Following his Code A win over MVPKeen, we sat down with our newly promoted Code S player Kim “Heart” Min Hyuk to talk about what it means to make Code S and his thoughts on practice and the game.
First off, congrats on qualifying for the next season of GSL Code S, Heart. You said in your interview with ThisIsGame that it still didn’t hit home yet, how about now?
I can finally feel it now. I’m so excited that I want to play in Code S right away.
How does qualifying for Code S compare to placing well in foreign tournaments?
It is a really hard question to answer. However if I play well, I think I can do well in both Code S and foreign tournaments like MLG.
You recently defeated Woongjin Stars’ ZerO and now you’re one of the final sixteen in the WCG Korean Qualifier, any comments regarding this?
The match against ZerO went really well for me and I hope I can do well enough to make top 3 to qualify for WCG.
You missed out on qualifying for WCS Korea after losing to Samsung KHAN’s Reality. He said he could beat any GSL Zerg after he beat TSL’s Symbol. MarineKingPrime said KeSPA players are good, but not good enough to beat any GSL Zerg. What are your thoughts on this?
I don’t have much to say since I lost to Reality. However I am confident in myself that I will get a chance to redeem myself if we were to have a rematch. Like MarineKing, I believe KeSPA players are good, but I don’t think KeSPA players are that good.
What is your practice regime like? Do you have any practice partners that you play with regularly?
I mainly practice on the ladder and whenever I have a match coming up, I practice my builds through custom games. Also everyone on the compLexity team feels like a family to me, therefore I love being a part of compLexity.
A lot of SC2 pros have started moving into training houses like the compLexity Gamma Gamer House, do you ever wish to live in one? Do you feel it hinders your practice to not be in a training house?
Of course I do, I think being in a training house would help me improve more. I’ll have to keep playing to see if not being in a training house hinders my practice.
You’ve had a remarkable string of tournaments already during your relatively short time in foreign tournaments, do you like going to tournaments outside Korea?
I think foreign tournaments has a great beauty in the sense that there are large crowds of fans cheering with excitement and also the prize money that one can win in such a short period of time.
The SC2 expansion, Heart of the Swarm is coming out relatively soon, are you worried about it changing the game too much or are you excited about the new opportunities?
StarCraft 2 is really enjoyable for me right now, but I really want Heart of the Swarm to come out soon so that I can work even harder. I always like the idea of new games.
Your playstyle has been largely described by the community as “cheesy”, do you feel that is accurate? Do you think it is very strategically beneficial to start off a series with a non-orthodox or rush strategy?
I really like my all-in image, because I am also very confident in my late-game.
Thank you for the interview Heart, would like to give any shoutouts?
It’s my first time appearing at Code S after joining compLexity. I want to thank all of the compLexity sponsors: Sound Blaster, Gamma Gamers, QPAD, PNY, Creative, Origin PC, G8 Brand. I would also like to thank Jason Bass and Jason Lake for trusting me and choosing me. I will work even harder and return their gratitude with great results.