[Interviews] TSL Finals

Congratulations on moving on to the finals!
Thanks a lot, but wait with your congrats for the hopeful victory in the finals

How did you think the series went? What were your thoughts when Nony left game 3? How were you feeling?
I though "ufff...". The games were not as easy as the score could show. And of course I realized that 2000$ are already in my pocket with chances for 3000$ more.

What did you think of Nony in general?
I was pretty dissapointed about his behaviour. He didn't say “gg” even once.

What did you think of Nony's play?
He seems to be good in the early stage of the game. His builds were very solid, well practised and pretty hard to stop considering the fact that I wanted to play safe. I think the macro is one of my good features so I was expecting to be on a favoured position in the long term games.

Game 1 you were forced to cancel your Nexus, were you worried at all?
I knew that he couldn't make these 2 reavers that fast without stoping probe production so in consequence his economy was still lower than mine. If I remember correctly at the moment when I canceled it my limit was still 20 higher than NonY's. I knew that the situation is pretty bad but I've remembered from the past even worse situations when I still managed to win so I didn't give up.

In Game 1 you managed to kill 3 shuttles with a total of 5 of Nony's reavers in them. Do you think this was luck, skill, or both?
I don't really think that it was luck. I don't remember now how did it exactly look but in PvP I always try to see where the opponent’s shutle is with my observers and find the right moment when he doesn't expect me to bring it down. Another thing is that NonY decided to harass me in the wrong time when I was prepared to defend it. To make the best possible damage you should do it while you force your opponent to pay attention on the another side of the map.

In Game 2 you were also somewhat behind, you had to pull probes to kill his dragoons. Did you think of quitting at that point?
The situation looked bad again but I had 3 gateways with finishing dragoons and reaver was going out from the robotics as well. Good probe/scv defense is always good against dragoons and sometimes if your opponent concentrate too much on another point of the map it may cost him the game, like in NonY's case.

In Game 2 when did you know you were ahead? When did you know you had won the game?
After I killed his second expansion.

In Games 1 and 2 you played more of a passive style. Was this a choice? Why did you play this way?
As I said before I knew that NonY's builds were good at the beginning but because of that his economy was weaker. Also my makro was probably better than his so with every single minute my chances to win the game were getting higher.

In Game 3 you both had a large army but you stormed better, even using some templar to suicide and storm Nony's army. Did you learn this in Korea?
That's a common thing in PvP even outside of Korea. Maybe I learned how to do it better. I don't really know, because I've learned so many things there.

In all three games you managed the late game and big armies much better than your opponents. Why do you think this is?
Because of my experience, game knowledge and army managment.

Many people were predicting Nony to win, but you advanced 3-0. Was it difficult?
Even though it was 3-0 the games were not that easy.

You are the center of some controversy on the forums. Many fans feel you are disrespecting your opponents by saying you do not practice. Do you respect Nony, White-Ra, and Strelok?
Of course I do respect them. That’s not my fault that you ask me about such a things in the interviews – I simply answer for the questions. I don’t see any point in lying anyone to show some pseudo “manner”. In my opinnion it has nothing to do with my attitude towards my opponents and with the real manner.

Can you tell us a little about your reasons for not practicing as hard as the others? You seem to want everyone to know that you do not practice with an ID like Retired_Draco. Why did you choose this id?
I decided to make this id before the RO32 and before all these controversy going on the forums. If I would have to make my ID again I would surely not choose it. I didn’t think about that much, I simply thought that it would look funny but seems like it didn’t work out this way. I don’t find time for practice because I’m busy with my university duties and I try to spend the rest of time with my girlfriend.

Who do you think your greatest competitor in this tournament could have been (assuming anyone could make the finals). Who would you rather not face in the finals?
I’m not sure but probably Dreiven. Sometimes he has really good days when he plays very well but sometimes he sucks like it was in a match against Brat_OK. Moreover I really don’t like PvP so that’s a next reason to not be willing to play against him.

How do you think the level of foreign Starcraft has changed from when you were active until now? Why do you think you can beat players who consistently practice more than you? Do you think your time in Korea was really that valuable? Or maybe do you think your opponents are playing badly under pressure?
The level rised up a little bit. Foreigners started to pay more attention to proleagues so they watch more progamer’s games and learn from them. For example when I became a progamer the most common builds outside of Korea in PvZ were 1 gate tech or 2 gate zealot rush. Nowadays almost none plays it because people understood that double nexus is so much better.

Your finals opponent is Excello.IefNaij, what do you think of him?
Even though JianFei is a good friend of mine I was hoping for PvT final. I think that he’s a little bit underrated and is for sure a very dangerous opponent.

Are you going to find time to practice this week?
I’d better make no comments here, for my own good.

What are you going to do with your prize money ($2000 for 2nd, $5000 for first)?
I’m gonna buy few gifts for my girlfriend, the rest is going to be transfered to my bank account.

PvP is known as a very volatile matchup, where it can be hard to come back if you use the wrong opening. How will you overcome this?
I can’t agree with that statement. In PvP you can make a come back in so many ways if you manage to kill opponent’s probes with some reaver or templair drops. In my opinnion the most variable match ups are PvP and ZvZ.

What is your prediction for a score in the finals?
I don’t make any predictions.

Brat_OK will now play Nony for third place. Who do you think will take that match? Who are you cheering for?
I probably cheer for Brat_OK because Nony seemed to be a little bit rude in our match.

Have you been watching the coverage of the TSL? What do you think of it?
I’ve seen the match between Dreiven and Brat_OK and I have to say that it has a specific style and atmoshpere. Made with balls.

Any thoughts for improving season 2's coverage or tournament format?
I have no more wishes than simply seeing the second season.

Any last words to your old and new fans?
No matter how the final will finish I hope I will bring you some nice games to watch. Enjoy~

Congratulations on reaching the finals of the Razer TSL! How do you feel?
Good, very good! I knew it was going to be a tough series but I managed to pull through.

Overall, how well do you think you played in the semifinals?
I think I played well in most of the games but made some minor mistakes in some games. But most importantly, I gave all that I had.

How do you think your opponent, Brat_OK, played?
I knew he was a strong player from his games vs Dreiven. He displayed his skills in this series as well. I was not surprised when he rolled over me in game 2/4.

Did you tailor any builds specific to Brat_OK, or did you just play your own style?
I just played how I normally play. I do not want to use specific builds against a player's "style" because he can easily change it and screw me over.

Game 1 took place on Wuthering Heights. How do you feel about this map for PvT?
Many people can argue that PvT greatly favours toss, but in my opinion, it's even harder for the toss. Even in my practice games lose about half of my PvT games on Wuthering Heights, so I would definitely not say that Wuthering H. favoured me.

In game one you encountered Brat_OK's wallin and pressured hard with ranged Dragoons. Do you find a ranged Dragoon opening strong on Wuthering Heights, or did you do this because of his wallin?
I do ranged goons on every map, regardless of a wall in or not. The fact that the Terran walls in can mean many things, 2fact, fast dropship, fast expo etc.. A terran walling in will not affect how I open. I think 2g goon rush is very effective against all terran BO's, so I chose this for all the games on wuthering.

The critical time of the game came when Brat_OK pushed to the high ground and moved toward 12 oclock. What made you decide to counter rather than defend?
I knew defending would put me in a worse position since he had the upper grounds. I knew if I countered he would have two choices, 1 - counter my base while I rape his base or 2 - go save his main and let my expo live. Both would've benefited me.

Were you worried when Brat_OK returned to defend the attack in his main? Did you know you were ahead at that point?
Not really, as I've said earlier, if he went to save his base, it means that my expo would live. I don't know if I was ahead, but if you can make a Terran move his army back and forth all game, you're doing the right thing, unless you're suiciding your entire army.

Did winning game 1 calm your nerves?
A little, I wasn't nervous to begin with. ^^

Game 2 was on Blue Storm. How do you feel about PvT on Blue Storm?
I feel PvT is tough on Blue Storm, hence me thumbing down Blue Storm as the 5th map. It gets extremely difficult when the terran camps and slowly pushes through the middle of the map. I think I should've gotten arbiters MUCH quicker or go fast carriers off 3-4 bases if I wanted a chance. BRAT played really well on this map and steam rolled me.

Why did you decide to try a proxy Robotic Facility?
I was trying to surprise him, but I guess it did not work.

You used your Shuttle much litke Mutalisks; keeping Brat in his main. Is this typical of your style?
If a terran is cheap and refuses to build turrets and goliaths, I will definitely rub it in and punish him. It's not acceptable.

What made you move into Brat's main when you lost the Shuttle?
Well I couldn't go south because his goliaths were there. I had a choice between going west or north, and I was sure he had turrets in the west, so my only choice was to go up ^^

BRAT_OK also did some Dropship harass from 6 oclock. Have you played against this style much?
I see 1-2 dropship drops around expos quite often, but rarely do I see someone that puts tanks above the ledges and mass dropping on the lower ground at the same time, kinda reminds me of the old school Lost Temple 6v9. His strat definitely caught me off guard and I paid a great price, losing a large army and a bunch of gateways. I see 1-2 dropship aggressive style quite often**

Did losing game 2 affect your nerves or your build order going into game 3 on Othello?
Nah, losing on game 2 didn't have any affect on game 3. New map, new bo, new chance. I try to forget my losses and focus on the present

Game 3 was on Othello. Drops seem to be good on this map, so do you feel this map suits your style?
I tend to adapt to how my opponent plays. My style usually depends on my opponent's style, so I wouldn't say it suited 'my style'. If he went mass dropships, then I would mass shuttles or something to counter it, it all depends.

Brat_OK decided to open with a two Factory build on Othello, and you actually sent the Reaver to his main rather than using it on defense. You were confident you could hold your ramp against his units?
I felt that to prevent a terran containment, the best way to fight it is to cut off his reinforcements. If I was able to kill his reinforcements or keep his units in his base, I knew my rallies would be able to break the containment. And that's exactly what happened.

When did you decide to press out of your natural?
when I saw that he had about 5 vults and 1 tank in his main, I knew I cut off enough reinforcements, thus going out and securing my natural.

Moving on to game 4, there was some discussion about whether Zodiac is a Terran or Protoss map. What are you thoughts?
I think Terrans have a slight advantage over protoss simply because of the structural components of the map. The 4 high grounds surrounding the center of the map gives terrans a very nice support when pushing. It gets even more frightening for protosses when the terran is past 150 supply because mass tanks + high grounds = melting toss army.

What made you open up with a daring 12 Nexus?
Again, I wanted to surprise him and hopefully it'll tip him off his toes, but it seems he was prepared and played flawlessly.

Do you think his response of Mines and a quicker third base was correct?
Yes, the mines denied my scouting which was exactly what he wanted.

Brat_OK landed his Barracks on your island to prevent an island expansion. How big of a deal was this: Did it distrupt your play or hardly affect you? Would the outcome of the game possibly changed had that Barracks not landed?
I think the landed barrack on the island definitely affected my game. I was not able to get my 3rd expo up as fast as I wanted and he did a well job adapting to my 13nexus. If anything, I would say the landed barracks lost me the game.

Your 12 Nexus went up without problems but you eventually lost. How did Brat_OK get the advantage back?
As I said for the question above, the landed barrack really tipped me off. I was confused as to where to expo next and he played extremely well and did the right moves to counter the 13 nexus build.

You missed your first chance closing the series by losing game 4. Did this affect your play or mindset going into game 5?
I thought I was going to win when I was up 2-1 and zodiac being the next map. Losing game 4 definitely taught me to never underestimate my opponent and what my opponent is able to do, even if it's my favourite map.


You've said you didn't feel nervous during the series. Game 5 was the first time you could be eliminated. With a potential difference of $4,500 between first and fourth, did you feel any pressure starting this game up?
I try ignoring the fact that there's a large sum of money on the line. I just try to play my best. Of course there is pressure, but the more pressure there is, the more focused I am.


Game 5 was also the first repeat map in the series. Having previously played Wuthering Heights did you fear that Brat_OK would respond to your build in game 1?
My build on Wuthering Heights is relatively safe versus a large variety of terran BOs, so I felt it was the best BO to use. I really didn't think he was going to use such a risky BO for the last match of the series, I felt he would go FD build and play a long macro war.


BRAT_OK did a similar wall-in on cross positions, but opted for a two-Factory. When you did you first release the Joyo rush was coming.
I noticed the rush when his tanks came out to kill my probe. He had about 5 marines and 3 tanks. A terran that fast expands never moves their tanks out of their choke in fear of being broken, thus I knew he was going to do some nasty rush.

The rush balanced on a razer's edge, but you managed to push Brat_OK back and sucessfully defend the rush. How did you do this and what was going through your mind during the rush?
I actually thought I was going to lose at that point. I was left to about 12-15 probes and he kept the pressure on for so long The match was too important for me to give up so lightly, so I was determined to play until I had absolutely no chance. Luckily he stopped building scvs when he came to rush me, so I wasn't too far behind when the rush was destroyed.

Did you realize how far ahead you were once the rush was repulsed?
No, I thought I was actually very far behind. Seems that I was wrong.

When did you know the game, and the series, was yours?
Not until I saw the 'GG'. You never know, he might've been hiding 15 BCs in his base. =_-

How did you train for this series? Who did you practice with?
Mostly with friends. I practiced with a large variety of players. But ALOT of thanks to the great Artosis[Media] himself and Excello.Oldy.

You are known mostly as a Zerg killer, how do you rank your matchups?
I think my best is pvp/pvz, while my Pvt is a bit weaker.

You're really known as a Shuttle and Reaver master. What makes you favour these units and how do you control them so well?
I just use them very often, and cannot play without them

What were your first thoughts after Brat_OK typed GG?
:D :D

You are going up against Draco, the ex-pro. Any thoughts about him?
I know he's a excellent player and arguably the most experienced player in the foreign scene, it will be a tough fight.

Have you seen Draco's games in the previous TSL rounds?
I've seen a few.

Draco says he only plays a single game against the computer to practice. How do you feel about this?
Not that surprising. If I remember correctly, when we met at PGL, Draco just came back from a long sc break, and he still managed to win that PGL Season. He's full of surprises and I do believe his words.

PvP is known as a very volatile matchup, where it can be hard to come back if you use the wrong opening. How will you overcome this?
I don't know, we will see what happens

Brat_OK will now play Nony for third place. Who do you think will take that match?
I think NonY should be able to take it. Maybe 3-2 or 3-1 for NonY.

What will you do with the money if you win the first prize of $5,000?
I don't know. My friends will kill me if I don't buy them dinner, so that's a must. =[ I guess I will save the rest.

Have you been watching the coverage of the TSL?
Yes, excellent coverage ^^

Any thoughts for improving season 2's coverage or tournament format?
I don't know what can be changed, I seriously have no complaints.

You've agree to be a guest on Season Two of Teamliquid Attack. Was that really you against Xiaozi in Season One?
NO COMMENT.

Your fanbase has been steadily growing with every victory. Many people on IRC using "Name_OK" instantly switched to writing their ID backwards like you. Any last words to your old and new fans?
Hehe, I will do my best to take Razor TSL Champion title. So keep cheering! :D