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Exclusive Interview of MarineKingPrime with sc2clan.tw
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/WuArW.jpg)
Q: Hello MarineKing. Is this the first time you've ever been to Taiwan? From these few days which you spent in Taiwan, what are your initial impressions?
A: Actually, I feel that the culture and the practices over here and pretty similar to Korea. The people that I've come into contact with are very nice and friendly. The air is really good, and the sky is really beautiful. Most importantly though, the food is really delicious!
Q: How long have you been in contact with games like Starcraft? (T/N: School levels are based on Wikipedia)
A: My impression is that I started with games like Starcraft when I was between elementary school and middle school. I started really practising at about high school, and shortly after that, Starcraft 2 was released. Due to the design of the game, with the drastic evolution in the graphics and control from Starcraft 1, I decided to dedicate myself fully to the game, and step by step, I began on the path of being a professional gamer.
Q: Since you were in contact with both Starcraft 1 and Starcraft 2 at the same time, what, in your opinion, are the main differences between these two games?
A: Starcraft 1 is a game that has been around for a really long time. As a result, even though it's fun and fairly balanced, the interface, unit control, hotkeys etc. are very very different from Starcraft 2, which was just recently released. Another important point is that the graphics and the sound effects have also evolved a lot. For competitors though, Starcraft 2 is really so much easier than Starcraft 1 to pick up! (laughs)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/t2N5A.jpg)
Q: We frequently hear that the Korean progamers have really astounding practice hours. How long do you usually practise in a day?
A: Actually, Korean programers really do practise for very long hours. Take me for example, probably apart from eating and sleeping, my remaining hours are spent on practising!
Editor: Woah. That means you probably have to practise up to 8-10 hours everyday...!
MKP: 8 hours?... Nope. More like about 18 hours! (laughs)
Q: Your practice times are so long. What types of practice do you do?
A: My practice is mainly on the ladder. Afterall, you are already able to meet really strong players on the Korean ladder. Other than that, there are times when I will be practising with my team mates, and the coach will also discuss some strategies with us as well as carry out some tabletop simulations for training. When there is the chance, we also frequently interact with other teams, like IM, oGs, MVP, StarTale etc. Most of us are really very good friends in private.
Q: Can you roughly describe and introduce the Prime team to us?
A: Actually, I can imagine that the Prime team might not be as famous as some of the other teams to many players, especially the Taiwanese audience. However, we've recently recruited a few pretty good players, and we've also been through some time of practising together. I believe that the team, as a whole, will have a really good improvement in our performance. Take for example, players like ByunPrime and CreatorPrime, I think that they have what it takes for them to become the stars of the future. Please look forward to the performance of the Prime team this year!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/27Z3R.jpg)
Q: In Taiwan, up to now, we have a professional league that is of a decent scale called the TeSL. As compared to the GSL or other foreign tournaments, we are mostly an online tournament, with occasionally, a few days of live tournament. TeSL probably counts as the first organisation to use TV to broadcast esports live. Have you ever heard of TeSL?
A: Ah~~ I am really sorry... To be honest, I really haven't heard of TeSL. But if it is broadcasted on live TV, I believe there must be quite a number of viewers watching, and the exposure for the players involved must be amazing!
Editor: Actually, your sponsor, Tt eSPORTS, also owns a really huge team. If they were to invite you to TeSL, will you consider it? I believe that the Taiwanese fans would go crazy about it!
MKP: If the timing doesn't clash with GSL or some of the other tournaments, I am very willing to take on any interesting and exciting competitions. Of course, that include TeSL!
Q: Do you know the Taiwanese Starcraft 2 players?
A: Sen, I guess. I think Sen is already a world famous Zerg player, and I've played him a couple of times. Not only is he a really strong player, what left a deeper impression on me is that he's a really interesting and nice player!!
(Editor was thinking.. Guess you really don't know Sen that well... hahaha XD!)
Q: In your opinion, who is the best player, and who is your greatest rival? (Including both Korean and foreign players)
A: Oh. Definitely Mvp (Answering without any hesitation). Whether we are talking about Korean or foreign players, I think he is the best player in all the world. In my eyes, he is also my greatest rival.
Q: Everyone says you are the best representative as a Zerg-Killer, and any Zerg has a lower win ratio when they come before you. Coincidentally, in your round of 16 group in GSL Code S on 9 February, apart from Genius who is a Protoss, the other two players, Nestea and DongRaeGu, are both Zergs. Do you think you have a good chance of getting through?
A: My Achilles heel is really my TvT (bitter laugh!). Even though my TvZ is comparatively better, my opponents this time are Nestea and DongRaeGu, both of which are top tier Zerg players. I think I still have to put in my best effort! But the thought of having no Terrans in my group still makes me really happy~ Ha!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wo6NN.jpg)
Q: Your micro and stutter-stepping when playing Terran is like a type of Starcraft acrobatic. How did you practise to get to the micro abilities that you have today?
A: I think it's still down to the non-stop practice everyday. Actually, the main point about stutter-stepping for Terrans is the timing. As long as you can get the timing down, you can very naturally do amazing stutter-steps. As for marine splitting to target banelings, I think that is also a very key control ability in TvZ.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/pLOys.jpg)
Q: Why did you choose to play Terran?
A: Actually, I am good at all three races. As to why I chose Terran, I guess it's because Terrans look better! Hehe!
Q: So, since you can play all three races, which do you think is the easiest to pick up, and which is the hardest?
A: Oh! I think the hardest is still Terran, followed by Protoss, followed by Zerg. Afterall, there are really a lot of things to control as a Terran. One lack of concentration and everything's dead!
Q: What are your thoughts about the electronic products from Tt eSPORTS?
A: To be honest, when I actually used them, they were much better than I had expected. Whether we are talking about the build quality, or the control, or the stability, they are much better than the products that we used to use. Currently, the whole team has been testing out the many different Tt eSPORTS products, and I believe that once we familiarise ourselves with them, it will do tremendous good to our skills.
Q: Apart from the GSL, which other big tournaments do you want to win a prize in?
A: I think that would the tournaments like MLG, Dreamhack, IEM etc. Of course, most of all, I want to win the GSL.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/cNJAS.jpg)
Q: Apart from the Korean players, can you list the three foreign players whom you think are the strongest?
A: For Terran, it's Thorzain. For Protoss, it's Huk. For Zerg, it's Stephano.
Q: We are really grateful for today's interview. We believe that the Taiwanese audience will be wishing you all the best in whatever tournament you take part in. Are there any words which you would like to say to the Taiwanese fans?
A: I am very grateful to everyone who came to Taipei to attend and take part in the activities of my sponsors and me. I also hope that they will continue giving me even more support and cheers. I also hope that Taiwan will produce even more amazing Starcraft 2 players in the future who will be able to participate on the world's stage!
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Some post notes from the interviewer Vic:
It was an honour to have this interview with MarineKing. At first, we thought there would be no interpreter. Good thing Tt eSPORTS got their Korean dealers to help out. Also, HuHu helped to translate the entire Chinese interview script into English to make the interview go more smoothly.
(T/N: At this point, I kind of felt like an idiot because the Chinese could read both ways. One, that HuHu was going to translate the interview into English, or two, what I translated above. I sure hope it's what I translated so I don't feel so dumb to translate what had already been translated)
So basically, from what I gather, this interview went through the following journey.
Chinese (Original Interview Questions) -> English (HuHu) -> Korean (Korean Dealers and MarineKing) -> English (HuHu) -> Chinese (What I translated from) -> English (What you are reading). If this is true, take what you read with a spoonful of salt I guess
MarineKing was really shy in person. Maybe it's due to his youngness. He's not even 20 yet. When I was responsible for taking the photos, I could tell that MarineKing was camera shy, in that he would naturally lower his head when the camera goes on him. That was until we took the Marine toys for him to sign. He was like a child then, playing furiously with the marine with his head down XD.
As for everyone's main concern, MarineKing's sister... Perhaps Tt eSPORTS will invite his sister as well when MarineKing next comes to Taiwan. Hahaha.
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That's it. The end. Hope you enjoy it
Please give credit where it is due if you wish to just take this translation and put it on your site. Thank you to the person who informed me about people who were just taking translations and passing them off as their own.
