is your goal for the tournament?
A. Of coure to win it.

Q. Any race or specific players that might give you trouble in reaching that goal?
A. TvZ is the most difficult for me. (T/N: LOL) There are a few players as well, but I'll keep that close to my chest.

Q. The tournament adopts a Round-robin system from the Ro16.
A. I think the games will cause a few headaches. I personally prefer a standard (elimination) tournament system.

Q. Any last thoughts?
A. I want to thank manager FXO.choya and the people involved with the team. I wish that my teammates find similar success in future WCG matches. Group C has two of them together, and I hope they can both advance.

Source: Daily Esports

MVPsC



Q. Your thoughts on making it to the Ro16 with the 2 wins?
A. When I first saw my group, I was a little anxious because they're good players. I'm very happy to have progressed with the 2 wins.

Q. How was the first match?
A. I decided to go with an impromptu pressure play, which won the game for me very easily.

Q. You faced the strongest protoss player MC in the winners match. (T/N: I guess the interviewers is going by achievements and not current form)
A. I had 2 or 3 timing windows where I could've ended the game, but it didn't work out my way. I got somewhat distracted by many thoughts after that, but I'm happy I was able to finally close out the game.

Q. Was the strategy you used in that match something you had prepared beforehand?
A. I was originally aiming for a safe macro game, but when I scouted the late assimilator by MC, I decided to increase my barracks count and pressure with just marines. I wasn't expecting it to end the game.

Q. This was your first match at Yong-san.
A. It was wonderful. I was an amateur in BW, but as a SC2 progamer, I got the opportunity to play here. It was great, and the soundproofing was especially impressive. Even though the commentary team was very close, I was amazed to find that I couldn't hear a thing.

Q. You're the last MVP player standing.
A. My teammates are very good, but they couldn't make it through the qualifiers. I'll do my best to do their share as well, and produce good results.

Q. Your goal for this WCG?
A. Of course to win the Grand Finals.

Q. Are there any players you're particularly wary of?
A. I'm facing MVP in the Ro16 which will be my biggest hurdle.

Q. Any last thoughts?
A. I'd like to thank my practice partners, and my family who are watching this on TV, for cheering for me.

Source: Daily Esports

oGsMC



Q. How does it feel to make it through to the Ro16?
A. I've been losing a lot lately, so I'm relieved to have made it through today. I'm leaving the country today for international events, so I'll do best to produce good results as well as prepare for the Ro16.

Q. You qualified after having to play out the final deciding match.
A. I was expecting to go through 2-0, but lost concentration in the winners match. I regained my focus for the decider, and played it out calmly for the win.

Q. Your entrance was not walled off in that game.
A. I built my forge quite early after seeing the 6 pool (T/N: I haven't watched the games, so I don't know if MC scouted the 6 pool and put down the forge early or if he expected it and did it blindly), but because the entrace is wide, I made mistakes in walling it off.

Q. Why do you think you've been slumping lately?
A. When I was doing well in the past, I used aggressive playstyles to dictate the games. A lot of those have been figured out recently, and the fact I adopted a more passive style encouraged my opponents to try risky strategies.

Q. There are a lot of terrans in the Ro16.
A. Looking at the groups, there's even one with 4 terrans in it, so it's to be expected. Out of the 15 terrans in the Ro32, I think around 10 will advance.

Q. Are you confident in your PvT?
A. Unlike other protoss players, I find PvZ hard and PvT easy. I hope zerg players don't advance. However, I do have a good record against July, so I do want him to make it through.

Q. It's been a while since you've been to Yong-san stadium.
A. I rode on the elevator to the 9th floor, and the air sure is different up here. I was very nervous when I played my BW proleague matches here, and was nervous up to the winners match today. I'll prepare well for the Ro16.

Q. Your resolutions for this WCG?
A. WCG is an international tournament, and I have confidence in the fact that I have the most experience in that area. I'll use that when playing against the non-korean players, to reinforce the image that Korea is the best at Starcraft.

Q. fOrGG recently joined your team.
A. He's different from the image from his televised appearances. He's actually very nice. It's still a little awkward since we haven't officially trained together, but he's a very solid player and we can expect a lot from him.

Q. Any last thoughts?
A. My mother and girlfriend have been worrying a lot for my sake, so I'm happy to have won and saved face. (T/N: Not as petty as it sounds. More to do with not shaming your family & friends with failures. It's very important in Korea & the orient). oGsTheStC didn't make it through and I hope he doesn't take it too hard. I also want to conquer the SC2 scene together with fOrGG. Finally, I would like to thank the fans who've supported me through twitter.

Source: Daily Esports

IMmvp



Q. Your thoughts on making it to the Ro16?
A. It's been a while since I've played at Yong-san stadium. I'm happy to have won my group, but I also feel a little uneasy over the teamkill in the winners match.

Q. You faced your former teammate Ganzi in the first game.
A. It's regretful since he and I have been close friends for a long time, but I needed the win today.

Q. What were your impressions of the new computers?
A. It was very good. I was impressed during the games. I had heard that the test runs went well after upgrading the machines, so I played without any worries.

Q. How do you rate your own performance today?
A. Too many thoughts were going through my head during practice, which made it difficult. However, I was able to play comfortably once I got going. I was a little worried, because due to the recent patch, a lot of terran strategies have become viable again.

Q. What are your goals?
A. My aim is to win WCG. Also, because it's been a while since I've been here at Yong-san, I'll work hard to continue winning.

Q. Does it feel very different to play here?
A. I've played here before, but it was a new experience today. I feel like there's been a lot of improvements on things like soundproofing and general facilities.

Q. Any final thoughts?
A. I'd like to thank my terran practice partners. It's become quite chilly lately, so please take care of yourselves. I would also like to see my teammate Happy advance in 2nd place.

Source: Daily Esports

IMHappy



Q. How does it feel to advance to the Ro16?
A. Before I came here today, I had a lot of worries. Luckily, I was able to advance with my teammate MVP, which makes me happy (T/N: Sorry, couldn't resist). I'll work hard for the Ro16 matches as well.

Q. Were you satisfied with your performance?
A. I don't think I played very well today. I got a little extra nervous because it was on the big stage, and only showed like 50% of what I'm usually capable of.

Q. How was your game against MVP?
A. I didn't make any big mistakes, so it was a decent game.

Q. Have you played at Yong-san stadium before?
A. I have not. It does stand out from other venues. The player's seat felt more cozy since you could look down at the spectators' seats.

Q. It was the first round of matches with the new equipment. How was it?
A. Maybe because it had top of the line specs, but it was so good that I wanted to take it home.

Q. Your goal for this tournament?
A. I'll prepare diligently and survive until the very end. I'll give it my all to win.

Q. Anything else you'd like to say?
A. I'd like to thank my teammates Mvp, dreamertt, and Yoda for helping me practice. I'd also like to thank the manager for accompanying us to the venue.

Source: Daily Esports