WCS KR WR1 D1 Winner's Interview

Q: How does it feel making it to the round of 16 of the winner's bracket?
A: I heard that Rain was really good, and so I felt that the match today would be a very tough one. However, after the games were over, I realised that the games were actually won quite comfortably. I guess I get this feeling mainly because my strategy in the first game was really successful.

Q: Your opponent was Kespa player Rain. What were your thoughts when you first saw the brackets?
A: I thought that it was inevitable that such a day would eventually come. We started playing Starcraft 2 much earlier than them, and if I had lost today, I would really have to spend some time reflecting when I went back. Fortunately I won today.

Q; You won the first game today with a really strong all-in attack.
A: Kespa players are really good in terms of their mechanics. That'd be the case when they come to Starcraft 2 as well. If I played the game according to the recent metagame, I wouldn't have been able to make the most of my advantage. As a result, I was thinking towards some older builds. My team mate recommended this build to me, and I chose to use it today. It was recommended to me by a team mate who just recently joined the team.

Q: The second game went on much longer than expected.
A: At that time, after the game was over, my coach told me that the game should have been over long ago. But during the game, my thoughts were that I should play with a more stable style, and the game dragged on as a result.

Q; Your opponent in the round of 16 of the winner's bracket is Miya.
A: Recently, the match up I am least confident in is ZvP, and so I am very glad to have been able to win today. My next opponent is Miya, and I am very confident in my ZvZ. I think the games will be very entertaining.

Q: This tournament uses a double-elimination format.
A: This format is something really foreign to me. As there's still another chance even after losing, there is comparatively less stress, and as a result, less nervousness.

Q: How's your form recently?
A: I'm still unable to rediscover the form I was at when I was at my peak, and I think there're still a lot of flaws. I'm able to win in tournament games because of my luck. I'm going to have to work really hard to improve my level of play to be properly prepared for my next games or the next GSL Code S.

Q: Any last things to add?
A: I want to thank Ace, Squirtle, Parting, Oz, and Avenge for practising with me. I also want to thank our sponsors BenQ, Red Bull, and Zowie.

PartinG: "I would like to face Jaedong"

ST_PartinG lived up to his namesake, the "Terran Killer", today.

During the first three rounds of the RO32 on the sixth day of the Korean WCS, Parting took down MVP_sC 2-0. He took the first set with a miraculously composed defense, and he held off sC's offensive wave in the second to make it through to the RO16.

How do you feel about making it to the RO16?

I feel great. If I win just two more matches, I can reach the top 10. If I make it that far, I can make it to the Asia finals, so I feel quite confident. I will face either Jaedong or aLive in the next round, and I am okay with either one, as my PvZ is getting better.

SC's attack during the first set was formidable. What was your secret to defending it?

All Terrans are the same; that type of play is predictable. If I just play as I usually do, I can predict their timings and counter them. Even in the second set, I knew in advance that sC would pressure with marines.

During the RO4 of Code S last season, what is the reason that you lost to Mvp?

At that time, my win rate was quite good in practice games. I primarily only played with big-name players, so I felt like I could beat anybody. I think I lost because I got cocky; I don't let myself become overconfident anymore. From the beginning, my coach told me not to get full of myself, but I said "yes" only in word, but after losing to Mvp-hyung that way, all of that pride completely disappeared.

In the second set, did you predict how strong sC's attack would be?

That is true, but sC's play was still good. I predicted that he would hit a medivac timing, but I didn't see the follow-up coming.

In the first set, you held off the siege tank attack very well.

Terrans can no longer play only as they used to. I don't think siege tank compositions are bad in TvP; those creative and original types of play give other races more to think about.

You are very strong in the late game. You almost never lose games that last over 25 minutes.

If I don't die in the early game, I am confident that I will not lose later on. If I get 3 bases and manage to hold them, I feel that I am invincible. However, there are many players who spot and take advantage of my weaknesses in the early game. I am working hard to patch up that aspect of my play.

If you play against Jaedong in the RO16, what do you think it will be like?

Many fans think that this would be very exciting, so I really want this to happen. Since the opportunity could come soon, I would like to take it. Jaedong is a great player in Proleague; I think he is the most skilled player in the TBLS. I've watched Jaedong's matches very often. I think that Team 8 is one of the stronger teams; I have a good feeling about them, and I see them very often when I turn on my TV.

Are you looking towards reaching first place in this tournament?

I've moved forward in every Korean tournament, so I feel like I have momentum, but I still don't know. If I get past the RO16 of the winners' bracket, I think I will become much more confident. I will feel even more comfortable if I secure a spot in the WCS Asia finals.

Any last words?

As my final words, I would like to thank Hack, Sparta, Bomber, Sound, NSHoSeo's Sculp, and the currently teamless Sting, who have helped me practice. I may have forgotten a few players, so I would like to thank them too. I would also like to thank the observers, Yoon Jung-min and ST_Legend. They always help me calm down before my games with their entertaining chats. Please keep doing this for me in the future! Squirtle and Hack are also playing on Thursday, and I would like to face them in the RO8 of the winners' bracket. I would also like to thank our team's sponsors, BenQ, Zowie Gear, Joy Gear, and Red Bull.

Source: http://www.thisisgame.com/board/view.php?id=1260967&board=&category=13439&subcategory=&page=1

Q: How does it feel making it to the round of 16 of the winner's bracket?
A: I knew I had to win today's match, but I was quite stressed because Jaedong had such a reputation. I'm not usually the sort who gets stressed before games. I kept trying to calm myself down before the games, and to treat this game as if it were my first ever professional competition, and that relieved some of my nervousness. It wasn't too bad. Even though winning today was kind of granted, today's victory makes me happier than when I defeat Code S players.

Q: What were your thoughts after seeing the brackets?
A: To be honest, I was thinking to myself 'Why Jaedong'. There were so many other competitors that it could have been. It would have felt so much more comfortable if I were just matched up against other GSL competitors. It just gives me a weird feeling when I think about having to play against Kespa players. The people around me kept telling me I must not lose. That put a lot of pressure on me.

Q: Give an assessment of today's games.
A: If I ignored the ID, there isn't much of a difference between his skill level and the skill level of GSL players. His creep spread and his multi-tasking really amazed me. However, he didn't seem to be very good at defending against medivacs. Maybe it's just a lack of experience. In the second game, I just thought that I would win if I played according to my own style, and I chose the safe two barracks build.

Q: You put yourself at a nice advantage in the second game with your marines with the two barracks opening.
A: By right, this opening should not be able to give me such a good advantage. I guess it's because he did not think that I would be using this tactic. It seemed like he had wanted to use an all-in strategy. In the end, I attacked before his all-in could hit me. After that, the game just went the way I wanted it to.

Q: Were you intimidated by Jaedong's popularity?
A: To be honest, I don't have many fans even if my opponent wasn't Jaedong. It feels like I'm an invisible terran. I guess if I continue working hard and persevering, maybe more people would come to know of me.

Q: Your next round opponent is Parting.
A; I lost to him previously in Code A. That time, I lost really horribly because I had just came back from an overseas tournament. This time, I will prepare well. Even if I lose, I want to make the games entertaining. Since I defeated Jaedong, I cannot let his fans down.

Q: What are your aims for this tournament?
A: The first aim is to be in the top 10. After that, I'll take it a step at a time. I think very highly of this tournament, and I will prepare really well so I can get good results.

Q; Any last things to add?
A: I want to thank our sponsors Raidcall, Eizo, Steel Series, MSI. I also want to thank the fans who have been supporting me, as well as my team mates and my parents. Recently, my fans have been asking me why I am becoming more and more like invisible terran. But I'm very satisfied even just to have someone calling me invisible terran. I hope to be able to play against Light soon since I've already become invisible terran.[T/N: Light is a player from Brood War, now SC2 with the nickname Invisible Terran. For more detail about Light's nickname, see http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=129558］


[T/N: I left out a line in his answer for the last question. Not sure what it really means. Don't think it really affects it. Also, invisible can also be translated transparent I think. I go along with invisible terran since that's written as Light's nickname on Liquipedia.]