Thread by @gatamchun

Full video of KR OWWC team (which includes the self-introductions)
via @YouTube

Interview segment from 1:40
Flowervin: I got a lot of similar requests for questions, and I wanted to start off with personal and easy questions, so to start - who here has watched Runner-Flowervin TV? (Their streaming channel)
*SBB, Fate, Jjonak, ArK, YBT, Carpe raise hands*

Q. How do Korean players get their hair done?
ArK: A lot of Korean players all get it done at the same place, called Atelier. It’s like around $40-50 for a haircut.
FV: *gasp* so expensive!
YBT: The hairdressers are all American?
ArK: No they're all Korean.

YBT: What about you, Fate?
Fate: I got my hair done in the US too, it's expensive where I got it done as well...
YBT: So that's your hair done, right?

Q. Who’s the shyest here?
ArK: From what I can tell, Fate.
Flowervin: Me too, I’m shy too!
YBT: But he’s very enthusiastic and talkative in comms. Though sometimes he’s like “shall we go in?” and then he’s like “oh, wait, maybe not?” and gets a bit shy like that.

FV: We have the most players from NYXL. Coach Pavane, which of them showers the least?
YBT: This is a very important question. Also relevant for Runaway.
Pavane: Of the players here?
FV: Oh, is the dirtiest person not here…?
YBT: Oh, well that makes it very obvious.

FV: Do the players here all shower regularly?
Pavane: *reaches over to clasp Meko's hand*
Meko: I keep a basic level of hygiene.
Pav: That's true.
YBT: Meaning...
FV: Washing your face, teeth...?
Meko: Yeah
Pav: He has a superstition tho, he doesn't shower before a game.

FV: Does that help you with the game?
Meko: Yeah, the game goes well.
Pav: So he just washes on game day.
YBT: So for Meko it’s like a kind of personal ritual to not wash before a game – what about other players? I feel like this might be a thing for DPS players.

Libero: If I don’t go to the toilet in the morning, then it makes me want to really go right before a game.
YBT: Like, Number 2, right?
Carpe: I'm the same LOL
YBT: You have to do a Number 2. Gotta keep your body light. What about Jjonak? Any rituals?
Jjonak: Number 1 for me.

FV: ArK?
ArK: I used to have a lot, but they’re down to 2 now. One, I eat basically nothing before a game, and two, I wear mismatched socks.
FV: And then you win?
ArK: Yeah, I used to be in a slump and then I started wearing odd socks and the games felt like they went well.

YBT: SBB? I feel like you’ll have a lot.
SBB: Not as much as you might think. For me it’s underwear. If I wear red or flower-patterned underwear, the game goes well.
Meko: it was like that during LW Blue too.

FV: You have flowery underwear?
SBB: I have a lot.
FV: My daughter wears those…
YBT: He’s a big fan of flower-patterned shirts and sweaters to begin with…
SBB: Yeah, my bag’s flower-patterned too.

FV: We’ve already heard from Meko…
YBT: He doesn’t wash… so Fate?
Fate: My superstitions change all the time, like if I have a piece of underwear I wore the last time I won, then I’ll wonder if they’ll help me win again. Or, like, if I kept a handwarmer in my pocket last time…

FV: So it’s just always changing.
Fate: Yeah, if I really carried the game last time…
SBB: Yeah, and then if it doesn’t work out the next time, you stop.
Fate: Right! Because then that’s why you lost.

FV: Memorable fans in OWL?
SBB: I once got a multi-kill from a pulsebomb, and I could hear screams from the front row, so I just got up right them and screamed back at the person. And then a bunch of other people screamed with me. Everyone has really big reactions.

FV: If the audience screams like that, do you really feel it?
SBB: Yeah, you feel electrified.
FV: You feel it too?
Jjonak: I feel it.
ArK: And when they yell like that, the arena echoes/vibrates a bit.

FV: Any other memorable fans?
ArK: Not for a specific team, but there are fans who paint their faces, wear shirts, bring flags
YBT: Ppl who are really into it
ArK: Yeah, they react really big when there’s a big play. They get up and yell and create that kind of cheering culture.

YBT: Yeah, it’s great that you get that kind of cheering culture in the arena, in the audience.

FV: Carpe and Fate, how do you do comms in English?
Carpe: We use English words like payload, and discord…
SBB: The English words are longer than Korean.
Carpe: Yeah, that makes it a bit inconvenient. So sometimes I miss Korean.

YBT: Fate, when he had been scrimming for 3 days, and lost a lot of games, he said even if he lost he was still having fun using Korean for comms. Any comments?
Fate: I just think Korean is the best LOL

YBT: In the interview stream earlier, everyone picked Kongdoo Panthera to win in the Contenders Finals. Has anyone changed their mind now that they’re on Runner-Flowervin TV?
Libero: I think Runaway will win.
Carpe: Me too.
Jjonak: Yeah suddenly it feels like Runaway will win.

ArK: I said Kongdoo Panthera would win, but Runaway is a team that’s really strong on stage…
SBB: I’ve lost against them on LW Blue, so I know what they’re capable of. I think they’re definitely capable of winning. Runaway.
YBT: Ah, emphasis!

SBB: Meko, you’ve lost against them too.
Meko: Haksal-nim is insane…
YBT, FV: *bursts into laughter*
Fate: Of course, I think Runaway will win…
FV: We’ll do our best…
YBT: This means the Final tomorrow will be a very close game!
FV: This video will be out after the finals.

Individual Q&A
Q. This meta is very different from OWL, and the team doesn’t have a lot of time to practice together – how are you preparing?
Pavane: We’re really focusing on the basics, what we do best. We do have 5 NYXL players but we also have 2 players from other teams, /1

so we need to refine our teamwork, see what the 7 players do best and see how to maximize their strengths in a team context. That’s the priority. We also want to figure out what works on this new patch. /2

Q. Any difficulties or pressures as the team coach?
Pav: Well, the players have been used to fairly good training conditions in the US, and we prepared as best we could, but right now in Korea it’s so incredibly hot – different from in the US, where it was cool at night /3

– so that’s making it difficult for the players. It’s so hot that the players can’t concentrate. Still, they’re all very aware they’re representing Korea, so that’s good. /4

Q. Personal goals as the team coach?
Pav: Last year I was an unofficial coach for the team, and this year I’ll use that experience as best as I can for our team. Thank you. /5

Q. What’s the atmosphere/situation for the players right now?
YBT: The players all came to Korea after the OWL finals, in the first week of August. So that’s 3 days of practice/scrims so far. And this year, while Blizzard is helping out with basic stuff, /6

really everything else is up to the committee to figure out, so we got in touch with X6 Gaming to use their facilities. And we rented those out, but with various circumstances, we were only able to practice physically together one day out of the 3 days so far. /7

After that, players have been coming and going. Everyone’s practicing hard. Scrims were tough initially, there was a lot of work to do on synergy, and some players hadn’t played in a while. We're improving, though, so I’m optimistic. We have lots of scrims tomorrow too. /8

Q. Goals as GM?
YBT: The 2016 OWWC team was chosen by vote, and I casted for that tournament where the SK team won without dropping a map. Last year, I became a committee member as well, but we didn’t have roles like this, we just picked the players. /9

Last year was tough too, we picked the players and they didn’t perform or the meta was suddenly different and the Mercy was a problem… but the players really rallied and concentrated. Last year, it was worse than now, we had no time to practice outside the showmatch scrims. /10

This year, at least, there’s about a week for the players to practice together before the group stages, so I’m grateful for that. This year I have a lot of emotional investment, last year I couldn’t intervene much with player practice, but this year we have some time, /11

so like yesterday I watched them scrim together all day, as well as watch all the other regions play on this new meta, watching and giving feedback, all three committee members are working hard. In any case, we’re playing for the title, it’s what we’re here for, /12

as we were in 2016 and 2017. It’s gotten harder for us this year in 2018, and I’m only the GM, but since I have that title I’ll work hard to make sure we win. /13

Q. Goals as Community Lead?
Flowervin: Hi everyone, as Community Lead I’ll be promoting the OWWC on my stream, on Youtube, so please support our team!
Everyone: Team Korea Fighting!
YBT: PLEASE. /14

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