CompLexity Academy Quali. Group B

by Nathan Zamora

With compLexity Academy’s first Qualification Tournament coming up this Saturday, June 25th, SC2 players have some high pressure matches to look forward to!  20 players have been randomly placed into four pools – within those pools, each player will play the others, and the player with the worst record will be eliminated.  In this segment, we’ll be looking at Pool B:

Catechin
Cheec[h]
Jedigamer
Jhammy
Jiyan

The first thing to note is the balance of races.  This means that a well rounded player could have the advantage!  Remember, for a player to advance, they need to only -not- have the worst record within the pool.  In other words, a player versed against a plethora of styles stands to stay in the tournament.  Given that, I believe Cheec[h] could bring home the glory in this round – an all around style that yields results good enough to have him ranked #1 in Masters (Division Hellion Iota).

Personally, I’m looking forward to the TvT matchup (Cheec[h] vs Jedigamer).  The ever evolving meta of TvT allows players to be more aggressive in the early harassing or to sit back and hope to build the mid/late advantage.

Though it remains to be seen!  Who will advance; who will go home?  Will Catechin, the Lone Zerg, do his race proud?  Will Jhammy, Jiyan, and the Warp Gate crew Psionic Storm through Terran forces?  Can Cheec[h] and Jedigamer contain opposing forces and march an army of gladiators to heights unseen?  There’s only one way to know – this Saturday at 5PM! (est)
Who do you think will win?  

Post in the comments to root for your player in this pool!

After several weeks of waiting, two have been selected to be the first ever compLexity Academy shoutcasters. The competition was vast, but in the end there were only two spots to give and two applications to shine above the rest.  

Without further ado, the first commentator who has been selected is Adebisi and this is his story:

Adebisi

Hello everyone! My name is Mike, I use the handle “Adebisi” online and I’m pleased to be joining up with compLexity to cast for the compLexity Academy. To give a brief history of my gaming experience; As a young child I picked up a game called Warcraft 2, I don’t remember too much about it other than that I was awful and the peons said funny things. From there I fell in love with Blizzard games and picked up Starcraft as soon as it was released. I played through the campaign very quickly and started in on the multiplayer, mostly focusing on Money Maps and UMS games, although after playing for quite a while I found out about the joys of turbo newbieing people on Lost Temple and spent a lot of time doing that. 

Adebisi

As I grew older and Starcraft got boring, and I got owned nonstop by kids in Clan x17, eventually a game called Warcraft 3 came out, I played it quite a bit, deciding that after being pretty newbie for my entire Starcraft career I wanted to be better. I played the ladder quite a bit, trying to focus on 1v1 but my interest slowly waned, I was always pretty good at he game but mostly just played casually as the RP-RTS style didn’t have the same zing of Starcraft to me, I played tons of team games and would occasionally do some hardcore smurfing on the ladder, before they fixed the match maker and you could go 50-0 pretty easily. Eventually though a friend of mine introduced me to a game called Lineage 2, I spent a LOT of time on this game, for anyone unfamiliar with Lineage 2, it is to Korea what WoW is to the Western World, only the grind is about 10 times as long and far more mindless, but it did have open PvP so the competitive spirit in it was much higher. I was one of the leaders of the top PvP guild on the primary server Bartz. After playing Lineage for a few years, I decided MMORPGs were no longer for me and decided to quit, as I’m sure anyone who’s played MMORPGs knows, they can be very taxing on your real life if you want to be competitive. From here I spent a few years in what I would consider “Gamer Limbo” without a real home, floating meaninglessly between games, playing more DotA than I would like to admit, until finally the Starcraft II beta came out.

Since the beta I have been playing Starcraft II, after my failed pledge to be good at WC3 I feel like I have accomplished my goals with SC2, being a top masters player, by no means on par with the professionals but being good enough to take the odd game off of some here and there, I began casting during the summer in 2010 when I had some  spare time, starting up a YouTube channel to help fill the percieved void of the lack of Terran content out there, and since then I have been casting replays on and off, as well as casting live events here and there, I’m eager to work with the compLexity Academy and see some of the rising talent the North American scene has to offer!

The second of the two casters goes by the name of Wombat, and this is what he had to say:

Wombat

Woah, a self written bio. Lots of pressure. So… I grew up in a small town in the south. We didn’t have dial-up internet until 1999 and broadband until 2001. Still, I loved gaming the entire time. Started out on a CoLeCoVision and an Atari 2600. I was pretty crap at everything in those days. Except Mr. Do. Had the sort of main systems growing up. And NES, then I was a Genesis kid, because hey! Sega does what Nintendon’t, know what I’m sayin’? But yeah, I really loved Mortal Kombat. Like… a lot. Thumb blisters, man. Genesis kids know about the thumb blisters.

Wombat

I guess it naturally leads from there that my first foray into competitive gaming proper was through fighting games. I was really good at Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, got recruited into a junior clan but they never really did anything so I don’t count that. So I moved on to Guilty Gear and I found my first true love. That game really brought out the competitor in me and I loved the speed and acuity required to really be great at it. From there it was on the Third Strike for a bit, but I never really did any major tournaments due to the fact that the places I lived, rural North Carolina and Illinois, weren’t conducive to major competition.

As for SC2, it was the beta Battle Reports that first caught my eye. I had touched RTS games maybe once or twice in my life. A game or two of Warcraft 3, some Command and Conquer: Generals and that was it. The Battle Reports really showed me that there was this deep game there, but I didn’t really go looking any further than that. I knew BroodWar was huge in Korea but I never expected there was such a vibrant scene behind the game. Still, I got the Collector’s Edition of the game expecting to play with friends and they all bailed so the game sat unused until about October of 2010. That was when I found the power and the glory that is Tastosis. The GSL really opened my eyes to just how amazing the game could be, especially when there are entertaining people sitting behind the microphone, augmenting the amazing talents of the players in the game. From there, it was all naivete and roses. I jumped into casting with nothing but a head full of stupid and a wish to be as good as the casting gods that came before me. It was in early January that I started casting proper, and it was bad. But a few thounsand games and a whole bunch of research, reading, and hours upon hours of studying later, I feel like I’m finally starting to make headway. With a few decently sized events under my belt like the UC Davis LAN and the TTeSports Challenge, I’m ready to give it my best for the Complexity Academy in helping shed some light on these amazing new players.

We at the compLexity Academy are thrilled to have both Adebisi and Wombat joining us. In their first debut on June 25th, they will be casting the compLexity Academy Tournament where 10 players will be selected to join. We would be delighted if you tuned in to listen to our two new casting prodigies and wish them the best of luck in their first tournament. 

On June 25th CompLexity Gaming will be hosting its first ever Academy Tournament. The tournament will consist of twenty aspiring professional Starcraft II players playing for only ten spots in CompLexity’s Academy. Each pool has been randomly determined, and at the end of group play the player with the worst record will be eliminated.

Group D consists of one grandmaster and four masters level players. There are two terran, two zerg and a protoss player making for a well rounded pool of players. 

Pool D

 Goswser
 opticalRH
 Fallen
 hpthegreat
 Railgun

From the top, Goswser is a top level master’s zerg. One notable tournament he has played in is the TACTIC3D tournament where he lost to FXOSheth  2-1. He just recently played in MLG Columbus and made it to the second round losing to mouzMorroW in the winner’s bracket, sending him down to the losers bracket to face off against ROOTDestiny. He ended up losing to destiny 2-1 and being eliminated from MLG Columbus.

The second player on the list is a terran grandmaster by the name of opticalRH. He is the only grandmaster of the whole bunch and will look to show off his unique style in the tournament. In his application video he stated that he enjoys creating his own builds, which makes him a unique player. His opponents can try to study his builds, but they will not know what he is going to be throwing at them.

The only protoss player in Pool D is Fallen. Fallen is a top level master protoss who claims his best match up is protoss versus protoss. This could be an issue for him as there are no other protoss in his group. 

He also says his worst matchup is protoss versus zerg and he will be meeting up with two zerg. Fallen is going to have a difficult path ahead of him to make it into the CompLexity Academy, but he says he plays in total 50 hours a week which is quite enough time to get into tip top shape for the tournament and prepare for the zerg players.

HPthegreat is a master level zerg player who has participated in four total LAN tournaments for Starcrat II. All four of the tournaments were for the New England Starcraft II League. He finished first in the very first one that he participated in and top 3 in the next two. In his video he states that his hobbys are, “Starcraft, Starcraft, … and Starcraft.” He is an aspiring zerg player who seems to have the hunger to progress in the Starcraft II professional scene and is going to be a threat in Group D.

The final player to round out the group is a terran master by the name of Railgun. He proved his potential by playing a top 200 master terran (before grandmaster was around) by practicing his terran versus terran, which he said was his worst match up, for weeks and actually coming out with the victory. He participated in the TACTIC3D Pro/Am tournament where he was eliminated one round before the end of the amateur bracket by RevShadow. He is an extremely hard-working terran who if he sets his mind to it with preparation can prove to be a force in this group.

This is an extremely strong pool which could have some long series and a hard fight all the way to the end. Every player in Group D is hungry for one of the ten spots in the Academy and we will see them prove that on June 25th. The other pools and more information about the tournament can be found here.

Best of luck to the players and be sure to tune in!

Results

The brackets have been released for Sunday, June 26th. Click here to see the bracket!

Bracket Seedings

1. Lizzuma 4-0 (8-0)
2. Cheech 4-0 (8-1)
3. Goswser 4-0 (8-1)
4. XxElitexX 3-1 (6-3)
5. OpticalRH 3-1 (6-3)
6. Lagrangian 3-1 (6-4)
7. Gensulitor 3-1 (6-4)
8. Damncats 2-2 (6-3)
9. Catechin 2-2 (5-4)
10. Strength 2-2 (5-5)
11. Fallen 2-2 (5-6)
12. Jedigamer 2-2 (4-5)
13. Orb 2-2 (4-6)
14. Railgun 1-3 (4-6)
15. Jhammy 1-3 (3-6)
16. Brobocop 1-3 (3-6)

Pool A

1. Lagrangian 3-1 (6-4) : Wins over Recon (2-1), gensulitor (2-0), Strength (2-1) / Lost to Damncats (0-2)
2. gensulitor 3-1 (6-4): Wins over Strength (2-0), Damncats (2-1), Recon (2-1) / Lost to Lagrangian(0-2)
3. Damncats 2-2 (6-3): Wins over Recon (2-0), Lagrangian (2-0) /Lost to Strength (2-1), Gensulitor (1-2)
4. Strength 2-2 (5-5): Wins over Damncats (2-1), Recon (2-0) / Lost to Lagrangian (1-2), Gensulitor (0-2)
5. Recon 0-4 (2-8): Lost to Strength (0-2), Lagrangian (1-2), Gensulitor (1-2), Damncats (0-2)

Pool B

1. Cheech 4-0 (8-1): Wins over Jiyan (2-0), Catechin (2-1), Jhammy (2-0), Jedigamer (2-0)
2. Catechin 2-2 (5-4): Wins over Jedigamer (2-0), Jiyan (2-0) / Lost to Cheech (1-2), Jhammy (0-2)
3. Jedigamer 2-2 (4-5): Wins over Jhammy (2-0), Jiyan (2-1) / Lost to Catechin (0-2), Cheech (0-2)
4. Jhammy 1-3 (3-6): Wins over Catechin (2-0) / Lost to Jiyan (1-2), Jedigamer (0-2), Cheech (0-2)
5. Jiyan 1-3 (3-7): Wins over Jhammy (2-1) / Lost to Cheech (0-2), Catechin (0-2), Jedigamer (1-2)

Pool C

1. Lizzuma 4-0 (8-0): Wins over Orb (2-0), Brobocop (2-0), echuchee (2-0), XxElitexX (2-0)
2. XxElitexX 3-1 (6-3): Wins over Orb (2-0), Brobocop (2-0), echuchee (2-1)/ Lost to Lizzuma (0-2)
3. Orb 2-2 (4-6): Wins over Brobocop (2-1), echuchee (2-1)/ Lost to Lizzuma (0-2), XxElitexX (0-2)
4. Brobocop 1-3 (3-6): Wins over echuchee (2-0)/ Lost to Lizzuma (0-2), Orb (1-2), XxElitexX (0-2)
5. echuchee 0-4 (2-8): Lost to Lizzuma (0-2), XxElitexX (1-2), Orb (1-2), Brobocop (0-2)

Pool D

1. Goswser 4-0 (8-1): Wins over Fallen (2-1), OpticalRH (2-0), Hpthegreat (2-0), Railgun (2-0)
2. OpticalRH 3-1 (6-3): Wins over Fallen (2-0), Hpthegreat (2-0), Railgun (2-1) / Lost to Goswser (0-2)
3. Fallen 2-2 (5-6): Wins over Hpthegreat (2-1), Railguin (2-1) / Lost to Goswser (1-2), OpticalRH (0-2)
4. Railgun 1-3 (4-6): Wins over Hpthegreat (2-0) / Lost to Goswser (0-2), Fallen (1-2), OpticalRH (1-2)
5. Hpthegreat 0-4 (1-8): Lost to Goswser (0-2). OpticalRH (0-2), Fallen (1-2), Railgun (0-2)

compLexity Academy Qualification Tournament #1

The compLexity Academy’s first Qualification Tournament is set to begin on Saturday, June 25th. From the tournament, the final 10 Academy members will be solidified. This compLexity Academy tourney is sponsored by PNY.

The tournament will begin with a group stage, in which all 20 players have been randomly placed. At the end of the group stage, the players from each group with the worst record will be eliminated from the tournament, while the rest will move on. The remaining players will be seeded in a double elimination bracket according to their group record. Record ties will be broken by using overall records (map wins and losses). If a tie still remains, a head to head matchup will determine the winner.

Pool A

Damncats
gensulitor
Recon
Strength
Lagrangian

Pool B

Jedigamer
Catechin
Cheec[h]
Jiyan
Jhammy

Pool C

Orb
Brobocop
Lizzuma
echuchee
XxelitexX

Pool D

Goswser
opticalRH
Fallen
hpthegreat
Railgun

Starting Map

MLG Metalopolis (Group Play)
MLG Xel’Naga Caverns (RO16)
MLG Shattered Temple (RO8)

Map Pool

MLG Metalopolis
MLG Shakuras Plateau
MLG Shattered Temple
MLG Tal’darim Altar
MLG Testbug
MLG Typhon Peaks
MLG Xel’Naga Caverns

Prizes

1st – $100 CASH

The tournament is set to kick off at 5PM EST on Saturday, June 25th and will run until completion. If, at the end of Saturday night, the tournament is still underway, it will continue at 2PM EST on Sunday afternoon.

View the tournament LIVE on our Justin.TV stream by clicking here.

Also, the sub-site of the compLexity Academy is officially LIVE. Here you’ll find up to the minute rankings  of the soon-to-be determined top 10, as well as the latest news, forum threads, blogs and information about the compLexity Academy. To visit the sub-site, click here.

compLexity Gaming:  YOUR source for professional gaming news and entertainment!

brobocop

Interview by Jon Lowery

Prior to the first expulsion tournament to take place on Saturday, June 25th, we are taking this time to sit down with as many of our cadets as possible in order to introduce them to you, the fans. Below you’ll find their application video as well as a short interview about themselves.

Application Video

In your application you showed extreme confidence that you would one day be a professional gamer. Why do you have such a strong conviction that one day you will become a pro gamer? What do you believe you have that others lack that will put you over the top on your way to becoming a professional gamer?

Well, when I set my mind to something I get it done and I do it right (in this case to become a pro gamer in SC2). Usually the problem for me is “setting my mind” to do something, however, when it comes to computer gaming, it isn’t too hard for me to set my mind to anything. I have an intense drive to succeed and win in all aspects of life so naturally I want to do the same in computer games, and achieving anything less for me isn’t enough. Gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 11 years old, and I know through hard work and determination that I can accomplish anything I want and that is what I feel others lack in some parts of the gaming community. This drive is what will allow me to become a pro gamer.

What do you believe your strengths and weakness are? What do you believe you need to work on to help you get through the upcoming Complexity Academy Tournament, and from that, securing one of the spots for the opportunity to go to the next MLG?

One of my strengths in ZvZ and ZvP is at a given point in time I can accurately estimate their tech without needing a full scout, however, in ZvT it is harder for me to do this mainly because of mules skewing their resources thus the rate at which they can tech is changed. Furthermore, stopping early “cheese” from zergs and protoss isn’t even close to a problem for me. In stark contrast, ZvT cheese, whether 2 early raxs or proxies have been difficult consistently over time. One terran cheese in specific is the “1 reactor factory, 2 rax marauder” cheese on close positions on shattered/meta, however, that isn’t a problem for tournaments. So, my overall strengths/weakness one could say are ZvP/ZvZ and ZvT respectively, however, I feel with time I can bring my ZvT up to par with my other 2 matchups.

What is your ultimate goal as a professional gamer?

To win a large LAN tournament such as MLG, NASL, or possibly even a local one that has ~50 players. Then, be able to give back to all the people who supported me, such as coaching fans on my stream or something of the sort and then be able to represent my team at events in foreign countries in the future.

On your application you say that you have a hard time with early game aggression by Terran. What do you believe you could do better to guarantee that you could get to the mid/late game?

When I did my video interview I typically would leave in anger when I saw 11/11ish~ rax builds (especially on close position maps), however, earlier this week I talked with an irl buddy vileHawk, and he helped me and lately I’ve been doing really well vs early raxs. Maybe the people executing them aren’t doing it too well, but I held and smashed 5 out of 5 yesterday on ladder. Its amazing what a slight change in build order, and knowing “drone to rine/scv ratios” does. So overall, to continue to improve vs early raxs, acting more calmly in the situations, and a slight change in build-order.

What were your early experiences in playing Starcraft, and have you always played Zerg? In addition, why do you play Zerg now?

Well the only thing I could say is that Broodwar taught me how rts games work and definitely lessened the learning curve of sc2 so to speak. When I started Starcraft 2 in mid-June of last year, I dabbled around in 1s but mainly played team games and “Battlecraft”. My initial goal was to be good at zerg and protoss, however, being naive, I didn’t really understand how difficult it is to be good at one race, let alone 2. So I stuck with zerg through thick and thin and have adapted to the changes in the shifting meta-game. For the most part I have only played zerg, however, on occasion I off-race protoss on my other account when I’m bored, which is usually what I use for trying/developing new strategies I have, as it is easier to execute on slightly lower level players than it is on the top of the ladder. I play Zerg now because I don’t think it is a good use of my time to re-learn a whole new race to try and get back to where I am now. I like spreading creep (within my first 50 energy on both queens I plop a tumor), but only on non-topographical maps LOL. I hate having to send an ol/ling/queen up a ramp to make a tumor.Then when my senior year started, I learned I had a buddy in one of my classes that played sc2 in a serious sense (4kingsBinski) and began playing with him and we LAN/practice/go to tourneys together.

What is your favorite unit, flavor of ice cream, video game, and movie? What about your least favorites?

My favorites: raven(s), because that unit gets no love. Here in Dallas we got a place called “marble slab creamery” or something along those lines and I’m gonna have to say coffee ice cream + rum ice cream + lots of heath bar…I mean lots. For favorite game, it’d be a toss up between Lineage 2, Starcraft 2, and CS 1.6. For movies, The Prestige and Donnie Darko are pretty cool and I can’t decide between those. As for least favorite: Sentries, because they make force fields :X. It’s ice cream, who doesn’t like it? However, if I had to choose I’m not too big of a fan of pure chocolate ice cream. World of Warcraft, or any game that is relatively “easy”. I don’t really watch a lot of movies, I’m more of a T.V. show guy, so this one is kinda hard since I don’t watch many movies.

nepts2

Interview by Jordan Schultz

Prior to the first expulsion tournament to take place on Saturday, June 25th, we are taking this time to sit down with as many of our cadets as possible in order to introduce them to you, the fans. Below you’ll find their application video as well as a short interview about themselves.

Application Video

When you found out you had been accepted into the CompLexity Academy final 20 tournament, what was your initial reaction?

Even though I was confident that I would be making to the 20 person tournament, I felt rather relieved when I found out that I have been accepted. I did, however, feel quite nervous at the same time.

Is your practice schedule going to become more rigorous in the coming weeks leading up to the tournament?

I will be practicing as much as I can, so that I can be fully prepared and play at my best.
 
In your application video you said that you enjoy creating your own builds. First of all, what do you consider to be your most standard “go to” build? Second, can we expect to see you reveal any new creative builds in the tournament?

I don’t have a set build that I play with, even though I prepare a build that I am going to use before the game. I’d much rather improvise the builds, especially against the opponents who I definitely would out-play me. Through that way, I have a higher chance of winning because it’s not as predictable as one would typically see on the ladder. However, for most of my matches, I prefer doing builds that enable me to play aggressively.

Since this is a very imporatant matchup for me, I will be watching pro replays and develop some builds from those.

An interesting point that you brought up in the application video was your view on professionalism. You defined it as “enjoyment and uptightness” and suggested that it and manner are two different words. What did you mean by enjoyment and uptightness? Do you believe that a strong competitor and a professional can be separated by just an attitude? Why or why not?

I believe professionalism can be consisted of two major aspects: bringing enjoyment to the audience and retaining a strict standard of manner.

Two players meet, greet each other, say “GL HF” before the game, say “GG” after the game, shake their hands, and walk away from each other. Imagine if every matchup you watch is like that. Of course, you can find enjoyment out of the actual gameplay, but additional enjoyment can be attained from the tension and rivalry formed among the players and drama created in the scene. All of these things add up to make the games more exciting and add more value to the outcome. For example, at MLG Columbus, MC did a throat cutting gesture to Idra, then Idra snaps MC off. Without MC doing that kind of action, their matches might have been a series of bland matches. However, tension built up and the audience got hyped as they were waiting for their match as they viewed MC’s action as a direct challenge toward Idra. Thus, it is one of the professional’s job’s to bring this kind of enjoyment. However, they have to be backed up with a strong skill, unless they want to be viewed as some rude noob and receive all the hatred dumped onto them by the audience.
 
Even though a strong competitor and professional are viewed differently, one common factor is that they are both competiting in the professinoal scene. Whenever you are on the professional scene, a competitor must show utmost respect and maintain the same level of attitude as the professionals. It is not just a respect toward each other, but it is targeted toward the audience as well. Therefore, it is frivolous to separate a strong competitor and a professional just by an attitude.
 
Now to get a bit more personal: What was the first game you had ever played? What was the game that you think put your foot in the door and got you to begin gaming competitively? Finally, what made you start playing starcraft?

My first game experience was playing the first Red Alert, which I played on DOS. Although I am not fond of playing video games, Starcraft has gained my interest for its competitive aspect. From watching the games played by the progamers to ranking amongst my friends who play Starcraft, I slowly became attached to playing SC and it eventually became one of my priorities to stay on the top.
 
What drives you to be a top tier player in Starcraft 2? Who are your role models in Starcraft 2 today? What player do you most shape your play after?

The reason is simple, it is just natural for me to have the desire to become the best in whatever I have an interest in, and SC2 just became one of those. I only recently became aware of the progamers in the SC2 scene, but July and Nada are my role models in SC2 ever since I started watching them in BW.
 
For all of the lower league players out there who aspire to rank up the ladder, what tips can you give them?

Don’t get frustrated when you lose. Instead, just proceed to the next game. There are more things you can learn from losing your game than winning a game. Rather than blaming others for your loss, watch the replay and analyze why you have lost and what could you have done instead. Through that way, you won’t make the same mistake again and you will improve.

Thank you for your time and best of luck to you in the tournament. Hopefully we will have more interviews with you in the future.

 XxElitexX

Interview by Nathan Zamora

Prior to the first expulsion tournament to take place on Saturday, June 25th, we are taking this time to sit down with as many of our cadets as possible in order to introduce them to you, the fans. Below you’ll find their application video as well as a short interview about themselves.

Application Video

That’s quite a video…err… song.  Have you always been musically inclined?

I’ve always been easily hooked onto anything someone can achieve anything and feel a good sensation… I guess that’s anything really. With that said, music is one of the subjects that I more consistently enjoyed and thus tried to express myself in the best way I can.

When you first started playing games, was it simply a hobby or did you feel the desire to get better from the get go?

With regards to my previous answer, I like to “over-achieve.” I saw that I could make something out of SC2 and from the start wanted to do just that. Watching “pro” games, I felt I could perform at that level, if not better, and entertain many in the process as well.

What exactly about Terran makes you play them over the others?

I played Zerg as my main and Protoss as my alt in Broodwar, and I would be doing the same right now if my computer allowed for the situation. I feel that with Terran I have the best chance of ending the game before a 200/200 situation occurs, due to the race’s flexibility and their overall early/mid game options. With that said, I consider myself a macro player as I simply cannot play late-game with my given conditions, where micro becomes critical in a big battle. I’m banking on compLexity to help me change this.

What are your best and worst matchups?  Why?

My best matchup is currently TvT, as I feel that I understand the Terran race and the importance of small details, such as placement of buildings, scans, reaction to opponent moves, etc. Currently, my worst matchup is TvP as I have a very difficult time dealing with protoss all-in’s, as I often get greedy and try to fast expand. The punishment for a terran that takes early damage is mentally crippling and can result in a quick loss depending on how well the protoss player understands how to capitalize (hold counter-aggression with forcefields, safe teching to colossus/templars).

What asset of your SC2 game do you feel helps you overcome adversity when you get surprised or are at a disadvantage?

I think my overall ability to keep calm under pressure definitely helps me in an uphill battle. I am not very often surprised, though I do not give the best reactions to certain things I know coming (2 barracks vs 6 gateway all in and losing)

Is there anything you do outside of the game that you feel helps you when you set foot onto the virtual battlefield?

I AM A VIRGIN NERD AND ALL I DO IS PLAY GAMES [sic].

Where do you see yourself a few years down the road?  Will you be releasing any new songs?

Heh, music has always been a hobby and I may go back and forth with it depending on a few things, but I really do hope I can make something out of Starcraft 2. With the right equipment, I think I have what it takes to work my way up.

Any final comments or shout outs?

shoutout to my 5 man fanbase, allen nowang, Benjamin Smith, samson nowang, some brown people, nick schlong, my financial broker mike Amaju, some chinees nerds i dunk on in ball everyday, my former gaming community nadota, and most of all the keyboard warriors, !confirm

The compLexity Academy is thrilled to announce that after receiving over 70 applications we have now selected the top 20 players who will compete for the 10 spots in the inaugural class. The tournament will take place on Saturday, June 25th, 2011 and will be a BO3 double elimination event. 

Please congratulate our finalists, listed below in no specific order.

Zerg

hpthegreat – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
catechin – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
strength – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
brobocop – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
goswser – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
damncats – Battle.net Profile – Application Video

Protoss

Jiyan – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
Jhammy – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
orb – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
Fallen – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
Ke – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
echuchee – Battle.net Profile – Application Video

Terran

CheeC[h] – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
Jedigamer – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
Nepts2 – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
lizzuma – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
Aaronkim – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
erecon – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
Kevin Zhou – Battle.net Profile – Application Video
Matthew – Battle.net Profile – Application Video

Academy Comissioner, Michael Shane had this to say:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has applied. Going over each and every application has been extremely difficult, as a majority of the applicants were evenly matched. There are several applicants not on this list that were in the running until the very last minute and it really just came down to some very minor things. I sincerely hope that all who applied will take part in the first expulsion tournament. Once again, I just want to thank everyone for taking the time to apply and I wish everyone luck on their development and future with Starcraft2 and the Academy.

All selected applicants have been contacted by Mr. Shane and will need to reply with the requested information before their journey will continue. Thank you to everyone who applied for the inaugural season of the compLexity Academy. If you weren’t selected, keep your head held high and remember that there will always be another opportunity right around the corner!

Also, remember that we are still looking for the official caster of the Academy. If you, or somebody that you know, is an up and coming SC2 caster, be sure to apply today!

The compLexity Academy is excited to announce that our application period for the first class has ended and we are now seeking shoutcasters interested in being the voice of the Academy.

Your job would be to be the main caster of the compLexity Academy.  From time to time you will be joined by others, but you will be the main shoutcaster.  As with the Academy itself, we are looking for someone who is eager to get experience and exposure in the professional scene.  You should be talented, dedicated and willing to work with Mr. Shane and his team. You should be technically savvy with a solid internet that is able to broadcast smoothly to our Justin.tv account.

For more specific information please refer to the original CA post about the format of the events and how much casting would be required.  Your commitment would be for 3 months.  At the end of your term we will conduct another shoutcaster search.

For your 3 month commitment you will receive the following products:

1) SoundBlaster Tactic3D Sigma headset

2) compLexity Mousepad

3) PNY Video Card

To apply please email the CA Commissioner, Michael Shane by clicking here. Include YouTube video links showcasing your shoutcasting ability and any other information you feel is relevant.

It is our sincere wish that this opportunity would help develop the talent and exposure of a dedicated shoutcaster.  Applications will be accepted until June 18, 2011.  We will be announcing the Top 20 players who will compete for the 10 member spots on Monday.

Thanks and best of luck to all the applicants!

compLexity Gaming:  YOUR source for professional gaming news and entertainment!