EPT
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/YX3un.jpg)
First, congratulations on your victory. How do you feel?
Honestly, after winning Arena, I kept wondering to myself if there was a possibility of taking the championship too. Just like Arena, my final opponent was the same person and just like last time, I can’t believe I won.
Last year, you came 5th at MLG Orlando and knocked out at Providence. You must have felt something from these experiences. What kind of determinations did you bring to this MLG Championship?
Unlike GSL, MLG has such a tight schedule because there are so many games in such a short time period. The first two experiences helped. I was able to take care of myself properly and my strategies played out according to plan. Since I didn’t know who I was going to play, preparing a lot of builds led to great results.
What kind of chances did you give yourself taking the championship?
Since I was in pool play, I thought If I managed to do well in pool play that I stood a great chance of winning. I gave myself about 50%.
After taking first place in pool play, you advanced to the winner’s round of 4. What did you think before the winner’s bracket began?
I think beating MC gave me a lot of confidence against Protoss. So I had confidence that I could win against Parting. I was confident against other Protoss players but it’s true that against the best of the best like MC and Parting, I was unsure whether I could win. The games played out better than I expected so that gave even more of a boost.
You met DRG in the winner’s bracket. Did you watch his games?
I saw his game against Heart. Watching him crush his opponent with his flowing play was like witnessing the epitome of Zerg play. But, I did my best not to get intimidated. I convinced myself that if can play my own game that I would be able to win.
You met DRG in the winner’s final
It was such a closely won match. With the MLG format, the difference between a win and a loss at this stage is massive. The double elimination format put a lot of pressure on me and when I beat the ever so strong DRG, I became certain that I would take the championship.
What thought did you have going into the championship final?
I was already at an advantage since I beat him in winner’s final. So I was pressured in that I really shouldn’t lose. If I somehow lost, I knew I would regret it and although I beat him at Arena, a loss here would’ve meant that in the end, I lost. So I became determined to win no matter what with the strategies I prepared.
Let’s talk about the games for a bit. You gave up the first set. What was the reason?
It began well. But DRG’s tricky placement broke me. I was angry at myself for giving away the first set too but I just thought to myself that it was a new best of 5 series and calmed myself down. It was even more regrettable to lose the first set because I played so passively.
But you took the third set handily and won the whole thing. Where did this strength come from?
I used strategies that I had saved up for a long time. I thought even the godly DRG would be taken aback if he got hit by unknown strategies multiple times in a row. Set 2 was what’s called the ‘MMA build’. It causes roach production with hellions and then harassing with banshee making the game stable and a rich economy possible. Set 3 was a build that I’ve never lost in practice with. To be honest, I wasn’t confident on Tal Darim Altar. So the build I chose was a blue flame hellion followed by expansion into MMM. It’s not good against mass roach but it simply cannot lose to ling/bling. I was certain DRG would opt for the latter and the counter worked. The last set was a strategy I used in the first game. Playing against a player like DRG who has great muta control on Metalopolis is so difficult. I thought standard macro play would be hard to pull off so relied on a build that hinges very heavily on micro. I feel I was able to come out with a win because I was already ahead.
You are famous for not scouting. Any reason?
Usually in practice, even without any scouting, I can tell what my opponent is doing from subtle cues. It’s a special thing for me so it’s hard to explain.
How much do you practise? Prime is known to not set a practice hour.
That’s true. We don’t have a set hour of practice. Teammates mostly don’t go out of the teamhouse though so they’re basically practising when they are not eating or sleeping. During practice, I always catch all GSL games. If my opponent has a GSL game, I even watch their preliminary games.
This is your first win at a major tournament
Winning such a massive tournament makes me think that I’ve escaped from the Kong line but it’s not a complete escape. It’s a meaningful thing. I haven’t been able to take the GSL so far. I can’t say I didn’t do the same but I don’t think the fans expected too much of me. I will do well not just in this GSL but in subsequent GSLs.
Memorable events at Colombus??
There were fans who gave me gifts. I happened to be hungry at the time and some foreign fans gave me snacks and some gave me t-shirts. I was grateful and moved. I’ve never signed autographs until my arms hurt before. It was hard work but very rewarding. Out of the players, I was impressed by Huk’s skill. People wrote him off as being in a slump after losing in the Up and Down but at MLG, he did the best out of the foreign players. He’s really great.
In the next season of Arena, if you get into ro4, you are guaranteed a place in the championship
It feels funny to say this but at MLG, I am IMMVP. Of course based on how well I am doing at the moment. Even if I don’t go for the win all the time, I think I can do well consistently. I’m a bit pressured by the fact that I have to face DRG again as well as Parting, Huk, Naniwa and all other Protoss players.
MLG Arena and GSL could overlap.
I want to attend both tournaments if at all possible but I’ll know when we get there. If they do overlap, I feel like I should attend GSL.
What’s your reason for not giving up GSL?
GSL is a Korean tournament and the most highly regarded amongst the players. The prize pool is large too. This is the reason.
Difference between GSL and MLG?
It’s the time period. GSL is too long and MLG is short term. GSL is hard for foreign players to enter. They have to stay in Korea just to participate and it’s not possible to attend foreign tournaments at the same time. MLG is easy to attend in that it takes a short amount of time but it’s very physically demanding on the players.
On the other hand, GSL is very well structured and the rules are clear. MLG is so big and like a festical where the audience loves you. This is the best part of attending a tournament for a progamer. There’s one thing about GSL that pales in comparison to MLG. It’s noise cancellation. The booths aren’t very sound proof and the facility is just subpar in general. At MLG, the staff try very hard to take care of the players and the facility is very sound proof. You really can’t hear a single thing from the outside. The gaming environment is fantastic.
You have to participate in the team league as soon as you get back
No reason to worry. There are great cards to play even without me so I think we can win without having me play. If I do need to play, I will showcase the same level of skill as at this MLG and get a lot of kills.
You’ve finally had your first win, now you must want more
Before when I couldn’t win, just one championship was my goal. Holding two trophies in a row at MLG (Arena, championship) has given me the desire to win not just MLG but GSL and IPL and be the best.
Was the Kong dance planned?
It was to celebrate my escape from the Kong line. Since I’ve achieved that I probably won’t do the Kong dance again.
Anything to add?
Lately, my team’s on the rise unlike the year before. Last year, the team didn’t do well enough considering effort the coach put in.
It must’ve been tough for the coach. As my team’s representative, I am relieved that I was able to put on a good showing. I want this year to be the year of Prime.
Coming to MLG reminded me that I have a lot of fans. I’d like to thank all my fans who cheer me on. I will make sure to show the best games possible so they don’t get disappointed.
Also, my mother left me a message after watching me win on the live stream. Leaving home at such a young age, I was always sorry to my parents. This win makes me feel like I did something to make them happy. I want to say I love them.
Lastly, I want to thank my sponsors: TtEsports, ocz.
Source: http://leveltory.com/6066
