[Interview] 2012 GSL S3 CodeA R3 D1

You have returned to Code S for the 8th season in a row

I am one step closer to the Nestea award, given to those who have stayed in Code S for 10 consecutive seasons, and that makes me happy. Yoda's playing against Supernova tomorrow and I helped him practise. I'm sure Yoda's going to win because he's playing really well lately. At the moment, Yoda is the best player on our team.

You used mech play to crush your opponent's bio forces in the first set

It went according to plan. In a 200/200 fight, mech is far superior so the fight was an easy one.

You scouted the proxy marauder rush straight away in Set 2. Were you suspicious?

For some reason, I got the feeling that a proxy marauder rush was coming my way even before the match started. Because of this, I changed my strategy and scouted. It was spot on. I think luck was on my side.

There have been a few qualifiers recently but you only got to watch them because you got seeded.

It felt great to be seeded instead of playing in the qualifiers. However, this time, I had to prepare for Code A so it's not like I took a break. I worked as hard as the players in the qualifiers.

Your teammate and junior Seed has the Code S finals ahead of him. Did you give him any advice?

He'll handle it fine himself so I didn't bother with advice. He told us that he would treat us to something nice regardless of whether he wins or loses. If he wins, good for him, if he loses, still good for us since we get to have a nice meal (laugh). The last Code S finals was IM vs another team but this time it feels like an all IM finals. We have a partnership with MC's team and we are close friends anyway. So, it's a bit different this time. I think we can all have fun regardless of the results.

Weren't you disappointed about being eliminated from Code S so early on?

I always blame myself for under-performing. So, no regrets here. What does bother me is that my play is suffering lately.

How is your condition and your cervical discs in particular?

I need to get treatment for the cervical discs but I postponed it because of Code A. Also, it's been a while since I lost interest in the game. The illness seems to have made it hard for me to enjoy the game and as a result, I've gotten worse.

When do you think you can become passionate again and return to your former glory?

Honestly, I can't say. All I can promise is that I will work as hard as I can.

Anything to add?

I hope the finals between Seed and MC is a fun and exciting one. I want to thank Happy, Yoda and dreamertt for practising with me. Also, I get really stressed out and frustrated during practice. I want to thank and apologise to my girlfriend who always stuck by me and helped me deal with my emotions every time it happened.

You are in Code S for the third time in a row, how do you feel?

So so. It was a Code A game so it wasn't all that special.

You must be used to Code S by now

When I was eliminated in ro16, I realised how precious the Code S stage is to me. Seeing other Protosses do well made me somewhat jealous. It motivated me into thinking that I should do better next season.

Did you have a reason for choosing 4 gate in the first set?

In his last interview, Gumiho said that he would be aggressive. Seeing that interview, I was going to play defensively but realised that I would be playing into his hands if I did so and attacked instead. I've almost never 4 gated in official matches. I think it worked quite well.

In Set 2, Gumiho tried a proxy but the attack did not come

The scout revealed proxy marauder. When the attack didn't come, I realised he had change up his strategy. If he had just attacked, it would have been much easier for me to win so that's why he gave up on the attack. This lengthened the match.

There have been many qualifiers recently. You have a seed into WCS and participating in WCG next week

The only reason I fell in ro16 was because I didn't have enough time to work on my fundamentals because of all the foreign tournaments I was attending. However, after my elimination, I worked hard on my fundamentals so WCG should be a breeze.

Lately, PartinG is the centre of attention. What's your view on this?

It's fun to watch. PartinG is a fun person to be around and I'm happy for him when he receives attention. He's got a weird side to him fore sure (laugh). He's someone who lives in his own special little world.

Do you get motivated by all the hype around other Protosses?

Watching this season of Code S was a great source of motivation. I was jealous of how well other Protosses were doing and this made me think that I should work harder.

Can we expect to see your return next season?

I'm working hard so please do.

Your goal for next season of Code S?

The Championship

You won the crossmatch tournament. How good were the KeSPA players?

The KeSPA players I played were pretty bad. However, many of the ones in the WCS qualifier were quite good. I think there's a big range of skill within the KeSPA ranks. There are both good and bad players. I think it will be very interesting for us to play each other. I'm looking forward to it.

Anything to add?

I want to thank Sculp and the Terrans on my team for practising with me. I want to thank the sponsors Red Bull, Zowie, Joy Gear and BenQ.

You are back in Code S after three seasons. How do you feel?

What I am most satisfied with is the fact that I beat two Terrans in a row to do it. I now know how to win even if I play rather badly in official matches. My mind is finally at east after the consecutive wins against Terran.

How did you come up with the blink stalker into DT build in Set 1

Frankly, I don't get to practise a lot because I'm getting ready for my high school diploma test. That's why I try to counter my opponent's builds. That's what I did for Set 1 and I think I was able to win because my opponent did what I predicted him to do.

Set 2 was a close game in which you lost because of a cloaked banshee

Lately, Terrans have been using hellions more in place of cloak. That's why I just attacked with the army I had. As I killed the Terran's natural, I thought I had won but I couldn't spot the starport. I quickly looked for it but didn't get to it in time to stop cloak. I was trying for a stalemate since there was only one banshee but as I lost the pylon, I knew I had lost. The game should have been mine from the beginning but somehow it became unwinnable and a stalemate would've been nice but I had to admit defeat. My GG timing was a bit late because I was thinking about what to do for the next set.

Hack went for a 1/1/1 in the last set. Did you see this coming?

I didn't. I scouted with a probe to see that he didn't have a natural and went into defense mode. Then, my observer saw his force which made me think that as long as I gave up my natural and successfully repulsed the attack, then I would be able to macro up and win. It went better than I expected because my opponent overextended.

Are you confident now after your consecutive PvT wins?

I have always been confident about the match up in practice. However, losing in official matches eroded away that confidence and put a lot of pressure on me. These recent wins have taken away a lot of that pressure and made things much easier for me. I saw Commentator Hwang's commentary on my match against Thorzain and his comments that even though I was playing poorly, I could get better at any time were a great help. I want to say thanks to Commentaor Hwang.

How well do you expect to do in Code S?

I understand that the next season begins mid-August. By then, the high school diploma test will be over and I will be focusing all my efforts on Starcraft. My inital goal is ro16 and as my PvT improves constantly, my final goal is the championship.

Just recently, you were eliminated from OSL and WCS qualifiers. How do you think WCG will go for you?

I think I can make it in WCG. I had given up on OSL and WCS because of Code A. There was also the high school diploma so I chose Code A and that over OSL and WCS. Now that I am back in Code S, I am able to work towards qualifying for WCG.

On the weekend, you will be in Busan playing in the GSTL finals

I was hoping to do an all-kill as the starting player but MMA will have that honour (T/N: hmm... the name is definitely MMA). If I do get sent out, I will finish up nicely.

What is PvT to JYP?

It was something that was stopping my progress. I don't think there's another player like me. Everyone seems to do about the same in all the match ups. However, my PvZ is far superior to my PvT and the balance is totally off. If I were bad at all the match ups, I could just stay out of sight but being bad at just PvT earned me a lot of criticism. I beat a lot of great Zerg players so this made me angry and frustrated. From now on, I'll continue to show great PvZ and overcome the hurdle that is PvT. I'll become so good at PvT that I think of it as a bonus matchup.

Anything to add?

I sincerely believe that SlayerS-EG will win in the GSTL finals. I want to thank those who trust in me and want to say that I love my parents. Also, Nestea keeps telling me that I'll be a free win for him in Code S half jokingly. I hope to face him.

You have succeeded in returning to Code S. How do you feel?

If it were Sniper that advanced to Round 3, I wouldn't have even practised for the match. However, it was Hyun instead so I became worried and practised a ton too. I faced him on ladder and found that he was extremely good. I'm lucky to have won.

In Set 1, you won after defending against roach drop

Entombed valley is insanely favourable for Protoss. That thing needs to be replaced as soon as possible. I think it was the map's fault I won.

In Set 2, your 6 gate rush was repelled

I lost because some of the stalkers got caught after a bad engagement. I think I could have won if not for that mistake.

You showcased another strong attack in Set 3

I like to macro but Hyun is someone who doesn't let you macro up freely. I took advantage of that and took the initiative first. Hyun's attacks are on another level and they can't be stopped.

You are teamless so are there any problems for you?

No problems but I'm definitely practising less. That's not a good thing so I think I need to join a team as soon as possible. I tried to join a foreign team but got rejected straight away. I wasn't even that audacious in my proposal but I think the market is probably too saturated with Koreans. Trying to contact these teams by myself is also difficult because of the language barrier. I think I need to look harder.

You got a seed for WCS but you have to go through the qualifiers for WCG

No one told me about the WCG qualifiers. I only learned about those yesterday after reading another player's interview.

Before the next season of GSL begins, WCS playoffs will be carried out. Are you confident you can become the player to represent Korea?

I was happy about the seed intially but now that it's about to begin, I'm starting to feel the heat. I will work harder than I do for GSL. As long as I reinforce my PvZ, I think I can win it.

You seem less confident compared to before

I don't feel different. I'm not sure.

Anything to add?

I want to thank Sniper for practising with me. I want to tell him to practise more. Everything I tried on him in practice worked. Also, there's a chair for SlayerS players at Mok Dong studio. Whenever I play on that chair, I win. I owe today's success to that chair. I want to thank SlayerS too. The team I applied for was TeamLiquid but I got rejected. I hope they contact me if a spot opens up.

Your thoughts on returning to Code S?

I was so busy yesterday that I forgot about Code A. After yesterday's matches were over, I remembered and tried to get some practice done but had no time. Despite this, I advanced quite smoothly so I am very happy.

In Set 1, you defended the 6 pool successfully

I knew Line was going to all-in but I had no idea he would go so far as a 6 pool. I usually give up early in such situations but in this particular one, I knew what to do. There was only a slim chance of winning but I took it anyway.

You played a long game for Set 2

Metropolis doesn't let Terran finish the game early. Line is a player who prefers to be aggressive rather than greedy so I played defesively which dragged out the game.

You've been playing non-stop for two days so aren't you tired?

I was tired yesterday because it ended so late. I overslept today so I rushed to the studio as soon as I woke up but being well rested was helpful. I could play exactly as I wanted to.

Lately, you try very greedy builds against Zerg

Unless it's against a 6 pool like Line did, you can hold anything. That's why I keep using them.

Are you confident you will do well in the next season?

There are plenty of tournaments to attend other than GSL but GSL is the tournament for me. I would go so far as to say that I'm prepared to retire if I get eliminated in ro16 or earlier once more.

OSL and GSL will be on at the same time so doesn't that worry you?

The opposite actually. I don't have a problem with practising a lot so I think it will be fun to play in two tournaments at once. A player should consider himself lucky to be busy so I'm going to have a great time.

Winning both leagues must be enticing too

OSL is running for the first time and I haven't gotten to the finals in two years in GSL. Unless I overcome this crisis, I don't think I can become that S Class player (T/N: fairly certain MKP is referring to S Class here and not Code S). I will work hard to win both leagues no matter what and be recognised as S Class.

Anything to add?

I saw Reality's interview yesterday. He said that he was confident he could beat any GSL Zerg after he beat Symbol. I was shocked that there was a KeSPA player who was already better than me but after actually watching the VOD, I found that the level of play in that game was only mid-master or so. KeSPA players are good, sure, but not good enough to beat any GSL Zerg. I was eliminated from WCS qualifiers so I can't play him but I'm sure another GSL player will enjoy his free win in the tournament. I hope he's ready for what's coming to him.

Your thoughts on advancing to Code S for the first time?

It hasn't hit home yet. Yesterday's defeat is still fresh in my mind so I'm not happy yet. It feels like I just finished Round 2.

You lost to Reality in the WCS qualifiers

I know it's an excuse but I lost because I tried to save builds for today's match against Keen. He's someone I could have won against if I played normally but I think I complicated things.

Your thoughts on the KeSPA players?

I saw skyhigh and rush's games and they were both good. Not good enough that I would lose yet.

Your games today were very smooth

I was going to cheese in the first set but I changed my mind after losing to Reality. I used a similar strategy in Set 2.

What kind of mindset did you have in today's games?

It felt like I would enter a slump if I lost today so I focused hard. After the qualifiers yesterday, I did nothing but practise and I think that helped.

Were you confident about advancing to Code S?

I was. I've lost to Keen once in the past so I wanted to win all the more. That's what motivated me to practise even harder.

Anyone you want to face in Code S?

No one in particular. I'll just try to take it one step at a time as a newcomer.

Your goal for next season?

The championship of course (T/N: one step at a time, I see). Then again, I won't look too far and work hard to win each match in front of me.

Anything to add?

Today's my girlfriend's birthday so I have to go to her party quickly. There's something nagging me at the back of my mind but I'm not quite sure what it is.

You have succeeded in returning to Code S

I feel like I am home now. So rather than elation, it's more like being at ease because I'm back where I belong.

You started by losing the first set

Set1 was going according to plan. Then, I got too excited and engaged where I shouldn't have and lost.

Did that loss affect the rest of the series?

I lost the last Code S match after losing a game where I was ahead. After thinking it over at the training house, I decided that I get too hung up on games. So I tried to stop that happening today.

Your aggression in early game of Set 2 was very good

Everyone gets greedy against me. I've been wanting to punish them so I was saving this strategy and today, I got to use it. I think it countered my opponent pretty well and got me far ahead.

If you were to evaluate your own play today?

Other than the last engagement in Set 1, I'm pretty happy. In Set 3, I came back after falling behind so I'm extra satisfied.

You are now in both OSL and GSL and doing well

It's great that there are now more tournaments but I have no free time any more. I've been stressed out because of having no time to rest so I'm glad all that hard work is paying off.

Don't you fear losing?

I don't think any other player resembles my style at the moment and July advised me that I could draw attention to myself this way. I'm prepared to take all the criticism in the world even if I do badly. I will take responsibility for what I say.

Are you confident for both OSL and GSL?

Once I have a goal, I work hard to achieve it. My goal this time is to show games that I can be proud of. So I'm thinking that even if I lose to KeSPA players, I will go down in style.

Recently, the quarrel between Starcraft 1 and Starcraft 2 fans is heating up

I wish they would encourage and praise each other instead of fighting. There's no point or meaning to their quarrel. I call for respect.

What was that ceremony?

There's a ceremony I had ready for 2:0 but I only went 2:1 so couldn't use that one. So to save the original ceremony, I used Keen's ceremony instead. Keen lost today so I hope he feels better after seeing my version and gets into code S.

Anything to add?

I want to thank Crazymoving who helped me with practice for the dual tournament as well as Hack, Hoon and Harrier. The Zenex players moved in today so I want to welcome them.
Team 8 won today and I hope they carry this momentum and win Proleague. I want to wish them the best. Coach Won always cheers me on so I want to say thanks as well as to Coach Kim and Coach Yoon. Recently, I've been receiving a lot of attention from the fans and whether it be praise or criticism, I just want more of it. Thank you for having so much interest in me.

Your thoughts on winning Round 3 and going straight to Code S?

I've lost to Ryung before so I was worried I might again and I'm very happy about this win.

You had an easy victory

Ryung got back from MLG only today so he looked very tired. I think that's why.

How did you prepare?

I'm focusing on GSTL so I didn't even know the maps for Round 3.

You took Set 2 easily with an all-in

I saw that my opponent was taking his gases late with an overlord. That's why I chose to all-in.

This was like a preview of what could happen in the GSTL finals so weren't you under some pressure to win?

Just in case I would lose, I didn't practise at all. Then, at least I have an excuse (laugh).

You're on fire lately so what's driving you?

Doing badly in Code S was frustrating but in the end, it helped. It's what motivates me now.

You are in Code S for the sixth season in a row

I feel like a mainstay player now. I will try my best to win the Nestea award.

All you have left to do is do well in Code S

I tend to do badly in Summer but next season is in autumn so I should post some great results.

The GSTL finals draws near

I have a great feeling about this. Since the owner and the parents are coming to cheer for us, everyone is working very hard. We can win this.

Anything to add?

I want to thank FXO for their sponsorship and Boss is coming in on the 26th so I hope he has a safe flight. I want to thank Coach Choi, Coach Kwon and Choya who always work so hard for us and say let's all work hard until the finals.