Stork and Flash - pt. 2

Original article: http://esports.dailygame.co.kr/view.php?ud=2014070201564574904

-----------below is the translation-----------

Did you enjoy reading about Stork and Flash’s talk on ceremony? I’ve heard that many people agreed to their thoughts. It also made the fans think again about their views and thoughts on SC2.

Stork pretty much set the fuse and FlaSh lit it. I hope someone keeps the flame alive as long as possible. Stork and FlaSh can’t be the only ones performing ceremoies forever. I hope more players perform ceremonies that will not only spotlight the league that they’re playing in, but also spotlight themselves.

This interview is about Stork and FlaSh’s thoughts on StarCraft 2 tournaments. Since they have tons of experience in tournaments, dating back to BW era, we need to listen to their thoughts carefully and take them seriously.

Q I think we talked enough about ceremonies. I completely agree to both of your thoughts and worries about the scene. Now, from both of you, I want to hear about your thoughts on the StarCraft 2 itself, as well as the SC2 leagues.

A Stork = SC2 is as fun as BW. There was a period of time when I was depressed during transition from BW to SC2, but the game itself is really fun.

Q There were times where someone like you were depressed?

A Stork = It’s gotten a lot better now. But last season, I thought about retiring multiple times during the day. After LoL became popular in Korea, everyone was talking about LoL. Nobody even cared about StarCraft 2, the game that I practiced really hard for. When Special Force Proleague was being held, plays from teams that both run BW team and SF team said that they went through a hard time. I think I became one of the SF players. There was a period of time where I needed some attention and love from the community and fans.

Q We wouldn’t have seen you in 2014 season if you went to army, right? I think you need to go soon. Any plans?

A Stork = When the time comes, my mind and my heart will say that I have to let go of the game. But for now, I’m trying to delay my army service as much as possible. The hard times have passed, and currently my mind is set.

Q Maybe that’s why you looked more desperate during your 7 game winning streak, compared to your 13 game losing streak where you looked lethargic inside the game.

A Stork = Really? I guess my feelings and thoughts were shown through my matches.

A FlaSh = Even I thought that Stork was trying to send us a message through his matches. I think it was his game against ByuL (T/N Wait why do people say I (snm) look like byul?). It seemed that every individual unit of Stork was thinking ‘we have to win’ and moved accordingly as they were racing for elimination.

A Stork = Hearing such words from the ‘Final Boss’ makes me feel great. I’m honored.

Q I think disbandment of AirForce ACE was a huge disappointment to the older players.

A Stork = Maybe I should’ve applied for it 3 years ago. I do regret a little. AirForce used to have the e-Sport soldier policy. If I went to AirForce during my prime days, I could’ve improved AirForce ACE’s record. I also thought multiple times that I could have easily continued my progamer life after finishing my army duties. But what can I do? It’s too late, and the system is gone.

A FlaSh = The disbandment was a huge disappoint to progamers, especially StarCraft progamers. When players like Reach and YellOw went to AirForce, I didn’t think about it as much. In fact, since I was just becoming an adult by legal standards, I didn’t think about army at all. After turning 23, the pressure is finally starting to build up.

A Stork = I think it’s a good idea for FlaSh to apply for Joongang University as e-Sports specialist. I heard that KeSPA and Joongang University made a treaty and heard that they were selecting about 2 people. You can play and study at a 4-year University while naturally delaying your army duties.

Q Stork’s WCS Ro16 matches became a hot issue to many fans. There were rumors about your tears after the match and you also earned the nick name ‘God-Goo’ (T/N Stork’s real name is Song Byung Goo. So they just replaced Byung with ‘God’. Another example is Lee Young Ho -> God Young Ho)

A FlaSh = Even I was touched by Stork’s WCS games. It feels like he’s doing well for me, someone who’s currently not performing well in WCS. I didn’t think about it as much during Ro32, but my hands were sweating while cheering on for Stork during his Ro16 matches. Since he’s been doing well since BW and the oldest SC2 progamer in Korea, I think I was more passionate and emotional about his games.

A Stork = I really didn’t cry. It only seemed like that because of the camera angle. Honestly, I didn’t have too much time to practice for the Ro16 matches due to personal reasons. Since I couldn’t practice much, I couldn’t play as well and that’s why I think I got knocked out at Ro16.

Q Speaking of the amount of practice, people have been saying that the reason why older progamers have worse record is because they don’t practice enough. I want to hear your thoughts on this statement Stork, because you’re the oldest SC2 progamer in Korea.

A Stork = The amount of practice is not the source of annoyance for the older players. There are actually many distractions that keeps us from focusing on practicing. The army issue is one example. Tons of mail arrives at our practice house. It’s the notice of enlistment for the army. To delay my retirement and to join the army at a later date, the company, coaches, staff members, and I discuss and fill out requested forms, acquire required documents, and other required materials. It’s very troublesome because it takes an entire day. This means I just missed a day of practice. Around this time of the year a year ago, something big happened. Due to this, I was thinking about retiring and becoming a coach for a year before joining the army.

Q FlaSh, you had a surgery on your arm. From all the progamers that I’ve met, you had the biggest injury thus far. How’s your arm these days?
A FlaSh = It was better right after the surgery, but the pain is coming back. I think this is going to continue while I’m a progamer. I just have to endure it. I thought it was going to be okay when I transitioned to SC2 due to MBS (Multiple Building Selection), but after preparing for tournaments and practicing rigorously, I think my arm is getting worse once again. The key to success as Terran is the Marine and Marauder split army control. It’s same for TvZ and TvP. At least when I’m playing mech in TvT, my arm hurts less. I did talk to KT’s basketball team before and most players on that team had injuries yet they endured it and continued their profession as professional basketball player. I’m just going to do the same.

Q How would you feel if, all of a sudden, you didn’t have to go to army?

A Stork = I think I’ll continue my life as a progamer, no matter how old I am. Even if I get married and have a son/daughter, I don’t think I can quit being a gamer. I’ll probably set a practice schedule and go back and forth from the practice house while spending time with my family at home. If another team like AirForce ACE forms again, I’ll join as soon as possible. However, I don’t think that’s realistic. It’s disappointing, but right now I’m debating when to join the army.

A FlaSh = Since I was born in 1992, my non-progamer friends either all finished their military duties or are close to finishing. When I see them these days I think they’re the ‘winners’. But I have no regrets. I’m doing what I like, and I’m getting rewarded for it. I’ll continue my life as a progamer until I reach my goals.

Q Tons of StarCraft 2 players are attending foreign tournaments. Aren’t you guys also thinking about going to foreign tournaments? Given that all circumstances are met, are you willing to focus mostly on foreign tournaments or move to a foreign team?

A Stork = If my army issues are all solved, then of course I’ll try to attend as many foreign touranments as possible. Since I still have time, I want to attend as many tournaments as possible so I’m playing in most qualifiers. My company also promised to support me for attending foreign tournaments. That’s why I was able to attend Homestory Cup. I also wanted to attend MLG this year but I couldn’t go because I have a single passport (T/N meaning, his passport expires after he travels to another country once). It was also a period of time where Proleague was important.

A FlaSh = Due to scheduling issues with Proleague, there are many cases where I can’t attend foreign tournaments. I’m currently focusing on Proleague first because the company’s main focus is on Proleague, and I agree to a certain extent. After 2014 season is over, I’m going to actively seek chances to attend a foreign tournament. I really want to hear the low-to-mid pitched ‘FlaSh’ from the foreign fans.

I did attend foeign touranments couple of times, but its hard to adjust after attending only one or two tournaments. I barely learned how to maintain good condition when I was attending one of the tournaments, but after about 3 or 4 months of not attending foreign tournaments (and then attending one), I forget how to maintain good composure once again.

Q Recently KeSPA announced the revival of KeSPA cup and said they will hold a global SC2 tournament. Are you greedy for these upcoming tournaments?

A Stork = Of course, I’m excited. Progamer’s goal is to win as much as possible, especially if new tournaments are made. But it seems near impossible to qualify for that tournament if you don’t get the Ro16 seed. Qualifying through Korean qualifyers is similar to a camel passing through the eye of the needle (T/N wow, this previous sentence probably doesn’t make sense. All he’s trying to say is that its really hard). All the good players will try to qualify….(sigh…)

A FlaSh = The reason why so many players were trying to get the most wins is because of KeSPA Cup. After learning about the seeding system (players with most and second most wins in Proleague are seeded), every single player solely focused on Proleague, or all-in’d. I did also all-in for Proleague, but my records aren’t as good. I’m getting worried.

Q Protoss is doing really well these days. There have been rumors about you (FlaSh) switching to Protoss; have you ever considered or have decided to switch races?

A FlaSh = It feels too late. I did seriously consider switching to Protoss at one point. But I decided against it. I don’t know how other Terran think about myself, but personally I think that one day, the ‘FlaSh’ style Terran is going to gain spotlight and become popoular. My record during team evaluation (friendlies) is great. If there are 10 of those friendlies within the team, I place 1st in 9 of the 10 evaluations. I’ve been doing well since the beginning of SC2 and have been consistent. Thus, I always have confidence in myself. I’m always looking towards the long run. It was same back in BW. I did have about two slumps during my career. During those slumps, I looked towards the long term goals and took things slowly. The result was great, as I did really well towards the end of BW. If I’m doing well at the practice house, then I believe that someday, I’ll also do well on the broadcasted matches and official tournaments.

A Stork = Although I think I’m doing well because I’m a Protoss user, I think games are just working out really well for me these days. When I lost to Dream after my 7 game winning streak, it just seemed like a natural pattern for me. When I lose in PvT, I always lose like that. If they add in widow mines, I surrender even faster. Personally, PvT is hard. I’m confident in other matchups. Unlike FlaSh who says that he’s always at top during the friendlies and in-house ranking matches, I usually stay in the middle. When I’m do well in PvP (T/N apparently Stork describes this day as the day he won the lottery), I do place well, sometimes even 1st. But no matter the results, I’m having fun with the game and enjoying my practice sessions.

Q You did mention that SC2 is getting the SF treatment after being pushed off the spotlight by LoL. What can people do, or what should we do, to revive SC2?

A Stork = That’s the thing that I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. I have tons of ideas. We need more informational programs that utilizes StarCraft 2. And while it’s okay for game casters/commentators to come out on the show, we need to start using female entertainers, such as K-Pop girl group members. The ones that people know about. The core SC2 players are males. If you can bring in the girl group fans, then it will become a huge issue and bring in more players. Think about this: A live game show where you get to play with girl groups. If you advertise that well, I think it’s going to be a huge success.

Q I think it will be very expensive, and might be a huge burden from the broadcasting station’s point of view.

A Stork = Of course it will be expensive. But they will need to tolerate such burden if SC2 were to revive (T/N The original translation here is ‘if SC2 revives’ but that didn’t make sense to me. I’m leaving the original translation as a note just in case). I thought MBCGame always made the right choices. They received good reviews when they used idol members such as Han Seung Yeon (Kara) (T/N I MIGHT HAVE THE NAME WRONG, DONT KILL ME PLZ) and IU. Rather than inviting these idol members for other information shows, I wish they were invited to help reviving the SC2 scene.

Another way to increase popularity is for Blizzard to make SC2 fre to play. You can’t play SC2 without buying the CD (T/N or buying it digitally =X). The good players receive more spotlight if there are more players in the scene, regardless of the game. To be honest, it is hard to find SC2 practice partners and/or trainees these days. Progamers are at the top, but that’s it. There’s no middle. I even have a feeling that we won’t have tournaments after current players retire because we don’t have any new players.

A FlaSh = I completely agree with Stork

A Stork = You agree with my girl group + StarCraft 2 information show idea?

A FlaSh = Yeah. I didn’t think about that before

A Stork = I agreed with KeSPA hiring cheerleaders for Proleague. It cheered up the place (T/N OMG THAT WAS SUCH A BAD TRANSLATION BUT W.E.). While it’s important to have fun while watching the game at the venue, its also good to have fun while cheering for the players. If you look at baseball games (T/N in Korea), the cheerleaders control the atmosphere.

A FlaSh = I think Stork is full of ideas. After he retires, I think it might be a good idea for him to join KeSPA and become an administrator.

A Stork = I also feel that Blizzard doesn’t care about SC2. There were many things announced such as level up system and unit skins at the launch of Heart of the Swarm, but they haven’t developed anything new since then, or haven’t added much to the original system. Shortly after the release of Heart of the Swarm, Heroes of the Storm was announced and Hearthstone came out. I think SC2 is the only game that’s been pushed announced. I heard that the CEO’s most favorite game is StarCraft, but the treatment that it is currently receiving is the worst.

Q I feel that the star-making in Korean tournaments aren’t happening. There also has been some controversy about the location of this year’s GSL finals (T/N their own studio). What do you think?

A FlaSh = I just think that we can’t blame GOMexp for holding the finals at their own studio. I believe they made that choice not only because of the financial issues but also their lack of confidence in drawing in many fans for the finals. Maybe its my fault, or even Stork’s, but just because the players are skills does not mean that they can hold the finals at a huge venue, without making them a star first. It’s hard to gather the fans that way. First, they have to make storylines and form rivalries.

In that note, I think GOMexp wasn’t as good at making these storylines, and when they made one they reacted slowly and missed out on the good ones. Honestly, the hottest issue in GSL Season 2 was Stork. If they saw Stork’s run through Ro32 and Ro16, they should’ve kept the focus on him. To me, it feels that they’re using same amount of focus and energy for every single match. I can still recall the days when Reach made it back in to Starleague. When fans started going ‘It’s the return of the Hero’, OGN used Reach as the main model for their intro video. When fans saw the video of reach wearing his headset, that resembled himself back in 2002 when he won the OSL, they went nuts. That’s how you create a star. That’s how star-making should be done.

A Stork = Although soO got second place, the fact that he made it into the finals 3 times in a row is a great achievement. But it seemed to the fans that soO was losing his strength when the broadcasters were putting heavy emphasis on 3 second place finishes in a row. Rather than emphasizing on his second place finishes and making it sound really grim for soO, I would like it if they praise him for his success.

Q When I throw one question at you guys, you guys just keep on talking and talking. I’m happy yet flustered at the same time. We’ll pull an all nighter at this rate. Let’s meet in the future and continue your thoughts and stories. For now, however, we’ll finish the interview with one final statement from both of you.

A Stork = Being a progamer for a long time can be intrepreted as an opportunity for others to create tons of story about you. In this case, I guess both FlaSh and I are included. I really wanted FlaSh to do well this season, but he was playing against Shine. It was a bit awkward for me to cheer for FlaSh. I hope he doesn’t face Samsung players starting from now on, so that I can cheer for him. While it feels good to face FlaSh in Proleague, in the future I want to face him in later stages of GSL. Until that day, both of us will need to perform well and raise fan’s expectations.

A FlaSh = Stork is back in shape, both in Proleague and individual league. Although he is the oldest SC2 progamer in Korea, he is working really hard to achieve goals. That’s something that I should learn from him, and I respect him for that. I really want to see him win another tournament. I would like it more if I’m not his opponent in the finals when he wins. I hope can continue practicing hard until the day where Stork and FlaSh meets in the finals.