EPT
LG-IM SquirtleLG-IM Hirai (Incredible Miracle's Head Coach)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/od7BbxI.jpg)
Source: This Is Game
You started off the season with a victory. How do you feel?
Hirai: Ever single HotS tournament we have participated in so far, every single one of my players are riding a great momentum. We’re doing so well that it’s almost like I can actually see the team’s synergy going on during practices with my very own eyes. We won today using that momentum so I feel really good.
Squirtle: Today was my debut since the transition to HotS. It was an important moment the minute I was chosen to get sent out so I felt pressured but I had gained a lot of confidence during the preparation process so I think the games went pretty well.Why did you send out Squirtle as the third player?
Hirai: After dissecting the maps and FXO’s lineup I suspected that FXO’s Protoss lineup would seem very shaky today. I figured that FXO would be at a loss at what to do as long as we were able to take out Tear so I decided on Squirtle to snipe Tear because I believed he was our strongest PvP player.
You sent out Squirtle as a sniper but he ended up grabbing three whole kills.
Hirai: Even during his StarTale days, Squirtle was a very strong player. I am so happy about the fact that he joined LG-IM.
During the latter half of the final moments of WoL, you were playing rather poorly.
Squirtle: I know I was performing poorly for the final moments of WoL but when I was preparing for HotS I prepared really hard. Even before the GSTL match began I was feeling confident and I was feeling good. So I kept thinking that I was going to do really well.The GSTL has not become a full league. If you had to forecast the games?
Hirai: I believe that when it comes to organizing the team’s entry lineup and preparing for team leagues, the head coach plays a huge role behind there. I can’t help but feel like all our poor performances up till now was because of my lack of contributing to this team. But I will use the confidence that I gained through the Pre-Season as a stepping stone to ensure that we work hard this season. Actually, because of our current form, I really think that this season’s championship is already in the bag.
Game five vs JKS was not an easy victory.
Squirtle: I kept feeling like I had the advantage throughout that game. I’m normally not the kind of players who likes to just keep mass producing one unit but I wanted to put on a great performance so I went for Void Rays. I did meet a moment of crisis because queens were a lot stronger than I thought they’d be but I was able to grab my victory in the end thanks to archons. For game five against Leenock, you had to play against the really powerful swarm host/nydus strategy.
Squirtle: I didn’t really think about that strategy. I was actually planning on attacking first but Leenock just went ahead and beat me to the punch. But I had a proxy pylon in place so I knew it would be a real hassle for him to try to defend since he went for swarm hosts so I was able to win because of our build orders got crossed over.Your next opponent is going to AxiomAcer. What kind of match do you think will occur?
Hirai: I won’t know for sure until I speak with my players but we won our match and I have so many good players that at least I can contemplate happily. But I can’t help but feel like we’re going to win again like we did today. It’s not that I think they’re a weak team, I just think that LG-IM is just too strong right now.
There is a notion that LG-IM is lacking Terran firepower.
Hirai: Even before HotS came out, LG-IM was lacking Terrans. Because of that, there was some anxiety there. But Mvp and YoDa had such great synergy and they both made great results. I was also once again reminded of just how much of a genius Mvp is while I observed his HotS transition. They’re both really strong but I would like to recruit another Terran so I am carefully observing right now. (What the heck happened to Happy? -__-;; )
Who would you like to face if you’re sent out during the AxiomAcer match?
Squirtle: I want to play against MMA. I’ve faced him many times during overseas tournaments and personally, he is someone I respect the most out of all pro gamers so I think a fun game will come out. I also think playing against Scarlett would be fun as well.Anything else you would like to say?
Squirtle: I want to thank my teammates for working so hard to prepare for this team league. I want to thank our sponsors LG Elctronics, Steelseries, Coca-Cola, Googims Compnay, Nvidia, ASRock, Kingston HyperX, and Super Flowers.Hirai: We are going to work really hard and do our absolute best so that we can show great performances. Lastly, I wish my wife would heal up quickly since she hasn’t been feeling so well lately.
