Iron Squid Grand Final

Iron-Squid: How did you prepare for your match against MC?

Han “aLive” Lee Seok: I did not prepare anything in particular, I just incessantly practiced according to my routines.

When did you realize you had won?

I did not realize until I received gg from MC. It was that intense that the matches could have swung like a volatile pendulum towards either of us. Luckily, it came to me and so I was able to come out victorious from that blood bath

Are you happy to go to Paris?

I am excited to visit and play my remaining matches of this tournament in the capital of France

It will be your first time in Europe what do you expect?

I may be nervous as this is my first trip to a European nation. I am also excited and very content about playing in a unique venue as well.

Last time you went abroad, you won IPL4 how confident are you for Iron Squid?

I have gained even more confidence after winning IPL4. Thus, I am quite confident that I can take the Iron Squid tournament's crown as well

Will you prepare some specific builds for your games?

I have not prepared anything special in regards to strategies or builds. I have been consistently playing and focusing more on the rudimentary techniques.

Who do you think is the best in your 3 opponents?

All 3 players are very stellar and it is quite arduous to compare the three and to rank them in order. However, in my opinion, I think NesTea will be the toughest opponent to me.

You defeated MMA and NesTea during GSL and IPL, do you think they will prepare something special for you?

I think they may have prepared some counter builds to my playstyle, so I will try to improvise something or make some twists within the matches.

Some people say you don’t celebrate enough when you win, will you do something special if you win Iron Squid?

It is nothing like that. I am just both shy and embarrassed to be overly happy or execute any ceremony in front of so many spectators. I will try to do some in the near future if I can.

Any word to convince the fans to cheer for you in Paris?

Hi I am Lee Seok Han, aka FnaticaLive. I feel grateful to be in Paris and have the opportunity to directly show my games in front of all of the spectators from France and other visitors. I will always persevere and try my best under any circumstances, thus, please cheer for me! Thank you!

Iron-Squid: How did you prepare for your match against PuMa?

Moon “MMA” Sung Won: We are sharing the same training facility and we met in semifinals at IEM 4 so we know each other pretty well so I just played how I always play.

Are you happy to go to Paris?

I am really happy about it and I want to make Paris an unforgettable memory in my life with good games. Every time I go to a foreign tournament I’m excited.

You have won tournament everywhere in the world, does your experience help you to feel less pressure in this Iron Squid?

Of course it does! After several times in foreign countries I am getting more experienced in traveling. Getting used to Jetlag is easier and I know how to take care of my conditions.

Are you excited to play in such a venue? Will the crowd generate some kind of stress for you?

If it would be possible I would like to go there a day in advance because I heard the venue is very stunning. And if a lot of people would come to the venue that would make me really strong.

Will you prepare some specific builds for your games?

That’s a secret :D

Who do you think is the best in your 3 opponents?

All three players are very amazing but if Nestea and I will make it to the finals I think we will show good games ;D

It has been a while since you have won a major title, how do you feel in this one?

That’s correct. That’s why I want to win this Iron Squid tournament.

SlayerS’ Terrans have been less dominating lately, do you have any thing that could explain this?

At the beginning when I did good Team Slayers did well and when I did badly my team did bad as well. So I need to play good for the sake of my Team.

BoxeR can’t play as much as he wants because of his injury, does he use this extra time to give you more advices?

Even if he can’t play that much he is a big support for the team and gives us strength. That’s how amazing he is.

Any word to convince the fans to cheer for you in Paris?

“ Bonjour? Je suis MMA. Merci. Je voudrais Champion . Bonne journée. !!“ (T/N: he actually answered in French and it means “Hi! I’m MMA, thanks! I would like to be champion. Have a nice day!!”)

Iron-Squid: How did you prepare for your match against Jjakji?

Lim “NesTea” Jae Duk: I didn’t have to prepare anything special because back then I was in good shape because I had a lot of tournaments to play. I just played like I did in my practicing games.

Are you happy to go to Paris?

I am happy and very excited to go to Paris.

It will be your first time in Europe what do you expect?

I am very excited but there won’t be much time to go sightseeing so I will just focus on my games.

Are you excited to play in such a venue? Will the crowd generate some kind of stress for you?

I saw the venue on pictures and I am really looking forward to it. I get my power from the crowd so I hope a lot of people are coming up to watch me play.

Will you prepare some specific builds for your games?

I thought about 2-3 builds that I might use but it always depends on my opponent on the game.

Who do you think is the best in your 3 opponents?

I think MMA will be pretty tough to beat

Last year you and Mvp won nearly everything, how do you explain your recent struggle?

There is no special reason I just think that everyone else improved a lot. I will try to give my best for the fans and to show some good games for them!

What did you think about Iron Squid so far?

I am very happy with how this tournament was run.

You got 3rd at IPL, do you feel that Iron Squid will be your first international?

I think with the Iron Squid tournament I have good chances to win my first foreign title.

You will only have to play two matches, will it allow you to play in perfect condition for both of them?

Well if you compare other foreign tournaments you always had to play a lot of games during one day so it’s very tiring. I am glad that I have to play just two games and that I can fully focus on those games.

Any word to convince the fans to cheer for you in Paris?

It is my first time in Europe for a tournament so I will try to show the best I can. I hope a lot of people are cheering for me. I hope I can come to Europe more often in the near future.

Iron-Squid: How did you prepare for your match against MarineKing?

Kang “Symbol” Dong Hyun: I really wanted to win against MKP so I checked all my replays against him. I wanted to see building orders, style, movements, timings… Just everything I wanted to know. My teammates and I made some counter builds which I used in game one and it worked.

When did you realize you had won?

After I realized that I was very well prepared and that my counter build worked I was confident to win this series.

Are you happy to go to Paris?

In my career as a pro gamer it is the first major tournament and still I can’t believe that this is true. I only played online till now and now I have the chance to go to Paris and to play on an awesome stage.

It will be your first time in Europe what do you expect?

I have a lot of expectations. It is my first time on a big stage and I am happy that it is in Europe. I am very impressed by the foreign fans and European fans seem to be more enthusiastic. I am filled with joy when I just think about the game that I will have in front of so many people.

Your team mate Polt travels a lot to international events did he give you any advice?

He told me that I have to take care of my condition. The long flights and the jetlag might interfere with my gameplay so I have to watch out.

Are you excited to play in such a venue? Will the crowd generate some kind of stress for you?

I was very stunned from the venue as I heard it is the biggest theater in Paris. I think it’s a huge thing to play in such a venue. I am not nervous that I have to play in front of a big crowd but I am very happy that I can show my gameplay to the people who are coming to see it.

Will you prepare some specific builds for your games?

For this tournament I prepared several builds and most of them are not known yet. The players that are playing against me have to watch out.

Who do you think is the best in your 3 opponents?

Nestea is a very impressive player, he is always in top shapes in tournaments. Even when Zerg wasn’t that strong he was able to win a major tournament.

You used builds perfectly adapted to beat MKP, will we see the same thing against NesTea?

Of course I made a lot of researches to beat him. Nestea is very good in doing mind games but it will not work on me. I am sure that I can win the showdown.

What did you think about Iron Squid so far?

It is a very big opportunity and I think it can be a very good start for me. The way to the finals was very difficult so I will take the chance that I got and will show some amazing games.

You are the story of this event, how did you feel from the qualifiers to the finals in Paris?

I never thought that I will make it that far. I always prepared step by step for every game. So I am very happy that I made it.

Any word to convince the fans to cheer for you in Paris?

I think there are a lot of people who do not know me. I will make sure you remember me after this tournament. I will be the symbol for Zerg and the best player in the world.

Le Grand Rex, its hushed atmosphere, comfortable chairs and reputation of being a mythical place, welcoming film makers and other theatrical plays, is a very prestigious place. Saturday, May 5th, as much cozy as the place might be, its walls will tremble. For the first time in the history of the Rex, its doors will open at 10am to make way for eSports. Gone are the days of LANs in the cellars, the stereotype of geek apart from society, Saturday will be in Le Grand Rex. While it is too early to raise the esport to an art, esport being an allowed entertainment in a place like le Grand Rex. After the Bataclan, Pomf & Thud along with their team tr their luck in a place even greater, and once again it is sold out. 2700 StarCraft II fans will be attending that exceptional day that will see the crowning of the champion of the first Iron Squid. After months of fierce competition on the internet, the last four survivors arrive in Paris to play two series. Common point for the four title contenders, they all come from Korea, which is not a surprise in itself when we know the quality of the country representatives. Two mirrors matches will start the day giving place two TVZ for the bronze and the grand finale.

aLive, the quiet force

It won’t be said often enough, alive is a discreet player. However, the more he plays the more he reveals himself as the “silent assassin”. The Terran is very used to deep runs in most of the tournaments he enters, and with the IPL4, he showed he has what it takes to be a champion. Leaving TSL for Fnatic, alive sought to live a new experience that would allow him to go big. Clearly, he succeeded. Just transferred from Fnatic, the player reached the semifinals of GSL before winning his first title in Las Vegas. aLive might not be the most anticipated of the four, but his chances are really reasonable, especially if we look at his records from last months of competitions. Except for a very bad day that saw him finish dead last in his group of GSL and dropped to Code A, aLive is on a roll, and this Iron Squid will attest. If he has not played against Symbol, aLive faced his other two opponents quite recently. He beat MMA in the quarterfinals of GSL Season 1 and Nestea in the final of the winner bracket at IPL4 which was a rematch as the Zerg had got the better of him in the group D of Iron Squid. He admits it himself, aLive is not the most spectacular player, but it is awfully good. He is one of the archetypes of the Korean "macro Terrans" sending army after army until their opponent collapses. With the presence of two GSL champions, aLive will not be favorite on Saturday morning, but the audience better not look down on him as he will fight till the end and might end up as the victor.

MMA, the crowd’s favorite

MMA comes to Paris with a huge list of achievements, GSL Code S, Blizzard Cup, MLG, IEM (in Kiev) ... and also to win a new title, he is still yet to win anything in 2012. Taking all factors into account, MMA probably is the favorite for this tournament. Extensive experience in oversees events, used to the pressure of the crowd under which he thrives and above all no Protoss to block his way to the title. With the incredible quality of his TVZ, everything suggests that he will either end first or third. Although he lost to aLive last time they faced, MMA showed that it us tie fir revnegr when he defeated PuMa in the Ro8. Whether in the bronze match or grand final, the TVZ MMA is particularly spectacular to watch, just as it was in the game of anthology he delivered against DongraeGu in the final of the Blizzard Cup. The SlayerS’ Terran uses his spectacular style to conquer the audience, over 2500 souls will cheer for his every move, enough to motivate him to play his maximum.told the audience draw its strength, the 2500 Grand Rex souls should be loud enough to play at its maximum.

NesTea, the god of Zergs

The only man who managed to win a GSL without losing even just a map, yet his international gold records remains empty. It's a bit embarrassing for the Zerg legend to be in such a situation when his peers have won MLG, WCG or IEM. If the abroad appearances of Nestea are rare, the Zerg announced his will to become more international. Nestea has changed his attitude in 2012, he qualified for the first MLG Arena, played the IPL4 where he reached the podium and of course accepted the invitation for Iron Squid. After failing near the goal in Las Vegas, this time, the Zerg comes in Paris just two games away from happiness. NesTea said that having to play a lot of games in a row affects his skills and being part of the very old guard of progamers, it sounds quite legit. The conditions of Iron Squid are fairly similar to GSL: he knows his first opponent, and the second one’s race. He can prepare his way, to face Symbol at first and then a macro Terran. While Nestea has always been imperial ZvZ, Symbol will surely give him a run for his money. The LG-IM player should be particularly careful if he doesn’t want to share the same fate as MKP. Nestea is a favorite in any ZvZ, his semi-final will not be an exception, the ZVT has often been a hindrance, but in his defense he often ran into teammate on his way to the title. Iron Squid may be the trophy that fans crave to see NesTea to win.

Symbol, the epic story

Unknown to many at the start of the tournament, Symbol is conquering glory with his mouse and keyboard. The Zerg had to go through the first qualifying tournament, and was rewarded by a group that included MC and Mvp. In the group stage, Symbol has not really managed to spring a surprise, he was beaten by the two group favorites and managed to win against both foreigners, IdrA and ThorZaIN. But fate was on Symbol’s side, Mvp just completely collapsed when he played IdrA and thanks to a better roundaverage Symbol was through. The Zerg is in the Ro8 and hardly anyone would have bet on him before facing a MarineKing who had just won his 2nd MLG title. Symbol didn’t only win, he literally stomped the Terran winning the Bo5 in roughly 30 minutes. Even after this amazing series, he arrives in Paris as the underdog surrounded by three monsters of StarCraft II. Symbol is ambitious and wants to use Iron Squid as a way to show his talent. If he manages to take a Bo5 to NesTea, he will join a very elite group and access the grand final. Symbol has nothing to lose in Paris, being this far in the tournament is already a success and his status of ousider will surely gain him a lot fans as French crowd are known to route for the “little ones”.

Whoever wins, be ready for the show!