Sonik: "I will put most of my time into Starcraft 2"

GosuGamers translated an interview with Ukraine's WarCraft 3 top player Ilya 'Sonik' Malish. We find out that the top-ranked European has shifted focus to StarCraft 2 and that a new team is in the works. We also hear of his most memorable times playing WarCraft 3.
- "When I was denied visa to participate in the WCG 2007 finals in Seattle, USA, I was devastated. I was still very young then, so it became a very profound and memorable experience for me," says Sonik.

Hi Sonik, give us a short introduction of yourself.
- "I'm Ilya Malish, but everyone will know me as Sonik. I'm twenty four this year, yet I have been playing computer games for ten of those years. Here, I would like to thank my dad for supporting me through these ten years by buying me the Sega or PlayStation consoles I wanted."

How is life like for you?
- "The days when I had not a care or desire in the world are now just a thing of the past - they have left me and will never return. Now, I'm practically studying seven days a week; in the morning I sit through Economics and Electrical Engineering courses, while at night I'll be at the gym working out.

It's a monotonous and repetitive life, but whatever spare time I get, I'll be playing a bit of Warcraft 3 and Starcraft 2."

Tell us about how your ID came about, would you?
- "When I was young, I was a huge fan of Sonic the Hedgehog - Sonic was always caught in interesting or exciting situations he had to get out of. I could spend a whole day wrapped in his cartoons. Of course, I also had Sonic the Hedgehog on PlayStation."

You've been Europe's most outstanding and stable Warcraft 3 player for a long time now. I guess you could almost be considered the absolute best player in Europe. Why so?
- "Well, I feel my standards have not dropped, while most of the competitive players have decided to switch to Starcraft 2. I don't blame them for losing interest in the game - there are fewer competitions now and the salaries these players receive from their organisations have also fell dramatically.

Starcraft 2 has sucked away most of the Warcraft 3 talent in Europe. It seems that only China and Korea have a couple of top notch Warcraft 3 players, while in Europe it's hardly possible to find a player of such a calibre."

Has your level of training changed over the weeks/months?
- "I'm training significantly less now; I play on average four to eight hours a day. I ran into a great Starcraft 2 team and they offered me a two week trial version CD-key. I'm planning on devoting some time to the game. I'm sorry I can't reveal anymore about that team at the moment.

Now, I will put most of my time into Starcraft 2, but I will still be attending the weekly Warcraft 3 event, Z Cup as well as the fortnight FFT Frozen Throne event. Out of these events, I have been champions three times and so I plan to continue playing them. Furthermore, these events allow players like myself to get an accurate gauge of where we stand and motivates us to continue training."

Every Thursday, you have to waste half an hour of your time beating an opponent 3-0. Don't you feel frustrated that you have to do this? *laughs*
- "I don't think I will answer that; I don't want to say something rude which might offend others. I don't think my opponents will feel that I'm making a fool of them. I respect all the opponents I meet, and I give my best and strive to win each game I play. "

Who do you think are the top three players in Europe at the moment?
- "Why don't you visit the rankings page on GosuGamers? With regards to who is strong and who is weak, I cannot give you an objective answer. I trust the data. *smiles*"

There are rumors floating about claiming that you use a chat software to cheat. You will arrange with a friend to watch your match and chat with you at the same time.
- "Of course, I've been maphacking for ten years now, and I do it all the time. *laughs* Actually, those who suspect me of cheating should really pay attention to the streams that were going on at Z Cup. When I was playing, there was a first person stream which practically revealed all my movements and plans to everyone."

Representing Ukraine, you took down many strong teams from countries such as Germany and ENC champions Russia. Do you look back on your competitive days and feel nostalgic about the spirit of team competition back then?
- "ENC was one of the best memories I had. It was the first time a couple of lads stood up to represent Ukraine on the global stage and we eventually became champions! There was so much emotion back then. The ups and downs coupled with all the excitement - oh how I enjoyed those times in Cologne."

So why don't you represent Ukraine at the latest wNL tournament?
- "I regret not being able to find the time to participate, but I will certainly stick around to find out how it goes."


Ukraine is also the birthplace of elite Warcraft 3 players HoT, Kas, Bly, Majestic, Tresh, CO and so on, yet only you have remained to this day. Where have the rest gone?
- "I guess we had different plans for life. As far as I know, HoT and Tresh are currently playing Poker, Kas and Bly are in the warm embrace of Starcraft 2, and Majestic is currently into music. After we won the 2010 Nations Cup together, it seemed like his main goal for Warcraft 3 had came to fruition. I'm not the only one who stuck on actually; Foggy, Friendster and Co are still playing."

Going back to your Warcraft 3 career history, what was the most memorable experience for you, as well as the team that was the most warm towards you?
- "When I was denied visa to participate in the WCG 2007 finals in Seattle, USA, I was devastated. I was still very young then, so it became a very profound and memorable experience for me. Also, I miss the days with Pova - they really made me fell accepted."

If you were given the chance to play Warcraft 3 competitively in China and live there, would you follow in Nicker's footsteps?
- "I'm an adult now, so I'm free to go to China if I want to. Even if I could make some money in China, heading off to a totally unfamiliar country - which is meaningless. With regards to leaving the country, the furthest I will go is just to attend a couple of Warcraft 3 or Starcraft 2 offline events."

Ukraine's Odyssey is attracting an increasing number of German tourists. Why don't you recommend a couple of places to visit? Also, give us three reasons why someone would want to visit Ukraine.
- "We have delicious food, a rich history and culture, and the world-famous Black Sea. But otherwise, generally what our country has, other countries do too.."