So can you tell us a bit about why and how you became a fan of By.Sun?
Sure thing, so back in time we go to early 2012. Proleague is still Brood War only and the regular season is ongoing, being one of the three main Protoss for SKT alongside Bisu and Best, Sun would get a decent amount of play time and I started noticing his games more and more. The moment I became a big fan of his was during the finals against KT Rolster where Sun was able to score a clutch victory against Stats to bring SKT up 3-2 forcing the ace match at minimum. Best would go on to lose the next game to Hoejja and Bisu would beat Flash in the ace match. It was thanks to Sun's victory that SKT was able to finally defeat KT in the Proleague finals for the first time in years.
By.Sun has definitely shown some really excellent games this season, beating excellent TvP players like ByuN, TaeJa and Polt. Which of his games was the most exciting this season?
It would have to be the set against Taeja. With Taeja being on a roll lately winning foreign tournament after foreign tournament and dominating team leagues Taeja was the favorite to win the match, despite that he ended up getting 2-0'd in spectacular fashion. Sun showed amazing late game harassment with Storm drops and great defensive play similar to IMSeed's PvT, winning both games convincingly.
By.Sun seems poised to fulfil the Legend of the Fall in the OSL and the Royal Road in the GSL. Who would be his biggest obstacle(s)?
I think if Sun is able to get past Hero and win that PvP series, Mvp would be the tougher opponent between him and Symbol for the semi-finals. Mvp has a ridiculous record for bo5's and bo7's in the GSL so defeating him will not be easy. If he is able to get past Mvp I think the toughest opponent for the finals would be Leenock. Leenock is showing amazing form lately winning the MLG Summer Championship and reaching the ro8 of the GSL for the first time in 2012, as well as getting three kills against Team MVP in the GSTL Season 2 semi-finals, getting FXO to the finals.
As far as the OSL goes, I think he has a very good chance against Last, the toughest opponent for that finals would be MC. It's PvP and MC has a lot of experience in the finals of tournaments. Oz is slumping badly in PvP and DRG does not look confident in ZvP currently, Rain already defeated DRG in the OSL and although it was a best of one series it was a convincing victory. Flying has very few PvP games recorded on TLPD and I personally have seen even less so it is hard for me to judge his ability.
So the maps for the match will be Entombed Valley, Abyssal City, Daybreak, Whirlwind and Antiga Shipyard. What do you think of the maps?
The maps are not too important for PvP, I feel like whoever gets luckier and prepares better between him and Hero will win.
Entombed Valley will most likely become a colossi war, I have not seen enough PvP's on Abyssal City to judge that, but being a 2 player map there is the potential for proxy gates. Daybreak has the highest proxy opener potential of any of the maps, but it will probably end up going to the late game. Whirlwind I would expect at least one of them to open Stargate and Antiga will most likely end up being Blink vs Robo or Blink vs Blink.
Lately it seems that HerO's PvP is a bit weaker than his other matchups, although the same could be said for By.Sun too. Despite this, he did take out PartinG - a strong PvP'er - last week. How do you think the series will play out? Will By.Sun prioritise PvT against Last?
Hero's PvP has become better lately from what games I have seen, his match against Squirtle in the ro16 was impressive. While Sun did defeat Parting rather convincingly in the OSL this series can go either way and I would expect a 3-2 for either player. Their skills are evenly matched in this match up in my opinion.
I think Sun will definitely prioritize his match against Last in the OSL as far as preparation goes, the result of this series is going to come down to PvP luck and fundamentals.
If you could say a few words to By.Sun before his match, what would you say?
Good luck! I hope you can achieve the Royal Road and maybe even win both leagues at once! T1 fans are behind you!
Oh and good job carrying SKT so far in the Hybrid Proleague ^^
So can you tell us a bit about why and how you became a fan of HerO?
I'd been watching SC2 for a couple weeks and just decided to play protoss. Of course I tried to look for good, solid protoss players to learn from. But while there were some really good ones out there I watched, for example HuK, Naniwa or Oz, I still felt like the way most protoss played was kind of... incomplete. There was potential for a lot more.
When Liquid picked up HerO, I watched some of his games at an MLG and he just seemed to be doing all these players did, but a little more. There was cuteness to it but it was surprisingly effective. Simply building pylons to spot for drops, warping in High Templar to feedback, using two warp prisms against zerg lategame, ... it just made sense and was awesome to watch. He then started streaming like every day and I happened to have a lot of time so I became more and more of a fan.
HerO's road to the RO8 has been an interesting one, taking out Symbol, Ryung, Heart and Squirtle, but with a controversial loss of Leenock. Which one of his games so far this season do you think has been the best?
For me personally, his third game against Leenock was absolutely awesome to watch. Having stated that he's not feeling nearly as comfortable against Zerg as he did before, he really went back to his roots in that game. Constant harassment, shutting down expansions left and right. He was just in absolute control of the game. Of course, he did lose the final engagement and eventually the game but I think that this game still was his most impressive one this season.
How good do you think are HerO's chances to win this GSL? Who would be his toughest opponent(s)?
I was really worried about his chances in his Ro16 group to be honest. His first series against Leenock, a Zerg who even stated that he was feeling very confident in his ZvP at the moment. And like many others, I considered Squirtle to be the biggest hurdle for HerO - maybe even in all of Code S.
But his PvP looked really improved and his PvZ sharp as before. PvT has been his best and most solid matchup for the recent months in my opinion so if he can overcome SKT1.Rain, I think he's got a good shot at making the finals at least since he'd be playing either Symbol or MVP, both players he's beaten in Code S.
So the maps for the match will be Entombed Valley, Abyssal City, Daybreak, Whirlwind & Antiga Shipyard. What do you think of the maps?
I think that it's unfortunate for HerO that Cloud Kingdom is missing. From recent results, he's almost always won PvP on Cloud Kingdom. His PvP is often revolving around blink builds at the moment so Abyssal City and Antiga Shipyard will be the go-to maps here.
As usual in PvP, build order choices will become really important and mindgames will happen. I'd say these maps all have the potential for macro games.
By.Rain's had a lot of hype coming into this GSL as the best elephant, but it seems like his worst matchup might be PvP (despite taking out PartinG 3-1 a few days ago). HerO, on the other hand, has not lost to an elephant quite yet, though he's been a bit inconsistent in his PvP. How do you see this series turning out? Will HerO's nerves get in the way?
Since HerO's not faced a protoss elephant yet, it's hard to say how this one will turn out. Rain has often stated that he's not as good as the best Code S players yet but he doesn't seem to lose to them. For all we know, he could be fooling us again and all of a sudden he's invincible in PvP.
Rain is a great player but so is HerO. I'd say 50/50.
I was really worried after his loss to Leenock. A few months ago, he wouldn't have made it out of the group. His nerves wouldn't have allowed it. But he's shown that he can bounce back and that's he can still perform well under pressure so I hope he can continue like this.
If you could say a few words to HerO before their match, what would you say?
"No matter how the series turns out, fans will continue to support you. Fighting!"
Any last words?
HerO just said on stream that he'll just do his best against Rain so I'm not too worried right now. This attitude is great for him and if he can perform at his best, he's a strong contender for this season's GSL and any other tournament out there in my book.
Also thank you for doing this, you're doing an awesome job.
So can you tell us a bit about why and how you became a fan of Mvp?
I actually started seriously following the progaming scene around August of last year, which happened to be one of those months where Mvp won. I really became a fan after his MLG Anaheim run, especially when he beat MMA in the finals. I became drawn to his playing style. After looking up interviews and seeing what an awesome person he is, I feel like my choice to become his fan is totally justified.
So Mvp this season has had to face MMA, TaeJa, MarineKing and JYP to advance to the RO8. Which of the games so far do you think are most worth watching, and why?
I think his games against MarineKing and MMA are amazing to watch because they are great series and because of the people behind the games. Watching Mvp thrash MarineKing brought back memories of MarineKing's previous beatdowns at the hands of Mvp when they were in their primes, and watching Mvp beat MMA is especially sweet revenge for losses in GSL October and Blizzard Cup.
Watching those games makes me feel that Mvp, though he has not fully returned to his peak, is displaying glimpses of his past brilliance and domination in the GomTvT days.
Mvp is pretty famous for his exploding wrists, although he still seems to win despite them, showing what a champion he is. How good do you think are Mvp's chances to win this GSL? Who would be his toughest opponent(s)?
In this GSL, his chances are as good as any other player's. Mvp doesn't stand out as a clear favorite to win it all, but he's one of those players who can win at any moment's notice.
His toughest opponent would be Rain if he is unlucky enough to face him. At the moment, it seems uncertain whether Rain can be stopped. Someone who thoroughly beat down TaeJa, to the point where TaeJa thinks he can never win against Rain, is certainly to be feared.
So the maps for the match will be Daybreak, Ohana, Whirlwind, Abyssal City and Antiga Shipyard. What do you think of the maps?
Overall, I feel that the map choice is slightly favored towards Symbol. Mvp has been using Mech play in his TvZs recently, so we can expect him to continue that trend. Daybreak and Whirlwind will be problematic. Antiga Shipyard doesn't look good for Mvp either, but remember that Antiga is basically Mvp's map.
I think the crucial map will be Ohana. If he can win on that map, he can win the series. Ohana is a map that is very suited for Mech play and Mvp's good at playing it.
Mvp is going up against Symbol, who had his hype train derailed a bit following his loss to Mvp's teammate, Seed, last season. However, he seems to be as potent as ever. How do you see this series turning out? Mvp's lost so few BO5s in his career, but will Symbol do it?
Symbol will certainly be a stiff challenge to Mvp. Symbol should be favored in this matchup, but Mvp is never out of the running. I believe that his preparation, including new mech builds and lategame Ravens, will swing the tide in his favor. Remember, Mvp is the Terran Innovator!
If you could say a few words to Mvp before his match, what would you say?
Whatever happens, please think of your own health. Fans love to see you win, but even more than that, we would like to see you healthy and strong.
So can you tell us a bit about why and how you became a fan of Symbol?
I first really got to see Symbol's play during Iron Squid, where despite being placed into THE group of death, managed to progress. Sure, it had a slumping Mvp, IdrA and ThorZaIN, but people watching Iron Squid saw who Symbol was, an intelligent, thoughtful player who had potential.
Then we saw the 3-0 victory over MKP, a player considered the best in the world at the time after his MLG Winter Championship. Though some saw it tainted by the Roach Rushing, it was an absolute shock to 99% of TL, and then people really opened their eyes to Symbol. Okay, one legend is enough, but what about THE Creator of the Universe, NesTea? This time, Symbol 3-1 the ZvZ god with the aforementioned "intelligent, thoughtful" play and showed why ZvZ was no longer a monopoly held by NesTea. Symbol would fall to MMA, but at least took a 4-2 score, and in the eyes of the SC2 world, a new Symbol of Zergs.
Symbol's made it back to the RO8 again, after what seemed to be a bit of a difficult time after his loss last season. He beat YoDa, Happy and Seed (all LG-IM players, haha) to advance. Which of his games was the most exciting this season?
Can't say I really got to watch every game of Symbol this GSL season, but the games between YoDa were an interesting bunch, especially the game on Ohana, making an incredible comeback despite being so down on almost every front. (TBH, I really did not have much time to watch every one of Symbol's games except vs Seed, which I doubt many found the most inspiring series)
So Seed is out this season! Out of the remaining players, are there any you're scared of for Symbol? Who would be his biggest obstacle(s)?
Let's be honest, every player in Symbol's path is an obstacle, but if I were to bring it down: Mvp, HerO/Rain and TaeJa. Of course Mvp is a massive mountain for Symbol to climb over, but Symbol has taken out players of Mvp's caliber often, and in his best MU, should be at least a 50% chance of him progressing. Symbol has shown consistently to break down any Terran build and counter it, and the same applies to Mvp. The Protoss duo is probably Symbol's biggest threat, because Symbol's ZvP can be lacking so often, especially against an Elephant and a player who 2-0'd him.
If Symbol manages to get past a 4 time GSL champion, and a rising Protoss/established player, we have TaeJa, the Crown Prince of Terran looking for his first GSL championship. TaeJa is possibly the best Terran, if not the best player in the world currently, and is a favorite to take it all this season. TaeJa is a TvZ master (70% in Korea), and is capable of crushing Symbol if he is not well prepared. I would love to dissect MKP, Leenock and Life, but to me, the four players are probably the biggest threats to Symbol.
So the maps for the match will be Daybreak, Ohana, Whirlwind, Abyssal City and Antiga Shipyard. What do you think of the maps?
The maps are in favor of Symbol I feel, with Daybreak being Symbol's best, and maps like Whirlwind (80% win rate) and Ohana a map which can really go anyway for players. Abyssal City and Antiga will be challenges, Abyssal City favors Terran according to the Korean stats (75%), and Antiga going fairly well for Symbol, but Mvp boasts the better WLR on Antiga. If Symbol can pull it off on Daybreak, Whirlwind and possibly Ohana, he can take it. However, maps don't always go the way of players, as we all remember in Blizzard Cup, but if anything, Symbol can always pull it off even on the most unfavorable positions.
Symbol will have to beat yet another LG-IM player - Mvp - to make it to the RO4 this season. Symbol's definitely got some excellent ZvT, and Mvp's not the player he once was, even though he is still very scary. How do you think the series will play out?
I think the score would end up 3-1 or 3-2, depending on how well Symbol can analyze Mvp's playstyles on each map. Polt will probably be Symbol's practice partner, but Mvp has always been known to be a Mech player every so often. If Symbol can break down Mvp's Marine/Tank, Mech and occasional cheese, he can take it I think, but Polt really needs to practice Mech, so Symbol doesn't fall apart against the Master of Mech. Expect lots of Roach drops against Mech, the Baneling heavy Muta/Ling (think HyuN), Infestor/Ling into Hive and so many other builds that the TSL Zergs have mastered.
If you could say a few words to Symbol before his match, what would you say?
정종현 무서운다, 근데 닐동더 잘생기고 똑똑해요! 할수있어요! 화이팅!
(Translation: Mvp is a scary player, but "Neel" Dong is better looking and smarter! You can do it! Fighting!)
Any last words?
Thanks to opterown for giving me this opportunity to have this interview, and thanks to TL for being such a great community. I hope any TSL/Symbol fans can rally to his support!
Holy shit those interviews are really nice I think Rain is going to take his series rather easily against Hero. As for Mvp vs Symbol I could see it going either way but Mvp hopefully still has that GSL magic so he gets through 3-2
EPT
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