With MLG Anaheim only a few days away, we sat down with Kevin “qxc” Riley to discuss his expectations for the event, as well as he results from the past few weeks.
How do you think you’ll do at MLG Anaheim? How well do you need to place to be satisfied with your run?
Achieving a high place at MLG or any big open tournament like it has a bit of luck involved with who you play. I want to go and play well. If I play well then I cannot be disappointed.
How do you prepare for a marathon tournament like the MLG Open Bracket? Do you just ladder so you practice against all match ups or do you work on specific things with your teammates? What about methods to prepare mentally? MLG is known for its grueling schedule. Do you have any techniques or plans on how to deal with the exhaustion that comes from playing all day?
I’m trying to make sure I’m generally prepared for just about anything as that’s what I’m likely to see at MLG. I practice against a lot of different players and in a lot of different ways. For the day itself – I’ll just try to keep my energy up whenever possible.
Are there any players you would like to play at MLG? Any rivals you are looking to take down? What about players you’d like to avoid?
I have a number of players I would specifically like to hit – but I’m not sure yet if my skill is high enough to beat them. When I am more confident I will name names. There’s no one I wish to avoid – I’m more interested in testing my skills than placing well through luck. This MLG will be the first time foreigners get to see the Brood War pros like Jaedong and Flash play SC2 live.
As someone who played Brood War, does this hold any special significance for you? Did you follow the Korean Brood War scene? How do you think these players will do now that they’ve made the switch?
It’s too soon to say or judge these players in Starcraft 2. I will be waiting and interested for when they’ve had a bit more time and are able to increase their ability.
Moving on from MLG, now that you’ve finished college and can focus on gaming, do you feel any more pressure to put up big results? If so, how do you deal with this pressure?
I’ve been trying to take the attitude – as long as I play well, I have nothing to worry about. If I’m actively putting in time and showing good games then there is no pressure or stress. I simply do what I can. If it’s enough then I will do well. If it isn’t then I will improve upon my mistakes for the next event.
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 real validity to the claim?
I have no comment on balance.
Just a few days ago you won the CSL All-Stars event. Could you talk a bit about this event?
I enjoyed the event and atmosphere. College campuses are the most familiar surrounding for me beside my home right now. The whole setup was relatively laid back and despite a few technical difficulties everything went pretty smoothly. I didn’t feel a great deal of satisfaction or surprise at my victory as I fully expected to win before arriving. It was good to show myself where I was at compared to some other players but the field was not large enough for me to really know how I was doing. Hopefully I can do well at a tournament with a higher level of competition.