Source: This Is Game
You took down FXO and brought your team to victory with a score of 4-1. Tell us your thoughts.
I'm overjoyed that AZUBU is participating in the finals. This has been a real help for the AZUBU name.
This was the first all-kill of the GSTL pre-season. Did you see this coming?
I could never even have imagined such a thing. Since long ago, I've gotten too nervous whenever I even came to the Mokdong studio. I didn't play well during the first set, but I sensed that the opposing team's players were nervous, just like me, and I think it's thanks to that that I was able to win. I'm happy that I was able to perform an all-kill on the GSL stage, and I think I'll only become more confident in myself in the future.
Zerg has been considered to be weak in Heart of the Swarm, but the race has been doing well during the pre-season.
It's not so much that Zerg is becoming stronger as that these are pre-season games. The players understand that, so they're mostly trying to play macro games, where Zerg can manage well enough. The reality, though, is that on ladder, where people play to win, Zerg is weak. I'm wondering whether there will start to be proper games once the regular seasons begin.
A lot of people feel that Sky Toss is difficult to beat on Akilon Flats.
I had anticipated Void Rays at first and prepared a build accordingly, but I got thrown off when an early-game attack came. I was originally going to use a mid-game timing, but I couldn't do it because of my opponent's early strike. I worked towards the late game and attacked with Vipers, and he had Tempests. Tempests may be powerful in the late game, but I thought that things would still work out, so I went ahead and attacked anyway.
What thoughts ran through your head when you ran Zerglings inside your opponent's base and saw his Starport tech during the fourth set?
He actually lowered his Supply Depots while I was scouting them with an Overlord (laughs). As soon as the Depots were down, I seized the opportunity to break into his base with Zerglings. I did get flustered when three Banshees came in, but I thought it would be fun if I went for a Nydus. There was a Supply Depot where I was going to place my Nydus exit, but I thought I could do it if I was able to turn away his attention with his attacking Banshees toward my Queens. It wasn't a strategy that I'd prepared in advance, but I got lucky and my timing worked well.
You showed some impressive Fungal usage during your fifth and final game against Leenock.
If the Fungals hadn't hit, I had planned to pull my Drones and go for an all-in. I felt that I would have a hard time when I saw the Mutalisks, but he suddenly flew in and allowed my Fungals to hit. Fungal Growth may have been nerfed, but since it's still powerful if used properly, I was prepared to engage at any time.
Your team is the first to reach the finals. Which other team would you like to see rise up?
I think that the match will be a close one. NSHoSeo's jjakji has amazing TvZ; LG-IM's RagnaroK is a good player, and he's doing much better than he normally would because the other players are treating the game like Wings of Liberty. I think that the new units and fresh builds will come out, making the match an exciting one. I'm thinking of playing an exciting match no matter which team makes it up, so whichever team rises up doesn't matter to me.
The IEM World Championship will also be using Heart of the Swarm. Do you feel confident?
I think that my group is okay. To be honest, I think it'll be tough to go all the way and win the tournament. My goal for now is to make it out of my group in 1st place.
We're curious to hear about your future plans.
I'm going to come to a decision soon. If I stay in Korea, I'll be working alongside my AZUBU teammates, but if I choose to play overseas, I'll have trouble playing on the GSL stage.
Do you have any last words?
I want to send my thanks to my team's sponsors, AZUBU and Razer. I received some new equipment from Razer yesterday, and they functioned incredibly well during my games. I'll perform well during the finals, too.