Squirtle Fan Club

It was your Code S debut match. Your thoughts on moving on to the ro16?

I am so happy. I think my experience at IPL just before GSL helped a lot. Without IPL, I don’t think this result would have been possible.

Let’s talk about IPL for a bit. Are you satisfied with second place?

I am both satisfied and unsatisfied. Since I made the finals, I think I should have won. I regret taking second place. However, taking second place after getting through the open bracket is something I am satisfied about.

You played an amazing number of games. Wasn’t it difficult?

I didn’t count the number of games exactly. I woke up then played and woke up then played. I didn’t feel it in pool play. Starting with the loser’s bracket match against Nestea, I started to feel the fatigue coming on. Still, I think I did pretty well under the conditions.

You won the first match in the finals but lost the second. You had to play two best of 5s.

I was way too tired physically so I was thinking ‘I guess I can play’ but wasn’t too confident. Every match, I drank two cans of Red Bull in an attempt to ward off sleep.

Startale took second place in GSTL. You must have regrets about the situation

Of course, every person on my team must’ve felt so disappointed to even express their feelings. No one would be able to find their calm in a situation like that. However, it’s something that’s in the past so we can only move on. If we meet Prime again, we will win.

Your group today seemed difficult

I thought so too. MMA and Leenock also attended IPL so I played with the thought that we were under the same conditions. Attending IPL gave me a confidence boost. I think that’s the reason for my success today.

You didn’t get to play against Nada. You were once on the same team?

I thought about having to play him but even just practising with me in Starcraft 1 made me happy. I would’ve been very happy to play against him.

In today’s matches, you took down both a GSL champion and a runner-up.

There are still more players to beat. I am confident about my skill but currently it’s not enough. It’s my first priority to try hardest to improve skill-wise.

Which match was the most difficult?

The match against MMA was the most difficult. Losing in Set 1 hit me hard. To be honest, Sets 2 and 3 played out very well for me. Against Leenock, the back and forth on Dual Sight was the only challenging part of the match.

Yesterday, Parting who’s on the same team as you made ro16 first. Was that a stimulus for you?

I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. I was cheering for him but at the same time, it did spur me on.

If you were to evaluate Parting’s PvT?

Even I admit that Parting’s PvT is better than mine. However, I have my own style so don’t count me out. I think I am better in the other match ups.

Your goal?

I want to make round of 4. I give myself about 50%.

Any player or race you want to play against in ro16?

Frankly, I prefer Protosses. However, I don’t want my own race to fall off so I want players that are not Protoss.

Anything to add?

I want to thank Hack who helped most with the practice. I want to say thanks to my coach and all the teammates who worked hard at IPL. I want to thank my sponsors: BenQ, Zowie Gear and Red Bull.

HUGE thanks to storywriter for the translation. Thread is here:
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=328626

What are your thoughts on advancing to ro8?

I think it was easier than expected. Oz is a great player as are the other two players in my group so I thought advancing wouldn’t be easy.

You seem to be on a roll in both ro32 and ro16

My games are turning out well. There is of course luck involved. That’s not to say I haven’t grown as a player.

People must think of you now as a possible champion

When I first got into Code S, my goal was to just win ro32 but now that I’m in ro8, I’m getting a bit greedy. The new goal is to win the championship.

Oz is a great PvPer but you took him out easily.

My head hurt during practice (T/N: from frustration). Oz’s must have hurt even more during the games today. He prepared some never before seen things but my standard builds worked too well.

Weren’t you expecting to meet MC in the winner’s match?

I expected a PvP 90%. After I finished setting up, I watched the first match but Maru was really good. I wanted MC to win though.

In your games against Oz, your immortal+forcefield control was a sight to behold

It wasn’t planned. However, looking at Oz’s situation, his observer seemed to be late and he wasn’t able to scout me for a while. I knew he wouldn’t be able to counter so I opted for that build.

Startale Protsses are on fire lately

Well, it’s hard to say (laugh). Both Parting and I are using the momentum of getting into Code S to get this far. The momentum seems to be major factor.

What about Ace? When will he be able to show what he’s made of?

I can’t say for sure (laugh). He’s a great player but luck’s not on his side.

You are taking on Taeja in ro8. Are you confident?

I am confident this time. Our record at the moment is 0:2 in his favour but I’m a very different player now. I have plenty of confidence.

The bracket could match you up against Parting in the finals

Is there about 30% chance of that happening? He and I could both drop at some point. The fans probably don’t want a PvP finals anyway.

Anything to add?

I want to thank the players who helped with practice: Tiger, Ace, Naniwa and Sound. I want to thank our sponsors BenQ, Red Bull, Zowie Gear, Zowie.

HUGE thanks again to storywriter for the translation. Thread is here:
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=332471

What are your thoughts on your first time in ro4?

I didn’t even think this possible at the start of the season. It’s like I’m dreaming.

You had a 3:0 victory today. Were you confident?

I was a little nervous since I had a 50% win rate in practice. The thought of possible defeat kept me on my toes.

Were you more relaxed after your victory in Set 1?

Yes. My opponent played as I expected him to.

How on earth do you deal with the Squirtle timing.

It’s rare to see Terran not pressure even once. I go for such a timing. It’s better if they just stay in their base.

Your prowess in army engagements was impressive in Set 2.

It’s disadvantageous if the Terran defends at the natural. That’s how the map is built. I knew there was a high chance of breaking through if I caught the Terran in that position.

Set 3 boiled down to an elimination race.

My build was thrown off. I wanted to hide my robotics facility and do an immortal all in but the reaper ruined it. I think Taeja was a bit bewildered too.

You gave away a free colossus. Wasn’t that a Colossal mistake?

It was. It was a lapse in concentration. I was worried about a possible medivac drop at 7 o’clock so I spammed move command leading to the colossus straying away.

Your forcefield play at 7 o’clock was amazing.

If I didn’t hold there, I would have lost. And as we both attacked out mains, if Taeja had taken out all my observers, I also would have lost.

Do you feel like people’s evaluation of you has definitely changed this season?

Always Code A? A player who used to be Code A calibre at best doing so well has elicited a favourable response from the fans. People are jokingly accusing me of taking a performance enhancing drug and asking whether the drug came from Genius (laugh).

What’s the secret to your explosion in skill?

During practice, I honestly felt that I was good enough to be in Code S. However, I lost confidence after losing in broadcasted matches. This season, I regained my confidence in GSTL and with the second place at IPL4. Afterwards, the games are turning out well.

Your ro4 opponent is Hero. Isn’t your PvP formidable?

To be honest, I don’t see it as a walk over. I think such an attitude is offensive to Hero. Still, I don’t think I’ll lose. I’ve always though highly of Hero so this is a great opportunity to take him on.

You are in a position to teamkill Parting possibly.

Since Parting is on fire lately, he will make the finals. IMMVP is good too but Parting’s unstoppable. Parting and I will probably make the finals. If it does come to that, I will win as it’s a PvP. We don’t practice against each other lately but back when we did, I won more than him.

A PvP in ro4 hasn’t happened for a long time. Protoss really is strong lately.

I don’t think Protoss is favoured in PvZ. I also think the better player wins in PvT. Didn’t Hero say so as well? I happen to agree. Also, I think Protoss players in general have gotten better.

Anything to add?

I want to thank the sponsors: BenQ, Zowie Gear and Red Bull. There’s been a cold breakout at the training house so everyone’s having a hard time, so I want to say thanks to : Hack, Sound and especially Bomber who helped until 4 am this morning. I also want to thank Ace, Tiger and Coach Kim for their advice.
Thanks to storywriter for the translation here:
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=334560

StarTale_Squirtle, was able to overcome the "2nd place jinx" and advanced into the Ro16.

Squirtle came out 2nd in his group for 2012 Season 3 GSL Code S. In set 1, he was able to overcome ThorZaIN 2:0 and advance into the winners match. Unfortunately there, he was overwhelmed by Keen's double bunker rush and fell to his knees. However, in the final match, he faced ThorZaIN again, grabbed another 2:0 and successfully advanced to the Ro16.

You dodge the "2nd place jinx"

I didn't think such a thing existed, but after searching through the community sites, I found out that such a thing did exist. Even with that jinx in mind, I gained full confidence after I won my first game. But after I lost to Keen's double bunker rush, I lost a lot of that confidence.

It seems bunker rushes are your "Achille's Heel"

To be honest, I STILL have not watched game 7 of last season's finals. It scares me (laughs). I really tried to forget about getting bunkered and cheesed in the past but today's games just made me relive those moments. I could've blocked those rushes but I failed to do so. Last season's final game 7 was a traumatic experience for me.

Do you regret not being able to grab the GSL championship last season?

I only regretted that for about a week after the finals. Afterwards, I just moved on and forgot about it. But today's bunker rushes just brought the horrible memories back. I'm going to work hard from now on to prevent any future bunker rushes.

Are those kind of bunker rushes hard for Protosses to defend against?

It does tend to be difficult. If you haven't scouted it at all, then it is extremely difficult to block it. But for some unfortunate reason, I seem to especially suck at blocking against it. Not to mention the builds I prepared for today were all very greedy economic based builds. That made it so much harder to block the bunker rushes.

After losing in the winners' match, were you able to recover at all mentally?

I think if I had played right after losing that match, I would've been done for. But thankfully, the losers' match went for a pretty long time. During that time, I was able to calm myself down and find my inner peace.

Compared to your other match ups, it seems your PvT win ratio is the worst.

Against Protosses, I have a 100% win ratio. And against Zergs, I have a 72% win ratio. But against Terrans, I'm not even at 50%. I do think PvTs are my weakest match ups. But that fact just spurred me on and I was determined to prove that percentage wrong and that is why I faced Terrans. But in the Ro16, I would prefer it if I could get Protosses and Zergs in my group.

Are you aiming for the championship this season as well?

I want to play with a peaceful mind. The championship is not my immediate goal. But rather, I want to just focus on the games that are right in front of me. Now that I think about it, I only need to win 4 more times. Just 4 more times then I'm set. (what he means is that if he can advance in his Ro16 group with a double 2:0, he'll be in the Ro8 and won't have to worry about falling to Code A)

Honestly, doesn't it feel like this season will be easier for you? Last season's match ups seemed absolutely ridiculous.

Ever since I got 2nd place in the GSL, I've kind of slacked off on practice. (laughs) I don't think winning is the most important factor but rather my performance.

What kind of performance do you want to show for the GSTL?

I remember when I first came out in the GSTL, I got an all kill. For this season, our first opponent is going to be NSH. I want to try to grab an all kill against them. I want to try to grab a 5 man all kill this time.

Any last words?

I want to thank our sponsors Joy Gear, BenQ, and Red Bull. I want to thank Sound and Hack for practicing with me. Also, NSH_Sculp is a personal friend of mine who is my age. I want to tell him to come to the GSTL with a peaceful mind and not worry about who is going to win.

Big thanks to Seeker for the translation of this interview.

Source: This Is Game

This is your third straight season making it to the Ro16.

I'm glad because now I can attend the group nominations. If I get eliminated in the Ro32, it doesn't feel like I participated in Code S and it's also easily forgettable. That's why the group nominations are fun.

You must have seen yourself advancing as first in your group.

I really did. Even the people around me were telling me that I had landed in an easy group. However, I knew that NaNiwa was good at PvP and that Sniper was currently known as one of the top rising Zergs, and Heart hyung has a lot of good results in overseas tournaments so I didn't let my guard down.

After watching today's games, it seems like your early game has gotten stronger.

I still tend to lose focus a little bit. It's not at a stage where I can be satisfied. Honestly, I made mistakes today but they just weren't noticeable. I have a lot of areas to work on.

You blocked Sniper's early game ling/roach rush in game three.

If it was a regular ladder game, I probably would've GG'ed out as soon as I saw those roaches. But it was a tournament so I didn't want to lose. As I microed around, I told myself that I might be able to find a way to block it somehow, and thankfully, that came to be the case.

Did you anticipate cheese rushes against Heart?

I expected him to do those kinds of plays. My build orders were specifically prepared to handle those kinds of rushes. I made some mistakes while microing but I had no trouble blocking his attacks.

If someone tried to do an even more advanced version of Heart's 11/11 that he showed today, would you still be able to block it?

I can block those easily now. But I do get nervous during tournaments so you never know what will happen. I kind of would like it if Terran players tried to do it against me at least once in this tournament.

Your most recent result was the second place finish for WCS Korea.

Before the finals took place, I didn't let my guard down and I put a lot of thought in to my games. The match was the very next day so I prepared extensively. But a lot of people told me that they thought I was going to win it and I myself did not prepare as well as I should have. In the end, my simple thinking ended up becoming my downfall.

As of late, StarTale seems to be getting a lot of second place finishes.

Most recently, our team has made a total of eight second place finishes. In my case, I finished second in three of my tournaments. Since I've made more finals than the other ST players, I will make sure that I am the first one to grab a first place finish.

Will this be possible for this season?

I'm feeling good. My practices are so so, but when I during my tournaments, my games go really well. I think I'm going to feel really good throughout this whole season.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank my teammates for helping me with practice. There were so many Zergs that helped me that I'll just leave it at my teammates. I also want to thank FXO's Sirius. Lastly, I want to thank our sponsors Red Bull, ZOWIE Gear, and BenQ.

Thanks to Seeker for this translation.