fragster: Hello TargA, how was the first group stage for you?
Kristoffer 'TargA' Marthinsen: As expected, it was pretty easy. I lost a game against Seiplo, because I failed my all-in. Overall I'm satisfied with my performance so far.
Do you already know your enemies for the next stage? (Note: the interview was done shortly after the first group stage)
TargA: Yes, elfi, StaRnaN and Aures.
How do you feel?
TargA: Very Confident. Last time I played elfi, I beat him and now I have a pretty good feeling, against him especially. AureS and StarNaN – I don't know too much about them. I played AureS at Valencia and it went O.K. I won 2:0, but it have been weird games. And I don't think I have played StarNaN, so I don't know much about him.
If you should make it out of the second group stage, what can you achieve here in Bukarest?
TargA: If I'm lucky, I think I can go to the final. But then I have to avoid Nerchio, SortOf and Sage. They are the only three guys I am afraid of. Like if I get TheStC or rain I'm happy, I can beat them. But my ZvZ is not too good against Nerchio and SortOf, just because they have a very good micro and good builds. And Sage is just a beast – he is too hard to beat.
So you would say, that you are in tip-top shape at the moment?
TargA: I think I'm in the same shape, as I have been in Valencia. Maybe people are more afraid of me this time, so they maybe have prepared. Or at least know that I can do a wide range of builds. That's the only difference I think, that people are probably more afraid of me.
If I remember correctly, you life in New Zealand ...
TargA: ... No, no! I used to life in Australia for one and a half years. But then I moved to Poland for Ministry of Win.
DreamHack Bukarest – Der Samstag
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You are still staying there?
TargA: Yes, I lived there for one and a half months now and I gonna stay there for another one and a half months.
There has been a lot of drama about Ministry of Win lately. What's your side on that? Do you like your stay?
TargA: I like it very good. It's a good practise place, we get good food and we get taken care of. As for the drama: everytime there is drama, both sides have done something incredibly stupid. Like Fuzer did stupid shit, the Ministry of Win people did stupid shit. desRow did stupid shit, Ministry of Win people did stupid shit – that was regarding food and stuff. For us "normal" people, that don't complain and do what we are told, it's perfect.
Do you think, that you improved a lot since you have been in Ministry of Win?
TargA: Yes, I can play much more than I can at home in Norway. I also have players that I can practise with, like Sage is living there, as well as Livezerg and Titan. They are very good to bounce ideas of. Like, I can try stuff against them and then I get a confirmation if it works or not. It's, like, the perfect thing. The only thing it could be better was, if there were a good Terran.
How long do you plan on being pro-gamer?
TargA: I'm not sure. My initial plan was a year and I have only done a few months. And my goal was to get Top 4 in a big tournament. I have already achieved that goal. So I set a new goal: to get Top 2 in a big tournament and see if I can make some real money. Like, if I start making money, I will be in pro-gaming as long as I can.
So you are enjoying the ride?
TargA: Yes, it's fun travelling around the world, meeting people. It's cool!
What is your worst matchup at the moment?
TargA: ZvZ against player that know how I play and that are smart enough to counter it.
Do you see some imbalance issues at the game in the moment?
TargA: Not really. There is some stuff. You can be lucky in ZvP on both sides, but that's just the game being designed wrong. But I don't think that there are big imbalances at the moment.
What's your first impression of HotS?
TargA: It's interessting. I haven't play too much, so I don't have a real opinion. I mean Blizzard is testing units. The only thing I wish, that they would test it on real tournament maps, so you would see how different balancing works. Besides that, I think it looks good.