[YourFather]

Interview with Aleksey "White-Ra" Krupnyk

A professional gamer for more than 14 years.
http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/White-Ra

We managed to link up with White-Ra on the second day of the Intel Extreme Masters.

ESG: How do you find the Protoss match-ups in Wings of Liberty (WoL) so far?
White-Ra: For most of the games I play, Terrans are usually very aggressive and the Zergs will drone hard for the late game, thus, the difficulty rises when Protoss spawn close to Terran and vice-versa for Zerg.

ESG: You seem to have trouble against Zerg, Any special tactics?
White-Ra: Yea. Perhaps some proxies. I am currently looking forward to the match-ups of Heart of the Swarm (HotS),

ESG: So I guess you will be training really hard for HotS in the competitive scene?
White-Ra: Yes! Because, for me, I lose interest easily if I play the same old thing over and over again. Furthermore, I see more openings as Protoss against Zerg in HotS. I am very happy with that.

ESG: Any specific favourite unit of HotS?
White-Ra: The Oracle is so-so, but coupled with Phoenixes, they are very good.

ESG: As a Protoss, how do you feel against Swarm Hosts?
White-Ra: I think it is okay, as I like to open with Stargate. So void rays can handle Swarm Hosts pretty well.

We moved on to questions that are closer to him.

ESG: The difference between yourself and many professional gamers is that you are working full time and eSports is only your part time job. How do you sustain this?
White-Ra: Support is very important. Especially from my family and friends. My wife supports me alot and that is very important.

ESG: How is the eSports scene in Ukraine?
White-Ra: For Ukraine, it is still not too big of a scene compared to other parts of the world.

ESG: Do you think you are more well known within Ukraine or other parts of the world?
White-Ra: I think I am more well known outside of Ukraine. Such as Germany.

ESG: What other games do you play? What was your favourite before Starcraft II?
White-Ra: Command and Conquer and some Age of Empires. I do play some Heroes too as I find it entertaining to play with friends with just a single computer.

ESG: Do you think eSports will continue to grow in the whole world?
White-Ra: Certainly, there are many changes since I started eSports (14 years ago). We can see the emergence of more cash prizes and sponsors, and that is good!

An additional question by eSports SG's follower, Ben Wong, was inserted later on...

ESG: A fan of you, Ben Wong, would like to ask you: What are your views on the usage of Hallucination for Protoss?
White-Ra: This is a spell that is definitely worth researching, it costs only energy. And if used strategically, it can throw off your opponent's game.

It was a great meet up with the God-father of Protoss, we thanked him for his time and hope to meet him again if he visits Singapore again!

Quick Comments

nirvAnA:

very nice!