Meet Fnatic part 3<br>Alive: 'Conversing with foreigners allows me to learn more'
Two months ago, writing a piece on FnaticAlive would've been some challenge. Competing primarily in Korea and having just two international appearances in 2011, Lee Seok Han was a terra incognita to the fans not paying close attention to the GSL. Even the casual GomTV viewer would often have his attention glance by Alive without noticing.
To those for whom results are everything, Alive has been a function with low ordinate extremes. For him, year 2011 began with three consecutive Code A seasons, followed by a Super Tournament Ro64 elimination and three more Code S Ro32 drop-outs. His international affairs also did not come to happy endings and he never made it past the Ro16 of NASL 1 and IPL 3.
But even there, in the context of somewhat disappointing results, the GSL cherished Alive as one of the terran elite, even if not as easily marketable as MMA, Mvp or MarineKing. Known for playing a perfect 3-base mech, delivering killing blows to fOu and Prime in team leagues and having beaten names of MMA, Gumiho, Leenock and MarineKing caliber, it was a matter of days before Alive would explode into a championship title.
This happened at IPL 4 in Las Vegas, not two months after a top four finish at GSL Season 1. Placing second in the group stage, Alive rocked and rolled over Polt, MarineKing and NesTea in the championship bracket before meeting Squirtle in two epic Bo5 grand final series. After eight TvPs, Alive exited the booth $40,000 richer, silencing the evil tongues preaching that he will never be on top of anything.
So the IPL crown is yours! Having won a major international tournament, what is your next biggest target for 2012?
Thank you. My ultimate goals for the year are winning MLG, GSL, and any other big domestic tournaments.
IPL 4 was full of S level players. Having overcome such odds, do you think Code S is any more of a challenge?
Yes, now Code S is one of the tournaments that I should challenge and persist so I can win it all.
You knocked MarineKing, the tournament favorite, into the Losers' Bracket, where he was eliminated by Squirtle, whom you also beat in the finals. Do you feel as though you're one up MarineKing?
I do not evaluate my opponents by a single victory in a tournament. I believe the luck was on my side at that time. Moreover, I think I have a long way to catch up to the current status of MarineKing.
Squirtle himself played an incredible grand final series, especially for a player that must have been tired after surviving the entire losers bracket. Were you surprised or amazed by how he performed? After all, with players like MarineKing, NesTea and Polt, many people did not expect Squirtle to be the hardest nut to crack...
Yes, I admire and respect his performance.
What went through your head when he took the first series? Did you wish at any point of time that you were facing someone else in the grand final?
It was comfortable as I am a good friend of Squirtle. However, after my loss in the first BO5, such a thought had been completely removed.
You've been to LANs before. How do they affect your performance versus GSL's convenient schedule?
I feel GSL is more difficult as my opponents also have enough time for preparation. Thus, I rather prefer the format of foreign LAN tournaments.
Many experts have agreed that you can be one of the best players in the world if you untap your full potential and defeat the inconsistency that has been your companion through many GSL seasons. With your IPL victory coming after a Code S drop out, this indeed stands as a proof to these words. Do you see inconsistency as a critical problem for you? Would you say that the Alive beast is fully unleashed now that you hold a trophy?
First of all, thank you for the compliments. I think I have a long path to go and in terms of my inconsistency, I believe it's a matter of my degree of preparation. I apologize for such performances if I have shown any, and I will work harder to dispose of such inconsistency within my gameplay.
Prior to joining Fnatic, you were the center of a conflict between TSL and your current team. Although those must have been hard times for you, you kept performing at the highest level. How did you keep your composure? What helped you the most during those days?
I have nothing to say but to apologize about it. I stayed strong in regards to my mentality and practiced as much as possible, and the result turned out in favor of me.
From the standpoint of an ex-member, what do you think TSL's future will be? Will they be able to keep this current roster under Polt's captainship stable?
I have never thought of it, so I think all I can do is just observe and see how it turns out.
You are also the last person to join Fnatic. How did the other guys welcome you? What did you learn from each of them?
Yes I received a lot of welcome. Because of my blunder during the process of joining the team, the only thing in mind is to do my best.
Living in a team-house is nothing new to you but sharing it with foreigners must certainly be. Do you like it better that way or you'd rather have a larger, all-Korean environment?
The location and infrastructure of the teamhouse are well-fitted to me and by conversing with foreign players and having a language barrier allows me to learn more during the process, so I am satisfied of it.
You were recently announced as a grand final invite for the GGA Cup. How do you weigh the competition? Are you confident about taking the championship in December?
Since the tournament is yet to come in months, I have not thought much about it. I would like to appreciate the invitation given to me and I will prepare for the remaining months and provide a stellar result from this upcoming tournament.
Before we wrap up, let's talk a bit about the not so distant future. There are talks about KeSPA teams switching over to StarCraft 2. Are you anxious about any eventual new competition?
I really don't mind of it. If they switch to SC2, then I will just consider them as my competitors and work even harder.
Don't you worry about them stealing away community's attention?
No, even if they drain out some fans it's still OK since there are many of them in the world.
I believe we are done with the questions here! :) The final words are yours, Alive!
Thank you for your time. My name is Lee Seok Han, aka FnaticaLive, please support me and provide a lot attention. Thanks to our sponsors Raidcall, MSI, SteelSeries, and EIZO, and moreover, thanks to our managers.
Photos by: Fnatic.com, ESFIWorld.com
Previously on "Meet Fnatic"
Part 1, NightEnd: "I am not scared of Koreans at all!"
Part 2, Moon: "I feel pity for WarCraft's demise"
To those for whom results are everything, Alive has been a function with low ordinate extremes. For him, year 2011 began with three consecutive Code A seasons, followed by a Super Tournament Ro64 elimination and three more Code S Ro32 drop-outs. His international affairs also did not come to happy endings and he never made it past the Ro16 of NASL 1 and IPL 3.
But even there, in the context of somewhat disappointing results, the GSL cherished Alive as one of the terran elite, even if not as easily marketable as MMA, Mvp or MarineKing. Known for playing a perfect 3-base mech, delivering killing blows to fOu and Prime in team leagues and having beaten names of MMA, Gumiho, Leenock and MarineKing caliber, it was a matter of days before Alive would explode into a championship title.
This happened at IPL 4 in Las Vegas, not two months after a top four finish at GSL Season 1. Placing second in the group stage, Alive rocked and rolled over Polt, MarineKing and NesTea in the championship bracket before meeting Squirtle in two epic Bo5 grand final series. After eight TvPs, Alive exited the booth $40,000 richer, silencing the evil tongues preaching that he will never be on top of anything.
So the IPL crown is yours! Having won a major international tournament, what is your next biggest target for 2012?
Thank you. My ultimate goals for the year are winning MLG, GSL, and any other big domestic tournaments.
IPL 4 was full of S level players. Having overcome such odds, do you think Code S is any more of a challenge?
Yes, now Code S is one of the tournaments that I should challenge and persist so I can win it all.
You knocked MarineKing, the tournament favorite, into the Losers' Bracket, where he was eliminated by Squirtle, whom you also beat in the finals. Do you feel as though you're one up MarineKing?
I do not evaluate my opponents by a single victory in a tournament. I believe the luck was on my side at that time. Moreover, I think I have a long way to catch up to the current status of MarineKing.
Squirtle himself played an incredible grand final series, especially for a player that must have been tired after surviving the entire losers bracket. Were you surprised or amazed by how he performed? After all, with players like MarineKing, NesTea and Polt, many people did not expect Squirtle to be the hardest nut to crack...
Yes, I admire and respect his performance.
What went through your head when he took the first series? Did you wish at any point of time that you were facing someone else in the grand final?
It was comfortable as I am a good friend of Squirtle. However, after my loss in the first BO5, such a thought had been completely removed.
You've been to LANs before. How do they affect your performance versus GSL's convenient schedule?
I feel GSL is more difficult as my opponents also have enough time for preparation. Thus, I rather prefer the format of foreign LAN tournaments.
Many experts have agreed that you can be one of the best players in the world if you untap your full potential and defeat the inconsistency that has been your companion through many GSL seasons. With your IPL victory coming after a Code S drop out, this indeed stands as a proof to these words. Do you see inconsistency as a critical problem for you? Would you say that the Alive beast is fully unleashed now that you hold a trophy?
First of all, thank you for the compliments. I think I have a long path to go and in terms of my inconsistency, I believe it's a matter of my degree of preparation. I apologize for such performances if I have shown any, and I will work harder to dispose of such inconsistency within my gameplay.
Prior to joining Fnatic, you were the center of a conflict between TSL and your current team. Although those must have been hard times for you, you kept performing at the highest level. How did you keep your composure? What helped you the most during those days?
I have nothing to say but to apologize about it. I stayed strong in regards to my mentality and practiced as much as possible, and the result turned out in favor of me.
From the standpoint of an ex-member, what do you think TSL's future will be? Will they be able to keep this current roster under Polt's captainship stable?
I have never thought of it, so I think all I can do is just observe and see how it turns out.
You are also the last person to join Fnatic. How did the other guys welcome you? What did you learn from each of them?
Yes I received a lot of welcome. Because of my blunder during the process of joining the team, the only thing in mind is to do my best.
Living in a team-house is nothing new to you but sharing it with foreigners must certainly be. Do you like it better that way or you'd rather have a larger, all-Korean environment?
The location and infrastructure of the teamhouse are well-fitted to me and by conversing with foreign players and having a language barrier allows me to learn more during the process, so I am satisfied of it.
You were recently announced as a grand final invite for the GGA Cup. How do you weigh the competition? Are you confident about taking the championship in December?
Since the tournament is yet to come in months, I have not thought much about it. I would like to appreciate the invitation given to me and I will prepare for the remaining months and provide a stellar result from this upcoming tournament.
Before we wrap up, let's talk a bit about the not so distant future. There are talks about KeSPA teams switching over to StarCraft 2. Are you anxious about any eventual new competition?
I really don't mind of it. If they switch to SC2, then I will just consider them as my competitors and work even harder.
Don't you worry about them stealing away community's attention?
No, even if they drain out some fans it's still OK since there are many of them in the world.
I believe we are done with the questions here! :) The final words are yours, Alive!
Thank you for your time. My name is Lee Seok Han, aka FnaticaLive, please support me and provide a lot attention. Thanks to our sponsors Raidcall, MSI, SteelSeries, and EIZO, and moreover, thanks to our managers.
Photos by: Fnatic.com, ESFIWorld.com
Previously on "Meet Fnatic"
Part 1, NightEnd: "I am not scared of Koreans at all!"
Part 2, Moon: "I feel pity for WarCraft's demise"
