[Interview] 2012 GSL Season 3 UnD Group A Winners

You are the only player to have never fallen out of Code S completely. How does it feel?

I was a bit tired today. I’m glad the day ended early because I was starting to feel sleepy. I am proud of being the only person to have been in Code S for 10 seasons in a row.

You have been in all GSLs so far. 16 times, in total.

Having it said to me like that makes me think that I’ve certainly been in many tournaments. Rather than 10 in Code S in a row, 16 times in GSL in a row sounds even better. It motivates me to work even harder.

How do you think your performance was today?

There were many minor mistakes. I even had trouble pumping larvae. I worried about the horrible luck with the maps but other than that, fortune smiled on me. I think I was playing at 7-80% of my best and really, luck played a factor.

This was your second UnD ever. It ended oh so quickly.

We shouldn’t make it so hard on the reporters and staff members on the first day, should we? (laugh). Actually, UnD is not a bad format for me. I like improvising on the spot. Not that I want to be back in it.

Speaking of improvising, tell us examples in today’s games.

The 10 pool I chose against July was completely unplanned and against Lure, I chose a base race because I knew I couldn’t win head on.

Yesterday, MVP got his fourth GSL title.

If MVP had just gone 4:0, it wouldn’t have been so great. However, he turned that last game around after falling so close to defeat. It was electrifying. Watching MVP win wasn’t all that exciting in the past but this time was different. I really congratulated. It made even me feel good. I’m a bit jealous but I still have the record of never starting a season in Code A so I’ll have to do with that for now. I should get cracking on that 4th title myself.

Are you jealous about the fact that MVP had such an epic finals?

I’ve had plenty of epic matches even if not in a finals. I’d like one in a finals, sure. I guess I should get in one first.

You have done rather poorly in Code S lately.

Every time I attend a foreign tournament, I am out of whack for over a week. I really can’t play. So I am having second thoughts about attending foreign tournaments. I’m thinking about focusing on GSL mostly but then again, GSL is so long which makes it hard for me to make a decision.

Lately, Zerg is on the rise

So far, Zergs have had it rough. The playing field is finally level. The Terrans and Protosses seem to be having some trouble since the balance patch. However, soon, they will reign over the Zergs once again. Zerg has always been underpowered.

Your goal for next season?

I have said the finals to this question many times only to be eliminated early on. Firstly, let’s say ro8. Ro32 and ro16 have so many games so I should work on conserving my stamina.

Lately, all players seem to be becoming better than ever

There are many up and coming pnlayers. I am feeling the heat. However, I am working hard to improve at the same time. I think the audience is the winner in this case.

Did you watch the Starcraft1/2 hybrid proleague?

There were players who exceeded my expectations and others who failed to live up to them. However, since they are playing two games at the same time, it must be difficult for them. I don’t think I could do it myself. I’m still excited about this and think that they will play better and better.

Anything to add?

I want to thank Anyppi, YongHwa, Seed, Happy and Yoda for practice. Now that LG is sponsoring us, I feel a lot of pressure but also very motivated. I also want to thank Googims, Coca Cola, SteelSeries and Nvidia.

You are back in Code S like you promised

It’s too bad I couldn’t make it with only wins. Still, I am very happy. Frankly, when I was practising for Code A Round 3, I was so certain I would make it back into Code S then. I hardly lost any games until then. However, I became too nervous and fell down to Up and Downs. I really started to focus afterwards.

You are the first person to go through Up and Downs with only two wins

Yeah and it only took 20 minutes a well. I want to take this opportunity to thank Nestea. I was really nervous watching Nestea vs Lure. I was so happy when Nestea won that I started clapping.

You must have paid a lot of attention to Nestea vs July

Not quite. I fear Protoss more than either of them so studied JYP and Lure more than any other. After hearing that my win rate vP was the highest, I regained some confidence. I used that to my advantage today.

Did you choose the builds you did because Terran has trouble against Protoss late game?

Precisely. I got a lot of help from MKP. I selected a few builds out of the hundreds that MKP has. The proxy rax against Lure was meant to transition to standard play even if didn’t outright kill him.

What should we expect from you next season?

I would have been very nervous if I had gotten in straight from Code A Round 3. However, having gone to the UnD, I think I can perform better without the nerves.

Anyone you want to face in Code S after such a long time?

I won’t have the chance but if I were to nominate the groups, I would have Zenio, Puzzle and asd in my group. I want to face Zenio most but it’d be even better if he didn’t make it into Code S this time. He beat me in the past.

Did your team help you out with practice?

I was hit pretty hard by the loss against theStC. I couldn’t bring myself to play the game for two days and they all just left me to rot. All they did was give me a few builds (laugh).

You must be excited about the upcoming GSTL

I really am. I prefer team league to individual leagues. Since we won last season, we have a good schedule and a good group. The team atmosphere is great too so I expect a lot.

Anything to add?

Yesterday, Aria formerly of oGs entered our team. I hope he practises hard. Yesterday, Classic left the training house to complete his reserve army training. I hope he practises hard once he gets back and gets through the qualifiers. There were so many players who helped me with Code A Round 3 but I couldn’t thank any of them because I lost. I wanted to mention their names today but forgot to bring the list of names with me today (laugh). Of course, I want to thank Nestea as well. I want to say thanks to m yteam’s sponsors Tt-eSports and OCZ. Soon, Coca, my old teammate, will be trying to qualify for Code A so I hope he does well. I’m planning on visiting home today and I’m happy since I know that my puppy is waiting for me.