"I was already happy going on a 2-win-streak, and this is just the cherry on top. Seriously though, did I really win the weekly MVP?"
We could hear the excitement in his voice over the phone. He still seemed to be trying to wrap his head around the fact that he played his first broadcasted match in a year and a half, and seemed genuinely perplexed that he won the MVP. In his questioning whether he really won the award, there was a sense of genuine happiness but at the same time he seemed dissatisfied by how the games actually panned out.
"Of course I'm happy, but I just can't believe it. I was not happy with how I played in those games. It's pretty obvious that neither game was a clean victory. My games with hyvaa and Iris were pretty much the worst. Why did I win the MVP again (laughs)?"
Effort said he was excited to hear his name in the lineup [before CJ's first match]. He was giddy with the thought of meetings his fans for the first time in a long while, but also pressure to perform. He had trouble sleeping due to the pressure. His heart grew heavy knowing that his fans' expectations were high; he knew he had to win, and that it had to be a crushing victory at that.
To add to his misery, Effort had to play a ZvZ when he prepared for ZvP. Effort had only prepared to play against a Protoss because the map 'Outlier' was universally deemed to favor Protoss. However, STX Soul must have thought the same thing, because they sent out Hyvaa to snipe whichever Protoss that CJ would send out. Effort was now confronted with a ZvZ all of the sudden.
"I just sat there in the booth and felt the pressure wash over me. I really didn't know what to do (laughs). I would have felt less nervous if my opponent had kept his cool, but he seemed even more nervous, and our combined nervousness just overwhelmed me as my mind went blank. For some odd reason I have a habit of becoming more nervous if the opponent is nervous. I don't even remember how I played that game (laughs)."
Effort said that his muta micro was terrible in his match against hyvaa on the 26th and cringed. He said that, "It's hard to adjust to the new LCD monitors". He said he genuinely felt that his muta micro was not MVP-worthy and contemplated turning down the award.
"You know and I know that the muta micro was less than stellar (laughs). My guess is they just gave me the award because I won both games upon returning (laughs). If they had just looked at the games themselves I wouldn't have even come close to winning the MVP award (laughs)."
Effort said his first zergling battle in a long time gave him a jolt of excitement. He said that he was reminded of why he loves ZvZ when the lings started hitting each other: the rush that he gets from such battles is what distinguishes the match-up for him. He often lost in ZvZ's upon his debut, but now he says there is a sense of thrill that he can't get from the other match-ups, showing his confidence in ZvZ.
"My number one priority is to adjust to these new LCD monitors (laughs). That way I can show my muta micro off to my fans like I did during my prime. Next week, if I were to win the MVP again, I hope to have a game that I can point to and say 'Yeah that's pretty much why I got this award.' In order to do that, I should practice harder, right?"
Although Effort was quite timid during the interview, he said to expect great things from CJ's next match against Samsung KHAN at WCG. He said because the team went 3:0 twice in a row, the atmosphere is at an all-time high, and he thinks he will be able to perform well against such a Protoss-heavy team.
"I want to win the weekly MVP a couple more times so I can become the MVP of round 1 (laughs). I want my return to be perceived as a great success. I will try my best to make it that way, so please look out for me."
Source: Daily E-sports