[x5.Crescendo]

With the group stages of Nation Wars 3 coming up for our Australian and New Zealand players, the OSC wanted to get the thoughts of the players involved.

Guiz, this is serious journalism. Plz.


===Part 1: Australia===

C: You have qualified for the main tournament of Nation Wars III

How does it feel? Please share your thoughts with us

Iaguz: It's ok I guess but we have to get through what's going to be a pretty ******* difficult group stage

NXZ: (Quoting SLCN Pezz)

same for me I'm done playing pvz
yeah and zerg is imba

Iaguz: and we haven't won any ******* money yet
so from an effort-to-cider ratio this tourney hasn't gone too well yet

NXZ: yeah we haven't won any goddamn money

Iaguz: gotta get that dosh

NXZ: I imagine we'll win the group stage though
pig and I weren't even drinking today
this isn't even our final form

PiG: lol
I'm pretty pumped to have won more than one game, I just got back from holiday and I'm constantly pausing in my games to think "what do I do next?" haha so I guess motivated to actually practice hard for the next stages now!


C: What? Ryan and Jared didn't drink? Soft. Even I spiked my morning coffee with Irish cream.

NXZ, you came close to an all-kill in the first series v Japan. It was a strong performance - how do you feel now, in terms of performance, compared to your WCS run? What are your plans to prepare for the next rounds?

Iaguz, just when it seemed like Vaisravana would engineer a reverse all kill, you stepped in like you have so often in the past and crushed the zerg bugs beneath your mighty macro - clinching the first series for Australia. What are your post-game thoughts, and what are your plans to prepare for the next rounds?

PiG, after a disappointing game in series one, you came back to All-Kill Japan in series two. Which of your opponents felt the strongest, and what are your plans to prepare for the next rounds?


Iaguz: I didn't have a good bearing on Vais's skill level, I just did my normal thing and it turned out pretty well
I saw enough roaches to think he might go aggressive and just shifted my build order a wee bit to counter it
AS FOR THE FUTURE, depends who we get but at as long as their latency to the NA server is approximately as shit as ours then we'll do ok
maybe
who knows
we'll see


NXZ: I gained a lot of confidence after each win but to be honest I think that I was a favourite in every match so while it does feel good to win, it wasn't unexpected for me. WCS was similar in the sense that aside from having to fight DemiLove I was a strong favourite to win every game because Enderr was forfeited and by the time I fought Blysk I had already qualified.

My main goals for the next rounds is to at least get 1 win and maybe beat some really strong competitors. I'm just hoping we can make some upsets and make the finals because that would be awesome!

PiG: It felt great! I've been on holiday so I expected it to be very difficult for me to take even a single map. Actually getting in some real practice! After over 3 weeks without playing nothings coming naturally right now and my mechanics feel very gummy, so I look forward to grinding hard and getting in really solid shape, as well as learning some all-ins to round out my scope of play.


C: As you progress into the Groups Stage of NW3, there are some strong nations to be faced. In the post-game interview PiG mentioned Korea, France, and Norway as the most worrying contenders. Are there any others you are concerned about, and will you be preparing something special for the more dangerous opponents?

Iaguz: those are the big three, though honestly any of the teams are going to be tricky

NXZ: yeah I think we will likely be underdogs against everyone but maybe Taiwan so any match will be tough. In team leagues, it often comes down to the tiniest of variance so if fortune swings our way I think we have the potential to beat anyone. I personally am just trying to find the strategies that give me the highest expected value and from there maximise my own execution.

PiG: There's quite a few strong teams but those ones stand out at the moment. I think The Ukraine is pretty overlooked as people underestimate Bly but he's actually one of the scariest players in a new game like LOTV. I'll just be preparing like for any other tournament, watch a few vods of the opponents once I know who we're facing, but first of all just get on top of the meta and make sure I have some solid builds I can bring to any opponent.


C: What are your thoughts on Nation Wars' new format and organisation? Can you see something similar working on a more localised SEA scale?

NXZ: I really like that they included any country that wished to play as opposed to just Europe. It's a great format and a lot of fun.

I don't think a nation wars can really be as successful in the sea scene, I think a regular team league is the way to go. In my eyes, this qualifier was already an opportunity for a lot of SEA countries to get involved but instead we only saw us, Japan and NZ sign up.

PiG: It's awesome. O-gaming are amazing. I had the pleasure of visiting their studio in Paris where they let me prepare for the WCS Season 1 Finals. Watching them work was great, they're a really great mix of insanely hard-working professionals who simply love gaming and never forget how to have a good time. They produce content all around the clock for multiple games and pretty much always have something on. The last nation wars events have an amazing reputation and I think this one will be even bigger and better. I'd love some more localised competition in SEA but considering we're already blessed with the OSC which Eddie has done so much work to keep consistent, I think we're already one of the healthier competitive communities.

Iaguz: well the problem with doing it in SEA is it'd be renamed to "give Australia money" league

C: That does have a ring to it, though. Would you elaborate further as to the challenges such a format would have on a smaller scale?

Iaguz: As for the Nationwars tournament itself, yeah it's pretty good. Nice to have something to compete for before christmas
lack of interest and competition, Australia would just win because we're the best


C: If you could face any single player from one of the other nations during this tournament, who would you want to go head to head with, and why?

NXZ: I'd really like to play against snute. He's an amazing player and I'd love to have the opportunity to compete against him.

PiG: ahh I'm really not sure what players identities in HOTS are just yet so it's hard to say. Of course I'd love to smash some top Korean players! But the likelihood of that might not be so high :P

Iaguz: I'll play whoever


C: It has been announced that Australia is to face France in the group stages. Knowing who your opponents will be, what are your thoughts, and who do you think will be easiest to defeat?

Iaguz: oh we're probably fucked
Stephano's probably their weakest though I have no clue where his skill is at
but Lilbow's been practising and he's pretty good
I was able to beat him reliably in beta once I figured out an imba tankivac push but that got nerfed unto oblivion so
hope libs are enough to get by

NXZ: Yeah will be tough, mlord and lilbow are both really strong and stephano probably has some weird strategies that will be difficult to fight... I think we can do it but I probably give us only 20-30% chance

PiG: Yeah France should be quite hard, Lilbow and Marinelord are both very strong players so it should some tough matches. I think they're favoured over us but with some hard practice we can do it


C: Finally, do you have any shout-outs to give to practice partners, or rivals you'd like to call out for a bit of fun?

PiG: Ah not really
Just a shoutout to x5 for supporting me and my fellow Aussie reps for bringing their A-game so far! Hopefully we can go all the way to Paris!

NXZ: I call out Jared for not calling anyone out cause that's pre lame.

PiG: haha casting life man
There are no practice partners, there are no rivalries!

NXZ: Much love to my teammates on Silicon and I hope everyone supports us and we will definitely beat France! =]

Iaguz: Shoutouts to me
For being great

C: Flawless.

Super happy fun time bonus round!
Now that Team Liquid have put together their inspired preview, do you have anything to say about their analysis?

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/star...of-each-nation

NXZ: I hate these because I suck at starcraft so the preview is always like, well this guy sucks how can we spin this to make him look decent. They actually did a pretty good job here I almost thought I was good for a second

PiG: I don't really have much to say, other than they'd better watch out for more than my smile :P

Iaguz: I'm upset they picked someone born in England
THAT'S WHAT THEY SHOULDA DONE WITH FENNER
(if he was in the team of course)

Iaguz: We play in 18 hours right?
that's us?

NXZ: I thought we were playing on Sunday morning
but I might be wrong

C: Sunday 3am according to TL
http://www.teamliquid.net/calendar/

Iaguz: well that's gonna bugger up me sleep
thanks France!

C: Thank you all for doing Australia and the SEA region proud - GLHF in the group stages!


===Part 2: New Zealand===


C: You have qualified for the main tournament of Nation Wars III

How does it feel? Please share your thoughts with us

Mack 'Petraeus' Smith: I feel invigorated with new-found patriotism and an admiration for the artist formerly known as Filth.

David "MightyKiwi" Gore: Feels good!, glad Mack has such strong shoulders

Ben M -- fray`Crimson: It feels good, people will remember we are actually a nation for a bit longer.

David "MightyKiwi" Gore: good answer Ben

Ben M -- fray`Crimson: thanks babe


C: To qualify, you had to defeat Spain and the UK. What were your thoughts on your opponents, and those games in general? How did the Europeans compare to your normal opponents in SEA tournaments?

Ben M -- fray`Crimson: I was actually surprised Botvinnik and Majestic didn't put up more of a fight, there was a lot of talk about them. The Brits went the other way and probably over-performed; Boombox seemed like a very handy player. For me, it's hard to say how they compare with SEA players as I haven't played any SEA players in LotV yet.

Mack 'Petraeus' Smith: I'm going to share with you a few quotes from our team chat:

Mack 'Petraeus' Smith: first round we're up against majestic/botvinikk
David "MightyKiwi" Gore: literally who Mack
Mack 'Petraeus' Smith: sorry Dave but these guys probably have 20-30x the amount of fans that you have

I let fame and glory get in the way of the NZ spirit and that is something I can never forgive myself for. Thankfully, young David showed us that it's not about Twitter followers, but about believing in yourself and your country. A true hero.

After that, all the pieces fell into place and Europe crumbled before us.

Ben M -- fray`Crimson: lololol

David "MightyKiwi" Gore: Having not been playing or watching a lot of starcraft in the last year I actually hadn't heard of any of the players in the teams of Spain or the UK, except for maybe some whispers of Majestic. Personally I felt that I was playing poorly during my games, so I was pleasantly surprised when I managed to take two maps off of Spain. I think its hard to draw comparisons between the EU players and SEA players this early in LotV as the game is still being figured out.


C: Now the Koreans will have to face you next. Have you been preparing something special for the occasion?

David "MightyKiwi" Gore: I think its my turn to quote the team chat:

David "MightyKiwi" Gore: when I beat life
David "MightyKiwi" Gore: will you customs with me?
Mack 'Petraeus' Smith: yes

Needless to say my only goal in LIFE now is to beat life

Ben M -- fray`Crimson: Being the secret weapon, I am revealing nothing.

Mack 'Petraeus' Smith: I'm preparing a victory dance, that's about it.


C: What are your thoughts on Nation Wars' new format and organisation? Can you see something similar working on a more localised SEA scale?

Mack 'Petraeus' Smith: <<<Redacted for the good of humanity>>>

David "MightyKiwi" Gore: rude

Mack 'Petraeus' Smith: **** off and write your answer filth

David "MightyKiwi" Gore: testy tonight

C:

Mack 'Petraeus' Smith: It's a nice, refreshing spin on the usual tournament format but there are too many flaws for it to pop up more in the competitive scene. At this point we've been spoiled by an open system for too long to fall back on the archaic Olympics. The SEA scene is non-existent apart from our treasured WCS spots so there's nowhere near enough funding or players to make something similar work well.

David "MightyKiwi" Gore: what Mack said

Ben M -- fray`Crimson: I like the format and think nation wars/ogaming do a fantastic job. I don't see why the SEA region cant do something similar, we have in the past, but our version would be hampered by lesser interest and gaps in skill level. Perhaps nation wars themselves could look at regional qualifiers for their main event, with 2/3 teams from SEA qualifying for prelims and/or main event.


C: Do you have any shout-outs to give to practice partners, or rivals you'd like to call out for a bit of fun?

Mack 'Petraeus' Smith: Marmite is better than Vegemite, that's all I'll say.

David "MightyKiwi" Gore: I Love Lawrence, hi Tony, hi Hayden, hi Ryan

Ben M -- fray`Crimson: Marmite and vegemite are both shit. Shoutout to all the new zealanders supporting us. And shoutout to flash, though I'm maintaining the fact Korea drew us first is the reason he retired.

C: That makes a lot of sense. I think we can consider that factual, .

Super happy fun time bonus round!
Now that Team Liquid have put together their inspired preview, do you have anything to say about their analysis?

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/star...of-each-nation

Mack 'Petraeus' Smith: their comparisons make no sense whatsoever

David "MightyKiwi" Gore: Well as for what they wrote about me, they pretty much hit the nail on the head. RIP.

Mack 'Petraeus' Smith: who the **** is Zoe bell

David "MightyKiwi" Gore: fucked if I know
the comparison is weird as ****
but if you leave out the part on Zoe
its fine

Ben M -- fray`Crimson: I could never compare to the genius of Jermaine Clement. Its an honour to even be mentioned alongside him. I will do my best to represent him well.

Mack 'Petraeus' Smith: tbh they shoulda just stuck with all blacks comparisons

Ben M -- fray`Crimson: I'd be against that but ok

David "MightyKiwi" Gore: good oll Mack M'caw

C: Cheers guys! Kick Korea's arse!

Ben M -- fray`Crimson: Thanks shall do


---------


Finally, a shout out to Team Japan - Albion, PSiArc, and Vaisravana. They fought well and gained a lot of fans from the viewers of the qualifying matches.

It was horrible to have a SEA Team-Kill so early on, and I'll be interviewing them separately about their experiences soon

GLHF all!

[Japetto]

Quality interviews, great to see the lighthearted nature of the guys coming through. Go well tomorrow I will be asleep! GOGO reruns!
PS: No spoilers

[Eddie]

Good read. Best of luck this weekend guys

Petraeus such a troll!

[SLCN.NXZ]

Originally Posted by x5.Crescendo

hi Ryan

I hate you David

Quick Comments

ToRSpartaz:

David is such a sellout

[syfRize]

Originally Posted by x5.Crescendo

Iaguz: and we haven't won any ******* money yet
so from an effort-to-cider ratio this tourney hasn't gone too well yet

this is why guzzleman is the best

[SLCN.Wally]

Originally Posted by x5.Crescendo

David "MightyKiwi" Gore: I Love Lawrence, hi Tony, hi Hayden, hi Ryan

This won't do

[x5.Crescendo]

Definitely some of my most fun interview responses to date =D

There's a reason why I'm a fan of the SEA SC2 scene

[ROOT`iaguz]

FU pet, Vegemite rules and you're dumb.

[eCKoa`ProzeR]

Great interviews Crescendo!! Really enjoyed reading this one, Good luck to all the teams in the next round!! #SC2SEAFIGHTING

[Ukoter]

where can we see the results for the qualifiers?

[Eddie]

Originally Posted by Ukoter

where can we see the results for the qualifiers?

Here

[SLCN.Wally]

That feel when NZ wins more games against Korea than Australia wins games against anyone.

Quick Comments

syfRize:

xddddddddd

[wenyue]

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