Meet Vile Gaming: Part 1
It's always important to remember your roots. At the heart of every famous e-sports personality is a story about playing, casting, or working behind the scenes for months, or years, without recognition. That said, many of these stories have been well-documented, and so I thought I'd interview some people whose stories of laboring in obscurity aren't so well known, or who may be writing those stories as we speak.
You might be more familiar with some players on Team Vile more than others, but their results are no less impressive. Players like Hawk, State, ChAnCe, and Illusion have had great runs at various MLGs, while the entire team stormed through the first IPL TAC 2 qualifier, which included teams like ZeNex and NSHoSeo.
The first part of our "Meet" series with Vile Gaming features ChAnCe (Z), State (P), SyNc (P), and Illusion (T).
Could you provide your name, handle, and where you're from?
 |
|
How did you first get into StarCraft?
ChAnCe: Original StarCraft: I was in Vancouver and we went to the mall and I got to pick out a video game. I remember picking StarCraft cause the box art was so damn cool and you could flip that shit open. After that I only used it to play used map settings, as those appealed more to kids then melee. About SC2, I was stoked about playing more awesome custom games and team games, so I got a beta key from a friend one month into it!
State: I started playing StarCraft in September, 2010, and after several months of playing casually and having some success, I joined Team Vile and began training competitively. StarCraft II is my first competitive RTS
SyNc: I've always been a fan of RTS games. I played Warcraft 3 since its release for a few years. However, it was casual and involved team games.
Illusion: I saw the trailer on TV and remembered my dad playing it when I was a kid.
Have you had success with any other games?
ChAnCe: I played in the CAL league for Day of Defeat: Source and RTCW. I played a lot of local tournies for various fighting games and I'm a monster at guitar hero. I also had a gladiator-titled warrior in WoW and was going to participate competitively till my ex shut that down hard. Success is to scale of the games I played. At the time I thought I was pretty awesome. Looking back I don't think anyone gives a shit about my consistency in CAL league matches.
SyNc: I played competitive Counter Strike: Source. My biggest achievement in CSS was making ESEA-Invite, although I quit to play StarCraft 2.
How often do you practice StarCraft?
ChAnCe: When I feel great I can do 50-70 games a day, and there was a short time when I didn't touch the game for 2 weeks... I find that the biggest struggle for North American players is definitely the atmosphere.
Illusion: I practice in all my free time, whether it is strategizing, playing, or watching VODs.
What are your strengths? (Favorite strategy, best matchup, etc.)
ChAnCe: I charge 25$/hr if you want some strats... However, my best matchup is probably ZvT and will probably stay that way as I find it the most enjoyable to practice.
SyNc: My best matchup is PvT, and my strengths are in my macro. I consider myself a very standard Protoss.
Illusion: My best matchup is probably TvZ because I can abuse my micro to the fullest extent.
What has been your proudest moment so far?
 |
|
Illusion: Although it wasn't the best, my MLG run at Providence is something that I will never forget. It will always stick with me as a learning experience.
Where would you like to see your career in 2012?
ChAnCe: A lot further then it is now? I try not to make ridiculous claims, instead focus more on short term goals that improve my ability.
Illusion: This year, I'd like to travel to Europe and tournaments like DreamHack. The online audience was huge and the crowd looked awesome!
What keeps you motivated to play?
ChAnCe: I really, really hate losing, not because I want to be better then someone, but because I hate sucking at something.
SyNc: I enjoy playing StarCraft 2 and always want to get better. Every game I play I want to be competitive, otherwise I consider it to be a total waste of time. Also there is always motivation if a game's competitive scene is as big as sc2's.
Illusion: Just the pure pleasure of playing the game, as well as striving to become a better player.
As a member of a pro gaming team, you've achieved something many players only hope for. Do you consider your career a success? If not, what would it take to consider yourself a success?
ChAnCe: I've never been able to look at my successes, only those short term goals I've set ahead. As long as I can keep doing what I'm doing without going broke I'm content with that.
State: It's okay. I haven't done reasonably well in any major tournaments, and although I've won a few smaller LANs, I'm pretty disappointed with how I've done so far. It's painful to invest so much time into practicing and travel halfway across the country only to fail over and over again.
SyNc: I don't really consider my career a success because I haven't done anything worth mentioning. My goal is to make it far in an MLG, and I would consider my career successful if that happens.
Illusion: I wouldn't say it has been a success yet. It is only the beginning and people should look out for us (smiles).
Which player outside of Vile do you most admire?
|
SyNc: I admire KiWiKaKi the most because he is always creating new strategies that change the meta-game for every Protoss matchup.
How does it feel to have a former member of ZeNex on your team?
State: It's great! I couldn't be happier. Yong's an amazing player and a more amazing person. He's innovative, dedicated, and lighthearted, and has the best work ethic out of everyone on our roster. He adds so much to the team!
SyNc: Having a former member of ZeNEX on my team is very beneficial. I watch Yong's stream as much as I can because his builds are very crisp and efficient. Yong plays Protoss the way it should be played.
ChAnCe: I don't really know much about ZeNex but I'm stoked we took Yong from them. He's a baller and Vile would be a lot less awesome without him! Everyday Yong sings K-pop to us. He has the voice of an angel and, coupled with his rugged good looks, his presence has been life changing. He's a beast in-game—very different from when you talk to him. I question Dustin Browder's every Protoss design choice when Yong plays, but because of this I find everyone else much easier to deal with :). Except State—eff that guy. Maybe DdoRo too, and probably SyNc.... :( I hate playing our Protoss.
Your team recently won the first of the IPL TAC 2 qualifiers. What do you think of your team's performance?
State: I'm very satisfied with how well we did throughout the qualifiers. Vile is unlike other professional teams in that it is so well-rounded; that is to say, we don't rely on just one or two players to earn a win. Everyone is talented and makes meaningful contributions. Hopefully we'll continue to do well!
SyNc: I'm very proud of my team for winning the IPL TAC 2 qualifier. Everyone plays as much as they can and tries to improve and become the best they can be. Beating ZeNEX was amazing because they are a very strong Korean team full of up and coming talent, and it showed us that we can compete at the highest level. The tournament will be tough but hopefully we will show everyone that we are a very good team.
ChAnCe: It was an emotional roller coaster, especially the FXO IMBA series. I really love my team and these leagues bring us together! I'm very pleased with our performance obviously and I'm constantly impressed by my teammates.
Vile has a promising up-and-coming player in Illusion. At only 15-years-old, he placed 24th at MLG Providence, second at the recent ONOG (One Nation of Gamers) invitational and will compete at IEM 6 Global Challenge Sao Paulo.
As a player who is so young, do you feel any extra pressure to perform?
Illusion: The only pressure I feel from being young is showing people that young players are talented. Aside from that, age has nothing to do with the fact I am pressured, every competitor feels pressured, for their fans, team, family, etc.
Did you ever suspect such success at such a young age?
Has your age affected your StarCraft 2 career? If so, in what ways?
You recently made a good showing at MLG Providence. What was the experience like?
|
How do you feel about qualifying for IEM Sao Paulo?
Illusion: Really excited for it! It's my first time out of the country so it will either be a really good or really bad experience.
* * *
Any closing comments? Where can people find you?
ChAnCe: Shoutouts to everyone whos made me someone, all my practice partners from the past (Avoid/Ryze/Monk/Suppy/Sadistx/LuckyFool/Frosty/Ocean/Syckness) My team and my sponsors Razer!! Also Mike, a former manager of mine.
State: Thanks to Andy, Kris, Chuckie, Ian, our sponsor Razer, and everyone else who supports Vile!
SyNc: Shoutout to everyone on Team Vile for being an awesome team and sending everyone to MLGs and other events. I would also like to thank Razer for providing us with awesome gear.
Illusion: www.twitter.com/vileillusion, www.facebook.com/illusionsc2, www.twitch.tv/illusioncss.
Check back soon for the second part of this series featuring interviews with DdoRo, Hawk, Doromin, Spanishiwa and Yong.
