EPT
Hydra: “I have the confidence that I will win the championship with a 3:0 record”![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/JI6uf.jpg)
This is the first time he’s advanced to the finals. He never had the experience of standing on the huge stage of a finals game before. And furthermore, he is still fresh from his last season’s Proleague debut. Yet Hydra’s ambition seems the same as “TaekBangLeeSsang”’s. Hydra’s confidence that no matter who his opponent is, he will win against them is like seeing
Flash’s force in the past.Hydra, at the PDPop MSL pre-finals media day interview, did not hesitate to stir up bold remarks to great. He started off by saying that he was a player that still lacked in many areas to be able to go to the finals, but then stirred up arousal when he said that he wanted to face off against the very best players in the finals and was disappointed that he would not be able to get the chance to. Hydra has been rising explosively recently, and was able to advance all the way up to be able to be in the seat and give an interview for the MSL pre-finals media day.
But the most frightening thing about Hydra was that the things he said did not seem to be baseless or mere bluffs at all. To be able to make such bold remarks shows how powerful Hydra’s strength is nowadays.
Q: What do you predict the final score will be?
A: If I’m able to win even one set, then I think that I will probably take the championship. Since I’ve been doing well in ZvZ lately and full of confidence in myself right now, I expect the score to be either 3:0 or 3:1.
Q: What do you think of
great’s Hive tech play?A: Although Hive tech play is something that doesn’t really appear in ZvZ matches that much, of course I’ve also had the experience of using it in practice before. I’ve also been, of course, practicing Hive tech play during practice. I believe that there will be probably 1 or 2 games in the finals where you’ll be able to see some Hive tech play.
Q: People say that great is better looking than you. What do you think about that? [T/N: Wtf, isn’t this a pre-finals hype interview?]
A: I saw in some questionnaire survey once that 90% of Korea’s male population thinks that they are good-looking in their own heads. Playing games doesn’t involve your face though (laughs).
Q: The atmosphere is really heated right now on this media day. It seems that this is your first time experiencing such an atmosphere.
A: I thought that this interview would be a nice and quiet one, but it turned out to be more intense than I thought. But since it feels like a battle to the death, it’s really fun and exciting (laughs).
Q: When you learned that you would be facing great in the finals, how did you feel?
A: great was the one that said that he wanted to face off against the best players in the finals, but I think that I should’ve been the one who said that. I had wanted to face either
Jaedong or Flash in my first finals. That’s why I had wondered before what would have happened if I had met great in the Round of 4 instead.Q: How much do you want to get paid for your annual salary contract if you win the championship?
A: If I win the championship and continue to perform solidly in Proleague, then I believe I will see a good outcome when I renew my contract in August. If I do all that, then the company will give me an appropriate amount, don’t you think?
Q: In preparation for the finals, you said that you didn’t particularly increase the amount of practice time for yourself.
A: Since I already practice a lot for any match, I’m not going to increase my practice time just because it’s the finals. To me, all of my matches are like going to the finals.
Q: Do you have any superstitions you believe in in order to prepare for the finals?
A: Since it’s absolutely necessary for me to have long fingernails, I’ve been doing my very best to maintain their length (laughs).
Q: Do you have a particular nickname you want to be called by?
A: “Tuna” is a nickname I’ve become familiar with being called ever since elementary school. But the nickname “High-end Zerg” seems to be a nickname that really fits me.
Q: Do you have any last words you want to say in preparation for the finals?
A: If you really want to get involved with games with all your heart and soul, it’s best for you to move to Seoul and go to school there, but I hadn’t been able to get permission from my parents to do that. However, since I didn’t want to give up on my dreams, I didn’t listen to what my parents said and moved there on my own (laughs). Although I did rebel against my parents and had a lack of filial piety to them, this time I will display good results in order to give them at least a bit of happiness, and I have a good feeling about everything. I really think that it’s a relief that I made it all the way up here. This time, I will win the championship in front of my parents and repay them back for everything they’ve done for me.
great: “My extensive knowledge on Hive tech play will win me the championship”![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/dDQU4.jpg)
Things have been going smoothly on the PDPop pre-finals media day. But rather than it feeling like a battle between two players to the death, the atmosphere feels heated. The two players have both claimed that they have the confidence to win the finals, and have waged a psychological battle between each other where no one has given an inch.
However, great has been looking like he has been enjoying this kind of interview. Coach January has stated that the one who has been having more fun and enjoying themselves more in preparation for the finals is great and has skillfully raised the hype and rivalry between the two players. great has stated that he will show a brand new concept in the finals, giving everyone all the more reason to anticipate his games.
Q: There are 3 days left until the finals. How do you feel right now?
A: While preparing for the finals and living my life as a progamer until up to now, I’ve been immersing myself in practice and have been doing it the way I want. Rather than just playing many games over and over again, I’ve been studying new builds and preparing unfamiliar plays, and since the whole process has been so fun, the feeling that I’ve been enjoying playing games and having fun with them is more stronger than the feeling that I’m practicing for the finals.
Q: What do you predict the final score will be?
A: There are favorable maps in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd sets. (Dante's Peak, Circuit Breaker, and Benzene) I’ve been wondering if they will play a major role in how I will be able to win one set and take the championship.
Q: Most people have been saying that
Hydra’s force is stronger than yours.A: Since he advanced from the Round of 4 by beating
Jaedong, the best Zerg player, I think that I will have to make those sayings go disappear. However, I think that I will absolutely be able to show that my force is strong as well in the finals.Q: People also say that you’re better looking than Hydra.
A: After thinking about it for a bit, they’re right; I am better looking than him (laughs). For progamers, I think that one must have either great ability or other special skills, and it seems that I’m ahead in one area, right (laughs)? Knowing that I’m ahead of him by even 1 thing makes me happy.
Q: This MSL’s finals seems an alternation of generations. What do you think about that statement?
A: An alternation of generations is inevitable. The fact that this is the first finals with a different generation in it has a deep meaning. I said that Hydra does not have any capabilities as of yet, and regarding the talk I always hear about that his record in Proleague having no falters in it, I don’t think that that’s true at all. After I win the championship, it’s very possible that I can beat him again in Proleague, don’t you think.
Q: Hydra has said that he has confidence in his Hive tech play.
A: I don’t have just small experiences with Hive tech play here and there. Since I’ve been consistently studying it for around 2~3 years, it will not be easy to defeat me if it gets to Hive tech. I also think that I can win even with Lair tech.
Q: Do you have a particular nickname you want to be called by?
A: I’ve always liked the nickname “Dreamer” given to me ever since the past. Just like
Nal_rA who does plays that Protosses would dream of, I also wish to do plays that Zergs would be able to dream of. Now people call me “Dreamer Zerg”, and I’ve grown to like that nickname as well.Q: There was a big reaction when it was announced that you were going to the finals.
A: It was really tiring while photographing, but after I saw my pictures I cracked up (laughs). Since I was worrying a lot at that time, so it seems that it also showed in my pictures, but this time I will definitely bring out a drawn-out war so that I do not have to worry anymore. It would be also nice if the MSL PD (Producer) would cheer up too (laughs).
Q: Your win-loss records against Hydra are at an equal 1:1 ratio. Hydra said that he only remembers the game where he had won against you before.
A: For Hydra to say that he has been doing well lately is like a frog forgetting that it was once a tadpole before. When I had won against Hydra, I won because of my ability and force, but the game where I had lost against him was the one where I had made a lot of mistakes.
Q: You say that you have the confidence and belief that you will show everyone a new style of ZvZ.
A: Since there has been not a single person working towards making a new change in the scene nowadays, I wondered if a new revolution would ever be made again. If I introduce a new idea to the scene, then I have the confidence that I can make a whole impact on it and change it completely.
Q: Hydra says that he is not doing any special training or practice in preparation for the finals. Do you have anything to say regarding this?
A: It seems that Hydra’s style of practice is the one that all progamers use, the style of practice where you simply just play mass games, am I wrong? Since I want to show a completely new style of ZvZ to everyone, it’s only natural that I am the one who is working harder than him.
Q: How much do you want to get paid for your annual salary contract if you win the championship?
A: I haven’t had even a single thought regarding my annual salary besides winning the championship. Since I like the occupation of being a progamer itself, I’m not too particular about payment. Since I’m just happy with being able to appear in broadcasted matches and play in them, I’m not discontent with my annual salary right now.
Q: Did you have any thoughts about having Hydra as your opponent in the finals?
A: It’s something that I couldn’t have imagined, not even in my dreams. Even before the 2nd day of the Round of 4 had started, I had already put together a custom build to take down
Jaedong. Jaedong looked really tired on that day. I had thought that it would have been the perfect opportunity to win the championship if some other progamer such as Hydra had advanced to the finals, but since I had wanted to face off against the best of the best players, it’s really regrettable.Q: Do you have a resolution for the finals?
A: I’ve had the experience of losing right in front of my parents at Gwangahnri [T/N: the place where the Proleague finals are usually held] before. Since I do not want to go through that experience in front of my parents again this time in the finals, I’m going to work even harder. I also ask for many of my fans to come and watch a new style of ZvZ unfold right before their eyes right at the place where the finals will be held.
Coaches KIMDONGWOO and January’s interviews:
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/PG7uf.jpg)
On February 16th, the PDPop MSL pre-finals media day exhibition was held in the Munredong LOOX HERO center.
The ones who participated in this MSL’s pre-final media day were Samsung KHAN’s great and Hite Entus’s Hydra who have advanced to the finals, along with top coaches January and KIMDONGWOO, who all expressed their resolutions for the finals.
Coaches January and KIMDONGWOO, in order to not let their players be called inferior to the other, made bold remarks and have waged a psychological war of words against each other. In recent years, both coaches January and KIMDONGWOO have been unable to see new champions from their teams win the MSL, and expressed their determination that their player will be the one to take home the MSL championship winner’s cup.
KIMDONGWOO and January’s interviews:On February 16th, the PDPop MSL pre-finals media day exhibition was held in the Munredong LOOX HERO center.
The ones who participated in this MSL’s pre-final media day were Samsung KHAN’s great and Hite Entus’s Hydra who have advanced to the finals, along with top coaches January and KIMDONGWOO, who all expressed their resolutions for the finals.
Coaches January and KIMDONGWOO, in order to not let their players be called inferior to the other, made bold remarks and have waged a psychological war of words against each other. In recent years, both coaches January and KIMDONGWOO have been unable to see new champions from their teams win the MSL, and expressed their determination that their player will be the one to take home the MSL championship winner’s cup.
Q: (To Coach January) There hasn’t been a single Samsung KHAN player that has won the MSL championship before.
Coach January: I had expected that this kind of question would asked to me (laughs). From a coach’s standpoint, I’ve been to many finals matches before, but it’s true that my heart does hurt since there haven’t been many players who have won championships. However, seeing players go out into the finals and not be able to show what they had prepared so hard for and lose in the end makes my heart hurt even more. The players who prepare for important matches like the finals usually receive a lot of stress. But up to now, unlike most other players, great has been preparing for his match in a very enjoyable way and is having fun, so from a coach’s standpoint, my heart has been able to relax. Our team’s players and coaching staff have all joined together as one and are having fun together, so we all have big expectations and hopes for winning the finals.
Q: (To Coach KIMDONGWOO) Since is the first time after the merger with Hite Sparkyz your team is going to the finals; how is everyone on the team helping Hydra out with preparing for the finals?
Coach KIMDONGWOO: It has been a very long time since the last time we had a player advance to the MSL finals. And this time we also have a lot of strong support. Although they have retired, in order to help Hydra prepare for his match, we had
EffOrt and Coach Cho come and help him out. Since we’ve had so much help and support from others, I have a feeling that there will be a good outcome in the finals. [T/N: Rather than Effort directly helping Hydra out with his plays and builds and such, by "giving Hydra help", they probably mean that Effort has been just giving Hydra general advice and Hite called him out to help support and cheer on Hydra. Although there is still the possibility that Effort may have played a larger role in helping Hydra out, but that wasn't made clear in the interview. So don't have huge expectations that Effort helping Hydra out = Automatic win for Hydra!]Q: What do you think are the weaknesses of the opposing player?
Coach January: Hydra has advanced all the way to the finals with a very good momentum. However, if I talk about Hydra’s weaknesses, then everything that we had prepared would be in vain, so I won’t say anything (laughs). Anyway, we saw Hydra’s games against
Jaedong and observed Hydra’s play, so we have prepared a lot.Coach KIMDONGWOO: Both players have their strong points and weak points. I believe that the reason why players that have dominated for a period of time are so good at their games is because they keep their strong points to a maximum and their weak points to a minimum. That’s why an emphasis should be put on basic fundamentals, something that I think Hydra is superior to over great.
Q: (To Coach January) People say that Hydra seems to have no loopholes in his games though.
Coach January: There is no such thing as a player that has no flaws. Of course this goes for the same for Hydra. When you see great’s games on the day of the finals, I think that you will feel that his games are very entertaining to watch.
Q: Do you have any superstitious or special things you do before a finals match?
Coach January: We don’t do any superstitious or special things in particular. We go to the game stadium and watch 1 game of a player, and after watching how they do, we estimate how their game will go on the actual day of the match. The match has to actually start in order to be able to properly assess the two player’s conditions.
Coach KIMDONGWOO: We also don’t do any kind of superstitious or special preparations as well. All of our coaching staff goes and watches 1 game in order to try to guess how a player’s performance will be like on the actual day of the match, but other than that, there’s not really anything special that we do.
Sources: Hydra's interview: http://esports.dailygame.co.kr/news/read.php?id=40068
great's interview: http://esports.dailygame.co.kr/news/read.php?id=40065
Coach January and KIMDONGWOO's interview: http://www.fomos.kr/board/board.php?mode=read&keyno=114936&db=interview&page=1&field=&kwrd=
If there's any grammar mistakes/typos/errors, then do please point them out!
Here is some more relevant info not mentioned in the interviews:
- It has been confirmed by Coach KIMDONGWOO that both
EffOrt and former CJ Entus coach Coach Cho will be at the finals in order to support and cheer for Hydra.- Hydra has been practicing with the Woongjin Stars's Zerg players in order to prepare for the finals. He may have a slight advantage over great due to
ZerO being one of his practice partners, as ZerO has had experienced great's Hive tech play before. There is also the possibility that ZerO could give Hydra a build that might counter great's Hive tech play. Woongjin's Coach Lee Jae Gyun called Hite's Coach KIMDONGWOO and offered to help Hydra out, so the motive behind Woongjin helping Hydra out may be because of revenge for great knocking out ZerO in the Round of 4.- There was a pact between the coaches of Hite and Hwaseung that whoever lost to each other in the Round of 4 would become their practice partner for the finals. Since
Jaedong lost, it was originally agreed that Jaedong would have been Hydra's practice partner for the finals, but since the two teams would face off against each other in Winners' League the day right after the finals, the agreement was canceled. The two teams however, have promised each other that they will not send Hydra against Jaedong or vice versa in order to not spark a revenge match between the two. So there will be little to no possibility that we will see a Hydra vs. Jaedong rematch in Winners' League tomorrow.- Coach January has denied rumors that she had originally recruited
great into her team because of his good looks, and said that the reason why she had recruited him as a player was because he seemed like a hard worker. She did add though, that when she had recruited him great was still in high school, he had lots of acne on his face before his face got to where it looks right now.Sources: Daily eSports + Fomos
I hope that this post has hyped everyone up more for the finals, because I have a good feeling that we'll see some epic games tonight! Get pumped!
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More pics of the interview session below:
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Hydra: "Lol great watchu lookin' at"
More pics of the interview session below:
+ Show Spoiler +
Hydra: "Lol great watchu lookin' at"
