EPT“The first finals of my life, I feel like I’m going to cry”
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/8w1tHtD.jpg)
Dear has come one step closer to his dream of walking the royal road.
On the 9th of October, at the GOMTV studios in Gangnam, Dear defeated Maru 3:1 in the first semi-final of WCS KR S3, and has made it through to his first final. Dear now has the chance to become the second royal roader after Life.
I’m curious to how you feel after you’ve made it through to the first final of your life.
This is the first finals of my life. I’m so happy I could cry. I’m not satisfied with how I played, so I want to show better play in the finals. I thought about the matches constantly – while I was eating, while I was in bed, even in my dreams I dreamt about playing my matches (laughter)
What was unsatisfying about your play?
I was shaken up a lot more than I thought I would be. In particular, allowing the comeback in the second map sticks in my memory.
If you were to rate your performance today?
I think I could only give myself 50%.
I know that you prepared a tremendous amount.
Because I practiced with the top ranked player in the world, INnoVation, I had the confidence that there was no way I could lose.
You made the first finals of your life.
I’m confident in my PvZ so I don’t care who makes it to the finals. If it’s Soulkey, I will drill through the steel wall.
You allowed a comeback in the second map.
It was a situation where I shouldn’t lose. After I lost the 2nd map, the mental side broke down. The coach came in to the booth and told me that “the bastard that should make it will make it” and that I could do well in the next map, and that gave me courage.
You defended a proxy 11/11 rax to confirm your final victory.
Because I knew that Maru is a player that likes to use proxy rax often, I had a lot of practice partners use it on me. Also, because Derelict Watcher has a big distance, it worked in my favour.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I’d like to thank Neige, Cure, TheSTC, aLive and INnoVation for helping me practice, as well as the many Protoss’s around me. My parents have never come to watch me play, and I told them to come watch me when I play on a bigger stage. I’m really happy that I get to keep that promise. I will be the champion and lift the trophy in front of my parents.
soO – “I will win 4:0 with little fuss”
“I’m ready for everything, the only thing left is victory”
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/53wKFrn.jpg)
This will be the first finals for soO, and of course, for an SK Telecom Zerg.
On the 9th of October, at the GOMTV studios in Gangnam, soO (of team SK Telecom) defeated “Steel Wall” Soulkey (of team Woongjin) 3:0 in the second semi-final of WCS KR S3, and has made it through to his first final.
You will experience your first final in an individual league since your debut.
I think because it’s my first final, it still isn’t real to me. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever felt like this, I’m really happy.
Since you got cosmetic surgery to alter your eyelids (really common procedure in Korea!) it seems like it’s changed your game.
I can’t see it myself, so I’m curious too. Everything is going well for me lately. I think it’s the spirits doing (laughter)
How did you prepare for today’s matches?
We had a really short time to prepare. First, I watched VODs of Soulkey. I got a lot of help from my team, and then finally I practiced with my team.
Did you expect it to be a 3:0?
I thought that the series would go to the 5th map. The coach, iloveoov, told me that the 4th set is the most important, and I thought that was an important point. I really did not anticipate a 3:0 difference at all.
How happy are you with your performance in todays matches?
There were a lot of things that I prepared, but I won much more easily than I thought. I regret not being able to show the play that I had prepared.
In the 2nd map, it looked like you were at a disadvantage because Soulkeys upgrades were ahead of yours.
After I took a lead in the early game, I diligently kept a count on the number of workers at Soulkey’s third. Even if my attack was blocked, I felt that I could carry on my advantage. Even though I was behind on attack upgrades, I made the decision that it wouldn’t be too late to catch up after the war of attrition.
Your ability to optimise the production of roaches was highlighted.
Soulkey likes to play with a firm foundation of information on what the other player is doing. So, I knew that if I could block his scouting zerglings and overlords then I could win.
Dear, who made it to the finals before you, described you as being the easier opponent.
I thought that Maru would progress for sure in the first match. When comparing skill, I think Maru is definitely ahead, but I think he won because of luck. I’m really happy that Dear is the won that progressed, and I think that I’ll probably win 4:0 without too much trouble. I will win by 4:0.
You are the first SK Telecom Zerg to make it to a final.
I think the other SKT Zergs are going to like this, but also be a little bit wondrous about it. The last 6 years were really hard (laughter). Now that I’ve started it, I think that from now we might get a series of finalists.
Now that you’ve made it to the final, you’ve risen to 19th on the WCS point rankings.
Because my point total was so low, I was on a lower tier. Now that I’ve made it through to the Ro4, and the season finals, my point total rose sharply. As I got closer to the season finals, it became a source of motivation.
Anything you’d like to add?
I want to thank Life for helping me practice. He really did his best to help me. Also, Hydra worked really hard to help me practice too. iloveoov talked to me a lot about planning for longer series, and I think that helped me a lot. Now that I’ve prepared for everything, there’s nothing to do but win. Tomorrow, I’m leaving for a workshop on Jeju Island. I am always thankful to my team.
