Clash signs Messiah, Shew, ZaiZai

Virgil: Before I start asking questions, can you tell us a little about yourself, and your past history with Starcraft?

Messiah: Hi. I'm Jae Gook Kim, a 22 year-old college student from Korea. I had played Brood War as my hobby. However, as the StarCraft 2 Beta came out, I started playing more seriously and devoted my time to get better.

Virgil: Before signing with Team Clash you were already attempting the Code A Qualifiers and playing at a professional level, did you have any notable practice partners?

Messiah: I know some of the players on Team oGs because they had scouted me for their team. Also, I'm friends with Liquid`Jinro and IMHappy, and we practice from time to time.

Virgil: Is there any reason you hadn't joined a team before now? What stuck out to you about Clash as a team?

Messiah: I had a college studies to do so I rejected oGs because they wanted their players to stay in their team house. As for North American teams, I was on another team before, but their manager scammed me so I decided not to join any pro-team from then on. I joined Clash because I had some of my friends on this team, and Clash wanted to support my participation in various tournaments.

Virgil: Playing the Code A Qualifiers under the name sAviOr has gained you a lot of notoriety in the foreign scene, is there any particular reason you chose to compete under that alias?

Messiah: There's no really legitimate reason for choosing Savior LOL. Well... I switched from Terran to Zerg, and Zerg was weak back in the earlier Starcraft 2. So I named myself Savior cuz I wanted to save all the zerg players. I think a lot of people assumed I did it to copy sAviOr, but I never thought of it that way.

Virgil: What are your goals for 2012, as well as your expectations for Clash as a team in 2012?

Messiah: I want to qualify for GSL Code A, first. I also want Clash to keep supporting me and to find a sponsor for tournaments. We are not informed well of tournaments outside Korea, so I believe Clash could definately help me out on that.

Virgil: Who has helped you the most since you joined Clash?

Messiah: ClashMercy

Virgil: Are there any other professional Starcraft 2 players you look up to?

Messiah: I particularly have no players that I really think of as idols... but I think Boxer and Nestea are amazing because they continue playing over age 30 and they give me inspiration.

Virgil: Before I go, is there anything you'd like to say to your foreign fans?

Messiah: As you all know, lots of foreign players have dissapeared from BW. I hope this doesn't happen in Starcraft II. I wish everybody in the world will enjoy this game. Thank you!

Virgil: How do you feel about Clash as your new team?

Shew: I love that Clash is my new team, I've been looking for a good, solid team for a long time and I feel I finally found it here at Clash. I am also personal friends with the owner and after talking to him multiple times I realized that Clash was a perfect fit for me.

Virgil: Your success as a Free Agent generated a lot of interest, why Clash over other teams?

Shew: I feel Clash gives me the best practice possible. On so many teams out there especially non top-tier ones, you see that every player just practices on their own. There is a lack of the "team" aspect of a team, and Clash definitely isn't one of those. I feel a sense of belonging and enjoy talking to all my teammates, especially the korean ones.

Virgil: Who on the team has helped you improve the most thus far?

Shew: ClashJPEG [Paul, our manager] and ClashMercy are definitely the two people who have helped me personally the most. JPEG helped me so much with my mental state and everything that goes on outside the game. Mercy has been sending me replays of his Korean Grandmaster account while watching my own replays and critiquing me on everything from big overall strategy to small details.

Virgil: In your opinion, who is the best player on the Clash roster?

Shew: I personally think Mercy is the best player on the team, I haven't been able to keep a close eye on everyone's play individually. However, I would definitely say it is a protoss because of the sheer depth we have in the lineup and how most of them are korean Grandmaster players.

Virgil: You recently took a fairly lengthy (for a pro-gamer) break over the holidays, how do you feel about your play coming back to practice in 2012?

Shew: Going home for the holidays I had not seen my friends and family for a long time so I wanted to get as much time as I could with them. Also, I was doing a lot of mindset building to help me with my approach to the game. Around the time after MLG Providence to the holiday season I was under such intense stress from Starcraft. I have to remember it is a game and I need to find reasons as to why I fell in love with the game in the first place, then proceed from there. I am going to be going into 2012 with a more clear and focus driven head. Every practice game (whether it is custom practice or ladder) I will have set goals to work on to improve my play, rather then just massing practice and not going over every individual game.

Virgil: What are your personal goals for 2012, and your expectations of Clash as a team in 2012?

Shew: A personal goal of mine has always been to be living in a korean pro-gaming house and playing full-time. On top of that, I'd like to continue to have as good of LAN results as possible, get my fanbase up, and have my stream featured on TL.

As for team Clash, by the end of 2012 I want us to be seen as one of the scariest teams out there in North America, if not internationally. There is so much raw talent on our team and, with our structured practice regimen, we can make the most out of what we have.

Virgil: Do you have anything you'd like to say to your fans?

Shew: I'd like to say thank you to my fan(s) for constantly cheering me on. I hope to continue to make a name for myself and show that I'm not just another one of those wanna-be "Pro" Starcraft 2 players. When I find something I really like, I don't rest until I'm the absolute best. Whether that means I live in the United States, or Korea. I'm even taking Korean classes right now just in case! Thanks all!

Virgil: Hey, before we begin, can you tell us a little about yourself, and your history playing Starcraft?

ZaiZai: Hello, my name is Yunpeng (Daniel) Xie, ingame ID "ClashZaiZai". I moved to live in Canada when I was 16 from China, I am currently living in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I starting playing Starcraft 2 since its beta.

Virgil: You recently played for SCA before joining Clash, what's it like, making the change?

ZaiZai: SCA is an amateur North America Chinese Starcraft 2 team, however SCA people don't take the game seriously enough in my opinion, then I joined a local team based in Vancouver cG(Cyber Gaming), unfortunately there aren't a lot of people to practice with, and then I met ClashDrone on a ladder game and he introduced me to the team. It is a really a big step up for me as I can now find matched skill level players to practice with and get a lot of insight from them.

Virgil: Playing on a team with a large Korean roster, but not speaking Korean must be difficult, has the language barrier effected you to any serious degree?

ZaiZai: Not at all, our teammates are extremely friendly and outgoing. I don't know about others, but when I talk to our Korean players I can fully understand them, even though the grammar is sometimes weird, I think it has to do with my 1st language being Chinese.

Virgil: One of the aspects Clash prides itself on is the practice regimen, how well do you think it's been working out for you?

ZaiZai: Our practice regimen is just amazing, I am a hardworker myself, I usually play 7 hours a day, and now with the practice regimen and amazing practice partners I am feeling like I am playing effectively, unlike the mindless playing on ladder before.

Virgil: Since you've joined Clash, which team member has helped you improve the most?

ZaiZai: So many players have helped me since I've joined, huge shout outs to ClashPanther, ClashMercy, ClashDrone, and our managers/coaches. They have taught me a lot.

Virgil: What are your personal goals for 2012, and what are your expectations for Clash as a team in 2012?

ZaiZai: My personal goal for 2012 is to become better and do my best to try more tournaments. My expectations would be for us to grow stronger and win tournaments as a team.

Virgil: Before I go, is there anything you'd like to say to the readers?

ZaiZai: Please support Team Clash, I will do my best to contribute to the team, and please cheer for us when you see us playing. To all the players I have or might have bmed on ladder, I am sorry. GL HF everyone.