Artosis talks IEM: 'I am a bit behind on time'

Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski, veteran StarCraft player and well-known community character, was one of the players invited to this weekend's Intel Extreme Masters gamescom stop. GosuGamers caught a hold of the busy Zerg player.

Who do you see as the top opposer, the guy to beat, in this weekend's tournament?
- "IdrA is without doubt the most skilled player there. That doesn't mean he's the scariest though. Because of the current state of the game, ClouD, Tarson, BratOK (or MorroW?), DeMuSliM, and I guess the other Terrans also, are very tough opponents. Also, White-Ra is just such a beast, he might make it really far as well."

Artosis is one of the few non-Koreans players currently residing in Korea. He can be seen playing the Korean ladder - that is - when his other projects are on hold.

- "Recently I had to go to Busan for the Proleague finals as well as commentate eStars Seoul this past weekend, so I am a bit behind on time put in compared to the other players."

Are you hoping for a future as a progamer, or a shoutcaster?
- I'd like to do both, until I am tired of either, then I will stop that one. I really don't know right now. I have a lot of competitive spirit in me, so I wouldn't be surprised if I still did both in 2 years time.

With your busy schedule with commentating and doing work for IEG - how do you plan your future for progaming?
- "Well, I am planning on playing a lot, and working less. I'll be filming most of my content at matches I go to, and just playing whenever I possibly can. I will try to find a balance which works for me, hopefully fitting in ~60 hours of practice a week, which I feel is optimal for me," he says.

People following Artosis on Twitter have seen his concerns about the Zerg versus Terran matchup. Artosis feels that the matchup is heavily Terran favored at the moment.

- "It's really frustrating to lose games to players I am clearly better than, so sometimes I rage on my twitter," says Artosis and laughs.

- "Against Tarson and BratOK I'll just play my best and see how it goes. I'm actually very good against Terran, but the matchup is hard and volatile, so we'll see."

One of the factors concerning the matchup is definitely the current map pool, means Artosis. Another is the versatile army of the Terran.

- "Small maps and maps without a choke infront of the natural are insanely hard to defend against Terran's ranged army. But mostly It's the choices Terran has. They can open anything, and It's very hard to scout what it is, so sometimes you are just caught offguard and die."