Meet Fnatic part 4<br>Rain: 'KeSPA teams won't be able to produce bonjwas in SC2''
Rain makes his GSL debut in the second 2010 Open Season but as he's eliminated in the Ro32 he passes under fans' radar. An understandable outcome, as it is easy to be overshadowed by the very hot terrans of that time such as MarineKing, Maka, Jinro, Boxer and Mvp. Fortunately, Rain does not disappear from the scene and re-qualifies for 2010 Open Season 3, which is to become his most successful tournament to date.
In the Ro32, Rain meets an invigorated with a BlizzCon championship Genius - one of the most dreaded protosses of that time, along with oGsMC. Rain is in the position of the heavy underdog but after a series of cheeses and one base plays, he eliminates Genius from the tournament, as well as Squirtle and the Season 2 champion and then best zerg in the world NesTea in the next two rounds. After becoming the focus of community's displeasure as a result, Rain apologizes for his style of play and proceeds to beat HongUn in a very standard semi-final. Rain advances to the grand final against all odds but there MC puts a stop to his championship hopes and defeats him 4-1.
On June 14th, Rain leaves TSL for what would in time become the most common reason for such an action - joining a foreign team and actively participating in international tournaments. On June 25th, Seo-Yong signs with Fnatic and announces that he will be moving to the United States.
A month after the transfer, Rain makes an appearance at MLG Anaheim, representing his new team and, more importantly, his new play style. The cheesing, one-basing terran is no more as Rain makes his way through the open bracket, crushes his group 5-0 and on Championship Sunday comes out to play one of the most spectacular games that the tournament has ever seen. His opponent is the world-famous Emperor SlayerS_Boxer and the two engage in an insane 72 minute long TvT on Metalopolis which Rain wins to once again make a name of himself. In a much more positive fashion this time, however.
Photo by: Cameron Carson
On March 19th, FnaticRC open a training house in South Korea and Rain moves back to his homeland. We sat down with him for a small chat to see how things are going for Rain, is he planning a return to the top and what does he think about KeSPA's transition over to SC2.
You’ve been on and off the radar for a while now but your first appearances at foreign events such as MLG are still remembered. Even though you didn’t win, many people were taken aback by how well you played. Is there a chance of a repeat performance?
I'm practicing a lot these days to be a top player and you can expect to be what I do from now.
I don’t know if you are aware but your one hour game against Boxer at MLG Anaheim is more or less one of the symbols of the tournament. People make .gifs about it! Now it’d be stupid to ask how does that make you feel and so I am more interested to know where do you draw this endurance from? Weren’t there moments where you would think “Ah, the hell with it!” and just GG?
I'm glad that people make .gifs about that. At the beginning of the game, I was really in a disadvantage compared to Boxer but because I made it to the late-game, I managed to win.
Interestingly enough, this overshadowed your GSL top 2, which you won with the help of some cheesy 1-base plays and what painted somewhat of a negative profile of you in the community. Are you glad that that Boxer game is what people think when the name “Rain” comes out? Or do you think it’s fair to acknowledge all of player’s accomplishments as the end justifies the means?
That was about 2 years ago and I really don't care about what people call me or think of me.
As far as I know, unlike players such as MC, Mvp, NesTea, July, Boxer, etc., you don’t come from an extensive BroodWar background. Did you have any RTS experience prior to SC2 or did your build your skills from scratch?
I wasn't a BroodWar Pro but I really played a lot and it's kind of helpful.
You spearheaded the Korean exodus into foreign teams. Do you think you set the precedent for an important trend?
I knew many Korean players would transfer to foreign teams someday and ever since one or two players moved, it's now a normal thing. I think even more players will move.
You’ve been with Fnatic for almost a year now. How has your experience been? Any dark secrets?
My team mates are getting better and that makes it hard for me to beat them.
When you joined Fnatic, you went to live in the USA, now you are back in Korea. Which country and life style suits you better and why?
I liked to stay in the US but the circumstances were not that great and I'm better in staying with someone else so I decided to stay in Korea. To be honest, I prefer playing in Korea.
The team house and Fnatic in general saw quite a lot of changes this year. Alive joined the team, NightEnd came to visit and now Oz has been signed. Do you think the team is on the right tracks?
Yes, I do.
Is there any more room to grow and to where? Also, do you think further expansion of the roster will be beneficial or do you prefer a more minimalistic atmosphere?
I prefer minimalistic atmosphere.
You are entering the GSTL now! How far do you think Fnatic will go?
In my opinion, Fnatic is the weakest but I think we can reach Semi-Final.
What’s your biggest strength as a team? What does Fnatic have that the other teams do not?
I think the communication between manager and players are the best among all the teams.
What about any plans to try for GSL again?
Yes, I have those. I plan to top that runner-up finish from a long time ago
Heart of the Swarm launch is getting closer by the second. What do you expect from the expansion?
Nothing special really.
HotS will most probably level the playing field as it’ll be a time with a brand new balance and new units to experiment with. Do you see it as a rein you can grab to make it back to the very top of the scene?
Yes, it's definitely an opportunity.
Talking about huge changes to professional SC2, what are your thoughts on the Brood War teams switching over? Are you scared of them taking over at some point?
No, I'm not scared and I really don't care about that.
Do you think the KeSPA teams will still be able to produce supreme powers and bonjwas like Flash or Jaedong or Bisu in the future? Or this was something characteristic of the BroodWar era alone and SC2 brings all the scales to even?
I don't believe that they will be able to that.
I guess we are done with the questions, Rain. Thank you for the interview and now is the time for any shoutouts you might have to fans, sponsors, etc.
Always feel grateful about the sponsors. And to fans, I'm practicing a lot these days. I will show you some awesome games and win some tournaments/leagues. See you at the matches!
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"
Part 3, Alive: "Conversing with foreigners allows me to learn more"
In the Ro32, Rain meets an invigorated with a BlizzCon championship Genius - one of the most dreaded protosses of that time, along with oGsMC. Rain is in the position of the heavy underdog but after a series of cheeses and one base plays, he eliminates Genius from the tournament, as well as Squirtle and the Season 2 champion and then best zerg in the world NesTea in the next two rounds. After becoming the focus of community's displeasure as a result, Rain apologizes for his style of play and proceeds to beat HongUn in a very standard semi-final. Rain advances to the grand final against all odds but there MC puts a stop to his championship hopes and defeats him 4-1.
On June 14th, Rain leaves TSL for what would in time become the most common reason for such an action - joining a foreign team and actively participating in international tournaments. On June 25th, Seo-Yong signs with Fnatic and announces that he will be moving to the United States.
A month after the transfer, Rain makes an appearance at MLG Anaheim, representing his new team and, more importantly, his new play style. The cheesing, one-basing terran is no more as Rain makes his way through the open bracket, crushes his group 5-0 and on Championship Sunday comes out to play one of the most spectacular games that the tournament has ever seen. His opponent is the world-famous Emperor SlayerS_Boxer and the two engage in an insane 72 minute long TvT on Metalopolis which Rain wins to once again make a name of himself. In a much more positive fashion this time, however.
Photo by: Cameron Carson
On March 19th, FnaticRC open a training house in South Korea and Rain moves back to his homeland. We sat down with him for a small chat to see how things are going for Rain, is he planning a return to the top and what does he think about KeSPA's transition over to SC2.
You’ve been on and off the radar for a while now but your first appearances at foreign events such as MLG are still remembered. Even though you didn’t win, many people were taken aback by how well you played. Is there a chance of a repeat performance?
I'm practicing a lot these days to be a top player and you can expect to be what I do from now.
I don’t know if you are aware but your one hour game against Boxer at MLG Anaheim is more or less one of the symbols of the tournament. People make .gifs about it! Now it’d be stupid to ask how does that make you feel and so I am more interested to know where do you draw this endurance from? Weren’t there moments where you would think “Ah, the hell with it!” and just GG?
I'm glad that people make .gifs about that. At the beginning of the game, I was really in a disadvantage compared to Boxer but because I made it to the late-game, I managed to win.
Interestingly enough, this overshadowed your GSL top 2, which you won with the help of some cheesy 1-base plays and what painted somewhat of a negative profile of you in the community. Are you glad that that Boxer game is what people think when the name “Rain” comes out? Or do you think it’s fair to acknowledge all of player’s accomplishments as the end justifies the means?
That was about 2 years ago and I really don't care about what people call me or think of me.
As far as I know, unlike players such as MC, Mvp, NesTea, July, Boxer, etc., you don’t come from an extensive BroodWar background. Did you have any RTS experience prior to SC2 or did your build your skills from scratch?
I wasn't a BroodWar Pro but I really played a lot and it's kind of helpful.
You spearheaded the Korean exodus into foreign teams. Do you think you set the precedent for an important trend?
I knew many Korean players would transfer to foreign teams someday and ever since one or two players moved, it's now a normal thing. I think even more players will move.
You’ve been with Fnatic for almost a year now. How has your experience been? Any dark secrets?
My team mates are getting better and that makes it hard for me to beat them.
When you joined Fnatic, you went to live in the USA, now you are back in Korea. Which country and life style suits you better and why?
I liked to stay in the US but the circumstances were not that great and I'm better in staying with someone else so I decided to stay in Korea. To be honest, I prefer playing in Korea.
The team house and Fnatic in general saw quite a lot of changes this year. Alive joined the team, NightEnd came to visit and now Oz has been signed. Do you think the team is on the right tracks?
Yes, I do.
Is there any more room to grow and to where? Also, do you think further expansion of the roster will be beneficial or do you prefer a more minimalistic atmosphere?
I prefer minimalistic atmosphere.
You are entering the GSTL now! How far do you think Fnatic will go?
In my opinion, Fnatic is the weakest but I think we can reach Semi-Final.
What’s your biggest strength as a team? What does Fnatic have that the other teams do not?
I think the communication between manager and players are the best among all the teams.
What about any plans to try for GSL again?
Yes, I have those. I plan to top that runner-up finish from a long time ago
Heart of the Swarm launch is getting closer by the second. What do you expect from the expansion?
Nothing special really.
HotS will most probably level the playing field as it’ll be a time with a brand new balance and new units to experiment with. Do you see it as a rein you can grab to make it back to the very top of the scene?
Yes, it's definitely an opportunity.
Talking about huge changes to professional SC2, what are your thoughts on the Brood War teams switching over? Are you scared of them taking over at some point?
No, I'm not scared and I really don't care about that.
Do you think the KeSPA teams will still be able to produce supreme powers and bonjwas like Flash or Jaedong or Bisu in the future? Or this was something characteristic of the BroodWar era alone and SC2 brings all the scales to even?
I don't believe that they will be able to that.
I guess we are done with the questions, Rain. Thank you for the interview and now is the time for any shoutouts you might have to fans, sponsors, etc.
Always feel grateful about the sponsors. And to fans, I'm practicing a lot these days. I will show you some awesome games and win some tournaments/leagues. See you at the matches!
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"
Part 3, Alive: "Conversing with foreigners allows me to learn more"
