Woongjin_Soulkey
Q: How do you feel reaching your very first finals?
A: The finals stage is something I've only dreamed about so I'm really happy to reach it, and I want to win.
Q: You haven't had this kind of chance since your debut, was it tough not winning a championship all this time?
A: It wasn't really hard as much as it was disappointing. The opportunity is here now, and I want to grasp this opportunity.
Q: You have a chance to win a championship right after the release of HotS. What does HotS mean to you?
A: HotS has given me an opportunity I haven't had so far as a progamer.
Q: How is your team reacting to you reaching the finals?
A: They're all working hard to help me as if they were the ones in the finals. They're giving me a lot of compliments and encouragement to make sure my morale doesn't go down.
Q: Which player helps you the most in practice?
A: All the Terran players on the team are helping me as if it were their own match.
Q: What do you think of Innovation?
A: He is the best Terran player.
Q: What are Innovation's strengths and weaknesses?
A: He has solid fundamentals and is good at macro games. For weaknesses, as we saw from his series against Symbol, it seems like he can be shaken by early all-ins.
Q: What was the most memorable game leading up to the final?
A: The most memorable game is game seven against sOs in the semi-finals, where I confirmed by spot in the finals.
Q: If you win, you become the first WCS Korea champion.
A: It's my first time in the finals, and it would be even better if I became the first champion at the same time.
Q: How do you think the games will go in the finals?
A: I think there will be a lot of fun games, and I'm excited for them as well. I will prepare as many things as possible and work hard so that we have a games worthy of a finals.
Q: You're known for your quiet personality. Will you celebrate in some way if you win?
A: It will depend on how I feel if I win the championship.
Q: Are the coach Ryu and the other coaching staff very helpful?
A: They are telling me a lot of small details that I didn't know about, and it's been very helpful.
Q: Your mindset going into the final?
A: As much as I beat teammates sOs and Flying to reach this spot, I want to win the championship to make it up to them. I will do my best to win a championship.
Q: Any words for the fans?
A: Thank you for always cheering me on, and I'm sorry for not having good results up to now. This is my chance, and I will win the championship to repay your cheers.
STX_INnoVation
Q: How do you feel reaching your very first finals?
A: I'm half excited for it, half feeling pressured by it. I think that as far as I've made it here, I have to win it all. I will do my best to become the champion, and also rise to the top at the Season Finals as well.
Q: You haven't had this kind of chance since your debut, was it tough not winning a championship all this time?
A: I think I lacked skill up to now, and instead of wanting a championship, I thought it was more important to improve my skill level.
Q: You have a chance to win a championship right after the release of HotS. What does HotS mean to you?
A: We all began at the same starting line in HotS, and it was a game that fit me better than others. You can look at it as the true start to my career as a progamer.
Q: How is your team reacting to you reaching the finals?
A: The head coach and coaching staff seem to like it, but the reaction is surprisingly stoic.
Q: Which player helps you the most in practice?
A: In my games up to now, coach Calm helped me the most. Since I am in the finals, I trust our team's Zergs will help me a lot.
Q: What do you think of Soulkey?
A: He is the best Zerg player right now, and if I want to beat him I have to work even harder.
Q: What are Soulkey's strengths and weaknesses?
A: I can't see a clear weakness. Rather than try to exploit my opponent's weaknesses, I want to approach the game looking to take advantage of my strengths.
Q: What was the most memorable game leading up to the final?
A: I remember the quarter-final game against RorO on Daybreak the most. Outside that, there were a lot of games where I lost in builds but won the game. I think luck has really been on my side, and I have to win a championship with this opportunity.
Q: If you win, you become the first WCS Korea champion.
A: First champion, just champion, both are good titles to gain. However, I want to become a player who's not satisfied with one championship, and is always in the championship picture and wins multiple titles.
Q: How do you think the games will go in the finals?
A: I think I will win 4:3.
Q: You're known for your quiet personality. Will you celebrate in some way if you win?
A: If I win, I think I will be too overcome to have the senses to perform a ceremony. Maybe if I win many times, ceremonies will come out naturally.
Q: Are coach Calm and the other coaching staff very helpful?
A: I've received a lot of help since the quarter-finals. I go into the finals trusting in coach Calm.
Q: Your mindset going into the final?
A: I wasn't able to show perfect play up to now. There were many engagements that I wasn't pleased with even in games I won. In the finals, I want to show perfect games.
Q: Any words for the fans?
A: Because I always had fans in the past, I thought that it as just important to do well myself. However I've come to know the importance and the fans recently. I hope a lot of people come to the finals and cheer for me
Caster Predictions
GSL Director Mr. Chae: Soulkey 4 - 3 Innovation
I expect a very close duel. Innovation and Soulkey are the very best players at both sides of the TvZ match-up. I predict a 4:3 score, with Soulkey winning the championship. Bogus is very good at TvZ macro games but I don't feel that his widow mine use is perfect just yet. On the other hand, I don't see any weaknesses in Soulkey's ZvT play. With Innovation's series planning and macro play going up against Soulkey's defense, I predict a tight series that goes all seven games.
Ahn "Engine" Joon Young: Soulkey 4 - 2 Innovation
The two players play different races, but their play styles are not dissimilar. They detach small forces to harm the enemy's economy and use their resource advantage to overpower their opponents. If there is a difference, Soulkey shows tight defense first before going for one, concentrated attack, while Innovation tries to win with constant reinforcement and production of forces. I predict that they'll be somewhat passive in the early game, avoiding big fights while focusing on harassment. Since Innovation's main weapon is constant trading, I think the damage taken from harassment will hurt him more. I predict a 4 : 2 advantage or so in Soulkey's favor.
Hwang "Gisado" Young Jae: Innovation 4 - 2 Soulkey
Personally I think this is a clash between the best ZvT and TvZ players, and I'm excited for very high level games. The critical point will be the game where Soulkey decides to bring a strong all-in type strategy. If it succeeds, then Soulkey will take the initiative and will be able to focus even more on standard play in the following game. However, since Innovation has played well on maps where Terran is disadvantaged, and because there are many maps that are good for the large scale macro games that Innovation prefers, I predict that he will take a 4 - 2 victory.
Park Dae Man: Soulkey 4 - 2 Innovation
These two players are the top players at their races, and they've already shown very close matches when they've gone head to head, so I'm very excited for this final. There's going to be a lot of big baneling and mine hits in the game, so both players need to stay calm as they play. From an viewers perspective, I think there will be a lot of really exciting, edge of your seat games. The standard scenario will have Innovation being the spear, going up against Soulkey as the shield. The thing to look out for will be which map Soulkey wants to use a special strategy. I think Soulkey will play a little better in a big game on the big stage, so I predict a 4 - 2 victory for him.
FireBatHero: Copout
Seeing Innovation lose so easily to Symbol's rushes in the semi-finals when he went for triple orbitals, I think Soulkey will bring similar must-kill builds in about two games. I think INnovation as well, will look to use some early game tactics in a couple of games instead of standard triple orbital strategies. The key battlefield is game one on Star Station. If that maps plays out normally without any particular strategies on either side, I think Innovation will win the series, regardless of whether or not he wins game one. The title of first Korean HotS champion should mean a lot to both players, and I think it will be a very helpful match for both of them.