SC2SEA.com - Starcraft 2 SEA eSports Community Site

**Eddie** · Fri, 6th-Nov-2015, 5:25 PM

Today we hope to bring to you a bit of insight into Korean

Spear (Formerly FXOTree).
Spear is an online Terran Powerhouse! We often see him in the final rounds of numerous tournaments across all regions, or as the eventual champion, but despite this, he still somewhat flys under the radar. He plays for DuSt Gaming, but other than that, like many of his Korean compatriots, we rarely hear from them outside of the game! Who is the man behind the loading screen? What's his story? Let's find out!

Interview conducted by Eddie on behalf of the OSC team. Translated from Korean to English by JunO.

Spears 2015 Results:

As of November 6th, Spear is Rank 5 in the OSC World Rankings, with 7 tournament wins this season!

1st Place GamerBet Open #1 + #2
1st Place Masters Cup #56
1st Place desRow NA Weekly #5
1st Place SEACraft Weekly #37, #48 + #52
2nd Place GamerBet Open Grand Finals
2nd Place SEACraft Weekly #33, #38, #56
3rd Place ASL Challenge League S.5
4th Place Masters Cup #48
13th ASL Prime League S.5
(13th Place in 2014 OSC World Finals)

Question: How long have you been involved with Starcraft, and have you always played Terran?

Spear: Started at open beta and I officially retired at August 2012 and started back at 2014. So it's been around 3 years. I've always been Terran, since day 1.

How did you decide upon your username/Why did you swap from Tree?

When I started again I wanted to to have a more aggressive playstyle, therefore I wanted a more threatening name.

Can you describe your playstyle in ten words or less?

Strategic and aggressive

Is there a moment in time which you consider particularly important or formative for who you are as a player and person now?

I started playing again after I watched Maru's games, I try my best to follow Maru's style.

Would you share with us all a bit more about yourself outside of SC2? (Favourite food, music, pastimes etc?)

I play a lot of LoL

Do you have games or results which stick in your memory as being more fun or entertaining than others/or a favourite match you'd like to share or brag about?

I beat Brown right before my debut, I still remember it like yesterday!

How different is Starcraft for you now since coming back from retirement, becoming Spear, and joining DuSt Gaming, compared to your earlier days on FXOpen e-Sports?

I watched Proleague in 2014 because I was really bored that day, it was fascinating that the game has changed so much. Ever since, I started playing a little at a time and quickly got my Grandmaster back. When I saw the golden badge, the desire to play competitively all came back to me. Dust contacted me while I was grinding my skill back up, so I gladly accepted.

Who would you consider your greatest rival in the past, and if different, who would it be at the present time?

Arthur, I run him to him very often in online tournaments.

If there was anyone in the world you could challenge to a Best of Five match, who would it be, and why?

I want to challenge Mamuri, I lost him recently in an online tournament.

You are very active in the online tournament scene. Do you enjoy playing in online tournaments more than LAN or customs?

The only real offline tournaments or LANS in Korea are SSL and GSL... So I tend to stick to online tournaments, not to mention my real life commitments.

What is your favourite Starcraft 2 tournament format to play in?

Daily cup for probably online tournaments, GSL format for offline tournaments

Taking a look at the current OSC World Rankings, what are your thoughts on them? Any favourites or early predictions for the grand finale this year?

Out of everyone in top 16, the only people I can say for sure will advance are Snute, Solar and ByuN.

You came 13th place in last years OSC World Finals (Losing to strong opponents in GuMiho + Armani). You will likely have a better seed this year (currently 5th), but given the increased competition for finals spots, and talent within the Top 32, how do you think you go in this years finals? Do you have a target, such as Top 8?

My only goal right now is to get out of the group stage.

(Editors note: 2015's format is different - no group stage. Instead there will be a double elimination bracket, with players ranked 1-20th starting in the upper bracket with the higher seeds seeded deeper into the tournament, and players 21-32nd starting in the lower - elimination. Example Bracket.

Have you considered playing an OSC Challenge match verse a rival player to earn extra points?
(Both players bet their points up to an agreed value, winner takes all! Plus there are bonus points on offer. A good way to leapfrog someone up the rankings!)

Just getting top 8 is satisfactory in the OSC rankings. Any higher, the players are much more active and very good players so it's difficult for me.

Of the various partnered OCS tournaments, which do you enjoy playing in or watching the most?
(Ascended StarCraft League, Leifeng Cups, SEACraft Weekly, Masters Cups, ASL Bacon Weekly, Blizzard WCS Qualifiers, Global All Stars, Friday Fun Night, etc)

SEAcraft Weekly

You play in nearly all open edition tournaments run from sc2sea. Which SEA players do you think are the most challenging to play?

Petraues is the most challenging opponent and I lose to him quite a bit. But I don't see him around much anymore, at the moment it's probably Enderr.

What do you think of the SEA/Foreign scene compared to Korea? Biggest differences?

I haven't spoken to any foreign players directly, but out of my experiences in a Korean team house is that Koreans dedicate their entire life to this game. All or nothing, and the scene is much more competitive and scary compared to the foreign scene.

In your opinion, which SEA player has improved the most in 2015?

Enderr

In your opinion who is the best SEA, and best NA player right now?

I don't know many NA players that participate in SEA leagues for me to really comment. In general I don't think NA players are a threat, Petraeus is the best player in SEA.

How does it feel to know that due to your great results this season, you have a '$ Bounty' on you for online tournaments?
(Any SEA player who beats you in a Bo3+ series gets a $35 reward!)

I think it's a fun and motiviating system, when I lose it shows up on SC2SEA that someone collected my bounty. I try my best to not make it happen.

+ [Players who have claimed a bounty on Spear:] +

Looking to the future, with Legacy of the Void on the horizon, what are your thoughts on what you have seen of LoTV thus far?

I go in for conscription in mid December, so I won't be around much to see Legacy of the Void and haven't really looked much into it.

Finally feel free to self-promote, give sponsors shout-outs, and drop some links here if you want folks to follow you on the various social media/streaming sites

twitch.tv/sc2spear

Thanks.

-

Additionally you can follow Spear on Twitter here

2015 Oseanic StarCraft 2 Championship

The Oseanic StarCraft 2 Championship Series (OSC) is the Oceanic, South East Asian, North American and Chinese regional championship, which follows a yearly season format, where players earn points for placing in all partnered tournaments.

The top 32 players ranked via the OSC Player Leader board at the end of the season are then invited to play in the 2 day minimum $5000+ Grand Finale to determine the yearly champion! OSC World Rankings were established in December 2012.

Current season rankings and database can be viewed here

OSC Supporter Packages

You can show your support towards OSC, and help us put on events for the community for just $8 USD per month! One less chocolate bar/One less beer at the pub/a couple less songs on iTunes, etc, and the money goes towards supporting the scene It's quite common place for players/casters to have a subscription option on twitch tv (which isn't an option for us), and we feel we have much more to give back in terms of entertainment, competition and rewards. Subscribers are also another way we can potentially market ourselves to prospective sponsors, which in turn will result in further growth.

We also provided supporters with bonuses such as event replay packs, and chance to win 1 hour of coaching from top tier players.

If you are interested, you can subscribe here.
More info here.

OSC Sponsors!
Without these companies contributing to our tournament it's fair to say the prizepool would be far smaller. But it's not just about the $'s. All these companies have a long history of supporting Starcraft 2 and esports in SEA. They care about the scene and our community. So many thanks to them all! If you esports fans, players etc can send them some love and thanks for supporting SC2 + the Oseanic StarCraft 2 Championship Series it would be appreciated in return. They all are leaders in their industry, so if it comes down to a choice between brands, pick these guys who support esports!

ADVMoto Magazine

Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto) is a publication focused on the idea, "ordinary people do extraordinary things." From big to small, and to any corner of the world, ADVMoto wants everyone to explore with the most elegant, fun, efficient and versatile motor vehicle ever made. ADVMoto is available in both print and digital formats.

+ [For more information:] +

PSISTORM Gaming

With the catch phrase "Energizing The Game", PSISTORM GAMING, founded on the 27th of August, 2014, is a primarily Starcraft 2 organization composed of players who believe in good mannered play, enthusiastic sportsmanship, and above all, a love for the game. Originally part of KJ clan from karljay.com which has existed for over a decade from the days of BroodWar, the team has been rebranded as a new organization with sponsorship and big plans. The organization has hosted special showmatches with INcontroL, Hendralisk and EnDerr, as well casual tournaments with a significant prize pool for amateurs.

+ [For more information:] +

Silicon Sports + digitalanvil.com.au

Silicon Sports are a Melbourne based company, responsible for the succesful Melbourne Barcrafts. They also have a quality SC2 team and academy, plus a dedicated casting team. They also do a lot of work in the DOTA community.

+ [For more information:] +

digitalanvil.com.au

Whether you need a new domain name, website, hosting or want to increase your exposure online, these are the guys who can help!

+ [For more information:] +

Saulo Silva fine photography

Saulo Silva is a photographer, motorcyclist and Geophysicist. When off-duty from the industry, he seeks the place, the light and the angle for unique captures.

+ [For more information:] +

syfChase · Fri, 6th-Nov-2015, 5:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eddie

I haven't spoken to any foreign players directly, but out of my experiences in a Korean team house is that Koreans dedicate their entire life to this game. All or nothing, and the scene is much more competitive and scary compared to the foreign scene.

yeah step it up u scrubbers

Spear #1

didnt know he was FXOTree, I remember that name ages ago. Pretty cool thing to find out. Sick interview Eddie

freeedom · Sat, 7th-Nov-2015, 1:59 AM

Nice interview. I played him once bo1 so I cheesed he quickly killed me... sooo good.... I guess he's out of SC2 again after December?

eCKo.Freizya · Sun, 8th-Nov-2015, 12:24 PM

good interview! he's really active on kr ladder and plays aggresively a lot

syfIce · Sun, 8th-Nov-2015, 12:33 PM

Great interview and cool to see koreans accepting interviews

PSiArc · Sun, 8th-Nov-2015, 12:45 PM

Great interview, nice translation by JunO!
Yes I knew he plays LoL, he changed his kr account name to something like LOLuserSpear(in hangul) some months ago lol
The question about the bouty is a good one, and something I want to see in other interviews too.
I have been interested in how guys think of the bouties on their heads!

**x5.Crescendo** · Mon, 16th-Nov-2015, 7:13 AM

I thought I'd already posted here. Damn my internet XD

Much respect to Eddie and Spear for an awesome interview, and to JunO for translating!

Spear is a name I see often in brackets, and he always has a strong run.

It's a shame conscription will stop us for seeing a lot of how he approaches LotV. I know I've been curious as to his solution to the various matchups.