welcome-banner
All News
article-headline
StarCraft20 years agoRaistlin

Interview with Rekrul

Interview with Rekrul - the second American to join Hexatron DremaTeam
First, we start off with the standards. What is your name, where do you live, how old are you and what is your profession?


My name is Dan Schreiber, I am 18 years old and currently in Troy, OH USA. For the past year I was attending the University of Cincinnati studying psychology. In 7 days I will be leaving my home country to make an attempt at professional gaming in Seoul, Korea.


Do you think that that's like every gamer's dream? To live off of playing computer games?


Not really to live off of it, but I am quite sure the vast majority would love to spend a portion of their lives in a situation where they can do nothing but live the starcraft dream in korea that they so fervidly keep up to date with online.


Has this been your personal dream then? To pack your bags, with only your strategical mind and your hands to play for money?


rekrul2.jpgTo be honest it never really was a "dream" of mine until this all came up. I have always been a casual starcraft player, playing for pure fun unless a competition was coming up, then I would do a lot of hardcore practicing. It was a goal of mine to make it to Korea for WCG to see the culture and how gaming really is over there.

Being in Korea for the first time really made me appreciate the place, and on my way out I had a strong feeling that I'd be coming back there someday for some reason or another.

Anyways, once I was told that the Hexatron Dream Team was looking for a new member and that I could be a possible candidate, the dream was truly realized. I started thinking about it, and realized it was something that I would have great passion doing, so I did everything I could to get the spot.


Tell me more about the pro gaming offer you got from Hexatron DreamTeam. Why did they choose you in particular? How did they contact you?


hexatronsmallpic.jpgWell the Dream Team manager, Daniel Lee, was looking for another protoss user on his team now that Grrrr isn't on the team anymore. As it stands Legionnaire is the only protoss player which puts a big burden on him, hampers the possible practicing capabilities of the team as a whole, and hurts the team in the team leagues.
I am lucky to be good friends with ElkY, who told me that Daniel (SuperDaniel) was looking for a new foreign player, and that he (ElkY) thought I would be good for the job. I have spent a lot of time helping ElkY practice for some of his league games in the past (which is one of the main reasons I improved a lot between WCG USA 2002 and 2003.)

I was also good friends with Legionnaire, Assem, and Gundam which made it that much easier. Once SuperDaniel decided that I had the dedication and necessary skills, he told me to get to Korea as fast as I could. But I had to finish the school year before I could go.

Now that school is over I'll be going over there and getting food/housing/transportation taken care of. I'm new to progaming, I won't get much more than that unless I really earn it, which I intend to do. [pG] is helping pay my plane so in Korea I will be representing Hexatron, [pG], the USA, and of course TL.net!


So this summer you won't participate in WCG, since you're in Korea?


Actually I do plan to participate in WCG. Luckily for me there is a USA preliminary event this coming weekend in Cleveland OH which is 3 days before I leave for Korea. It was rather ironic because the event got announced after I bought my plane ticket.
The winners of the preliminaries get paid flights to the USA finals. So hopefully if I win in Ohio they'll pay a ticket from Korea to Cali for the finals, and if not they'll atleast give me some financial help. WCG is THE single most important tournament for foreigners. It is very important that I participate in it.


assem.jpgYeah, if I remember correctly, the reason that Assem made it to Hexatron was becasuse of WCG, no?


Well, he had contacts with POS before WCG and was planning to join, him getting 2nd and earning a flight to Korea at USA WCG 03' was his way of getting to Korea and joining POS for good. He just recently joined the Dream Team though, when Hexatron took over sponsorship from AMD.


Why do you think that Hexatron DreamTeam is the only pro gaming team that invests in foreign players?


I'm not quite sure really. But I suppose because non-koreans haven't really proven themselves too much, besides Giyom/Elky/Slayer. Also, since there are TONS of Korean gamers it is way easier to recruit Koreans than trying to get some non-korean all the way to Korea and have no idea about the culture.


Do you think that the crowd gets more interested if there are foreign players in a team?


Yeah I do think foreigners in Korea do intrigue audiences. Change attracts viewers, because it's much more entertaining than the same old thing they are used to.


What players do you think will win the WCG preliminaries in USA this year?


I don't know who is going to win the USA preliminaries this year, because WCG seems pretty disorganized, I have no clue where and when the other locations are. The safest bet would be for us to see the same players at the USA finals as last year, almost all of the top players were there last year, there were very few upsets in the prelims last year. People who have the best shot at winning in USA are me, FroZ, Assem, and HovZ.


Which player do you think will win in San Fransisco this autumn? Will it be won by an American, since it's on your field?


Haha I don't think there is such thing as "home-field advantage" in starcraft. The only thing closed to that are certain map imbalances favoring certain races. Anyways, I think it's far too early to predict who would win in SanFran, seeing as we have no idea who is even going to qualify for it. I wouldn't be surprised if a Korean won it again though, they are 4-0 after all.


Do you believe that WCG being held in USA this year will be a start for a professional view on gaming in USA? Or is it already, I'm not so updated on the view of it on the U.S.


I don't think it will have a huge impact. Professional gaming in the USA will probably never get "huge" like it is in Korea. Starcraft will never be professionally played in the USA, that's for sure. FPS games dominate in the USA but still only FPS players and their surrounding families give a crap about that. American society just isn't one where everyone is going to accept and love pro-gaming. But I do suspect it will eventually get big to a point where there are tons of tournies year-round and lots of sponsored players. But, if this is the case, it surely won't be for any game that is on the market now. Maybe StarCraft 2?


What do you think is the most important factor that StarCraft has become so huge in Korea?


I think it's just the nature of Korean society. Computers really made their society boom, and PC rooms got huge. Starcraft was just the perfect game for players to play at the time that PC rooms were getting big in Korea. Interest grew from there and the game is just far too good for people to merely forget it and move onto some new 3D game.


Many players, not to mention Argentina Entropy here at GosuGamers, compare StarCraft to Chess. What are your opinions on that? Is StarCraft today's society's Chess?


Yeah he's kinda right, though I'd view it more as Chess squared on crack. In that WallStreetJournal article, the writer compared it to a combination of Chess and Risk, which is also a good comparison.
It isn't society's chess, because chess is still today's society's chess, but Starcraft is definitely "our" chess. "Our" being extremely competitive perfectionist computer gamers!


Heh, true. So, back to the hot subject - your pro gaming trip; How did your parents/friends react when you told them you were headed for Korea?


Well, most of my friends except for ones that already knew a lot about StarCraft & Korea first reacted with a "what the !@#$" expression on their faces. After I explained it to them more in depth they thought it was awesome. My parents reacted with more of a "WTF ABOUT MONEY? WTF ABOUT COLLEGE? WTF WTF WTF???" kinda tone, but after a little while realized that this wasn't something they could possibly say no to, so they came to accept it.


Let's say you were under 18 and you still got this opportunity and your parents turned you down, on a scale to one to ten - how angry would you've become then?


10. Any parent who would refuse such an opportunity for their child is definitely NOT a good parent. Luckily I have good parents!


hexatronteammembers.jpgDefinately agree. So, how many of the Hexatron members do you know already? That you're good friends with ElkY I know, but what of the other players?


I was always on good terms with / talked to Leg and Assem some. In Korea WCG 03' I met Gundam who is the coolest Korean ever. Ever since it was official that I was going to Korea I have become friends with Joel and Lovedom as well. I don't really talk to the other teammates but I have met them all and played with them all at one time or another on B.net.

I can't wait to get to know them all for good once I get there.


How do you live down there? Do you live in dorms, and how big is it?


I'm not quite sure, but from what I've been told the Hexatron living quarters consists of 1 room with a bunch of beds for sleeping purposes, and a practice room with a bunch of PC's. I'm sure it has a kitchen and stuff too.


Ah, cool. So, how have you prepared for this trip? You've got one more week, how does it feel? Getting nervous?


I haven't really prepared any for the trip yet other than getting my visa/planeticket/ and playing LOTS of starcraft. Not really nervous, but looking forward to it.


Where do you usually search for games? Have you perhaps tried any of the new gateways (StarGate, Neogame-i etc.) lately?


I play on Neo-Gamei and west/europe with friends nowadays. Usually on West to play with FroZ, Koreans, and Hexatron members. I did try out stargate but didn't play it a whole lot, and I think it got killed by Neo-Gamei anyways (did it?).
I have been playing lots of Neo-Gamei lately though. I haven't gotten any good games so far but it is great to play to build up consistency and micro/macro abilities.


Well, the problem with StarGate was that people didn't go there because people didn't go there. It might've been our registration process that was too tough for the gamers (admit it, we all are lazy). While in Korea, will you be Protoss player only, or will you keep playing random?


I have been a protoss player for a long time, and will continue to do so. It is impossible to compete in Korea as a Random player. Too many maps, too much to learn. As of now I play P and TvP because I love that matchup. But I will be playing PvP in Korea, not TvP. Not confident enough in my Terran abillities to be able to hang with top Koreans.


How much training do you presume that you will do down there?


I think around 5-6 hours a day. I will have about a month and a half of practice before all the major league qualifications come up. I'm not sure when my first live game will be though, hopefully it won't take too long.


Let's look back at the showgame Hexatron DreamTeam had with Templars of Twilight (which Hexatron won with 6-2) - what were your predictions of that clanwar?


I had no idea who from Hexatron would lose, but I did feel like ToT was good enough to win 2 of the matches, and maybe even 3 if they got lucky.
But of course I knew Hexatron would win overall.


If Hexatron would do the same thing with [pG], which team would you play for?


Haha I have no clue, I love them both so I guess I'd have to sit it out. Though if I absolutely had to pick one team, I would have to pick Hexatron because afterall how could I play for the [pG] side when i'm sitting there in an office with all my fellow Hexatron members.


Heh, true that. Who would win that game, then? [pG] vs. Hexatron?


I think that Hexatron would win probably by the same margin as they beat ToT. I feel that pG and ToT are both very similar in skill levels.


clanbase.gifLet's leave Korea for a moment and go back to USA; what has happened with your National team? Problem with your management (I read that Brazil took your place in CB Nations Cup), or lack of interested players? Will you still play for Team USA while in Korea?


USA is far too unorganized to have a national team I think. The players just don't seem dedicated to the nation wars. I really never was except at the beginning of the Team USA that xg3 and I formed. It was just annoying having all the trash talk and trying desperately to get all the members to show up at a specific time just to play a match that didn't matter.

It was also very frustrating once we did this and the other teams were no where to be found. Not pointing fingers, it only happened a couple times and I'm sure the USA has skipped out on matches before too. It was just a big mess to no ends. So no, I probably won't have the time to play for USA in Korea. If I'm going to do something I want to do it all out and be dedicated to it. I don't see myself doing that while I'm in Korea if I haven't even been doing it while I'm in the USA.


What countries do you believe are the Top 5 in StarCraft right now?


I'm not really up to date with the community now, but not counting Korea I think they would be: Poland, Germany, Sweden, Canada, and USA in no specific order. (This is assuming the players were all active...as I'm not really up to date on the activity levels of countries right now.)


Okay. Which player would you say has meant the most for you? Like an idol, sparring partner or any player you've beaten?


There are alot but if I was forced to pick one who had the most influence I think I'd pick Froz. We have been playing a lot together for a long ass time, and I'll be damned if we both don't take top 2 in USA WCG this year. Other than him I have to give honorable mention to Elky, Nazgul, and Marshallfaulk. I have very much enjoyed gaming/strategizing with them over the years.


I found an old interview written by Mynock at » TeamLiquid; where you talk about controversial stuff. Are you still a controversial player/person?


Well, I still love the controversy and stuff, but the way I talked in that interview was for entertainment purposes. Over the years I have developed this "King Rekrul" persona that everyone loved or hated. It was all an act really and just for fun. I've tried to tone it down a bit lately because in reality, I'm a simple humble man.


I really liked the Dual RWA you did with GroT. Do you guys plan on doing another one?


We have no plans to do more so far, but if the community wants some more I'd be glad to make some more with GroT, I think we were a good team.


Yeah, I really liked how he covered what happened in the game, and you explained why it happened and stuff like that. I believe that the community would like more stuff like that. Not only with you, but with many other great players.


Yeah, some of the time top players really don't care so much about doing a lot for the community but I think that could change if gosus actively went to people asking them to do stuff.


So, let's leave StarCraft for a while, and get a bit more personal. So, turn out the lights, light a candle, cozy up readers, 'cause now we'll get to know the guy behind that Rekrul nick! Let's start with: What are your other interests other than StarCraft?


Right now my main (and only almost) interest outside of StarCraft is Poker. Of course I love playing basketball or football (american) whenever I can too, but Poker is my 2nd desire.


Yeah, how come a lot of StarCraft/WarCraft players get so devoted to Poker? Is it simply the fact that it's online, or can you see some other similarities?


Both games are very easy to learn the basics of, but impossibly hard to master, and this is what StarCraft players love. We love challenges. Both games need similar abilities too: you need great observation skills in both games, in order to properly adapt to the situation. You also need great situational analysis skills in both...once you see what is going on and what your opponent is doing you need to devise the best plan of action. And of course, both games are games in which you must play lots and lots and lots and lots of to have any chance of being good at. But I think starcraft players are lazy and a lot of them moved to online poker to make money in a way that let them remain lazy.

Though, playing live poker is much more skillfull and challenging in my opinion, and I like it a lot more than online poker. Though, the one good part of online poker is it is easy to make lots of money fast because you can be playing many tables at once.


What kind of music do you like? Do you play SC with any particular music, or do you play with the original music?


I listen to all kinds of music, but mainly like the rock / alternative genres. While I play SC I don't listen to any music if I really want to win, and I turn the BW in game music off too. Right now my playlists consist of Ill Nino, Dishwalla, Trapt, Nickelback, Seether, and The Schuers.


And what about TV? What do you like to watch?


I don't watch TV very much anymore, but when I do watch I'm either watching some sporting event or Poker. Oh and The Shield is the best show ever, I have season 1 and season 2 dvds


Soccer Euro Cup 2004 is currently being played in Portugal, isn't that anything that you're interested in?


I don't give a single shit about Soccer, and never will. I'm American after all...


How come that many Americans don't like soccer? Or wait, I'm gonna call it football (since in this sport they actually touch the ball with their feet ). Why not like both American football and real football?


Though I will admit soccer is a very beautiful and highly skilled sport, most Americans see it as boring and don't appreciate it. While I do see how soccer can be entertaining for lots of people, it just isn't entertaining for me. Must be some sociological cultural bias messing with my brain. I do enjoy watching American football though!


I think it's just the fact that your National Team sucks at it. Although I loved Alexi Lalaz in USA '94.


I wasn't aware that my national team sucked at it. Nor am I aware of who Alexi Lalaz is.


He had a big goatee and was pretty good back then. These years I haven't heard so much about USA soccer. ;)
Well, my questions are getting a lot fewer, so now in the end I would like to wish you good luck in Hexatron DreamTeam, and that it won't be long until we'll see you on a VOD. Anything else you want to say, any shoutouts?



Thanks and shoutouts to everyone who deserves a shoutout, you know who you are, I'm not going to sit here and type out a bunch of names only to get a message 30 mins after this interview is posted saying "WTF YOU DIDNT MENTION ME IN YOUR SHOUTOUTS I HATE YOU." :D
Author

All Esports

Entertainment

GosuBattles

Account