[Interview] Korean AIMAG 2013 SC2 Qualifiers

In the Korean Starcraft 2 preliminaries for the 2013 Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games which just ended today, Life and sOs stood out from the 30 other great players who were there to become the Korean representatives for the Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games. After the tournament, they answered a few questions from the reporter.

How does it feel to be the representatives for the country?

sOs: From the round of 32 onwards, the opponents were all really strong, and so I didn't go into the tournament with very high hopes. I just treated it as practice on ladder, and I never expected that my luck would be so good that I would be able to become the representative for Korea. I think my luck is really not bad (laughs).

Life: When I came here today, I never even thought that I would advance. I'm really very happy, and I'd also play my best in the actual tournament.

Which were the hardest games today?

sOs: There were two games which were really tough. The first is the third game against Creator, where I was harassed really badly by my opponent's Oracle. But fortunately, my Oracle was also able to kill a lot of his workers, and so I was able to win. In the third game against Innovation, my base was killed by my opponent in the early game, and that caused me to be very passive in the game.

Life: There weren't any games that were really hard. Overall, it was pretty normal. I was a little flustered in the match against Flash, but when I saw how greedy he was playing, I chose to attack first in the second and third game.

The finals was over very quickly. Any regrets about it?

Life: Nothing much to regret about it. We have the chance to meet in GSL, and we also have the chance to play against each other in official tournaments, and so I didn't think too much, and just improvised and played

sOs: I already made it as the representative for the country, and so I didn't play too hard either. I was already at an advantage based on the openings, and so the match ended so fast (laughs).

Are you two hoping for a chance where you can pit your true skills against each other in a match?

sOs: I'm still very far away as compared to Life, and I need to get more experience and get better results before I can say something like that.

Life: I watched sOs's game in the GSL round of 32. The one against Soo on Daybreak was really good. I was really surprised when I saw the triple oracle strategy. I feel that ZvP is very hard to play, and so I feel that playing against him wouldn't be a very nice thing.

You seem to be playing against Flash quite often recently.

Life: To be honest, his strategy and playstyle is too limited, and for me, I like players like him. When it comes to macro he really is very strong, but he plays too greedily, and basically seems to eliminate any possibility that the opponent might all-in him in all his games.

Both of you will be taking part together in the GSL group choosing ceremony tomorrow.

sOs: I don't have the privilege of picking, so I plan to sit there quietly. I just hope that I won't be placed in the same group as Life who's sitting next to me right now, and I also hope that I won't be placed in the same group as my team mates. If anyone were to cause a team kill between our team, I think that the person should be flamed to death by us (laughs).

Life: Parting hyung has been really provocative, but I won't mind that too much. I don't care whether he picks me or not, that's up to him. If he opts to pick me, I'll send him back immediately (laughs).



Both are you are amongst the strongest players in the Asian Indoor Games.

sOs: Life has always been really strong. When I work hard and make it to the finals, I feel that the player sitting opposite would be him, and I'd have to really play properly in the finals.

Life: I feel that it's be great for our country to win the championship. I think that it'd be pretty good no matter whether sOs takes it or I take it.

We heard that there's no prize for this tournament. What do you feel about that as players?

Life: I heard that too, but i still hope to defeat all the players from other countries.

sOs: There are still many details that I don't know about this tournament. After hearing that there's no prize, there's indeed slightly less motivation, but since I have gotten this place to represent the country, I will still work hard to defeat all the players from other countries.

Can you each talk about who you think are the strongest Starcraft 2 players nowadays?

sOs: Innovation is really very strong, no matter whether it is on ladder or in tournaments. And no matter how good my condition is currently, I can never compare to Rain. Finally, Life, who's sitting beside me now. He's really very strong, very good in every aspect.

Life: Flash's improvement is really fast, which is really remarkable. As for Innovation, he frequently is able to play new and interesting strategies on the ladder which are very strong, and it feels really tiring to play against him.



There're rumours that it's because of you, Life, that they're not buffing Zergs.

Life: To be honest, I feel that that's only a joke. I feel that David Kim is thinking of Zergs as stronger than they really are. He doesn't seem to play games very often (laughs). The Protoss players are all saying that Protoss is weak, and I really cannot understand why they're saying that (laughs). But even so, I feel that Zerg still can be played, even though it's indeed very weak currently.

Many people are looking forward to a match between Life and Innovation.

Life: I've played against him on ladder, and he was really strong then. But ladder is different from actual tournaments. If I were to meet him in an actual tournament, I feel that the ultimate victor will be me.

You seem to be very modest. What level do you think you are at in Starcraft 2 now?

sOs: It's not that I'm modest, it's just that I know my own skill. I'm still very lacking, whether it be in terms of experience, results, or skill. But I think that amongst the Protosses in my team my results are the best (laughs).

Anything you wish to add?

sOs: Very happy to be able to represent Korea to play in the tournament. I will work hard to get good results.

Life: Since I'll be representing the country in the tournament, I will definitely prepare for it properly.