Coach Kim Kwang-bok
Source: This Is Game
You achieved a victory through an all-kill. Tell us your thoughts.
Sound: I'm really, really happy. I feel like this is the happiest day of my life.
Kim Kwang-bok: Even during the first GSTL season last year, Bomber performed an all-kill against NSHoSeo; I think that we were also able to all-kill them this season because our team was feeling good. At the team house, I joked that we should have Sound go by himself instead of all going out together [since he was going to all-kill], but it feels great to see it actually happen.
Did you personally think that it would be possible, too?
Sound: Yes, I did. I felt that an all-kill would be possible if I just took the first set.
Players such as Sting and SortOf, who don't usually participate in the GSL, are competing in the GSTL. Did this make it harder to prepare for the match?
Kim Kwang-bok: We knew the former NSHoSeo players such as Sting very well. We didn't pay much attention to the foreign players; it's not that we're ignoring them, but we felt that they weren't likely to be sent out. But we were prepared for Sting.
What do you think was the hardest part of today's match?
Sound: I've never faced Swarm Hosts even once before on the new maps, and because I didn't know how to handle them, I had some trouble. Aside from that, there wasn't anything that I found particularly difficult.
What was the factor behind your comeback during Set 2?
The base with the gold minerals is what allowed me to come back. I felt that if I kept trying to harass with Medivacs in the background, I would be able to win a direct engagement, too.
Although you hadn't shown much activity during the past three years, you displayed a great deal of it today.
Sound: I resolved to work hard as I began the switch from Wings of Liberty to Heart of the Swarm, and I think that that's why my results were good.
We'd like to know what you personally think of DMZ, one of the new maps.
Sound: The map distances are short, which I think is good for Terran. Even so, when I look at DMZ as a whole, I think it's a good map for all of the races.
As of right now, StarTale is ranked #1. How high are your goals for this season?
Kim Kwang-bok: We want to achieve 1st place in the Pennant Race. Rather than winning every time, we want to do our best during all of our matches. I want to create an area where our non-ace players can grow.
The individual league will also be starting soon.
Sound: My goal this season is to break through the qualifiers and earn a spot in Code S. If I want an opportunity to take the championship next season, I'll have to advance to Code S.
Do you have any last words that you would like to say?
Kim Kwang-bok: People have called StarTale weak after [PartinG and Squirtle] left; I want to say that it's not because of them that our team is strong, but because of the players that we have right now. StarTale isn't a team that will become weak just because one or two of the players that we're fostering drop out. I'd like people to continue thinking of StarTale as a strong team. I'd also like people to tune into StarTale TV.
Sound: I want to tell my parents that I'm grateful to them for rooting for me all the time. I'd like to thank my team's manager and coaches for believing in me to the end, and I also want to thank Jeong Jae-hee and Jo Geong-ho, my teachers. I want to meet my friends who are currently undergoing military service during some time in the future so that I can buy them something to eat. Finally, I want to thank my team's sponsors, Red Bull, ZOWIE, and Joy Gear, and I hope that a lot of people watch StarTale TV.