Blizzard Cup Finalists Interviews

Once again, thanks for Blizzard for giving us the opportunity to interview the two finalists after the Korean media event.


TeamLiquid: There wasn't much time to prepare between matches in the Blizzard Cup, compared to other GSL tournaments. Did this cause any difficulties?

MMA: I thought it would be difficult at first, but it turned out to be easier than expected because all of the SlayerS players got together and helped me out.

The group stages of the Blizzard Cup were played as a best of one, what did you think about that format?

Because it was best of one, I think players tended to use cheesy strategies. For the players, because the games end quickly, there's an element of excitement, and also emptiness. From the perspective of the audience, it seems like they might not find it as fun. So there's advantages and drawbacks.

Let's go back to the semi-finals. Did you expect to win against Mvp by a score of 3-0?

I expected that I could win 3-0 if I won the first game, because the builds I had prepared for games two and three were very good, with high win-rates.

Did SlayerS have anything special planned for Mvp beforehand, even if it wasn't for this particular tournament?

No, we didn't prepare beforehand. After it was determined that Mvp was my semi-final opponent, our Terran players had a meeting and made the builds.

Is Mvp's style too predictable then? You were able to beat him with early rushes at GSL October as well.

He doesn't do fixed things, but he's a player who goes for safe builds. There's a timing where he's weak after he opens safe, and I think I won this time because I aimed for that timing.

Were you confident at beating him in management games as well?

Yes, I prepared around that.

So did you prepare management style games for the fourth and fifth games?

That, I can't tell you (laughs).

Any SlayerS teammate who helped you a lot in particular?

Everyone helped me a lot, but Ryung helped me the most.

You have a chance to win your second GSL championship, how do you feel?

I'm excited, and I can't wait for tomorrow.

What do you think about DongRaeGu as a player?

He's one of the best Zerg players, and I think it will be a very tough match.

Versus Zerg and versus Terran are your respective best match-ups. Are you confident going in?

Yes, I'm confident, and I'm excited because I think there will be some really fun games.

Do you think maybe you have an advantage, because DongRaeGu has had trouble performing up to his potential in the GSL? Maybe you have a mental advantage.

No, I don't think so. DongRaeGu has also accumulated a lot of big stage experience, so I don't think that will be a problem for him.

You've faced him on occasion in other tournaments. Do you think there's a rivalry between you two?

Yes, when we meet in the GSTL we always seem to meet at important moments, and this is another important moment. If you look at it that way, then it's correct that we're rivals.

You two faced off at MLG Providence, where DRG used two early busts to beat you. Did you expect that kind of play then, and are you worried about that kind of play in the finals?

I expected it, but I didn't expect him to come in that strong.

What kind of play do you expect from him in the finals?

I think he'll prepare around management style, and bring some cheesy builds on a few of the maps.

Are you happy with the maps? [Map Order: Crossfire, Tal'Darim Altar, Bel'Shir Beach, Dual Sight, Daybreak, Antiga Shipyard, Shakuras Plateau]

I'm not satisfied at all with the maps. Like DRG said as well, there's so many Zerg favored maps starting from the first set. In the later end of the series there's some maps that are decent for Terran, so I have to make this series go long for it to favor me. Calm Before the Storm is good for Terran, but it didn't make in through the map drawings, so it will be a tough series.

Outside of maps, what do you think about the overall trends or balance in TvZ these days?

I think balance is about even, and the better player wins.

What do you think the score will be?

If I win the first map, I think maybe 4 – 2, and I think it will go to 4 – 3 if I don't.

Code S is changing a lot next year, with longer leagues and best of three during the group stages. What do you think of these changes?

For me, I just play the format the tournament decides on, so I don't really care.

Also, there will be a bigger weight on GSTL next season, the tournament where you first started to become well-known. Are you excited for it?

I think it's a good tournament, because you can see teams united together.

You switched to SC2 from SC1, where Proleague is the main tournament. Do you think moving towards a more team tournament based structure is the right way to go for SC2 as well?

I don't think there's a right or wrong way to go about it, it's just a matter of taste on what you like. The organizers probably have a good plan.

What was your most memorable moment from 2011?

Of course, the GSL finals played at Blizzcon.

Are you satisfied with your results this season?

Hmmm, yes, I'm satisfied.

You've beat Mvp convincingly in your two recent matches. Do you think you can take the title of best Terran player in 2012?

The title of best player, that's kind of... I think that Mvp still had a better career, and he's ahead of me in all regards.

Even so, you will probably be one of the players who headlines the GSL in 2012.

Yes, that's something I'm looking forward to.

Any goals or resolutions going into next year then?

If I can close out 2011 well in Blizzard Cup, that will help me get off to a good start in 2012. So I'm going to put everything into this Blizzard Cup.

Okay, any last comments?

Well, this is an interview with TeamLiquid, and I know that I have a lot of foreign fans. I check TL to look up news about me, and to practice my English on the side. I'm always thankful that my fans are cheering me on, and to my Koreans fans as well. Also, thanks to Razer to who sponsors us!

There wasn't much time to prepare between matches in the Blizzard Cup, compared to other GSL tournaments. Did this cause any difficulties?

No, not really. Tournaments like this played over a small period of time are tournaments where you compete with your fundamentals, and I've played a lot of foreign tournaments like this since a long time ago, where you have to rely on your fundamentals. So I'm confident, I actually like these kind of tournaments better. It fits my style better.

In your semi-final match with MC, MC won his two games with timing attacks after fast expanding. Did you expect that kind of play?

I expected it, but he attacked faster than I thought. It set me off balance, so I lost the games.

Back at MLG, on the very same map, Dual Sight, you stopped MC's two base timing attack with relative ease. Did he change his play up this time?

I think he just prepared a lot, he tweaked his build since last game to attack at an earlier timing. That caught me off guard, so I lost without being able to do much.

In both your series and Leenock's series against MC, the games tended to go well for MC when you tried to fight him head on with ground based compositions, but better when you used Mutalisks or tactics involving backdooringing and exploiting mobility. Do you think this is a particular weakness for MC?

I don't think it's a specific weakness for MC, I think it's a weakness for all Protoss players. If you go to a normal ground battle, it's good for Protoss who can utilize force fields and Colossi, so using air units and backdoors is good against Protoss.

Is Zerg favored slightly against Protoss these days?

After the patch, I think Protoss has the advantage. Because upgrades get done so fast, there's a lot of cases where Zerg units just die without being able to do anything. So I think Protoss is favored by a very small margin.

You stopped MC's Carrier strategy on Calm Before the Storm very easily. Did you expect him to do such a strategy on the map, and did you prepare specifically against it?

No, I just tried to play standard. Zerg can almost never beat Protoss on Calm Before the Storm if they just play standard, so I had half given up, but MC made Motherships and Carriers which surprised me. I think he was surprised too, when he lost.

Is it an easy strategy to stop?

Hmm, I assume he tried it against other Zergs and used it because it does work, but I think it was easy to stop.

People used to say your ZvP was weak, but you've won a lot of games and brought your win-rate up a lot. Do you feel confident against Protoss lately?

Yes, I'm confident. People still say my ZvP is weak, but I don't think so at all. I've improved it a lot, and I'm as confident in my ZvP as my ZvT, or even more so.

Given your skill and performances in other tournaments, you've been underwhelming in the GSL. Do you get more nervous when you play in GSL, or was it just bad luck?

I don't think it's about nerves or luck, I just played poorly, and my opponents prepared well.

Both you and MMA specialize in playing against each other's races. Are you confident going into the finals?

I'm confident because the maps are good for me, but MMA is a good Terran player so I'm still worried. I think the games will be fun.

What do you think of MMA as a player?

If you ask me who's the best Terran player, then I'd pick either MMA or Mvp. They’re both very good players, but their styles are different, so it's hard to rate them, but they're the two best players.

Who's style is easier to play against?

Personally, it's harder to play against MMA's style. Against players like Mvp who play a kind of 'heavy' style, you can find a way to win somehow. But against a player like MMA who tries to make hectic situations, it's difficult as a Zerg player. So I think MMA is harder to play.

Do you recall your meeting in the GSTL finals, where MMA was the victor?

Yes, I remember. It was the ace match in the GSTL finals. My team was stopped at second place because I lost. But this time it's an individual tournament so there's no pressure, so I should get some payback.

You played each other at MLG Providence, where you won with two early busts. Was there any particular reason you chose those strategies? Were the maps disadvantageous?

The maps did happen to be bad, but MMA's style is that if you let him do what he wants, Zerg just gets led around by Terran until he loses. So I used an early attack to give him something to think about, and it worked out well.

What do you think of the maps for the finals?

The maps in the beginning, Crossfire, Tal'Darim, Bel'Shir and Dual Sight are good for Zerg, so if I want to win I should lean on the early games. The last three maps, Daybreak, Antiga, and Shakuras are good for Terran, so the series is worse for me the longer I take it.

MMA took two games off Mvp with cheese builds in the semi-finals. Since SlayerS is so famous for that kind of preparation, are you worried?

Yes, I'm worried because SlayerS prepare builds very well, so I am worried that I might lose easily to cheese builds.

Then you would prefer to play all the games as standard management games?

No, like I said, if you play safe against MMA, you get led around by him and lose safely as well, so I'll probably use some all-ins to keep him guessing. If the maps are good, I'm confident in playing standard, so I'll probably play standard there.

What score do you predict?

It will be different depending on who takes the first game. If I win the first game, I think even 4-0 is possible. If he wins the first game, then I think it will go all seven but I'll win in the end.

If it's okay to talk about Naniwa, he mentioned that players wouldn't practice with him at the MVP house, and that he couldn't get good practice. Do you have any comments?

Well, I don't want to say something here that would hurt my relationship with him. If he says so, well, there's the language barrier, and I guess that hurt his practice.

Code S is changing a lot next year, with longer leagues and best of three during the group stages. What do you think of these changes?

I think it's good for me, instead of losing to cheesy builds in a best of one, you still have a chance to come back after going down one game, because I'm confident in playing standard. So I think that's better for me.

GSTL will play a bigger role next season, and it's the tournament you've always been very good at. Are you looking forward to it?

Yes, team leagues are fun in a different way from individual competition, and the showdowns between teams are really, really fun. I think it would be really fun to play a team like Slayers again and have a great duel.

What was your most memorable moment from 2011?

It's not a good memory, but it was losing to MMA in the GSTL finals.

What about a good memory?

When I won my first singles tournament, the LG Cinema Special tournament.

How satisfied are you with your performance this season?

In percentages, about 60~70%? I think I had good results from the perspective of other players, but I'm not that satisfied because I kept making mistakes at important moments. I'll have to play harder next year.

Do you feel that you should have won at least one GSL this year?

Yes, I think I should have won at least one GSL, but I failed time after time.

You played in a lot of international tournaments this year. Do you plan to keep doing that next year?

I went to too many foreign tournaments, so I fell behind in practice and it affected me physically as well, so I'll have a period of resting from foreign tournaments early next year. After that, when I recover, I'll try to go to many foreign tournaments if there are good opportunities.

Any resolutions or goals going into 2012?

I'll try to become a player like Mvp in 2011, winning every tournament.

Do you have any last comments?

I read TeamLiquid often, but I think that my fans on TeamLiquid have lost a lot of faith in me as of late.
I'll win in the finals this time, so I hope everyone supports me again.