Chris "HuK" Loranger, a professional StarCraft II player, has been competing for Evil Geniuses for nearly five years. As a Protoss player, the non-dominant race in the current meta, HuK is looking to make waves at DreamHack Austin this weekend after his recent dip in performance. We spoke to him about his practice regimen, expectations coming into DreamHack Austin, DreamHack Tours, the World Championship Series, and his frustrations with the current balance of the game.
How has your practice been for DH Austin?
HuK: Practice has been OK. I've been more intelligent about taking breaks and how I practice. So although I practice less than what I used to a few years ago, I practice more efficiently.
When it comes to practice, there are a lot of different schools of thought. From the Korean 12 hours a day, seven days a week training regimen to practicing lightly -- then doing a bit more intensive practice as events turn up. Which do you prefer?
HuK: I definitely prefer the the lighter practice. Once you plateau or reach your goal with macro or mechanics -- it is mostly staying "fresh" and up to date with current trends. I feel like when you're starting out as an amateur, there's a lot to learn, mechanics to improve, and just generally finding what works best for you through trial and error. When you're older and have been in the game for a long time, you already have that "esports athleticism," as I like to say. Also, Koreans practicing 12 hours a day, seven days a week has been a misrepresented myth for a while now.
DreamHack Austin is in this weird place because it's a week before DreamHack Tours. It has a good prize pool and points, but your opponents can watch your VODs and study your strategies. How are you going to approach this tournament?
HuK: I'm not a player that has ever been really good with specific builds or tailored builds. Johan "NaNiwa" Lucchesi is the definition of that. I think I'm the polar opposite, even when we were both some of the best in the world. Whenever I try to play that style besides maybe a simple cheese, it fails. I like to think I thrive on chaos and unpredictability. I think that gives me a unique advantage going into these tighter packed tournaments, similar to 2010-2012 when I was more on top. So I guess it's mostly a non-issue for me.
We're five months into the new World Championship Series system -- how do you feel about it so far and are there aspects about it you want improved? Such as the amount of tournaments, how the ladder or regional qualifiers work, or any of the general rules?
HuK: I think the system is working. I was a huge advocate of this new system and fought hard for it. I think Blizzard definitely could have tweaked things differently, but all in all, it's working. Without Blizzard basically throwing more money at the problem, I don't think there is much you can do. I would say one to two events similar to the old-school GSL World Championship versus Korea in Korea would be really epic.
How'd you feel about balance in the three Protoss matchups? Let's start with Protoss versus Zerg.
HuK: For Protoss versus Zerg, I still feel like it's imbalanced. More importantly, I feel like it is a stale matchup from the Protoss end. You really don't have a lot of variety in styles or timings, which makes the game mundane. It's one of the big reasons Heart of the Swarm ended up falling off so hard. From a player and viewer standpoint, seeing the same type of game over and over for such a long period of time is exhausting and boring.
In that sense, Protoss versus Zerg hasn't changed much in Legacy of the Void from either Heart of the Swarm or Wings of Liberty. Do you think there is a fundamental problem with how this matchup works?
HuK: In general, yes. I feel like Blizzard is just too safe, in a lot of regards, as a company -- not only from a balance perspective. Don't get me wrong -- I think the balance team is very intelligent and does a better job than 99 percent of the pro gamers would out there, including me. That's hard for me to say, but I think it's true, although it hasn't been tested. It just feels, even for balance, they hold back. Don't take risks. [They] always play the safe/conservative role, which usually doesn't work in a fast thriving industry, such as esports. Something in their corporate culture or higher management needs to shake things up or let key people have more power or control.
How do you feel about Protoss versus Terran in Legacy of the Void?
HuK: Balance in Protoss versus Terran feels pretty good. I think the matchup is harder to play for Protoss, but it's in a good place. And it could still be tweaked on both sides of the fence to make it even better. I do think too much of Protoss' win percentage comes from all-ins. But what choice do you have? You play to win.
How do you feel about the current dynamic of Protoss versus Protoss? Is it better or worse than previous iterations in Wings of Liberty or Heart of the Swarm or do you think it's in a good place?
HuK: I think Protoss versus Protoss is the best it's ever been. I still think disruptor versus disruptor and phx versus phx is extremely boring, but players are starting to branch away from that. We are seeing a lot of sentry/stalker/immortal compositions with a lot more emphasis on positioning -- even engagements, which is fun.
"It just feels, even for balance, they hold back. Don't take risks. [They] always play the safe/conservative role, which usually doesn't work in a fast thriving industry, such as esports. Something in their corporate culture or higher management needs to shake things up or let key people have more power or control."
An essential part of balance is the map pool. How do you feel about the maps that have come out in Legacy of the Void so far?
HuK: The maps are both refreshing and aggravating. Blizzard is, once again, too slow in many regards. There are very obvious small map tweaks that improve them drastically -- they can be implemented by community members within hours and agreed upon by most pros and key figureheads in StarCraft II. For Blizzard, it can take them weeks to do the same changes to balance a map. I would love to see new maps more frequently. Even crazy or drastic maps that most pros hate, I don't mind so much. It's aggravating from a pro perspective if it hurts your race, but I see the importance of it as a viewer and an esport to keep things fresh and new. I just wish Blizzard would be able to tweak and balance them as fast as others could.
In Korea right now, they're reintroducing older maps like King Sejong Station, Frost and Overgrowth. Would you like Blizzard to try doing that in the World Championship Series or the ladder ?
HuK: Sure. I think there are specific maps like those that could come back and fit well into the meta or even balance the game better than some cannon buff patches. That being said, Blizzard might do that in months or a year. Just too narrow-minded, too restricted, and just not willing to take chances.
Who are the top two or three players for each race in World Championship Series?
HuK: For Terran -- Choi "Polt" Seong Hun, Maru "MaSa" Kim, Antoine "Dayshi" Stievenart. For Protoss -- Alex "Neeb" Sunderhaft, Tobias "ShoWTimE" Sieber, Kevin "Harstem" de Koning. For Zerg -- Shin "Hydra" Dong Won, Artur "Nerchio" Bloch, Jens "Snute" Aasgaard.
MaSa and Dayshi are interesting choices as they don't have a lot of LAN appearances. What is it about them that you think make them two of the best Terrans in World Championship Series?
HuK: Mostly potential. Neeb is also someone who is a big question mark because, at LAN, he doesn't play as well as he does online. MaSa and Dayshi, I think, have the potential to be the best, but they have mental blocks and are too inconsistent because of attitude or mentality problems. Overall, I think they are better than their peers and that will be proven this second half of the year.
Who are the top two or three players of each race in Korea?
HuK: That's a bit harder, but I'll try. Joo "Zest" Sung Wook is the best player by far in the world. For Protoss -- Zest, Kim "Stats" Dae Yeob, Kim "herO" Joon Ho. For Zerg -- Park "Dark" Ryung Woo, Kang "Solar" Min Soo, Eo "soO" Yoon Su. For Terran -- Jun "TY" Tae Yang, Kim "Cure" Doh Wook, Cho "Dream" Joong Hyuk.
That's the last of the questions. Do you have any shoutouts or callouts? Shoutouts are for your team, sponsor or players. A callout is for someone like Scarlet, missing an hour on the last day of ladder qualifiers to watch a TV show.
HuK: Such a specific example. Shoutout to my family and friends -- you know who you are. To all the fans of StarCraft II, thanks and love you all. Thanks to my team and management, who have been more than good to me for so many years. And thanks to my sponsors, of course.