[TLS] Ro16 Group A & B

Nemu, you did exceptional in the first group stage! How does it feel to be in the Round of 16?
Well I wouldn't say I did exceptional. It feels normal.

You lost one game to TrutaCz. It was well fought but you were in the end, offracing. Is it difficult to train for two races?
I wasn't offracing my PvZ is actually pretty strong but I never bother to learn walls so I guess thats why I lost. I play all matchups depending on my mood.

You defeated andreyy twice in order to advace. Have you and andreyy become rivals?
I wouldn't say we are rivals. I was kinda mad with him during the first game because we had a chat war earlier in the channel but by the start of the second game with him we were closer to friends than rivals.

What's it like being a representative of Bulgaria?
Well its kinda good and bad at the same time I know alot of people want me or my friend Technics to win the whole thing, but I dont really take these things too serious so im quite scared I might dissapoint some of my fellow Bulgarians.

The TLS fans know little about you through the TL database so let's change that!

First, how old are you and how big is your family?
I'm 23 will be 24 this summer. I'm the only child in my family.

Are you still in your studies or do you work?
I work but right now I'm unemployed and am taking a bit of a break.

If you could be an animal what animal would you be?
Definitely a Tiger thats what my nickname is outside of Brood War.

Who is your favorite Kespa player/team from Brood War?
Ah Hard to answer I've been playing since 2002//2003 and stopped serious play around 2007 so during the period I guess my idol was IPXZERG aka Savior later on it becamse Jaedong ofcourse, but I honor alot of the Korean Progamers so you may say I like em all.

How long have you been playing Starcraft and when did it become competitive?
Oh I guess I kinda answered that oops.... I stopped playing serious in 2007 I was better then all of our players back then, but some Admins hosting the WCG hated me so I didint get the chance to qualify and go to Seattle so thats when I quit Broodwar Offfcially.

You are part of a strong group in the Ro16, with opponents Michael, Bakuryu, and Pro7ecT. Is there anything you would like to say to your opponents to make them tremble before you?
Not really. I dont see any player as a threat the biggest threat is myself I can hardly motivate myself to play good and do something in this game its just a hobby that never goes away from me. I also like the position of the underdog. In my mind there is not 1 player from this TLS that can win me if I put my mind to it.

Are you still a member of the team "Inner Fire"? If so how many members and how active is the team?
No the team is dead. Now our best Bulgarian players are on team [BG] as am I.

The interview is coming to an end but we can look forward to more if you advance to the next stage. Do you have any last words for your fans?
Yeap. All of my fans listen up, wish alotta luck to my opponents cause they are GONNA NEED IT! GG!

Thank you for the interview and good luck!

Michael, are you excited for the TLS?
Yes, I am very excited. I have been waiting for the TLS for 22 years now.

It is the Ro16 and you will be fighting against a variety of races. Are there any match ups you are confident in?
Not really, all I can do is try my best and be cheesy as much as possible.

You were born in Korea but are now living in America. How long has it been since you moved here?
I knew I needed to clarify this. I was actually born in the US, moved to Korea when I was young, finished elementary/middle school then moved back to the states. I tried to fix the liquipedia page of mine, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be then I gave up because I was too lazy and wanted to get food instead.

As a kid were you part of the Starcraft scene? You became a top Zerg in 2010, what was you experience with Brood War before then?
When I just started Starcraft back in the day, I remember playing a lot of campaign rather than playing against people on Battlenet because I would keep losing and make me ragequit. That's all I did as a kid. Then in high school around 2007 I somehow happened to watch someone-i-can't-say on MSL and that inspired me to play, I went on to Brain/Fish/iCCup to get started. I played on and off since then because I sometimes have a life. In 2010 when I was finally in college I got back to Brood War again, joined clan (OD) - first clan ever, found Teamliquid and here I am.

You can speak English and Korean very well, which language was harder to learn? Many English speaking Starcraft fans wish they knew Korean, is there any advice in learning the languauge?
I never really learned any language to be honest. I guess I learned Korean from my family and English from other environment like friends. I don't know how you should approach when it comes to adopting a new language because I am not too good at it. They used to have us take a mandatory Chinese class in middle school and I literally didn't give a single shit and failed. Same thing in high school with Spanish. I guess dating Korean girl might help, they even let you play brood war all day so its like a win win strategy.

2012 was the year of second place finished for you. What is the plan to make TLS a first place finish?
I am going to get a foot long buffalo chicken sandwich every time before playing in it.

With the amount of Zergs still in the tournament does this concern you?
Not really. My cheese is harder, micro is better, apm is faster, macro is stronger than all of them combined.

What is the life of Michael outside of Starcraft? Do you attend school or has gaming become your focus?
I like eating. I spend about $600~700/month just so I can eat good food 24/7. When I am not playing Starcraft I am eating. then I go to sleep and repeat.

The SOSPA ceremony had some great showings by players such as Larva and Hiya. if you advance to the Ro8 could we get you to perform a ceremony on camera?
Not unless all of us had a gathering like what they did. Seems unlikely.. =(

You play Pro7ect, Bakuryu, and Nemu. Do you have anything you would like to say to get into the heads of your opponents?
I am sorry but all of you have only 1/3 chance to get out of the group so might as well just not show up. I wish you the best luck.

This group is going to be super exciting and there are many fans to be made! Do you have any last words for the TLS fans and viewers?
Of course I would like to thank for our great sponsors, Twitch.tv and Razer. Without them TLS wouldn't have happened and I would have waited another 22 years in the cave for the opportunity to finally play in such a nice tournament. Thanks to all of you BW lovers out there, all the staff that has been putting lots of effort in this to make it successful. Sayle, Elegant and Kiante for delivering amazing casts. Thank you.