Interview with GSL Caster Wolf

Casting isn't an easy job. If a player makes a mistake it is very easy to forget it and move on. If a caster makes a mistake however, people find it more difficult to let it go.  These unforgiving tendencies we have towards them highlight how important they are to us. I remember once when I was round a friend's house and his speakers did not work, I tried to watch some GSL but I found it nearly impossible.

If you haven't tried watching a game of Starcraft without any commentary I encourage you to do so, you can't help but gain this feeling of incompletion. So how does this pressure feel when you are casting part of the world most competitive Starcraft 2 league? Well it is all in a days work for GomTV's 'Wolf Schröder'.

 

Hi Wolf, give the fans a quick introduction about yourself.

Wolf: My name is Wolf. I am a broadcaster living in Seoul, and I am the primary caster for GOMTV's GSL Code A and GSL Team League. I am twenty-one years old.

 

For me, this season of GSL has been one of the best; both Code A and Code S have been fantastic. What’s your opinion on this season? What players from Code A and Code S have really stood out for you this season?

Wolf: This season certainly has been one of the best Code S seasons. The level of play has been much higher all-around, and the viewer experience has been elevated as well with new statistics, intros, etc. As far as Code S players go, I feel we have seen the potential of Protoss innovation. This season shows the difference between players like Parting/Genius and MC. Parting and Genius both changed PvT and PvZ respectively with their play.

They may not have been the first to develop this new style, but they certainly were the first ones to showcase it successfully in Code S. MC also showed that Zergs and Terrans are cutting corners since it has been a while since MC-style timing attacks were commonly used. Puzzle showed some spunk this season as well. I feel that an era of Protoss success may be approaching, but Terrans who complain about upgrades in TvP will actually have to innovate instead; as a result, this could be a really exciting opportunity for new styles of TvP to emerge.

Aside from Protoss dominance this season, aLive really stood out to me. I watched him survive all the chaos and drama surrounding his departure from TSL and move on without a hitch, completely unaffected. I feel the overhyped player this season was DongRaeGu. He's solid and a finalist, but I didn't see anything special in his play. Especially against GuMiHo I felt he was the worse player.

I cringed when the Korean audience went wild as DRG came back in that best of five with unusual (and often all-in) strategies. GuMiHo's time will come, but right now he's not quite ready. Genius vs. DRG may be one of the best finals yet, if we can dodge the curse. They are evenly matched.

On to Code A, I'm so happy about how the new format has made Code A a battleground for relevance rather than a tournament. People still refer to Code A as a tournament but I see it as an arena. I feel so happy to be the premier commentator for these players being tested.

In Code S, when players lose their matches, there are hardly upsets anymore. Anyone in Code S is a god among StarCraft players. Every group is a 'tough group'. But in Code A, anyone who falls in goes against the pool of combatants who are foaming at the mouth to get into those Code S groups, some of which have spent months in Code A.

Some of them are Code B players in their first run of the GSL. Some of them are seeded players from around the world, styles unknown-- Anyone who falls from S has to face these challenges and hold strong.

This season of Code A showed a few things, but the most important was the foreigner-cleansing that occurred. With the exception of Sen, all foreigners have been eliminated from the GSL. Sen BARELY made it through, and may not be able to say the same next season.

This begs the question, can foreigners compete in Korea? Right now, I don't think so. Many Koreans are upset that foreigners are even being awarded seeds in the first place right now. You will see IdrA and HuK in high rounds of tournaments again, but they will not be Korean tournaments.

As far as impressive play goes, only Seed has really impressed me enough to mention his name. Maru has looked scary but I can't say for sure if this kid has staying power. Creator really disappointed me this season, and NaDa looks to be rebuilding himself.

 

Many people would love to have an insight on your day when you have to cast Code A. Walk us through it!

Wolf: My day varies depending on other things going on in the week, but I can give you the average walkthrough: The first thing I do before leaving my house is to make sure I'm well-versed on the players who will be my prey for the day. This is usually done the night before or in the morning.

While on the way to the studio, I generally study players' information on my tablet while I'm on the train. I also take this time to Tweet about the matches to get the perspective of what fans think about the matches; it's very important to gather information on who is really the fan favourite. I grab lunch of some kind on the way, usually Korean food (although recently I have been getting Subway sandwiches).

When I get to the studio, I greet all the production staff and put my things away in the back VIP room. Then I change into my blazer and get makeup done. Generally speaking, I am done with this ahead of time of the cast. I find my cocaster for the day and go over some things before the cast- For example, finding out who Khaldor thinks will win.

Another example is sharing interesting information or insight we have on the matches from talking to players or coaches. This is another thing I spend time doing before the matches; sometimes some really important information comes about as a result. If there are fans nearby before the match starts, I often chat with them briefly before the matches start. If not, I hang out with the Korean casters or my cocaster until it is to start.

At that point, I put on my headset, clear my mind, watch the end of that Kpop video, and look at the camera. The lights turn on, and the rest has all been seen.

Afterwards, I do photos, autographs, change, and speak with all the production staff. Then I head off.

A lot of casters often say their schedules are so busy they don’t get to play much Starcraft as they would want, how much do you still get to play?

Wolf: I play very regularly. I don't play as much as I did when I was playing with FXOpen, but I keep my skills sharp. I spend as much time as possible going over my play with Artosis; he and I love to get together and talk about our games and trade off who is sitting in the player chair. I would say I play more than most casters, but still not as much as I would want.

 

Are there any other events you have seen that you would love to cast?

Wolf: Of course. I plan to commentate as many foreign LANs as possible this year. I don't know exactly which ones will happen at this date, but I'm already making plans. It would be great to do an MLG LAN as I have had a great time working with them in other events, and I also look forward to working with Dreamhack in the future.

 

One thing I love about your casting is if you think someone’s play is awful or embarrassing you are not afraid to say so. Has this ever gotten you into trouble?

Wolf: In trouble? No. Heavy criticism? Yes. It's something about my casting that I never plan to change. If a player makes a mistake, I want the viewer to know. My job is to paint the picture of the games in front of me in vivid descriptions. I want them to be real. This 'politically correct' version of casting that some people look for just isn't my style. Code A is the most cutthroat StarCraft arena. When Fruitdealer built his last drone, did Alicia think twice about wiping him out of the GSL for good? No.

 

Here is a weird one for you: If you could cast with any Starcraft 2 unit, which one would you choose and why?

Wolf: I would bring a Scantipede, of course. He would be quiet and like Scantipedes in-game, he would not interfere. I can't imagine any other unit in StarCraft handling the pressure of being a caster very well.

 

How do you relax in your time off?

Wolf: I spend a great deal of time with my friends in Seoul. I wander around areas I’ve yet to explore. Through this, I know almost everything about the entire city despite only being here for about half a year. I’ve been dating quite a bit too. There’s never a shortage of things to do here.

 

And I’ll let you sign us off Wolf, thank you for your time!

Wolf: Thank YOU for letting me share my thoughts in this interview. If you want to support me, follow me on Twitter and tweet me at http://twitter.com/proxywolf ; See you all on my next cast!

 

I would like to give a massive thank you to Wolf for putting in the amount of effort he did for this interview. Please support me on twitter : @stevefarrant