We would like to thank kimbilly of PGR21.com for allowing us to translate his live text coverage of the SK Planet Proleague Season 2 Media day. Original Korean thread.



12:14 KST[local]: And we're done, with the final set of Q&A questions. Thanks for tuning in! Thanks kimbilly, you can follow him @kimbillly (three L's).

One final note from kimbillly: There won't be global broadcasts ready for opening day, but they'll start soon after!

Q: You changed your race for SC2, why?
Clam: Before I started I was thinking about which race to play, and I thought it would be more fun if I played a different race. I also thought that it would be interesting for viewers, so I switched.

Q: Could you talk about any other famous players who changed races?
Park Yong Woon (T1): In the end, no one. One player did attempt it, however.
Kim Ga Eul (Khan): Jangbi tried to achieve his dream and switch to Terran, but he couldn't give up his hope for Protoss and he returned to it.
Lee Ji Hoon (Rolster): Flash also said he wanted to play Protoss. Right now we're in the hybrid SC1/2 phase, so I dont' think playing different races will be good. When it changes to SC2 for good, he could consider it.
Kim Dong Woo (Entus): Leta said he would try Protoss, but he changed to Terran. Rush is Terran in SC1, but he's Zerg in SC2. I'll have to see more to know if he's good.
Lee Jae Gyun (Stars): Light suffered a lot at the hands of Protoss in SC1, so he tried Protoss at first, but after three days of excruciating practice, he changed back to Terran. No player in particular has switched races. A Zerg player has said he'd try out Terran, but it turned out he needed a lot of practice.
Kim Eun Dong (Soul): For us, Calm.
Han Sang Yong (Eight): Some tried at first, but they ran into tough match-ups so they reverted. Zerg players are having a hard time, so they are considering changing.
Song Dong Gyun (ACE): It seems that we're doing a lot of race changing. FireBatHero is playing Protoss, and you'll see him show sound fundamentals in his games. Great is playing Terran, and Chavi is playing Protoss.

Q: What do you think of the balance in SC2?
S2: I'm not at the skill level to talk balance, but all the races seem good except Zerg.
Light: I think Zerg looks the weakest, and Terran is a race that looks strong when played well. However, I haven't reached that level yet, and TvP is a bit hard.

Q: The proleague will be played from Saturday to Tuesday. When you think of foreign tournament schedules, how will you adjust?
A: We'll focus on stable operation of the Proleague first, and reach an agreement between association and teams to figure out what to do. We're not sure if there should be a new league altogether, or if we should participate in an existing league. We will think about it after we have increased the value of the current Proleague.


11:57 KST: Q&A with players and coaches!

Q: You said that you think this season is good for your team, could you elaborate?
Jaehoon: We've been preparing for SC2 before other teams, and I think we try harder. Also, we're receiving some help as we practice. I can't tell you what it is, but it gives us an advantage.

Q: This new discipline of SC2 will be difficult. Are there any teams practicing with the existing SC2 teams?
Lee Jae Gyun (Stars): If I may speak as a representative for everyone, a lot of us know the current SC2 team head coaches. We don't practice with them officially or unofficially, but we receive their advice. Things like how to run the team at first, computer specs, etc are things I've talked about over a drink and thought about. As far as I can tell, there hasn't been any practice between the KeSPA teams so far, for fear of leaking strategies.

Q: The ace match is Starcraft 2, so SC1 might become neglected. What kind of weight will you put on each game?
Park Yong Woon (T1): Looking at the stats, and the fact that SC2 is the latter half of the series and the Ace match, we're looking at a 6 : 3 ratio of SC2 to SC1. The reason is the maps for SC1 haven't changed, and I don't think player results will be that different. The deciding factor is SC2, and I will have to do a lot of research about how to use players in SC2.
Song Dong Gyun (ACE): During the off-season, we've focused on SC2. We don't have the advantage in SC1, so I think we'll go 50:50 once the season starts.

Q: When we ask GSL players, they say SC1 players will be good at SC2. What kind of skill level do you think you're capable of?
Stork: SC1 and 2 have different characteristics, and whatever the GSL players say, I don't think I'm at the level to agree with them on that point. The key is how fast one can adapt to a new style of game. I know that players practice a lot on ladder, and though I might occasionally meet a SC2 player there, I feel like I'm lacking a lot compared to them.
Flash: In my heart, I'd love to catch up in three months, but realistically I think it will take a year. If I want to reach my SC1 level of skill, I think it will take 2~3 years.


11:50 KST: Player comments!

S2 (T1): We're adapting quickly to the change, and practicing harder than we were for SC1. We will be able to show good results.

Stork (Khan): There's a lot of SC2 in the new format so we're putting in a lot of tough practice for SC2. But I don't think good results will come from just SC2. We'll play both games well and go to the finals this season.

Flash (Rolster): I've become immersed in SC2 and play the game until 3-4 in the morning. It feels like when I first played SC1. I'll work hard so I can show everyone better games.

Leta (Entus): I've played in a lot of seasons up to now, but I've never felt better. Our players are practicing hard, and we'll show it to you with good results.

Light (Stars): Because of hybrid sc1/2 it will be a tough season, but if we will all try hard and achieve good results. There won't be any missing out on the post-season because of points.

Calm (Soul): This season is an opportunity. We'll all try hard to get good results. Personally I've picked Terran for SC2, and I'll do my best not to get embarrassed.

Jaehoon (Eight): I apologize for not being able to get play well after the team was founded. The tournament format has changed a lot, but I think it will be good for our team. We'll repay our fans with good results.

Piano (ACE): We've always been in last place, but that's the Air Force ACE of the past. We'll show you that the new Air Force team is different. Our goal is reaching the post season.


11:45 KST: Coach comments!

Song Dong Gyun (ACE): We will prepare for the season as we always did. If there's anything different, the players are more self-motivated and active. This will definitely show up as good results in the season. I think it's time for us to put up noticable results. We will think of this season as our last chance, and give it our all in the matches. As head coach, I will do my best to make the optimal environment for practice.

Han Sang Yong (Eight): There were some coaching staff and player roster changes this season, but we are not shaken, and we will put up the opposite results from last season.

Kim Eun Dong (Soul): Every season, it seems my turn to speak comes sooner. I hope I can change our ranking [and turn to speak] next season. We've practiced a lot of SC2 and been told that we're good, but I don't know yet. I'll have to wait and see until the opening match on the 20th. We're preparing a lot, so we have expectations.

Lee Jae Gyun (Stars): Like STX, there are rumors that we are the best [at sc2] and they are true. We gave up our team workshop and prepared a lot, so there won't be any elimination based on points. We will win the championship through pure skill. Keep an eye on us.

Kim Dong Woo (Entus): Playing SC1 so long, the time of greatest change has come. All the teams seem to have done their own preparation, and we've worked to give our team its own unique characteristics. The coaching staff have prepared a lot in and outside of the game. Expect big things.

Lee Jee Hoon (Rolster): We thought may-june would be an important period, and it's been a hectic year for everyone. It's a fresh feeling starting a new season. Because of finals preparation, we were late in preparing for SC2, but our average age is low so we are fast at understanding and getting used to games. We will be humble and prepare hard for each game. We were 2nd place last season, so we will be 1st this season.

Kim Ga Eul (Khan): There's never been a more unpredictable season. We'll have to wait until the first round has passed to know, but we'll do our best in the given situation.

Park Yong Woon (T1): This season, a new format and game has been introduced. We'll forget existing statistics or confidence, and approach this season with a humble attitude. Many teams desire to change their rank, but we will prevent that and prove that class is forever. We will win.


11:40 KST: Interviews with players and coaches coming up.


11:35 KST: Schedule!

Round 1: May 20th - June 19th.
Round 2: June 23rd - July 22nd.
Round 3: July 23rd - August 26th.

15 weeks, 84 games.

Post season: September 1st - Sept 22nd.
Pre playoff: Sept 1st, 2nd, 4th.
Playoffs: Sept 8th, 9th, 11th.
Finals: Sept 22nd.


11:35 KST:

Q: Will there be a winners league or all star game?
A: We will do those after the end of the season. During the season, we will be busy just running this kind of tournament. There may be cooperation with international leagues.

Q: Will you be using the English client of SC2?
A: We thought about it as we considered the global audience, but for now we've decided on the Korean client.

Q: Will you have separate casters for SC1 and 2?
A: The casters will be the same, but we will try new combinations. We will make an announcement on the 15th. Btw, we're using the same four casters.


11:32 KST:

Q: Starcraft II requires an internet connection to play. There might be a lot more technical problems than BW?
A: We will proceed accordingly. We have knowhow from GSL and foreign tournaments, and Blizzard will help us out so we don't expect major problems.

Q: How will players switch races? Do they declare a race each round?
A: Rosters are submitted once a month, and races can be changed then. Players must declare races for both SC1 and SC2.

Q: SC2 is under the curfew policy (players of a certain age cannot play after a certain time). How will you prepare for this?
A: It's something we'll have to prepare for. There are no players under the age of 16 that we know of. If such players appear, we will take care of the problem.

Q: Are you using special versions of the SC2 maps?
A: We are using ladder versions. The reason is because players have just started adjusting, and we also want to use maps that new Starcraft II viewers will be used to.


11:26 KST: Q & A time!

Q: Will you be using different computers for SC1 and 2, or just one?
A: We're still preparing this, because we will be doing different settings for each set, there shouldn't be any problems.
A2: The SC1 comps will be the ones we used before, and we will get top spec comps for SC2.


11:25 KST: Game times are Sat/Sun 12:00 KST, and Mon/Tues 15:00 KST. The opening day is May 20th (Sun), and all eight teams will compete.

Opening day will be an 11 hour long event, with SKT vs Team Eight, CJ vs KT, Airforce Ace vs Samsung, and STX vs Woongjin.


11:19 KST: Rankings are determined in order of win-rate > # of wins > set score differential.

SC1 Official maps: Neo Ground Zero, Neo Electric Circuit, Neo Jade, Shin Sniper Ridge.
SC2 Official maps: Antiga Shipyard, Entombed Valley, Cloud Kingdom, Ohana (all ladder).


11:15 KST: How entrees work.

• Teams submit their Starcraft 1 players before the first set, and then submit their Starcraft 2 players after the third or second set.
  
• The players are revealed as they are required to play. If the SC1 or SC2 series does not need to go to a third set, the prepared player is still announced.
  
• Players who competed in Starcraft 1 will play Starcraft 2 in their next game, and players who competed in Starcraft 2 will play Starcraft 1 in their next game. Players cannot play in both SC1 and SC2 on the same day (ace match exception).
  
• Players submitted in the line-up for a particular game who were not required to play are still counted as having competed for this purpose.

11:13 KST: Setup time for players remains the same at 5 minutes.

Minimum team size is six players, maximum is fifteen. Players can register as different races for SC1 and SC2.


11:11 KST: This is the big one:

Proleague Season II match format

Regular season: Best of seven

Sets 1-3: SC1 (Best of 3)
Sets 4-6: SC2 (Best of 3)
ACE Match: SC2

No change for post season, or finals.


11:05 KST: This season will only have the Starcraft II logo (because they cannot use two logos), and the official title will be Starcraft II.


The event should start around 11:00 AM KST. Supposedly, this is where we learn about how exactly the hybrid BW/SC2 proleague will work, and a bunch of other details that were not finalized at the eSports vision announcement earlier this month.