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INnoVation successfully advanced to his first-ever career final after rolling through Symbol 4-2 in the second semifinal of the WCS Korea Season 1 Code S tournament. He now faces Soulkey in the grand final on June 1st. ThisIsgame.com interviewed INnoVation following his match:

How do you feel about moving on to the first finals in your career?

I’ve wanted to win this season ever since it started. I’m glad that I am now just one step from making that dream a reality. I’ve always wanted to play on the stage of a grand finals and I cannot wait to finally do so.

Was there anything you prepared specifically for Symbol?

His Roach play is very good in every aspect so I prepared for that. After his Roach aggression on Daybreak, I was surprised when I lost to it in the next set. But still, my general focus was to safely reach the late-game.

You played astoundingly well in the first three sets, giving you an incredibly favorable position.

Everything went according to plan. Actually, everything went better in the actual match compared to when I was preparing for the match. I thought that I’d easily get through the match. Of course, that came to bite me back when I underestimated him the very next set.

Why did you choose to go 11/11 in the second set on Star Station?

Just because. (laughs) In a bo7 series, you need something like that to throw your opponent off. Star Station is just one of the maps where the 11/11 was favorable.

We thought the match would end with a score of 4:3 like Soulkey vs. sOs did.

I thought of that as well. I got a little nervous to be honest. But I played well in the sixth set, so there was no need for a seventh.

We saw you utilizing Siege Tanks in the sixth set.

I spotted his hidden Baneling Nest with my Medivac. I knew that if I defended the game was mine so I produced more and more Tanks.

You must have prepared for Nydus play.

I played the third set thinking he would go for some kind of all-in. Fortunately, I was able to spot his incoming drops early. Nydus play was the strategy I prepared most for, but he only used it once. Now that I think of it, I probably would have lost if he had used it more than once.

You have beaten every strong Zerg you have come across this season. And now all you have left is Soulkey.

It feels like a final boss level. I know that his ZvT is very good. Even when I lost to him in Proleague I knew that he was an excellent player. It’s going to be a difficult and taxing match. But since it’s going to be a broadcasted match, he might not be able to play to the best of his ability. I predict I will win 4:2. Maybe even 4:1.

Soulkey watch today’s match in Yongsan today. He said, “He’s going to have a hard time finding a practice partner on my level.”

He’s right. There aren’t many Zergs that can stand at his level. But I’m not too worried.

Any last words?

I actually have something to say today. (laughs) Many have cheered me on and looked forward to seeing me play. It’s great that I was able to win today. I also want to thank my family for their constant support. Now that I’m in the finals, I will give my all to take this championship title.

Source: http://www.thisisgame.com/board/view.php?category=13439&id=1549371

In the round of 4 of the Mango Six GSL Code S, Soulkey defeated teammate sOs 4:3 to move on. After surging ahead 3:0, he let sOs catch up to tie the score at 3:3. But with his signature iron wall defense, Soulkey came out victorious to advance to his first finals in his 1,257 day career. ESFI’s Samuel Cho translated Soulkey’s post-match interview with Thisisgame.com below:

This is the first time in your career advancing to a final. How do you feel?

I feel great. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way in my career as a pro-gamer. I will definitely take the entire tournament. However, I do feel a little sorry to sOs.

It was a team-kill semi-final. We were wondering how your prepared for the match?

I practiced with teammates. The Zergs practiced with sOs and the Protoss’ practiced with me. I think it went pretty well. I thought I was going to completely shut him out but he started to play well starting the fourth set and I of course made many mistakes.

We have seen that you tend to start off excellently but deteriorate as the match goes on.

I lost my cool. It happened in the fourth set and it’s something that I’m going to fix.

You won the first three sets with ease. Why do you think you were able to do so?

I think winning those first three sets so easily is the reason I started to go downhill in the fourth. (laughs) I think I threw a wrench in sOs’ builds for the first three games. It was mostly due to build order wins.

You were cannon-rushed twice in a row in the fifth and sixth sets.

I had prepared for such a scenario and thought that even if it worked I would be able to win. But I made poor decisions. I wasn’t going to go 15 Hatch in the sixth set but I did anyways and got cannon-rushed again. I knew it would go to the seventh and final set as soon as I saw the cannons.

You must have felt incredibly pressured going into that last set.

I did think of that. But I knew that if I played how I prepared I would be able to win.

sOs attempted an all-in in the last set. Did you anticipate that?

No, not at all. But I did take precautions. To make matters worse, his timing was faster than usual. I noticed that it would hit a much earlier timing and I knew as soon as I scouted that it would be a nightmare to defend.

Then how did you prepare to defend?

Not too long ago, Kim Nam Gi (former coach of Air Force ACE) came to the practice house and said something. He asked why I didn’t pull back my units when there were forcefields in play. I told him it was because I thought I could win the fight. I remembered what he said during the game and tried to play as safely as possible. Normally, I would have gladly taken the fight.

Your fellow finalist will either be INnoVation or Symbol. Who would you like to face?

INnoVation. I have more to show in my ZvT as opposed to my ZvZ, and it’s just a more entertaining match-up.

Do you think you’ll be able to win this season?

Of course. But more important is my desire and my vow to win it all. This season is the perfect opportunity to bring that vow to fruition.

Any last words?

I want to thank all the Protoss’ on my team for helping me prepare, and if I do end up winning, there’s something I’ve promised to do for
them. I also want to do something for sOs when I get back.

Source: http://www.thisisgame.com/board/view.php?category=13439&id=1546918

• Group A
• Group B
• Group C
• Group D

Nestea (Z)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-0 (4-0)
Alicia (P)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-0 (4-1)
Sen (Z)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-1 (5-3)
Snute (Z)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-1 (5-2)

TheStC (T)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-0 (4-2)
CranK (P)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-0 (4-1)
mOOnGLaDe (Z)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-1 (5-3)
Apocolypse (T)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-1 (4-3)

HerO (P)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-0 (4-0)
Suppy (Z)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-0 (4-0)
Revival (Z)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-1 (5-2)
Scarlett (Z)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-1 (5-2)

viOLet (Z)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-0 (4-1)
Polt (T)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-0 (4-0)
Ryung (T)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-1 (4-2)
aLive (T)	Advanced to WCS NA Ro16 2-1 (5-2)

The Story So Far…

Monday marks the kickoff for the offline portion of the North American segment of Blizzard’s 2013 World Championship Series.

Taking place at the MLG Studios in the heart of Manhattan, StarCraft fans will have more than a beautiful skyline to entertain them as 16 of the best players will compete to earn a spot in the playoff bracket for the Regional Finals, also taking place in New York City on June 1st. Up for grabs is $20,000 and 1,500 WCS Points, which go towards seeds for the Grand Final tournament at BlizzCon at the end of the year.

While the Europeans managed to do a much better job at staving off the invasion of Korean players into their regional tournament, North America has regrettably done much worse. Eight out of eight players who qualified for the WCS NA Premier league were Korean, and six of those qualified Koreans have made it into the second round of groups. Only two Koreans were eliminated in the round of 32. So, it’s no secret that Korean domination is still alive and well in North America.

Still, it hasn’t been the complete blowout of Korean players that many pundits were predicting when the WCS was initially announced. Five players fought hard to get through to the top 16: Liquid Snute, Gama Bears Sen, EG.Suppy, Acer.Scarlett and NV mOOnGLaDe. These intrepid individuals are the last remaining foreign hopes against the oncoming Korean invasion (and only two of them are actually from North America)!

Heart of the NA Swarm – Acer.Scarlett & EG.Suppy

Scarlett has had a string of good results recently that have put her at the forefront of everyone’s mind when discussing the #1 foreigner in the world. Most notably, she conquered Mvp in the GSTL last month. She seems to have thrived and used the most of her time in Korea to really improve, and it shows by only dropping a single match to AZUBU’s Violet in the Ro32. Known for her great mechanics and creep spread, a recent GSTL interview suggests she is working on diversifying her playstyle. Finally, TLPD has her at a 61% overall win rate based on her last 21 games played. Sharing a group with 3 other Zergs, she won’t have to worry about practicing her weakest matchup (vT 50%) and can work on her play in Zerg mirror matches. With HerO being the only Protoss she will face, she sits comfortably at an excellent 81% win rate versus them. All in all, she stands as one of the best chances of a foreigner advancing into the next round.

Photo: Carlton Beener

Evil Geniuses Suppy always seems to be the underdog, constantly upsetting Liquidbetter’s all over the internet, and advancement into the Round of 8 could finally allow him to shake off that title. While he doesn’t have many victories over big time players like Scarlett does, his group was much more difficult as he faced off against the dreaded Korean Terran – Ryung and Heart. Living up to his reputation, he breezed by them and won his group 2-0 in a remarkable display of ZvT, including a 50+ supply deficit comeback against Heart. TLPD gives him a 100% win rate against Terran (based on his last 6 games) but it won’t serve him in a group filled with Zerg players, and sitting at an abysmal 25% vZ and 20% vP it seems he will be fighting a uphill battle. But if Suppy has shown the community anything, it’s that you should only count him out at your peril.

Unfortunately, both North Americans in the top 16 – Suppy and Scarlett – share the same group, meaning most likely only one will advance. Suppy or Scarlett, if they advance, will be shouldering the hopes of the entire NA region and may send a warning to Koreans – that North America is not as easy as you think.

The Zerg from Down Under

Of all the players that fans bet on to make it into the Round of 16, NV Gaming’s mOOnGLade probably isn’t near the top of that list. And yet here he stands, edging out wins against Terran players Maker and Illusion to secure his spot. Hailing from Australia, mOOnGLade no doubt spent a lot of time debating on whether to play in NA or EU given Blizzard omitted Oceania from their list of regions. mOOnGLade is one of the dark horses among his foreign peers in this competition based off his TLPD win rates – 46% overall (based on his last 13 games), but his 62% win rate against Terran will serve him well against the two Koreans in his group.

Above all, mOOnGLade has a knack for surprising his opponents and his audience. At the MLG Fall Championships last year, no one expected him to beat MC, and then go on to beat HuK to advance into the playoff bracket. One thing is sure: if mOOnGLade manages to get a few wins and build some momentum in this group, the sky is the limit for him.

The Zerg from SEA

Ever since being cursed by Day[9] to third place finishes forever, Sen has remained mostly out of the international scene by playing in the local Taiwanese StarCraft Leagues for Gama Bears. Now that’s not to say that his skill has diminished in any way. To the contrary, Sen still maintains the highest caliber of play demonstrated by remaining entirely undefeated in the Taiwanese eSports League.

While his group may have not been the most trying, his TLPD win rates all speak to his credit as one of the top foreign players (curses notwithstanding) – 68% overall, 83% vT, 76% vZ and 53% vP. Being able to transition from long-drawn out macro games to timing attacks to everything in between, Sen is one of the most diverse players out there. Undoubtedly, his performance in this week’s group will give the audience an excellent benchmark to see how good the competition in Taiwan really is.

Photo: Sen’s Fanclub

The Zerg from Across the Sea

While his ancestors may have come across the sea to North America in long ships, Snute is coming with every unit in the Zerg arsenal to try and win a place in the Round of 16. With his teammate TLO recently making headlines due to his dominating 4-0 performance in the Ro16 of WCS EU, Liquid’s newest recruit is no doubt looking to add to his already considerable success. These successes include a dominating performance at the HomeStory Cup VI, ESET Masters and eliminating StarTale Life from the IPL5 Losers Bracket. With a brief stay in Korea under his belt, TLPD gives him above 50% win rates in all matchups.

Overall, Snute has everything you’d want in a player – a solid play style and good momentum going into this tournament. As one of the 5 foreigners, many will be looking for him to continue Liquid’s string of dominating performances in the WCS.

Photo: Carlton Beener

While the Foreigner vs. Korean storyline is somewhat tired, the stakes have never been higher for these remaining five players. Many Koreans decided to play in the NA or EU regions because they believed it was going to be a walkover, a piece of cake. While no one is better than the Koreans at taking money from foreigners, these five players all have the potential to shut them down. It won’t be easy, but if there were any players that could send a message to the Koreans loud and clear stating that NA isn’t just a “pass GO and collect $200″ (or $20,000 in this case) – these would be them. Failing that, these five players will no doubt make the Koreans work for their money.

Champion Breakdown

Diana

In a top lane position, Diana allows for relatively safe farming and harassment with few strong counters. Combined with good warding and teleport to come back to lane early or to get to far-away team fights, she pushes down towers with ever increasing speed and wins more and more duels as the game progresses. Her passive increases her wave clear and tower take down speeds, as well as adding to her dueling prowess. In skirmishes, her gap closer and pull make her hard to escape from, as well as adding some ability to peel if used right.

Other possible champions: Olaf, Zed

Jayce

This AD-heavy Jayce was run against the duo-lane with great success. His wave clear is decent early, and only continues to get better as the game progresses. His innate bruiser tankiness allows his enough survivability that, in combination with his CC, he becomes a less-than-ideal target to dive. In the mid-game and late-game, he offers crucial high-damage poke with his Gate+Shock Blast combo, as well as soft engagements, disengagements, and peels for skirmishes. His Cannon Form’s Hyper Charge also allows for amazingly fast tower kills, especially once it starts to get leveled.

Other possible champions: Kha’Zix, Lissandra, Zed

Ezreal

This composition places the Duo-lane in mid, against a caster enemy that scales well with levels. Ezreal is the ideal choice for an AD Carry who can 1v1 well, dominate in 2v1 situations, and escape ganks alone or with his support. In particular, the Purple Ezreal that Doublelift ran, rushing Bloodthirster into the usual Blue Ezreal build, allowed for domination in lane, poking, and skirmishing. Iceborn Gauntlet procs helped to push waves and towers, as well as kite in team fights. Combined with Muramana’s active and Bloodthirster’s lifesteal and pure damage, Ezreal can essentially self-peel as well as safely chase low enemies. Finally, his ultimate allows for cross-map wave clear, which helps to keep currently unoccupied lanes pushing in his team’s favor.

Other possible champions: Corki, sort of. Purple Ezreal is unique in this role and effectiveness. No other champion closely fits what this Ezreal build does.

Blitzcrank

Ran as a roaming support from mid, Blitzcrank was played as disruptively as early as possible starting in the early game by grabbing enemy buff monsters over walls. The early roaming disrupts the enemy jungler and creates a chaotic and dangerous environment for the enemy team due to his early killing power. Building Mobility Boots and a Sightstone keeps the map presence and pressure constant through the mid game.  Blitzcrank is the main initiator for this composition, offering a long chain of CCs while his Power Fist resets and empowers his auto attack, allowing for quick tower take downs.

Other possible champions: Alistar, Thresh, Leona

Elise

This Elise hardly jungles in the early game, instead opting to roam with the support. She combines early burst and hard-CC to devastating effect. With other CCs, the result is complete map control for the early stages, which can be extended into the mid-game with proper warding. Her build versatility also allows her to recover should she fall behind. In the mid game and late game  her spiderlings offer pushing power and tower take down, while her damage and CC are better suited to smaller fights where they can be applied to a single target.

Other possible champions: Lee Sin, Maokai, Trundle, Zac

What the strategy is supposed to accomplish

Utilizing the early game strength and kill potential of both a roaming Blitzcrank and Elise, this composition can easily get early kills or force early backing in turn giving free farm and free levels to the team. Good ward coverage, particularly aggressive wards in the enemy jungle, allowed for early buff control, pressure on the enemy jungler, and lane safety for the AD Carry. The early pressure and farm should allow Ezreal to get to core items like Sheen and Bloodthirster, as well as items that allows for map control, like Sightstone and Boots of Mobility for Blitzcrank. As the early game ends, the composition shifts its focus to towers and other objectives.

As towers fall and gold snowballs, crucial mid-game items are used to solidify lane and map control. So long as coordination is good, the composition allows no favorable ganks to enemies. The champions themselves are also incredibly good in skirmishes, punishing teams who bring similar numbers to fights. So long as skirmishes are won and towers keep getting pushed, this composition keeps its strength and its unpredictability alive through the end of the game.

Photo: Carlton Beener

How to counter

This composition suffers from two main weaknesses.

The first is that it will make no progress against another team with high wave clear, drawing the game into a much more skill-based stalemate. With many of the best wave clearing champions in the current competitive scene being assassins such as Kha’Zix and Zed, this could present a much greater threat to Diana and Ezreal, who might not be able to farm well enough to get to the items they need.

The second weakness is a weakness to hard-engaging compositions. Blitzcrank and Diana lack any escapes outside of Flash, while Jayce and Elise have sub-par escapes in comparison to other picks. Additionally, hard-engaging compositions, especially with the likes of Malphite or Hecarim in the jungle, can suddenly appear, either force a lane to go back or grab a kill, and then apply lane pressure enough to bring other lanes to them, relieving global pressure overall. Combined with decent skirmishing champions, such as Kassadin mid or Miss Fortune as AD Carry, this is probably the safest route to defeating this composition.

Why this fits CLG’s playstyle

CLG have long been known for their ability to play the map better than their opponents. Their coordination across the map has won them games they should have otherwise lost on multiple occasions. As players, CLG have also shown that they excel more in smaller engagements in lane, rather than larger team fights. The addition of early chaos-causing elements helps them even further, by disallowing opponents from establishing strong ward and counter ward positions. A strategy that synergizes aggression, map pressure, lane pressure, and smaller-scaled fighting for a longer time fits into CLG’s style almost perfectly.

ThisIsGame.com interviewed Scarlett and Alicia following their matches, below. Scarlett’s two wins over BBoongBBoong and GanZi helped get AxiomAcer off to a strong start. AZUBU’s SuperNova and Symbol clawed things back for their team, but in the end it was AxiomAcer’s CranK who edged Symbol for the win.

AxiomAcer’s next matches come against StarTale on June 21 and New Star HoSeo on June 28th.

How do feel about your victory?

Scarlett: I’m very glad. I thought we were going to lose in that last set. Symbol made the mistake of going for Corrupters instead of Hive tech and we were able to win.

Alicia: I’m happy I was able to get a win. (laughs) I always wanted to win at least one set in every match I played in, and I’m glad I was able to show good results this time. I feel great.

Why do you think you are able to perform so well?

Alicia: I think it’s because we function well as a team.

Scarlett: I’m as surprised as you are. It’s amazing how a team with such a small roster can perform so well.

You only had 5 players in your line-up today. Weren’t you a little nervous?

Scarlett: Both Axiom and Acer are looking to recruit players right now. We haven’t had much luck so far.

Alicia: Not really. Azubu has a strong Zerg lineup so we focused on Zerg matchups during practice. We weren’t scared.

You used very aggressive builds in the first two sets. Were they prepared builds?

Scarlett: The build I used in the first set was prepared. Everyone thinks that I play a more defensive style so I decided to practice an all-in build. I did not expect a Terran come out in the second set. It was a hard map to take a third so I went for a 2 base all-in.

Though Ryung was unable to prevent a tie score, Alicia showed incredible control in a large scale battle to pull out a comeback win.

Alicia: I knew what build he was going for when I scouted it, so I was able to take the initial advantage. I was taken aback when I saw mech but I played nice and calm to take the win.

The WCS NA Round of 16 starts soon. Alicia has been placed in Group A, Crank in Group B, and Scarlett in Group C.

Alicia: Team morale is high because we’ve been doing well. That’s why I believe we will play well in NA as well. My goal is to get to the round of 4 and go to the season finals.

Scarlett: I will have to play HerO but I’m not too confident in my ZvP. I’m not so sure about myself but I think my teammates will be able to play well. I’m not sure if I will too.

How do you feel about your group?

Scarlett: Not bad. I’m glad I have three foreigners instead of three Koreans.

How likely is your chance of advancing to the round of 8?

Alicia: Getting first in the group will be difficult because of Nestea. I think I’ll get second.

Scarlett: Not sure. Maybe about 50%.

You now have two more matches left. Do you think you’ll be able to keep your first place spot?

Alicia: It’s hard to say for sure. They are both very formidable teams. We won’t underestimate them.

Any last words?

Alicia: I don’t feel to good about myself because I lost to a Zerg after how much I practiced for a Zerg. (laughs) I’m glad Crank was able to finish off the match for us. I want to thank John and Genna Bain, Mike Lamond and Olivia, as well as our sponsors Cynical Brit, SC2Links, Sony Online Entertainment, and Planetside 2.

Scarlett: I want to thank our fans and say we will do our best to enter the playoffs in first place. I also want to thank our partner team Axiom.

Source: http://www.thisisgame.com/board/view.php?category=13439&id=1542948

Incredible Miracle will face off against New Star HoSeo next. ”If we can take down Jjakji and MadBull, we will definitely beat NS Hoseo,” First said, looking forward. Read the complete translation below, courtesy of ThisIsGame.com.

Congratulations on your win. How do you feel?

I didn’t expect to get an all-kill. I’m glad I was able to get one for the team.

You showed a great deal of confidence in last week’s interview. Did you have that same confidence coming into today’s match?

I had a lot of trouble versus Terran during practice. I was a bit nervous for all the Terrans I would’ve had to face today but my coach told me to go out since I had prepared builds.

Though their names are on the roster, Mvp and YoDa are overseas. This means you no longer have any Terran players as of this moment.

It was hard to plan for the first set because it was on Star Station. Above anything else, however, practicing for Terran was very difficult because we had no one to practice with. So we had to practice on ladder or with players from other teams.

In the first set, RagnaroK was unable to capitalize on the lead he had and ended up losing to a comeback. How did you feel about that?

After I saw things going pretty well I was slowly warmed up in the booth, but then I saw that RagnaroK had lost. I was slightly dazed for a bit but I recovered quickly and played very well.

We saw you use a variety of builds, using Oracles, Immortals, and Zealot aggression to score four straight kills.

The Oracle build was the one I had prepared. The second and third sets were just my own standard styles.

In the fourth set, Byun GGed out even though he won the engagement.

He lost a big chunk of his units because he engaged when he shouldn’t have. Though he did come out on top in that engagement, I was still in a much better situation. I knew I had won because he had only one Orbital and not enough energy on said Orbital for a scan.

Along with a double-kill from last week, you now have four more. Why do you think you’ve been doing so well in the GSTL?

I don’t really know. (laughs) Last week I was so nervous I forgot to get Warp Gate but I played much better this week.

With today’s victory, MVP is now in second place.

With two more matches left, I am confident we will be able to take back the first place spot. We will win both of those matches and wait for the rest to catch up in the playoffs.

Any last words?

If we can take down Jjakji and MadBull in our next match against NS Hoseo, victory is as good as ours. Spirits are high within the team, so I hope we can rally and continue to play well. I want to thank the players who helped me prepared and our sponsors LG Electronics, Steelseries, Coca-Cola, Nvidia, ASRock, Kingston, and Super Flower.

Source: http://www.thisisgame.com/board/view.php?category=13439&id=1541822

ThisIsGame interviewed MVP following his matches. Read the translated version below:

ThisIsGame.com

You placed second in Group C of the round of 16. How do you feel?

This was my first showing in Europe so I am glad that I am able to advance. But I do wish I could have won the winner’s match.

What were your initial thoughts when the round of 16 groups were announced?

I predicted I would get second in my group and everything went as I thought it would. I reviewed many of Lucifron’s replays and VODs before the match and wow, he is an amazing player. I knew that it would be very difficult if I faced him. My TvP practice is going well since I’m staying with MC at the moment but my other two match-ups are still lackluster. That’s why I thought I would place second in the group.

In your match against Sase, you pushed with a Marine/Tank composition after you scouted with a Reaper. Was that a prepared build?

Yes it was. I’ve studied Sase’s play and after much practice with MC, I found that this type of tank play is very effective. I opened with a Reaper to ensure that I could play safely throughout the game.

Did you know about Sase’s 1-Robo 3-Gate build?

Yes, that seems to be his style. I tailored my build to that style so the rest went smoothly.

In the winner’s match against Lucifron, you took heavy losses from his Hellbats. It looks like you weren’t expecting them at all.

Though I knew about his Hellbat play, it was hard to prepare for it because I never figured out the exact timing of Hellbat drops when I was practicing. That’s why I had such a slow response.

You seem to take a very fast third in TvTs.

I hadn’t prepared much for a Terran match so I played relatively standard. I knew Lucifron has a tendency to go for Hellbat drops and I wanted to know what it felt like to be the victim to one. I have to say though, it felt like he was on a completely different level than I was.

How do you feel about Lucifron, who defeated you?

His builds feel like a European Terran but his playstyle is more than comparable to that of a Korean. It felt like we were equals.

While you were waiting for the decider’s match, who did you want to face?

It didn’t matter. I had already beaten Sase once and I was confident in my TvP after practicing with MC extensively. Nerchio didn’t look too threatening after I watched his match with Lucifron, so I wasn’t worried. I already knew that I was going to advance from the group.

In the first set of the decider match, Sase lost after being surrounded by your offensive line.

By the time I had him in my net, I had my third up and he did not. I would have the economic lead by far. As long as the net isn’t broken, it is a sure win for a Terran.

In the second set, you neutralized him with drop play. When did you know the game was yours?

When I did the double drop. I noticed that the defenses on one of the drops was late. I knew I had broken his focus and it was smooth sailing from then on.

The Round of 16 is taking place in Germany. Are there any differences between this tournament and other foreign tournaments you have
attended?

The current WCS format is the same as the GSL in Korea so it feels very welcoming. The other foreign tournaments I’ve gone to usually involve playing a multitude of games over just a few days and it was very tiring. This is the first time I’ve played in such a long term tournament overseas.

How is your stay in Germany?

I’ve been staying with MC and the SK Gaming manager Ko Min Shik and it’s been nice. It’s great to be able to eat Korean food here. It doesn’t feel like I’m overseas.

What do you think the round of 8 will be like?

I can’t say for sure since the round of 16 isn’t over yet but I’m confident I’ll be able to win with the time I have to practice.

You have said that you lack TvZ and TvT practice. How will you solve this problem for the round of 8?

A: I’m not sure yet because of the ping difference with players in Korea. I will either find Europeans to practice with or just deal with the lag.

Now that you’re in the round of 8 you have secured a spot in the EU Premier League next season.

A: My mind is at rest knowing that I do have a spot next season. I’m also very confident, seeing as how my win rate so far has been very good.

People have been saying that the current Mvp is not comparable to the Mvp of older days. Why do you think that is?

It’s because they’re right. My skill level isn’t where it used to be because of lack of practice rather than being unable to adjust to Heart of the Swarm. I haven’t really focused on any tournaments. I’ve only been laddering so my skill level hasn’t increased much. I haven’t been able to focus properly since I dropped down to Code B and didn’t really participate in any tournaments other than this one. But now that I have something to put my attention to, I’ve been getting by.

When do you plan on going back to Korea?

I’ve already reserved a ticket to fly back once the finals are done. So I definitely want to get to the finals. (laughs) My goal right now is to get to the round of 4 and I will fulfill it.

Any last words?

My team’s director Kang Dong Hoon has been stressed lately and losing weight. I hope everything goes well and his wife can help get everything back together. I also want to thank my fans in Korea and my girlfriend. The day after tomorrow my team, Nestea, and MLG manager Kim Sung Hwan leave Korea and I wish for their safe travels.

The final group of the round-of-16 takes place May 17th and features Feast, DIMAGA, ThorZaIN and Stephano.

Source: http://www.thisisgame.com/board/view.php?category=13439&id=1541111

ThisIsGame.com

On Thursday, Team AZUBU’s Symbol continued his run in this WCS Korea Code S season by defeating StarTale Bomber 3-1. Symbol will now move on to Thursday’s other match winner, Innovation, in one of the two semifinal matches, which will take place on the 23rd. The Soulkey vs. sOs match will happen on Tuesday the 21st.

Samuel Cho translated ThisIsGame.com’s post-match interview with Symbol below:

You defeated Bomber to move on to the round of 4. How do you feel?

I’m glad that I’m able to advance. I’m also happy that I have a spot in the [WCS] finals.

How did you prepare for today’s match?

I’ve been playing a lot of ZvTs lately and I’ve showed all-ins and micro-intensive builds. Today, I only prepared sure-win builds. I lost a lot while preparing that first set. I tried to mind-game him with Roach/Zergling/Baneling but he was one step ahead of me. I predicted that I would win 3:1.

In the second set it looked like you were slightly taken aback by your loss in the first set.

It wasn’t like that at all. Everything I did was planned.

You used Nydus play in the third set. It’s usually hard to follow up with another Nydus when the first attempt fails.

I can’t say too much because it’s my build, but I knew that it would work. I knew that if I could break his defenses just once, the game would be mine. The map was favorable for that build as well. But I will never divulge my secret. (laughs)

You will face INnoVation in the semi-finals.

INnoVation is looking incredibly strong these days. He played so well today. I believe that he is the best Terran at the moment. I’m a little nervous that I will have to play a player of that caliber in the semi-finals but I will do the best that I can.

INnoVation TvZ is legendary. Are you confident?

One of his advantages is that he has very solid play. I might have to prepare some tricky builds for him. I will have to vary up my builds because I don’t think I can win with just standard play.

It looks like a lot of Zergs these days are choosing to go Roach/Ling/Baneling.

I think it’s because of Widow Mines. I could use other builds if it weren’t for the Mines but it would get difficult before I could get to Lair Tech. So if there aren’t any Siege Tanks, Roach/Ling/Baneling is very strong.

INnoVation has a very different style than Bomber. Do you think Roach/Ling/Baneling will work against him?

Today’s builds were not geared toward Bomber, but Terrans in general. I will know when I play him.

Last season you were left with second place. It seems you will be much more motivated to win this season.

If I do get to the finals, I would like to play another Zerg. But I have found a solution to Protoss, so I’m not scared of sOs either. I’ve known sOs since he was in Hwaseung Oz, so I think it would be nice to meet him on the big stage.

Would like to say anything else?

I want to thank my teammates as well as Reality, BarrackS, Mind, and Center for helping me prepare. The build I used today was the result of the advice from Hyun and several friends. I want to thank them for always helping me. Please come watch AzubuTV and I would like to thank our sponsors Razer and Azubu.

Source: http://www.thisisgame.com/board/view.php?category=13439&id=1540677

In the first set, he held the counterattack with Widow Mines and Siege Tanks. In map two, he seized the win with an early attack and, after a calm defense in the third and final set, INnoVation finished RorO off with incessant Hellbat harassment. From the way he started to the way he ended, INnoVation looked absolutely perfect on Thursday.

He will now meet Symbol, who defeated Bomber on Thursday, in the semi-finals.

How do you feel getting into the round of 4?

My games went much better than expected. I don’t really know how to feel about it.

Aren’t you..well, happy?

I don’t really feel anything yet, probably because the match has just ended. But I wanted to go to the Grand Finals so I am content with
that.

You broke through the defending Code S champion. Did you prepare anything in particular?

No, not really. I tried to play to the best of my ability and I did.

But you don’t seem to be doing so well in Proleague.

I think it is mainly because of lack of preparation. I didn’t really focus on a any particular build for today’s match. I focused on mechanics and it went very well.

You used a very early hitting build in the second set.

Originally, I was going to go for something else. I actually thought of this build last night. I felt I had to change it up at least once. Even if I drop a map, I wanted to show aggression. I had a feeling he would hide an expansion at the 7 o’clock position and it turns out he did. It’s nothing too impressive.

You showed a very strong push in the third set. How did you feel at the moment?

When I saw the Roach push coming in, I thought I had lost the game, but I put my all into defending it. His attack didn’t do significant damage and I killed a lot of his drones. I knew I had a second chance to take the game and the series.

Did you foresee a 3:0?

I knew that if I took the first set, the rest of the games would play out well for me. If I had lost the first set it would have ended very differently.

You will meet either Bomber or Symbol in the semifinals.

I would like to face Symbol. I’m not a fan of mirror match-ups.

This is an opportunity to win the entire tournament, don’t you think?

I think so. It feels like it anyway. Even if I don’t end up winning, I have a spot in the Grand Finals so I won’t feel too down.

Who do you think will win between Soulkey and sOs?

I have a feeling Soulkey will take that match. If I do get to the finals, I want to play sOs. I think it’ll be fun.

Any last words?

My teammate Calm has helped me a lot since yesterday. I want to thank him for his help.

Source: http://www.thisisgame.com/board/view.php?category=13439&id=1540572

Along with the new teams being introduced, a slew of noteworthy changes and storylines have risen:

• Team MRN was knocked out of the LCS and shortly disbanded.
• Copenhagen Wolves left their organization, but the team that qualified will still be playing under the name “PandaN”
• Three of the four European teams from the Spring LCS were knocked out for the Summer season.
• The Smith brothers, ClakeyD and Nickwu, were knocked down from the LCS. There is still some brotherly love in the NA LCS. Maplestreet, TheOddOne’s brother, rose up with Velocity eSports into the LCS.
• Quantic Gaming, one of (if not the only) Challenger team with a team house, demolished Team Astral Poke and CompLexity their way into the LCS. In fact, their Jungler, Meetos, did not die a single time in any of the five games going 13/0/32 for the weekend.
• The highly touted matchup of CLG and Azure Cats fell on its face. CLG looked like the CLG of old by dominating their Azure Cats. HotshotGG even picked up Nidalee top in one of the games.
• North America innovated (much to the enjoyment of Kobe) – Velocity eSports pulled out an Ezreal jungle + two support composition that strangled Team MRN to death in game two of the series.
• Some awesome plays transpired

Believe it or not, this weekend is going to be the first weekend without some professional level League of Legends since January. But don’t you worry, the WellPlayed Cup Qualifier #1 will be going on for Western fans. The LPL is also wrapping up this weekend if you’re in the mood for some Chinese LoL.

The next big thing will be the All Star game in Shanghai where teams from North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Korea, and China will duke it out for a chance to gain an advantage for their region for the Season 3 Championships.