After the code A qualifiers, we had an interview with Bang Tae Soo, aka TRUE.

Enjoy!

A summary of the questions and answers are below:

Freeedom) How did you start playing Starcraft?
TRUE) When I was young, my computer could only play starcraft and everyone at the PC Bang was playing Brood War. So, that’s how I started.

Freeedom) When did you decide you would go professional?
TRUE) I decided to go pro when I was in high school, in 2008. I remember watching professional starcraft on TV and I wanted to be on that stage too.

Freeedom) Why did you pick zerg?
TRUE) When I first started playing starcraft, I wasnt too good so I was usually banking up lots of minerals..
[Editor’s note: at this point the interview got interrupted by the appearance of Sacsri]

Freeedom) How is your Terran and Protoss?
TRUE) My Terran is really bad.

Freeedom) Really Bad?
TRUE) Yeah, I think it is around Platinum or Diamond level.

Freeedom) No way, I dont believe that. And how about your Protoss?
TRUE) My Protoss is better. I’ve gotten to the top 8 masters with the Toss. Because Protoss OP.

Freeedom) Who would you consider your rival?
TRUE) Hm, I considered Fantasy as my rival. But since he essentially Retired, so.. Yeah.

Freeedom) Name some foreign players outside your team that you feel are great players?
TRUE) Uh, I feel like Snute is a great player. He is a nice guy, and he has a very strong late game.

Freeedom) You were tied 3rd/4th in season 2 GSL in 2014 with Maru. How did you feel about that performance?
TRUE) I felt sad, because I believed that I would win, and this was a great opportunity.

Freeedom) Why did you leave KR and go to EU to compete?
TRUE) I saw JaeDong, JaeDong enjoy himself as he competed in Foreign tournaments. He just looked happy. I wanted to experience that for myself, so that’s why I went to Europe.

Freeedom) Your results after that in GSL wasn’t as good in 2015, failing to make code S. Why do you think you regressed?
TRUE) After I moved into the EU Teamhouse, I suffered insomnia and wasnt able to sleep that much, I think I wasnt able to keep a good condition. So thats why I think my results declined.

Freeedom) What are the challenges of playing outside of Korea while with Dead Pixels?
TRUE) There werent any particular challenges when I was playing abroad. I was just enjoying myself.

Freeedom) Did you feel like players improve better being in a team house like you were with SK Telecom T1 & Jin Air?
TRUE) Yeah, I think it is better.

Freeedom) Why did you decide to do WCS in America?
TRUE) When I came to america for Red Bull Battlegrounds, I had a chance to eat hamburger, and I saw that it was cheaper and bigger and tastier than european hamburgers. I also wanted to practice English in the US, which is different from the English that is spoken in Europe.

Freeedom) Tell us about joining a relatively unknown team in NA, PSISTORM Gaming?
TRUE) I wanted to learn English, so I looked for an American team without any Koreans. Then I found PSISTORM.

Freeedom) What do you think so far of the team? owners, players, practice?
TRUE) I havent been able to meet with the owner but I could tell that the owner is very passionate about starcraft and he has been very kind to me. As for my teammates, I only really known Enderr, NoRegret, and Arium. I know Enderr is a hard working player. Since I see him play a lot of games and he is always asking to practice with me. Noregret was the first player I got along with from the team. Sometimes when I streamed NoRegret would come to my chat and always interact with me, so that was nice.

Freeedom) You are going to compete in GSL and SSL while waiting for your VISA. What if you do real well in either (or both) and go deep, and then your VISA arrives, will you postpone your trip to the US to stay and compete in GSL/SSL as far as you can?
TRUE) Even if I do really well in GSL or SSL.
Interpreter) He wants to go right away.

Freeedom) What are you goals in WCS?
TRUE) I want to win WCS of course.

Freeedom) Who are the players you watch out for in North America (outside of your team)?
TRUE) I think Neeb is definitely a strong player to watch out for.

Freeedom) What do you like to do for fun outside of playing SC2?
TRUE) Besides StarCraft, I like playing Soccer. My favorite team is Barcelona and my favorite player is Cristiano Ronaldo.

Freeedom) What is the last book you read that is not for school?
TRUE) I dont remember.

Freeedom) What is the last international movie you saw?
TRUE) I last remember watching Taken. Maybe Taken 1.

Freeedom) What would you like to do after your Starcraft career and military service?
TRUE) I dont know exactly what I’d like to do.

Freeedom) Do you have siblings, and what do your parents think about you being a pro gamer? going overseas?
TRUE) I have an older brother. And my parents hate that I am a pro gamer, and worry because pro gamer career is short. They think positively about my going overseas because they think the experience is good.

Freeedom) Do you have a girlfriend?
TRUE) I dont have a girlfriend.

Freeedom) What last comments would you like to say?
TRUE) Hello. Please look forward to me as I compete in WCS. Thank you.