EPTkurOa: "Because of everyone's support, I was able to make it this far"
source: StarCraft Times
![[image loading]](http://sc-times.net/SCTimes/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/140131-02.jpg)
The JCG Grand Championship was held in Tokyo TV Center Hamacho Studio (Chuo ward, Tokyo) on Sunday, January 26th.
kurOa won the StarCraft2 division by defeating TMjpg 3-1, and we were able to get an interview with him.Tell us how you feel now that you won the championship.
As I said on the on-stage interview, I went into this tournament with the thought that this will be my last tournament in SC2. So, by winning, I am satisfied with the results of being able to go out with a bang.
We heard you were switching to League of Legends. Can you tell us why?
One reason is that despite SC2 still being popular on a global perspective, LoL is a lot more popular in Korea and Japan with its strong player base and room for further growth. The other reason is that I recently became confident that I can play LoL at a high level of gameplay, even more so than I first thought; so if I put more effort into playing LoL, I thought I could play games that would be fun to watch even for everyone who became fans of me during my SC2 career.
![[image loading]](http://sc-times.net/SCTimes/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/kurOa-1.jpg)
(photo by: files)
It must be hard to practice as a player with a day job. How did you prepare for the tournament?
I practiced bit by bit on the ladder from about two weeks before the tournament. That was where I really felt that my skills had declined. It was something I had felt from when I first got employed, but it's really tough to play SC2 after a full day of work. Expanding on the previous question, both LoL and SC2 have frequent changes of the metagame. But while in SC2 you have to master the new metagame yourself, LoL has the advantage that someone else can look for and master the metagame for you instead. I mean, for SC2, you have to take quite a bit of time to practice by yourself, but in LoL if you prepare yourself to accept the new metagame you can get by with a lot less practice time on your end in comparison. In the first place, LoL has too many working metagame formats that I don't think there is a be-all-end-all strategy yet. I think it's a game that requires more creativity than proficiency.
You were facing three zergs in the tournament, so wasn't it slightly easier to practice?
You could say that, but the ladder was the only place where I could practice, so I had a tough time trying to be matchmade with a zerg on the ladder. I had tried forfeiting matches if I wasn't faced with a zerg on the last day of practice, but I had to get myself accustomed to moving my hands again, so I ended up practicing by playing matches against all races.
![[image loading]](http://sc-times.net/SCTimes/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/kurOa-2.jpg)
(photo by: files)
How was your condition on the day of the tournament?
I think my condition was pretty good. I was a bit nervous, but when it was time for the match, I could concentrate on my play. I've always been the type that gets really nervous in tournament matches, so my hands were shivering during the 10-second countdown to my first map. But, during the game, I tried my best to not feel that anxiety and I think I did a good job of concentrating.
There were some soundproofing issues during the 3rd place match, but how were the conditions for the final?
They required both earphones and headsets for the final match, so I didn't hear any of the caster commentary. However, I wasn't used to wearing earphones, and my ear canal is pretty small, so my ears started to hurt. On top of that, the earphones JCG had initially got me were pretty big, so the first two maps were very tough for me. I had thought when I tried them on initially that I would be okay, but the longer I wore them, the more painful it became. In the end, I asked to switch over to a smaller set of earphones. But with regards to the audience/caster sounds, I couldn't hear anything at all, to the point where it made me slightly worried. (laughs)
![[image loading]](http://sc-times.net/SCTimes/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/140131-01.jpg)
How was that final match? Were there any maps that were noteworthy?
I had wasted so many resources, and I couldn't play a macro game like I used to, so I feel I won with just strategies and mind games. I think the level of macro play in our match was very embarrassing compared to the global progaming level. The third map was the most memorable for me. I think it was partially due to the opponent's mistake, but my push on his third base went really well, and I was able to flip the game and overtake him on a map that I should have lost. I think that affected the outcome of the Bo5 very much.
There was that time (translator note: Frost, map 2) where you built two cybernexus cores. Can you tell us what you were thinking?
I had felt that the opponent was at 2 bases with speedlings, so I predicted an all-in. If it was a baneling burst and my core evaporated, the game would become very tough for me from that point. I had already gathered more than enough minerals, so I had made a backup core. In the end, my prediction was wrong and there was no rush at all, so it might have been hard for everyone to understand why I had built two cores. Usually, when I wall myself off, I try not to place cores or forges on the wall, but on that map the opponent was kitty-corner to me and therefore very far away. I could see that he was mining one gas, but I couldn't see if he was mining two gas, so I had no idea what his actual build order was. Because I didn't know what timing he was making his pool, I didn't know how many zerglings were going to come out. Therefore, I thought of the worst-case scenario where my wall wouldn't be built in time, so I built my core first. That's why you saw what happened.
Were the proxy gateways on the last map something you had prepared for?
I had felt that the opponent felt cornered so he wouldn't do an early pool, so I impulsively thought of doing proxy gateways. I was hoping that he would be doing a 15-hatch, but when I scouted him he already had a pool up so I didn't think my plan would work. But, after the gateways were up, I chose not to send in units immediately so that he would make drones after a set of zerglings; by doing so, in the end, my plan worked and I was able to nab him. Diplomatic strategy actually played a big role for this map - before the match, a group of players including myself and TMjpg were talking about proxies, and I had said "I've never done a proxy in a tournament." I actually don't do proxies when I stream either, so it was very easy to lead the opponent's mind away from proxies. That was why I thought this would be the place to use it. It was a build order that I've never practiced before, but I used it thinking something like this is also important.
![[image loading]](http://sc-times.net/SCTimes/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/140127-08.jpg)
You mentioned that you were using the prize money to prepare for your LoL career. Do you have any concrete plans?
All of my computer devices other than my monitor are pretty ancient now, so I was thinking of replacing all of them. I'm employed now so I can use my own money to buy them all, but since I won this money in a tournament, I wanted to use the prize money for something e-sports related.
Tell us about your future goals.
I will be playing LoL from now on, but I had thought that I wouldn't fit into teams in Japan all that well and was planning to join an overseas team. But I managed to get an invitation from a Japanese team, so if all goes well I will be playing for a Japanese team. If I have the privilege of joining a Japanese team, I'd like to bring myself up on the domestic LoL scene to the caliber that I found myself in my SC2 career.
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Finally, if there is anything else you want to say, please do.
I've been playing SC2 for three years, and all sorts of people have cheered for me. I had many imperfections and showed inexperience often, but I was really happy that everyone had supported me despite all that. I am full of gratitude for all my fans. I believe that I was able to make it this far because of everyone's support. I have handed my baton to
Vaisravana now, so I hope that there will be many more opportunities for him to perform well.
