The Liquid`TaeJa Fanclub

1. Hello TaeJa, would you please introduce yourself to your fans?

Hello, my name is Young Suh Yun. I am in team Slayers, and I am 19 in Korean.
I am to become the next terran emperor.

2. Your success in GSL and dominance in online tournaments has gained you quite a bit of fame in the foreign scene. Did you know you're becoming very well known in the foreign scene?

I have been feeling the heat of my popularity during my streams lately and a lot of people are watching my streams because of that.

3. You made your first debut in the GSL while on ZeNeX in season one, but emerged later on SlayerS. When exactly did you join and how did you end up joining?

The Slayers team were searching for team members last year in April, and I applied myself to that search and became one of the team member.

4. Have you enjoyed being on SlayerS?

Of course, I think SlayerS enabled me to reach code S.

5. Who are your closest friends on Slayers or in the pro scene in general?

The closest slayers member is Alicia because he took care of me the best when I was in the slayers house.

6. Golden seemed to leave SlayerS on good terms. Was everyone sad to see him go?

Of course. Golden and I the same age, and I was so sad because of it.

7. Among the players on SlayerS, where would you rate your skill?

My skill would be about in the middle.

8. Who do you think are the strongest players on SlayerS/in the pro scene in general?

Hands down, its MMA.

9. Was SlayerS_Boxer a role model of yours growing up? Whats it like being on the same team as him?

Being in the same team as the Emperor makes me feel proud.

10. It was unfortunate that you didn't get into Code S, but you got to fight for the Emperor. How did it feel to be the one to push SlayerS_Boxer into Code S?

I wasn't able to reach code s but I am satisfied for having such great fans.

11. How did the team react when you got back?

At least for that day - they called me the king.

12. Did Boxer do anything special for you as a result?

Jessica bought me a mouse. :D

13. Was Starcraft 2 your first RTS, or have you played any others?

I played BW and I wanted to be a professional gamer in elementary school

14. During your time as a part of SlayerS it seems like your growth as a player has been incredible. Does SlayerS have a very difficult training regime?

Its not hellish, I just worked hard

15. You're one of the youngest players in the Starcraft 2 pro scene [He just turned 17 on January 1st]. How did you get so good for someone at your age? Did you join a team early on and have good practice partners, or did you simply practice a ton on your own and joined a team once you had the necessary skill?

I practiced on my own and entered a team.

16. What does your training regime look like? [Note - I think this was translated to something more like "What's your own personal regime like/how hard is it? I will get clarification on this later tonight and add an addendum!]

Its not hell but, nor is it really much of a practice - it feels like working out in the park.

17. You always get such difficult Code S groups. Do you ever get nervous during GSL matches?

I like multiple set games and I have weaknesses in low set [game count] matches. Because Code S [the former Code S format] has low set matches, and if I lose a game and play the next round with another player, thats when I get nervous the most.

18. What are your goals for Starcraft 2?

My final goal is winning CODE SSSSS.

19. How do you think you did in 2011, and what are your goals for 2012?

I was happy to have reached code A in 2011 and this year's goal is of course winning code S

20. You have a lot of foreign fans, and others who want to see more matches from you.
Do you ever want to go to any foreign tournaments?

If I could, I would participate in any of them.

21. You have one of the coolest looking keyboards out there. What kind of equipment do you use, and how on earth did you get such a crazy looking keyboard?

I use a keyboard called FILCO , which is a mechanical keyboard. I changed all of the key caps of it and bought those thru online shopping.

22. A lot of people have made note of the fact that foreigners often approach the game differently than Korean players. Who do you think are the most interesting/talented foreigners?

I heard Stephano was the most talented SC2 foreign player out there.

23. You've mentioned you think protoss is OP, but Alicia does nothing but rage about Terran. What do you think about the balance of the game so far in Sc2?

I think protoss is kinda op-er than terran and zerg is ... you know...lol. [Note: His favorite matchup is TvZ. :3]

24. Thank you so much for doing this interview! Do you have anything you would like to say to your fans?

I am extremely thankful for all my fans out there, and until today I was not able to accomplish much, but now I can finally repay all of you. For those who have supported me thus far, I give you my sincere thanks and I will do anything it takes to become THE BEST out there!

- Your thoughts on achieving an all-kill?
I am extremely happy. I want to quickly get the word out to my family.

- Your opponent was from your former team. (**Taeja was on ZeNEX)
It was comfortable for me. Even if it wasn’t me, his (zerO’s) style is well known so it was easy to face.

- How many kills did you predict?
I thought that if I beat zerO, I would get the all-kill.

- Your reason for such confidence?
Continuous practice and laddering. Through that I can see the rankings.

- Did you talk with the ZeNEX members before the game?
We told each other let’s play our best.

- Which game was the most difficult?
The 1st set, my record against protoss in practice was not so good.

- Your style was really aggressive.
When I saw Puzzle’s match history, he favored using void ray or 3 gate openings so I prepared for that. I really focused on preparing for the 1st set. In the 2nd set, after my scan I saw that he had a lot of zerglings so I built more bunkers just in case.

- When can we expect your debut in the individual leagues?
People who have made their splash in the GSTL seem to make it through to the preliminaries in the next season. I will try my best to get good results.

- What has been good about your team switch?
The team atmosphere is really good. When you are there, you can’t help but practice harder.

- Are you greedy for more games (in the next round)?
If I am sent out, I will play but for now, I will step aside for the other players.

- Any last comments?
I want to thank all the SlayerS teammates who helped me practice. One of my friends who is a senior in high school probably watched my game today, but in the future, I hope he can focus on his studies (**for most Korean students this is a stressful time with very little free time). I want to thank my aunt who drives me to every match, and I want to sent my love to my parents.