[Interviews] 2014 GSL Season 1 Code S Ro16 Winners

Jin Air Green Wings sOs



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the quarter-finals as first from your group?

I think this Ro16 was a successful one. I was able to advance easier than expected and I was able to reserve my builds.

You face StarTale’s Life and Curious today. Your cannon rushes were especially impressive.

My cannon rushes were not prepared builds. I just don’t like to play against Zergs who are economically well off so I wanted to make them as poor as possible, and I think it ended up working out well.

You have this image of being the cannon rush master.

My cannon rush on Daedalus Point was not smooth, but it wasn’t difficult on Yeonsu since I’ve done it on a regular basis.

You were in a group with three Zerg players. Who did you focus on when you were practicing?

Rather than focus on a specific player, I focused more on Yeonsu for my first match, and Daedalus Point overall.

In your previous interview, you stated that you would probably face RorO in the winners’ match. Any disappointment there?

No disappointment there. I can meet him for Proleague so I viewed all the Zergs as the same.

Who would you like to face for the quarter-finals?

I found out that I will be facing a player from Group B once I arrived at the studio. I think my match will take place as soon as I get back from the IEM World Championship, so I am going to have to prepare extensively.

Only the winner of the IEM World Championship will receive the prize money of $100,000. Are you confident?

Honestly, I do want to win the championship prize money, but I haven’t really thought about it yet. But if I get second place, I’m sure that it will have a huge impact on my mentality.

Looks like there will be a lot of mirror matches because there are a lot of Protosses for this season. Are you confident enough to win the championship?

I am always confident in mirror matchups. But I am worried about one thing. I think the player who practices the most will have the advantage, but I won’t be able to do that since I’ll have to go overseas.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank Rogue and TRUE for helping me with practice. I also want to thank my fans who cheered me on and the Jin Air organization. I have a lot of important matches ahead of me and it’s important that I do well now so that the fans will remember me. Lastly, I am working hard for Proleague so that we can advance to the finals, so I hope people will keep track of that.

StarTale_Life



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the quarter-finals after taking down RorO twice?

I am so glad since I haven’t been to the quarter-finals in a while. I was really nervous today. I think I was able to advance because a lot of lucked followed as well.

You’ve been struggling in ZvZ for a while now, but it looks like you’ve overcome it a lot.

First off, I’ve been doing really well in practice these days. I had this feeling that I was going to advance once I saw my group. I hope Curious hyung will be able to keep his spirits up even though he disappointingly got eliminated.

In that final game against RorO, your decision to utilize mutalisks was impressive. Was that improvised?

It felt like I was in a situation where I would be able to win if I went for mutalisks. It’s not easy to go for mutalisks after a roach battle just ensued, but I was winning in the momentum battle so I boldly went for it.

Your match against sOs ended with a quick defeat. You stated in your televised interview that your mentality had collapsed.

Starting from game one, I lost pushed back in build order battles. Especially for game two, because I did not know that he was going to do a cannon rush. He already used it in his match against Curious hyung, so I had no idea that he planned to do it again.

Recently, you stated in an SNS (social networking site) that cannon rushes were OP.

With the way the game is currently, it is difficult for Zergs to win unless we go hatch before pool. But if you go hatch before pool, it’s so hard to block cannon rushes. I can even beat Zerg players if I do it.

Do you have a desire to get revenge against sOs for the IEM World Championship?

I don’t really have a desire to grab revenge. But if we do meet, I will win no matter what.

Who would you like to face for the quarter-finals?

I will have to face a player from Group B. I recently played against Maru and I noticed that he is really good. But I don’t really have any specific player or race that I would like to face. Everyone is pretty similar.

Do you think your involvement in Proleague for round two has been helpful?

It helps me maintain my feel for the game since I get sent out a lot. I usually prefer to just practice on ladder than prepare for my tournament matches, but since I can’t afford to embarrass IM for Proleague, I am working hard on my preparations.

If you make it to the finals, who would you like to face?

Since I want to put on a show, I would like to face someone with a high name value. However, I would like to avoid a mirror matchup.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank our sponsor Red Bull. I hope people will cheer me on because I will work really hard for this season so that I can put on a good form. I want to let Curious hyung know that he did a job well done, and I want to let my parents know that I love them.

Jin Air Green Wings Maru



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the quarter-finals?

I didn’t think I was going to make it, but being able to advance even through that much difficulty, makes me feel really good.

You had the group of death. What did you think once you saw your group?

I thought to myself that a group like that would not have come out had we done the group selections. But I changed my mentality by telling myself that I didn’t care that I was put into a group like that. After all, those are players I have to win against anyways.

How did you prepare?

I practiced with my teammates. I didn’t have anything special prepared, nor did I study each individual player’s VODs and try to dissect their plays.

Were you going to forfeit right away if your proxy rax got scouted for game two against Zest?

That’s correct. That’s a build order where I had no backup plan. I wanted him to be aware of the fact that I was capable of using an early game strategy whenever I felt like it so I purposely used it. I told myself that I didn’t care if I lost that game.

For all your games, you utilized a large number of ghosts. How come?

I felt like it was going to be difficult if I played like I always played so I worked on changing up my style, and that was the answer that I came up with.

Game two of the winners’ match was a fierce back and forth. When did you think that you had it won?

I thought I had lost because everything kept getting blocked no matter how hard I fought. I think I was able to win after just going for it. I had no idea that I was going to win until the actual match ended.

Did you have any idea about your opponent’s hidden third expansion for game three?

I sort of suspected it so I sent a marine to scout. But I didn’t end up sending it all the way so I wasn’t able to locate it. I had it selected along with my army so it came back halfway and I wasn’t able to find it. There were so many units from Dear than I had anticipated, that I thought I was going to lose. I told myself that I would lose unless I pushed right at that moment, so I went for a final attack. I think the fight went really well.

What do you think about the balance patch that was released a little while ago?

I think it’s the same. I don’t feel that anything is different. I feel like everything’s the same regardless of the patch being released. Nothing’s gotten better but nothing’s gotten worse either.

You will face Life for the quarter-finals. What kind of match do you think will occur?

I think it’s going to be fun. I have no idea what the final score is going to be. I won’t know for sure until I see the maps but I think I will win.

The notion that Terran is difficult is overwhelming. A lot of fans are showing you support. What do you think about this?

Terran is really difficult. You have to think about so many things. Protoss has a lot of options, but Terrans have to do things in a set way so it’s hard. When I think about all those people out there cheering on Terrans, I feel like I have to do better.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank my teammate hyungs for helping me with practice, and I want to thank the Jin Air organization. Lastly, I want to thank the supervisor who kept on giving me advice.

KT Rolster Zest



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about difficultly advancing to the quarter-finals?

I am really exhausted right now. Honestly, I thought I would feel good but I don’t. I think I won’t feel this victory until I go back to the team house and restore my strength.

How come you weren’t in the best condition?

I didn’t have any confidence before I arrived. Then my condition got worse because there was such a long waiting time once I got here, and then I just felt really exhausted as I waited. I had no idea that I was exhausted while I was playing, but all of a sudden my body was just not feeling good.

You faced a lot of prominent player today. Any pressure there?

There was no pressure. I worked hard to approach my games with the mentality that I didn’t mind getting eliminated.

Why do you think you lost the first match against Maru?

Maru played well, but my mistakes were an even bigger factor. I think I lacked decision making skills.

You faced Soulkey in the losers’ round. There must have been a lot of pressure behind the fact that Soulkey is a player that has never fallen to Code A before. How did you feel?

Soulkey hyung is a good player, but honestly, I just didn’t want to face any Zerg players because it’s so difficult to win against Zergs on Daedalus Point. Even before the match took place, I told myself that I had automatically lost a map already. I thought game three was going to be difficult, but I was able to go to the final match because I won on Daedalus Point.

Were you satisfied with the fact that you got to face Dear for the final match?

I was already leading in the head-to-head score against Dear, and since PvPs are always 50/50 regardless of who you face, I had confidence in my skills.

In game one, Dear’s army pushed through while the phoenix battle was going on. What was the situation like?

I wasn’t able to scout and he was, so I was feeling mentally pressed.

You showed a warp gate rush for game two. Was that prepared beforehand?

That was a build order that I wanted to use against Rain for the Round 1 playoff finals for Proleague. I used it because I felt that it would work, and since Dear couldn’t block it even though he saw it, I think it was a great attack card.

You had the advantage in the beginning of game three, but the situation became tricky because of Dear’s excellent force fields. What were you feeling?

For that game, I was attacking from two sides with my blink stalkers. I didn’t realize this, but my attacked because I believed in the mothership core, but I was suddenly surprised once I realized that I had lost it. But because I was able to engage well, I think that’s why I was able to win afterwards.

Did you expect to advance to the quarter-finals after this much difficulty?

Today, every single one of my matches went to all three games. There was a player named Sleep on our team, who played full sets in his Code A match but ended up falling in the end. It looked really tiring. And it looked especially bad to lose after playing full sets. Thanks to that thought, I focused intensely for my final match and was able to win.

You will face sOs for the quarter-finals. Won’t you know each other’s styles well since you’re close?

sOs was consistently a good player, and we pretty much know all of each other’s styles. I feel like it’s going to be a battle of pure skills. If I do win, I can’t help but think it will be a score of like 3-1.

This season’s goals?

It is of course the championship for GSL. But I’m doing really badly for Proleague regular season. If you take away the all-kill I did for the Proleague Round 1 playoffs, I have a win percentage that is less than 50%. I don’t think I’d be satisfied even with a 50% win percentage, so I am going to work hard so that I can hit a 60, 70% win percentage.

There was a patch recently that impacted Protoss. What do you think about it?

I’m sure you can tell from Maru’s games, but I widow mines have become too powerful. I’m not sure if it’s because our Terran players are too good or what but I didn’t feel that Terran was that badly off even before the patch. I think I’m going to have to adapt quickly to the results of this patch.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank my teammates for helping me with practice, my family for always cheering me on, my close friends, and the fans who always come to the studio to cheer me on.

SK Telecom T1 soO



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the quarter-finals?

After seeing Soulkey hyung get eliminated yesterday, I got the thought that I would also end up in that state. I am relieved that I was able to advance.

You seemed really good in your group. What did you think?

It was good. My group consisted of players that I would have picked had the group selections gone through. I further liked the fact that I didn’t have to do any team kills. I yelled out loud when I saw my teammates in Group C (laughs).

You will face the Group C player who advanced second for the quarter-finals. You’re pretty much guaranteed to undergo a team kill so who would you like to face?

I would like it if one of my teammates advanced through, but it would be nice for Squirtle to advance out as second.

If Squirtle makes it through, then that means that your teammates would fail to get through. Who do you think will get eliminated?

I think Classic hyung is going to get eliminated (laughs). The final remaining player will be up for grabs (laughs).

You stated that Bbyong’s bunker placement in the winners’ match game one was not good. How come?

The bunkers he built above the cliffs were done well, but his second bunker did not reach my hatchery and that’s why I was able to block it.

Weren’t you in a troublesome situation once your second spine crawler got destroyed?

I told myself that “Ah, I lost this time also,” and just threw my units at his bunkers, but I ended up blocking it pretty well. I would have lost had I not blocked that attack.

You have now secured your Code S seed for next season. What are your secondary goals?

I’m doing well in individual leagues but I’m disappointed about how I’m doing in Proleague. It’s not like I haven’t established any results or anything like that but I just want to do better.

You lost your Proleague match against MarineKing. Did that affect you mentally?

I knew about that build order. So I prepared for it. I blocked it so well during that first game so I felt like he wouldn’t do it again, but then it affected me in the end since I couldn’t block it even though I knew about it. Thanks to that, it wasn’t easy for me to prepare for my individual league matches.

What do you plan to do the next time you face MarineKing?

When I meet him again, I will destroy him. No matter what method I have to use, I will win.

It looks like you’ve changed physically. What do you think?

I’m not really sure. PartinG’s trying to lose weight right now but I don’t know about BrAvO (laughs). My mom told me not to play with BrAvO. But since I do play with him, I guess I’m starting to gain weight.

Anything else you would like to say?

I want to thank the fans who always cheer me on.

CJ Entus herO



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the quarter-finals?

I don’t really feel all that good about it since I had to take down Bbyong to get here. I came today with the thought that I would be getting some honey, but it was so difficult since I ended up ingesting the wrong kind of honey. But I think it’s okay since I did make it through in the end.

What did you think after you saw your group?

When I first saw my group, I thought to myself that “Ah, I’m frustrated that it’s a team kill,” but after seeing all the other groups, I thought that my group was okay.

Was there an awkward atmosphere at the team house because of the impending team kill?

There wasn’t anything like that. We would meet each on ladder while searching, the winner would poke fun at the loser, and we practiced in a comfortable environment. But since I won the way I won, there really is something there now.

Were you disappointed about the re-game that occurred?

I thought to myself that I wouldn’t hold any kind of grudge even if we did end up doing a re-game for that set. I probably would have won had I kept my nexus alive, but Bbyong also made a lot of mistakes. Overall, I was at a disadvantage for that game. I think we ended up with a tie because Bbyong was the one who made mistakes. Of course, there was a huge mistake on my part since I failed to keep my 6 o’clock nexus alive.

Why did you decide to go for blink stalkers for the final match?

I have the most confident in that build order, and I felt like I had had enough of playing against Bbyong because of that first match. That’s why I went for it. Also, my macro games did not go well for my first match against him. So I wanted to either end it quickly, or start off with an advantage so I decided to go for blink stalkers.

Group C will consists of nothing but Protosses. Who would you like to face?

The matchup that I am most confident in is PvP. If there is a difference in skill level then this won’t apply but most PvPs are 50/50. I don’t really have anyone I would particularly like to face. I’m fine with whoever makes it. All four are good players. I’ve won against Rain a lot but there is no guarantee that I’ll win again if we face each other.

This is your first time advancing to the quarter-finals for GSL. This must be a different feeling for you.

Right now, Proleague is going well for me, and I was able to make it to the quarter-finals like this for an individual league so I think my momentum is just through the roof. I hope to keep riding this momentum for the IEM World Championship and win it all.

Are you confident for the IEM World Championship?

I have confidence. But from what I can see, my build orders right now are limited, so I’m going to have to prepare a lot of build orders once I get back to the team house.

This season’s goals?

As I’ve always stated, my goal for this season is to win the championship. My least favorite matchup is PvT, but since I don’t have to play and kind of PvT until the finals, I think I’ll make it to the finals rather easily. Also, personally, I think I have excellent strategizing skills for boX match formats. So my opponent better watch out.


Anything else you would like to say?

I was performing poorly in Proleague before, but I am grateful to the fans who kept cheering me on. Even with that poor record, the CJ Entus organization kept cheering for me. I think I was able to win because the fans kept cheering me on and giving me strength despite my poor record. I think I will be able to take this good atmosphere right now and keep riding it through and keep on winning as long as the fans keep cheering for me.
Lastly, I’m going to treat Bbyong to something delicious today since he got eliminated. I don’t mind if he’s excited for that.

SK Telecom T1 Rain



Source: inven eSports

How do you feel about advancing out as first from a four Protoss group?

I am glad that I advanced to the quarter-finals, but I feel bad since I know that a teammate of mine will be getting eliminated out of the players remaining.

How do you feel about advancing after taking down PartinG and Classic?

All three of us practiced mainly through ladder since we had to prepare for Proleague. Also, it was rather comforting since they were team kills. But after everything ended, there was a feeling of sadness also.

How did you feel after all three of you got placed in the same group?

I had anticipated getting at least one teammate, but since that occurred, I despised the person who ended up picking all three of us (laughs). Pretty sure that we could have avoided these team kills if we just had the group selections.

You seem to be the master of 200/200 battles for PvP. What’s your secret?

There really is no secret. It’s not like I have this kind of sophisticated micro during battles or anything. I just pray earnestly (laughs). Prayer is the secret.

Even though PartinG pulled off a cannon rush against you, you showed that you were not flustered by it.

On a regular basis, I have a mindset where I am grateful if someone does a cannon rush against me. I tell this to PartinG regularly, but I guess he had confidence in his build.

You showed quite the aggressive form for your match against Classic. Were they improvised builds?

I played game one like I always do, but then I noticed that Classic hyung did a build that he normally does not do. So I made the decision to do an all-in for game two. And for game three, I anticipated that kind of build from Classic hyung.

Your quarter-finals opponent is herO, called to be your predator. Are you confident?

I don’t really see him as a predator. But since people all around me keep saying that, I tend to get confused every now and then. But I see our upcoming match as an opportunity to break out of this.

In order to get to the finals, you will have to undergo nothing but PvPs. How confident are you?

I have more confidence in other racial matchups than PvPs. Personally, I wanted to face a Zerg. I think Terran has gotten a little too strong recently. (WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY RAIN?!!?!)

Why do you think Terran has gotten stronger?

I don’t think it’s just because of the patch. Terran players pretty much had already gotten the feel for the game even before the patch took place, so now it feels like the patch has given them wings.

Anyone you would like to face if you make it to the finals?

I don’t think I should think about the finals right now. I don’t really know.

Anything else you would like to say?

I am sorry to PartinG and Classic hyung. Since one of them will get eliminated, I hope they don’t get upset about it, and keep on being happy even after the match takes place.

SK Telecom T1 PartinG



Source: invent eSports

How do you feel about advancing to the quarter-finals after taking down Classic in the final match?

I think it’s been a while since I’ve played a match where I felt that I had fun even if I did end up losing. And results wise, I am gladder that I was able to advance to the quarter-finals.

It must have been difficult to prepare since you had three teammates in this group?

Even back in my StarTale days, there were a lot of team kills that occurred. I won a lot during those instances. But ever since I joined SKT, I haven’t had much experience winning in team kill fights. Not to mention that now I have to face soO hyung for the quarter-finals again. soO hyung jokingly told me that we would probably meet up against for the quarter-finals, but it became a reality. But even though we have met up again, this time the end result will be different.

Why do you think you lost that 200/200 battle against Rain?

In the beginning, I responded too poorly against Rain hyung’s four stalker pressure. I lost too many stalkers during that time so that mistake was the biggest. That game was the most disappointing game for today.

You prepared a cannon rush for Yeonsu in your match against Rain. Was that a build that you had confidence in?

I had confidence in both the cannon rush and the macro game that would ensue afterwards. I knew beforehand that Rain hyung was good at blocking cannon rushes, but I went for it anyways because I too had confidence. But the end result was that I ended up learning something (laughs).

Since these were fights between teammates, the mentality and build order battles must have been fierce. Were there any builds you prepared separately?

I didn’t have any builds that I prepared separately. But I have always had confidence in PvP. And personally, I feel that the best PvP players are sOs, herO, and Zest. So I wanted to advance through today no matter what so that I could face those players.

You will face teammate soO for the quarter-finals match once again.

It’s going to be difficult to prepare for this match because soO hyung knows my style so well. But I want to deliver this message to soO hyung: As the younger brother, I will cause a mud battle to occur this time around.

Who would you like to face in the semi-finals if you make it through?

Since I have a history with Life, I want to face Life. In the past, I received a lot of harsh criticism from the fans because I think my provocations were a little too harsh. Back then, Life fell into a decline after he lost to me. So I think a fun story is going to be produced if we meet again. I will give him a chance to grab revenge against me. But of course, that is only if he can advance to the semis (laughs). Also, Life stated on TV that I was a good player. I am grateful to him for saying something like that, but I know that that’s not how he feels on the inside (laughs).

A little while ago, Stork put on a really impactful ceremony (ruler gun against Flash). Did you feel a kind of crisis then?

Stork hyung is so impressive, so I think he’s going to win the ceremony award for round two. Honestly, I don’t think I can prepare props that will surpass what Stork hyung did and the reactions that he received. Also, because of my ruler ceremony, Flash hyung is carving his sword for me. So I hope he will let that misunderstanding go. I wish for an awesome ceremony to occur whenever we face KT regardless of who wins. However, I won’t be doing ruler ceremonies anymore.

Isn’t it time for you to starting shining in individual leagues again?

In all honesty, I don’t have as much time to focus on individual leagues anymore like I could do back when I was on StarTale. But a player who is good and has his basics down can rise up high. A good player doesn’t feel affected even if he has to put in a lot of time for Proleague. But if I do make it past the quarter-finals, I will be putting a lot of time into preparing for my boX matches.

Anything else you would like to say?

Recently, a new product by SK Telecom, Health On, was released. This product is really good for maintaining one’s health. I kind of feel like a salesman now (laughs), but I’m hoping that people will try it out at least once. I will use this product to be the first person to show that he’s lost weight. Also, I will treat Classic hyung to something delicious, so I want to take this opportunity to let him know that if there’s anything he wants to eat, then he should say everything that he wants.