I feel great. I’m happy to have secured my Code S spot for next season and that I was able to showcase various styles of play today. The fans seem to think of me a macro only player so I prepared timing rushes only on purpose.
You advance in first place, was this expected?
Not first place. I knew I would be able to beat Violet and I thought if Taeja beats MVP, maybe it would be possible. Taeja has a very obvious style of play so I was confident about beating him.
What do you think about PvZ lately?
It’s true that Terran has trouble against Zerg. However, Protoss stands a chance. Whether you win or not against a Zerg as a Protoss depend on how good you are. I’ve been doing the gateway opening for a while and it was to show other protosses what should be done. Many Protosses prefer the forge opening but that makes it harder to win. Especially, in a multi-game series, if you play too passively, it’s impossible for Protoss to beat the Zerg. I hope other Protosses start to vary up their play like myself.
Is there a player you wish to face in the upper rounds?
Honestly, every player in Code S is scary. However, since I can’t run, I’ll try to play my best against whomever comes up.
How far do you think you will go this season?
Usually when I play, I try to avoid having unnecessary thoughts. I think this helps me play my best because I don’t get nervous. I think I can get very far as long as I don’t give in to nerves.
You are in the OSL qualifier, are you confident about qualifying?
Seeing the bracket reminded me of Code S. I think you could broadcast the qualifiers and call it a day. I’ll just play like usual and try not to get nervous.
Any plans to attend foreign tournaments?
Of course. I want the titles but even more, I want the experience of going overseas as well. If possible, I want to have the great experience of attending a foreign tournament.
Anything to add?
I’m happy to have played without being nervous and played well as a result. I really want to thank Horror for helping me extensively. Also, I want to thank the coach, his wife, my family and my two friends So Hyun and Jin Soo who always cheer me on. Lastly, I want to thank the sponsors who are so generous: LG electronics, SteelSeries, Googims, Nvidia and Cocacola. Especially SteelSeries who sent me a keyboard on the same day that my old one broke three days ago.
Your thoughts on advancing after some close matches
I thought I would advance in first place but I’m happy to advance even if it’s in second place.
You are full of confidence. What’s causing this?
I have jumped up a level in skill recently. At the recent MLG, I got through the first qualifier with straight wins so I was confident that I would take first place in the group today.
You seem to be doing better since changing teams.
I think TeamLquid suits me better. There are a lot more fans who cheer for me now so it’s given me a boost.
You were against MVP in your first match, were you confident going into that?
I was. I am confident about my TvT and I was in the same group with him at the MLG qualifier and after seeing him lose to Jjakji, I knew I would win.
You must regret your loss in the winner’s match.
I never expected to lose. I have been very confident about TvP lately and I had already beaten Seed 2:0 at the MLG qualifier so I was sure I would win. Being too passive was my downfall. I thought Seed would play passively so I was matching that but he went for a 4 gate rush which crushed me. Initially, I still thought I would hold but it’s been a while since I have had to defend against a 4 gate so my execution wasn’t smooth.
You won a very closely fought final match.
Violet always had more army than I expected him to so there was no way for me to attack into him. So I changed up my style to be more harass oriented and that seemed to work. The power of harass carried me to victory.
Your TvZ has been 100% until today this year
The secret to my victories is control. I think the reason why I lost my first set was because the map didn’t suit my style.
Do you wish to face a Zerg in the upper rounds?
I want to take a break from TvZ for a while. I wish to face MC in the upper rounds. However, I have a feeling that MarineKing will be first in his group which is concerning. He’s such a great player and it won’t be easy to take him on. There are many great players in Group B but MKP is one of a kind.
It seems like you could be aiming rather high this season
I’m going to be satisfied with nothing less than the finals. I think once I get to the finals, a championship is a possibility too.
Did you check the bracket for the OSL qualifier?
It’s such a shame that they are picking only one player per group. GSL always has the best players seeded so it’s easier for the qualifying players but for OSL, everyone has to start from the beginning which will make it hell. However, I am confident I will make it through.
What do you think about your OSL group?
I think Sniper and Puma will be the players to watch out for. I’m a little worried because there are four Zergs in my group.
Anything to add?
I want to thank the sponsors theLittaleAppFactory, Twtich TV and Razer and also say thanks to my teammates who cheered me on. I’ll work even harder from now on. TeamLquid Hwaiting!
On June 28 2012 01:55 NeMeSiS3 wrote: Taeja's confidence is a bit unnerving, he seems overly confident... But hell, he made it into ro8! : D go Taeja.
I dont find it unnerving at all. He wants to face MC or MKP to test his metal. While some players are whining about balance, Taeja is saying "Bring me your finest, I demand harder games".
On June 28 2012 01:55 NeMeSiS3 wrote: Taeja's confidence is a bit unnerving, he seems overly confident... But hell, he made it into ro8! : D go Taeja.
I dont find it unnerving at all. He wants to face MC or MKP to test his metal. While some players are whining about balance, Taeja is saying "Bring me your finest, I demand harder games".
"What do you think about your OSL group?
I think Sniper and Puma will be the players to watch out for. I’m a little worried because there are four Zergs in my group. "
On June 28 2012 01:55 NeMeSiS3 wrote: Taeja's confidence is a bit unnerving, he seems overly confident... But hell, he made it into ro8! : D go Taeja.
I dont find it unnerving at all. He wants to face MC or MKP to test his metal. While some players are whining about balance, Taeja is saying "Bring me your finest, I demand harder games".
"What do you think about your OSL group?
I think Sniper and Puma will be the players to watch out for. I’m a little worried because there are four Zergs in my group. "
On June 28 2012 01:55 NeMeSiS3 wrote: Taeja's confidence is a bit unnerving, he seems overly confident... But hell, he made it into ro8! : D go Taeja.
I dont find it unnerving at all. He wants to face MC or MKP to test his metal. While some players are whining about balance, Taeja is saying "Bring me your finest, I demand harder games".
"What do you think about your OSL group?
I think Sniper and Puma will be the players to watch out for. I’m a little worried because there are four Zergs in my group. "
Worrying about players is not balance whining, dont be confused.
On June 28 2012 01:55 NeMeSiS3 wrote: Taeja's confidence is a bit unnerving, he seems overly confident... But hell, he made it into ro8! : D go Taeja.
I dont find it unnerving at all. He wants to face MC or MKP to test his metal. While some players are whining about balance, Taeja is saying "Bring me your finest, I demand harder games".
"What do you think about your OSL group?
I think Sniper and Puma will be the players to watch out for. I’m a little worried because there are four Zergs in my group. "
Worrying about players is not balance whining, dont be confused.
back to my original comment about confidence, I meant about how he spoke about other players... Like he accepts nothing less than championship, and he assumed he'd get 1st, and he thought seed would be easier and play passive, just general things... I mean I love confidence, when MKP play's balls to the walls it's my favorite, I just find he's taking things rather head on, which is great and he is actually amazing, just a personal opinion... I agree though that I love his "this isn't about balance, I'm just better" mentality.
Man, why does Seed think it's a bad thing to be known as a macro player? It's the most skillfull thing there is, he should be proud! Happy for Taeja, sad for MVP (next one will be his again!).
On June 28 2012 03:33 strongandbig wrote: "the fans seem to think of me as a macro player only so I prepared nothing but timing rushes."
You fans think I'm so great well I'LL SHOW YOU~!
Being a great player does not necessarily mean doing NO cheese whatsoever. How do you think MVP won last season, by playing macro games only? Nope, he did a variety of strategies.
Also, I think Mvp saw MMA's interview and said "Alright, I'll give you a chance to get yourself another championship in Code S next season." lol.
On June 28 2012 01:55 NeMeSiS3 wrote: Taeja's confidence is a bit unnerving, he seems overly confident... But hell, he made it into ro8! : D go Taeja.
If you get to the Ro8 of GSL two consecutive seasons while only being 17 you have any reason to be confident I guess. I knew his TvZ was good but a near perfect record vs. Zerg in GSL is really impressive.
On June 28 2012 01:55 NeMeSiS3 wrote: Taeja's confidence is a bit unnerving, he seems overly confident... But hell, he made it into ro8! : D go Taeja.
If you get to the Ro8 of GSL two consecutive seasons while only being 17 you have any reason to be confident I guess. I knew his TvZ was good but a near perfect record vs. Zerg in GSL is really impressive.
Not to mention he's the King of ESV Weekly. And you know, he gives good reasons for his confidence, He beat Jjakji who beat Mvp in the GSL quals. He beat Seed in there too. And his TvZ is amazing. I think he's confident but not overconfident. It's just that players are often times too humble and that's become the norm, so when a player speaks his real feelings that he was confident it's perceived as arrogance or overconfidence in comparison to his peers.
Totally agree with Seed wrt forge expand. I don't understand why more toss don't open with 1 base to keep Z guessing. A lot of Zergs don't even send a drone to scout. At least in BoX format, protoss should incorporate more 1 base openings.
Taeja is the Prince of Nerds. So many of these players are like Curious, stone faced in the booth, but Taeja was fidgeting and celebrating everytime he won. It was so cute to watch. If I took down MVP I think I would have heaved the monitor to break the glass in the booth and then jumped out tearing my shirt off and screaming "I AM NADA!" Or if I was Taeja I might scream out that I'm Taeja, but it might be even cooler to yell out that you're Nada.
Taeja a little bit modest about his group. I think his odds there are fantastic. Puma will hopefully not be practicing much TvT in preparation for his NASL matches where he is the last terran left. Even on equal footing Taeja probably has better odds against him.