€1,500 Razer StarCraft 2 GosuCup: Winner's interview

Congratulations Grubby on winning the €1,500 Razer StarCraft 2 GosuCup! How do you rate this victory looking over your StarCraft 2 career?

- I think my 3rd place at Copenhagen Games iss probably still the best accomplishment of my StarCraft II career, but it's not a #1 placement. This is my best #1 placement and I am pretty pleased with it for now. I made myself kinda proud beating opponents like Kas, Socke and Nerchio.

You defeated Nerchio in a close best-of-seven series that ended 4-3. The majority of them were long macro games that went over the 20-minute-mark. Do you get more confident in the game as the game progresses?

- I still play a lot by feeling. I think I could benefit from becoming more methodical, but it also has its advantages to go by instinct. I am adaptable and I never give up. I think that really showed through in game 7.

You were seen doing quite a lot Void Rays, especially in the first set of games in the grand final. What are your thoughts on Protoss versus Zerg as a whole, and especially versus an offensive player like Nerchio?

- I didn't think of Nerchio as an aggressive player per say. All Zergs agree that it's lovely to make a million Drones. It's just race mechanics. It's true that Nerchio throws in a curve ball every now and then but that's simply smart Bo-X tactics. I liked Protoss vs Zerg in Broodwar more than the current PvZ in SC2, but I think Blizzard's doing a fine job balancing/tuning as they always have with their games. Sometimes it takes a little longer than we'd like, but I think people underestimate how difficult it is to properly change something without undue ramifications. Blizzard's gotta keep everything in mind.

How has the StarCraft 2 experience been so far compared to your time in WarCraft 3? Has it lived up to your expectations?

- It's been a superb time so far. The transition of WarCraft 3 to StarCraft 2 was pretty difficult for me, as expected. In part because I switched later and entered a higher level of average skill already, and in part because I was so enmeshed in WarCraft 3 styles. I very much like starcraft and it's been very exciting and challenging to learn a whole new game.

Looking back on the GosuCup, which match would you say was the most memorable?

- Definitely the finals against Nerchio. I'd like to thank the two zergs who practiced some games with me before I played the finals!

How much did the run-by zerglings bug you in game four on Shakuras Plateau? Nerchio blasted ahead in macro quite a lot.

- I knew the game was pretty much over at that point. It's already going to be close game with normal circumstances. Losing mining time and 5+ probes is deadly. Still, I tried.

The casters of the tournament were at many times applauding your micro management. What do you feel, do you see yourself as a micro-oriented player?

- I'm not just a micro-oriented player, but a micro-oriented person in real life too, haha. Such characteristics apparently flow through into my gameplay.

Do you feel that you are up-to-par with the rest of the players who started their career earlier than you?

- Though I started late and it's made it more difficult, I will be on-par.

While your opponent Nerchio did not lose a single game prior to the finals, you edged out some really close games against Socke. What do you think of your Protoss vs. Protoss, and what would you say were the keys in winning over Socke in the semi final?

- My Protoss vs Protoss was lacking a bit, but it improved a lot thanks in large part to my showmatch against TSLKiller at Gamescom and also a bit my because of my earlier nVIDIA online match against ST_Ace. I think the keys were mindgames, micro and luck. It was close and Socke is very good.

You have been in Korea for a week or two now, and will stay there a while longer until IeSF. Do you plan to "boot camp" in Korea for future events? How do you respond to the statement "it's not possible to live in Europe and still be able to win against the best players"?

- Yes, I plan to come back again to Korea. It is possible to play in Europe and compete against the best players. I should know, I did so for the better part of 2-3 years in WarCraft III. You just need to put in even more time and thought to compensate for a lower average efficiency in training. However, if you get lucky, you find some lucky stars in training partners such as Heinrich "SoKoL" Rennert or Artem "Cash" (two of my finest Orc prac partners in Europe for WC3) and some other people who have been training with me. I hope I can find such good people again in StarCraft II.

You had without a doubt the biggest share of fans in the broadcast chat room today. Anything to say to your fans?

- You carry me on a cloud. Thank you.