Hello White-Ra. You have great success in StarCraft 2 Beta and you have won some tournaments. Which success was the most important to you?
Hi. All tournaments where I participate are important to me, but the first TL Invitational is over all, because it was my first tournament win in SC2. Also it was the first time that a Protoss wins in SC2. Before that, Zerg was dominating.
Are you surprised about your successes in SC2?
Yes, because I don’t had much time to practice. But my long-term experience of playing SC:BW helped me to get good quickly at SC2. The most important thing in SC2 is the understanding of the game and actions of your opponent.
What is the reason that you don't have this much time to practice?
I work for a Russian game magazine, make diploma exams and in two weeks I finish my studying and if the weather is good, I go outside into the nature and meet friends.
What are your goals in StarCraft 2 after the release?
After I finish my studies, I will get more time for training. I want to show to everyone that it’s possible to still show a high skill, even when you are 29 years old and I plan to take part in all tournaments if I have enough time.
Many people tell that you are playing much cheese tactics in StarCraft 2. Do you agree with them?
Maybe it looks like this, but I just do this if I don’t feel good in a straight up game against some opponents. Still it’s difficult to speak about concepted cheese in SC2.
What is your favorite matchup in SC2?
This is really hard to say, because it changes very often, but at the moment I like PvP most.
Do you have something like a favorite unit in SC2?
Yeah, I really like Void Rays. I love these units, because they have so much power! But the patch made them bad against Vikings, Stalkers, Hydralisks and bunkers, because the Void Rays have now less range.
What do you miss most in SC2?
I miss the Reavers, because it’s very impressive, that one successful shot can turn an outcome of a match in Broodwar. It’s so beautiful, when an accelerated shuttle arrives with two Reavers at the opponents base and kills with some shots all of the workers.
Why is SC2 better than SC:BW?
For me is SC2 is more beautiful, because it’s much easier than SC:BW and this gives us more chances against the Koreans. I think that they will not win the World Cyber Games all the time now, like in Broodwar, because you don’t need so much training. For an example: My APM in Broodwar is about 220-240, Koreans have much more. In Starcraft 2 you don’t need so much.
How much is your action per minute count in SC2?
I now need just around 120.
Many guys tell, that making the game more easier means, that the game becomes boring.
Yes, I agree. But Blizzard is doing it to involve as much people as possible in the game. I think that eSports will win by this.
Who are the best European players in your opinion?
Because of the patches it changes a lot, this is very different from week to week.
And who was on top in the whole beta?
Dimaga, TheLittleOne, DeMusliM, LucifroN, HyprO and Strelok where all good for some time.
Who is in your point of view the most positive surprise?
TheLitteOne! He is now playing Terran, but he was also very successful as random player.
What do you think are the reasons which makes mousesports to one of the best non-Korean StarCraft 2 teams?
Our players and managers have a lot experience and we are playing together for a long time now. We are always trying to show the maximum result. If we sing up for a tournament or a league, we have only one finish: We want to win!
Thank you for the interview. The last words are yours.
I hope that the game won't have so much bugs after the release, like in the beta. I want to thank all people, who support me. Never forget the great time in BW and enjoy SC2.
Links
Mousesports.com - White-Ra Interview
