An interview with coL player, qxc: "I don't think practicing [HotS] now will affect too much in the long run"

CompLexity Gaming's Kevin "qxc" Riley recently qualified for the WCG World Finals as the representative for Team USA. He also appeared on the latest State of the Game and Team Liquid Attack. He took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few of our questions.

 

We’re catching up with you shortly after your win at the WCG USA Finals, sending you to the overall finals in China. How was the event for you? Were you confident of your success prior to the tournament?

qxc: The event was a pretty short one with only 6 players in attendance. As half the event was complexity I was most concerned that someone from coL take the spot. As I was playing pretty well that day I felt confident I would win. I had a few hiccups where I dropped some games in the grand finals but overall I felt confident.

 

You’ve been quoted as saying you play the game rather than the player, approaching the game in a way that more resembles the solving of a puzzle than, perhaps, the playing of a sport. How does this attitude affect your practice style? Does this negate, to any extent, the psychological problems of competing in Starcraft 2 i.e fearing particular players?

qxc: In general, I try to play the game rather than the player. Given more time to prepare and get ready for matches I play the player. I study my opponents and try to get inside their head for the maximum advantage. I've been trying to ignore who I'm playing at the event and just focus on starcraft to help with nerve issues.

 

In the last few months you moved from part-time to full time play. How has this transition been for you? How did you choose to allocate the extra practice time you have and what informed this decision?

qxc: My extra practice time has been split between actual practice and replay analysis mostly. The transition has been much more difficult than I expected. Sometimes I play great and have wonderful games and others everything seems to fall apart and I can barely macro. I'm still working a lot on my consistency.

 

What has been your reaction to the HotS beta? Do you feel playing the beta gives pro players an edge ahead of the transition or do the regular balance changes cancel out the benefits of playing?

qxc: I havn't played too much HotS as I've been busy preparing for various WoL events. I play games now and then to send replays to casters like Husky and Day9 but that's about it. As far as an edge goes - the game still has a long way to go before release so I don't think practice now will affect too much in the long run.

What physical or mental trait would you say is most advantageous to a pro-gamer and why?

qxc: Persistence. Everyone has bad days and it's important to keep your head up and keep doing your best in spite of the unexpected.

 

You mentioned on the recent episode of Team Liquid Attack that you are interested in possibly pursuing game design after your pro-gaming career. If you could make one design change to Starcraft 2 what would it be?

qxc: I don't really have a single game design idea to implement but rather a list of fixes involving units like the Void Ray, Immortal, Thor's Strike Cannon, and the Reaper. Well, maybe just making people feel more 'together' when they login to Starcraft to help make the whole experience more social.

 

How do you prepare in the hours before a tournament? Do you focus on things external to the game e.g diet, sleep etc, or do you prefer to be practicing right up until the last possible minute?

qxc: Shortly before a tournament I just make sure my body is in the best position to compete well. De-stressed, well fed, well rested, and active, awake and relaxed describe my ideal state of mind.

What are your goals for the remainder of the year and through 2013? How do you see the Starcraft 2 scene changing, if at all, through this same period?

qxc: I want to be able to consistently put out good games and improve. Everything will follow from that.

 

Thanks for your time! Any shout outs you’d like to make?

qxc: Thanks to Complexity Gaming for supporting me and our sponsors Sound Blaster, Creative, PNY, Gamma Labs, QPAD, Origin, and G8

Big thanks to Gamma Labs for making the house in Texas possible. Follow me on Twitter @coLqxc and Twitch at http://Twitch.tv/coLqxc