With MLG Anaheim right around the corner, we sat down with Josh “TriMaster” Niven to discuss his expectations for the event, as well as his stay in Korea over the past three months.
First off, welcome back to The States. How was your trip to Korea? Did you have fun staying at the MVP house? Do you think you have improved your game?
Thanks! My trip to Korea, as well as my stay in the MVP house, was amazing and definitely something I would like to do again at some point in my life. Everyone from MVP was so easy to get along with and just hanging out with them was a blast. As far as my gameplay goes, it has improved overall, but I think that my execution has been my biggest improvement, especially compared to how I felt it was before. Going to Korea is a once in a life time opportunity.
Could you share a story or two about your time abroad?
Haha, I do have a getting lost in Korea story that happened to me in my first month there. After going out to eat with Naama and deathangel, we parted ways at a train station so I tried grabbing a cab, but I guess since it was late, or maybe because of the location, there weren’t any cabs around. So, me not being the kind to wait around, and since I had a GENERAL idea of where the house was, I just started walking. Normally I get around by cab so I didn’t know the direct way to the house. What was supposed to be a 15 minute walk along a main street, turned into an hour walk through back alleys and in-between houses. To make a long story short, I ended up way past the house. Keep in mind this was after midnight, so yeah. Lost in a foreign country with no idea where I’m going, and I can’t speak the language. Good times.
Since you’ve spent some time training in Korea, do you feel any pressure to put up major results? If so, how do you deal with this pressure?
Most of the pressure I have to perform is mostly from setting unreasonable expectations myself. Other then that, I don’t think many people are expecting me to accomplish much since I wasn’t a top tiered player when I left. I don’t really have any method of handling pressure since I’m used to placing a lot on myself. In fact I think I perform better with some kind of pressure on me.
Along the same lines, what are your hopes for this MLG weekend? What kind of results would you need to put up in order to be satisfied?
Hopes? I hope to get 1st place, and I won’t be satisfied unless I do. With that said, I would be happy to make top 32 for MLG ;).
MLG tournaments are known for their absolutely grueling schedule. Do you have any techniques for dealing with the marathon? We’ve all heard stories about progamers playing for hours upon hours in Korean pro houses. Do you think your time in Korea will help with this aspect of the tournament?
In Korea, playing 8-12 hour days wasn’t that uncommon, so I don’t think marathon playing will be a problem. However, I think that the way the event is scheduled where there is quite a bit of down time between every match will be the hard part, since it might be difficult to keep my flow going if I have an hour break after every set I play.
Who do you think your biggest threat is at MLG? Are there any players you want to play? Any rivals you want to knock out?
This might sound a bit cheesy but my biggest threat will probably be myself. Hopefully I can play at my best because I know quite well how inconsistent I can be. I don’t have any rivalries to speak of, and no specific players I would like to match against, although I do want to play against people of comparable or higher skill level, because I do enjoy a challenge.
I asked the same question to QxC, but I’m interested in getting your opinion as well (especially since you have just gotten back from Korea). Recently there has been a bit of complaining from Terran and Protoss players that Zerg has become over-powered since the last patch. What are your thoughts on these complaints? Is it that Terran and Protoss players just need to adapt or is there some validity to the claim?
Before I left Korea I had been hearing a few MVP players starting to mention how Zerg is imbalanced, and while I think there might be some validity to that statement, I also think I’m still a player who should figure out his own game before worrying about Blizzard’s.
The last thing I wanted to touch on is the new compLexity Gamma Gamers House. You are moving in to play full time, right? How drastically do you think this will improve your game? Will you be bringing over any of the Korean training techniques you picked up at the MVP house?
I will be moving in, probably sooner than the other players, since Houston is my home town. I won’t know how much it will improve my game until it starts to kick into gear. As for sharing training techniques…no, they’re all mine.