Source: This Is Game
I would like to hear your thoughts on reaching the semifinals of both the GSL and the OSL.
I wasn't sure that I would win today, so I'm amazed that I won 3-0. I'm even surprised myself. I've reached the semifinals of both leagues, but instead of trying to grasp straight for a championship, my initial goal is to reach the finals of at least one of the two tournaments.
You've been called the top KeSPA Protoss.
I still think it's too early to say that. I would like people to call me that after I win something (laughs).
PvP is called a matchup where victory and defeat are decided by build orders.
Build orders are especially important in PvP. If you're at a build order disadvantage, you can lose even to an amateur. I feel that my win rate is so good because I'm good at choosing my builds based on the situation at hand.
How did you prepare for your match against HerO today?
I wanted to practice on ladder, but because it was Chuseok, I was being put up against masters. But still, I couldn't let my hands get stiff, so I made sure to play one or two games, and I focused on image training by watching VODs of HerO's games.
The community is abuzz with talk about your talents. I'm curious to hear about your thoughts about this.
I'm winning today, but I don't see that as a guarantee that I'll keep winning in the future. I think that my performance is due to 30% talent and 70% effort. All players practice during the same period of time, but each player spends that time in a different way, and I feel that that's where differences in player skill emerge. BW and SC2 require different sets of talents, and I think I'm showing such good results because SC2 is more appropriate for me (laughs).
You're very good at engaging while at max supply. Is your performance in this regard a product of practice?
I do think my results are because of practice. I don't think about it too much, but when I look at my and my opponent's situations, I can usually predict the outcome.
There has been talk that Protoss is OP.
Absolutely not. I think Zerg is OP. When Zerg players said in interviews that their race was weak, my heart ached. Even on ladder, I have trouble beating Zergs.
Who would you like to meet in the semifinals?
Both Mvp and Symbol are strong, but personally, I would prefer to face a Terran, so I would like to see Mvp make it through.
IM_Mvp
Source: This Is Game
I would like to hear your thoughts on making it up to the semifinals.
I'm very happy about reaching the semis. My head was aching before the match, so I anticipated that the pain would make my match a difficult one, but my coach gave me a massage. I think I was able to win thanks to my coach.
Were you satisfied with today's results?
I was. I haven't played a best of X series against Zerg in a very long while, so I'm happy to win like this.
Today, you demonstrated some great macro fights.
I think my TvZ results continue to be good because I keep preparing against Zerg. Previously, I only practiced to prepare for an individual matchup, but recently, even when I'm scheduled to face a Zerg, I play against other races in order to loosen up my hands, and I think I'm doing better because it helps me maintain my feel for the game.
How did you prepare for your games today?
Because it was Chuseok, I couldn't find anyone to play against, so I couldn't practice properly. After the end of the holiday, IM_True helped me a lot.
You've secured yourself a chance to win another GSL.
Whenever I get involved heavily in one season, I have trouble concentrating during the next one, so I don't think I perform poorly for lack of skill. This season, now that I'm at the semifinals, I want to seize my opportunity to win.
Your next opponent is Rain.
I've wanted to face him since a while back, so I'm glad that I'm able to meet him like this. Rain is a player who has lot to learn, so I hope he learns a lot from this match.
Rain is a player who has shown some excellent results. Are you confident about facing him?
I do feel confident. I haven't gotten acquainted with Rain yet, so I would like to take this chance to get to know him more. But as for the match, I want to be the one to win (laughs).
Today, you've made use of both bio and mech compositions.
In the past, I had more confidence in my mech play, so I primarily used mech compositions, but nowadays, I've built up confidence in my bio play, too, through practice. I think that mixing up my unit compositions gives Zerg players a harder time.
Zerg players have been looking very strong lately.
My win rate during practice hasn't been good, so I used to feel a lot of stress. Now, I play with the mindset that tournament results are what really matter, so I feel less anxious than before.
Before, Terran looked like the most powerful race, but that doesn't appear to be the case anymore.
Terran is not as good [as it used to be], but I think the race is strong enough to get me through.
Since Symbol is the one who took down several of your teammates, you must have felt some nervousness.
He is a good player, but I wanted to win against him even more after he beat my teammates. I think I was able to win because I went up against Symbol rather than a different player.
You've revealed your confidence in playing in best of X series. Are you confident going into your match against Rain, too?
I still feel confident. Now that Rain has won so often, I think it's time that he lost (laughs). If Rain reads this interview, I want to tell him that it's time for him to lose (laughs).
Any last words?
I would like send my thanks to IM_True and my team's Terran players, who helped me with practice. IM_horror came down with an eye disease, so I hope that he gets better quickly. I also want to thank my parents for always cheering for me. I'm grateful to LG, SteelSeries, NVidia, Coca-Cola, and Googims, my team's sponsors. Finally, the weather has gotten chilly recently, so I hope everyone takes care not to catch a cold.