[Code S] Grand Finals 2013 GSL Season 1

Hello, and thank you for taking time to answer these questions! Compared to Roro, Symbol is doubtlessly the more popular player in the foreign community. What do you think is the reason for this? Is it his history, with reverse all-kills, evil player picks and his meteoric ascent, or is it his personality? Is there something in Symbol's play that immediately made you a fan, and if not – why are you a fan now?

Symbol's more popular because Roro destroys everyone I have ever loved and the second you start to think you'll root for Roro, he self-implodes leaving you in a state of confused disbelief. You take out my favorite players and then just lose like that?

Though Symbol did play Brood War on a professional level, he did not reach the top until he switched to Starcraft II. When you first saw Symbol play, could you imagine him reaching a GSL final and if not, at what point did you think he was a serious championship contender?

As for Symbol, I like him because he one of the more petty and revenge-driven players in GSL. He went out of his way to create pain for Seed, and I was always a fan of the Count of Monte Cristo. Also I like how he prepared for his games this GSL coming up with perfect solutions to beat both Innovation and Curious.

It's impossible to talk about Symbol without talking about the sad story of his 2012 quarterfinal against Seed, and against Byun the season after – two separate events that both show that Symbol is not immune to pressure. Is he past the stage where he would ”choke” like that, or is he simply good enough for it not to matter?

After losing to Seed on his first run,I thought Symbol wouldn't be able to make it back considering Seed's Soul Stealing abilities. I was rely surprised after playing badly in everything for a month, he was able to make it back into Code S and get his soul back. After that though, he was overshadowed by a lot of different Zergs so it seemed like a pipe-dream to expect him to make it far.

Symbol reached the finals by eliminating Innovation who was gaining considerable amounts of hype for his TvZ, and a Curious finally past his nerve issues. Coming into the season, which players were the biggest threats to Symbol? Is there a player that he was lucky to avoid, that was a serious threat to him?

The biggest threat to Symbol going into the season was the Artosis curse. Luckily for Symbol, the curse struck at all of the players that would have given Symbol a tough time, Squirtle, Innovation, Parting,and so on.

If we talk about how Symbol plays, most would say unpredictable or off-the-board crazy with all kinds of innovative strategies and builds. Is this what makes Symbol who he is from a playstyle perspective, or is there more to Symbol than the obviously effective aggression, something that doesn't immediately meet the eye?

Symbol prepares very well and is incredibly smart in the mid and late game especially.

And finally, what are your predictions for the finals? Roro has gotten past excellent ZvZers this season, but every player has his weakness. Which strenghts should Symbol play to, and what are his weaknesses against a player like Roro?

Roro wins 4-2 because both players don't have any real tricks left. I think they are both even in terms of ZvZ strength, so the game will probably be decided by preparation. While Symbol can practice some with a few zergs during the off week of HotS, Roro has probably been playing with the 20 slaves in the Khan house who haven't been allowed to switch over yet.

Hello, and thank you for taking time to answer these questions! RorO fans in general, I've found, are an elusive species. What do you think is the reason for this? Roro has proven himself beyond doubt to be a good, entertaining player. There is a funny story behind him with his tendency to kill anti-teams and cause upsets, so why does he have (relatively) few fans, and more importantly, why are you a fan?

Haha, that's always a hard question! I think it's not always easy to pinpoint why we are fans of certain players; sometimes it may be their amazing play, sometimes it might be because they're on the same team as another of your favourite players. It might be because they are always the plucky underdog who can always pull out an upset, or if they're just all-round charismatic. Or they might even be a favourite that you've come to like because they often defeat players you dislike!

My liking of RorO is kind of strange - difficult to pin down to one thing, but probably a mix of many things. As someone who didn't follow BW to a great extent, I wasn't ever invested in any major BW stars. I only managed to catch the last 2 OSLs and last PL, and there, I became a fan of Samsung KHAN (and JangBi). As they moved onto SC2 along with the rest of KeSPA, RorO quickly became their standout player, doing very well in WCSKR and also in frankenleague. I was rather sad when KHAN failed to take frankenleague after doing so well in the season! But I guess that's when I first started noticing RorO. As I got to know RorO a bit more through interviews and games, I became more of a fan. He was the anchor of my favourite KeSPA team and also seemed fairly down-to-earth, so I can't really help but respect his abilities.

And, of course, there's the RorO anti-team curse that I learnt of (and saw in action) during this season of FPL! Sometimes I have a strange desire to cheer for players that not many others are - I suppose I feel pity that they might not have as many fans. RorO, in the past few rounds of GSL, has never been a fan favourite to make it out, so I've been rooting for him a fair amount of the way. And here we are, I guess - RorO against Symbol!

Roro's past as a Brood War progamer is very different from many other KeSPA stars. He doesn't have individual championships to his name and was never much more than average – does this make his ascent in Starcraft II feel sweeter, and is his success now something that was a long time coming?

I guess RorO is a strange case of the elephant upheaval! Not one of TBLS or any other really notable BW star, but more famous for his anti-team shenanigans haha. It's a bit difficult to track his progress since I didn't follow SPL religiously. All in all, I guess I'm pretty proud of RorO's progress and am happy that the switch allowed him to really blossom and make a name for himself.

Roro's path to the finals has taken him through many fan favorites, with Life, MC and Taeja all falling along the way. What are your thoughts on his road to the finals? Were there players that could have eliminated him that he managed to avoid through group selections or performances in the groups?

Haha - as I said before, sometimes I have a strange tendency to root for anti-fan favourites. I might be shot down for this opinion, but it's mostly me thinking certain players don't get their due credit, and others getting far too much. RorO is definitely a strong zerg - and while Life, MC and TaeJa are all championship winners, I disliked the fact that RorO was so cheered against during his groups. Couldn't have helped it but to pull through and cheer for this guy!

RorO picked up a very strange loss to MarineKing in the group, I feel. Even as a huge MKP fan, I would not have really expected MKP to pull out that win! Strangely enough, MarineKing actually has beaten 3 out of the 4 last GSL finalists during the past 2 GSLs, and lost 1-2 to the other finalist zerg :o

Otherwise, his performance has been very solid. Nothing really spectacular or draw dropping - just safe, standard macro play with the occasional early pressure that so many of us have come to associate with WoL zerg.

When people talk about Roro, the general consensus is that he's a very aggressive, even cheesy player. Is aggression his strength, or do you think he can be confident in longer games going up against Symbol in the finals?

Hmmm, I've never quite thought of RorO that way. I think he's similar to how Rain broke out into the field - standard, standard and more standard - just really good standard! There hasn't been that much that has struck me about being overly aggressive or cheesy. Do correct me if I'm wrong, as I haven't been able to catch every single game of RorO.

I'm sure he's happy to take it to the lategame, especially as KeSPA players have almost a year of WoL experience now, and haven't quite switched to HotS yet - which means he should be fine taking it late!

Talking strictly about playstyle, what sets Roro apart from other KeSPA Zergs like Soulkey, soO, TRUE and ZerO? What about his play makes him more successful?

Oh I wouldn't say he's that far ahead of all the KeSPA zergs - just a tad better than some you listed. I think Soulkey and ZerO are pretty damn good too, and soO was impressive last round.

I think RorO has had to play better since he was the anchor of his team dating back to last ProLeague - so there has been the pressure to play well, and stay playing well. KHAN has won quite a few games on the back of RorO's ace performances in the last few rounds of SPL. He seems to be a player who doesn't really let nerves or pressure affect him, and he does have some solid practice partners too! Playstyle-wise, I don't think anything really distinguishes himself from any other standard WoL zerg - he's just a bit better in each aspect.

What is your prediction for Roro vs. Symbol? What will be Roro's greatest asset, and what could potentially be his fatal flaw?

I think RorO should be able to take it 4-2. RorO's greatest asset will definitely be preparation - no matter what players might say about GSL being low priority, I'm sure RorO will be hungering for his first individual title! And with KHAN finished with PL for this round, and a whole month until round 4, RorO should have had at least a week's undivided attention from his coaching staff and practice partners. While Symbol also has some great practice partners on his new team, too, there's just something else about KeSPA coaching and prep, and I think that's where RorO will take it.

If RorO were to fall, I think it would be due to his relative inexperience on the new GSL maps. Symbol did beat Curious last round, but otherwise his ZvZ hasn't been stellar lately. We'll see how things go!

Hoping for a good match :D