Gaming
We speak to Poland’s best StarCraft 2 player ahead of the world championship next month.
There are only a few days left until the biggest and most important tournament in the StarCraft 2 world. On 28 October 28, Artur 'Nerchio' Bloch begins his quest for a stake in the prize pool amounting to almost $500,000 at the WCS Global Playoffs. He will have to face 15 other players, including 10 South Koreans and one fellow countryman, Mikołaj 'Elazer' Ogonowski.
Nerchio has had a few exceptionally busy weeks, a marathon of big international tournaments. Right after a long stay in South Korea for the KeSPA Cup, the EURONICS Gaming representative flew directly to Kiev to take part in the European WESG finals. There, Bloch clinched another championship title, but that's not the end of this year's season just yet.
During a quick break in between training sessions, we talked with the Polish Zerg about his latest results, his mood and perspectives for the upcoming world championship at BlizzCon.
The last few weeks were very busy for you, including two big competitions in Seoul and Kiev. Have you already recovered and recharged your batteries? It's true that a lot has been happening lately on the StarCraft 2 scene, and I had the pleasure of participating in all the events, which of course meant several weeks away from home. Unfortunately, two weeks isn't enough time to rest and at the same time prepare for the biggest tournament of the year, but I hope for the best. It's always nice to get back home after such an intense period.
Not only was it your first competition on South Korean soil, but you were also considered one of the favourites. Did that cause you extra stress? I wasn't that stressed out while playing in South Korea, but unfortunately my result was influenced by the fact that I had to go to Seoul almost a week prior to my games, and unfortunately in such cases the results are always disappointing. I guess I gave a good performance, and who knows how it would have ended if I'd had more luck in the final game.
On Day 1, Neeb outclassed the Koreans in Group A, but then MarineLorD was unexpectedly eliminated from Group C. Were you surprised by this turn of events? Definitely not, because Neeb actually had one of the easier groups, while MarineLorD one of the most difficult ones. Additionally, currently Neeb might be the best player outside of Korea. Everyone who pays close attention to the StarCraft scene knows what Neeb is capable of, while it's pretty obvious that MarineLorD hasn't been on top of his game.
Your performance started with a smooth win over the experienced Classic. Did you feel relieved after such a successful debut in South Korea? I was very happy with the result, especially since the games went exactly as I planned. I was a bit anxious, but in the end Classic didn't surprise me at all. I think his first encounter took him by surprise and that influenced the rest of his games in this group.
Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy with your successive opponents. First Patience, who has always been a great challenge for you, and then perpetually ruthless Maru. What went wrong? Some might be surprised, but I was actually more afraid of Patience than Classic, since the first one is way more unpredictable and you never know what to expect from him. Patience took advantage of my weaknesses, especially since he just saw my ZvP when I played against Classic.
Unfortunately, I had a limited range of strategies against Protoss players prepared for this tournament, and my rival made the most of it. I guess the game with Maru didn't leave much for analysis. We were fighting on the same level, but in the end it turned out that Maru was just too strong for me. Nevertheless, I've learnt a lot while playing on the Korean ladder, and getting eliminated from the KeSPA Cup group, so overall I'm satisfied with my stay in Korea.
Ultimately, it was Neeb who became the first non-Korean in years to win a big tournament in the country. Can he really be considered the biggest hope of the West, as some people call him now? I don't want to say that Neeb is the best non-Korean player, but he definitely is at the forefront. It was a great result that surprised the whole StarCraft world, and we won't forget it for a long time. But it doesn't mean that from now on Neeb will win every single tournament he enters.
I was happy that the organisers took good care of the foreign contestants and designated one employee to look after us outside of the tournament
Did you use your free time in Seoul for sightseeing and entertaining yourself before the next tournament? Considering that it was my first trip to South Korea, which is the centre of the StarCraft universe, most of the time I was training on a Korean server, and it seems that it was time well spent.
I was happy that the organisers took good care of the foreign contestants and designated one employee to look after us outside of the tournament. I'm not a big fan of spicy food, so I struggle with good nutrition during my travels in Asia. Having such a person was very helpful.
Just a few days later you started competing in Ukraine at the European qualifiers for WESG. How was your mood before the first game? I was unhappy about the fact that the competition was taking place right after my trip to South Korea, because I didn't have enough time for proper training and rest after the tournament. However, I'm already used to such situations, so I tried to keep my mind fresh and stay positive.
During the whole tournament you only lost one game, against Snute in the group stage. A few hours later he was eliminated anyway, and you advanced directly to the quarterfinals. Was that accidental? For me, Snute has always been a tough opponent, and even though I can say that he played better than me on a few occasions, this time around I'm the only one to blame for the defeat. Basically, I voluntarily gave away two maps and it cost me the win. Maybe I wasn't focused enough on that game, but in the end I was happy with my performance and stayed confident for the rest of the tournament.
In the play-offs your rivals didn't even stand a chance. First you outclassed Harstem, and in the semifinal defeated Beastyqt. Did you expect that he'd go that far? I didn't expect that beating Harstem would go that smoothly. As I mentioned before, I've learnt a lot in Korea and it helped me surprise Harstem, who admitted that he tried to counter my style, but I completely change my strategy. When it comes to Beastyqt, he's definitely an unusual and solid player. He can't be underestimated. He's not a real surprise for me, but I don't think we can expect consistent performances from him.
In the second part of the ladder, Mikołaj 'Elazer' Ogonowski did equally well. He defeated you in the Polish qualifiers for the tournament. Were you pleased to find out that you would get a chance for a rematch? First of all, I was happy that we would have a Polish final in Kiev. In the end it didn't matter who would reach the final. I knew I would be the favourite, which I ultimately confirmed by wining 4–1. I'm an experienced player and didn't feel any pressure in the final, which gave me significant advantage over my rivals.
Thanks to that win, you qualified for the global WESG finals, which will take place in December, in China. Aren't you worried that the Asian curse will once again stand in your way? I'll do my best not to think about that, and enter the tournament without prejudice towards my results in the East. On the other hand, the tournament is organised by the giant Alibaba company, who take excellent care of the players, so I'm not worried about any potential inconveniences. I think I'll perform well at the WESG finals.
The total prize amounts to $400,000, and half of that sum will end up in the winner's account. Considering that the championship will feature maximum two South Koreans, should we expect a European or American winner? The South Korean qualifiers have just ended and the two Korean Terran players advancing to the final are Maru and TY. I believe that the latter is currently one of the best players in the world, and I was very impressed with his gaming skills. However, right now every StarCraft player can be defeated, so we can expect some fierce title battles in China.
There are still two months left until the WESG finals, but first we have the most important tournament of the year – the World Championship finals. Are you ready to fight for the world title? First, I'll be facing a week of hard training, but I think that every player heading there is ready to fight for the title. Above all, I'm happy that I managed to reach the goal I set for myself at the beginning of the year, which was advancing to the world finals in America. I'm excited about the fact that I'll be joining BlizzCon, and I will surely do my best in the games.
Unfortunately, I’m not completely satisfied with the group I’ve got
At the WCS Global Playoffs you ended up in one group with brilliant Solar and TY, as well as another Pole, Elazer. It seems that you have some of the most difficult games in your career ahead of you… Unfortunately, I'm not completely satisfied with the group I've got, because I think TY presents great form in TvZ, while playing against Solar in South Korea was very challenging. Of course, I head to the tournament with a vision of victory, so it doesn't matter what opponents I have in my group. It doesn't influence my attitude towards the competition.
Due to group reshuffling resulting from the resignation of Hydra and Polt, you've met your final rivals only recently. How much did it influence your preparations? In fact, the groups didn't change that much. Besides, the first part of the training is always more general, and we prepare to face specific opponents only at the very end. First, I need to polish and consolidate my mechanical skills, so they don't let me down at the crucial moment.
What's the minimum you plan to achieve at the upcoming tournament? Heading to any tournament, I always focus on my first games, meaning that I have three opponents in the group and I don't think about other players. When I advance further, I can start thinking about the ladder. I always make my way to victory step-by-step, and this time it won't be any different.
If everything goes well, you'll be the first Polish pro gamer ever to play at the prestigious BlizzCon. What should we wish you, luck? Wish that everything goes according to my plan, so on the most important day I can play on the highest possible level. In any case it'lll be a great opportunity and adventure for me.
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