When Serious Gaming announced their SC2 squad a few weeks ago, many people might have raised an eyebrow at the inclusion of one name. Unlike most people at the top level of the SC2 beta, DaBoo is not a well-known WC3 or SC:BW player. In fact, here at SK Gaming, we haven't even got a profile for him in our esports index yet.

But the Dutch zerg player has already been featured in one of the most downloaded replays of the beta and is practicing with some of the best players in the world. SK Gaming took the time to learn more about this judo champion, his opinion on SC2 so far and, most importantly, who would win in a fight between him and Carmac.

You we're quite an unknown to most of the scene, but you made it straight into a big-name team like Serious. How did that happen?

Yeah I’m pretty unknown in the sc2 scene, but I’m playing with all the top players of Europe and USA and holding my own and I talked with the Serious gaming managers and my motivation is to become the best player in sc2. I’m willing to do everything for it and they liked that mind set so we started to talk

Do you think becoming the best SC2 player is a realistic goal for you?

I believe if you want to be the best you need to believe in yourself. If you never think that you’re gonna be the best it will never work. And one day I will come there even if I need to take the long path. And like I said I’m playing vs every top player in Europe and its going pretty well

You might be unknown in esports, but you have vast experience in a more traditional sport - judo. How do you feel that helps you in something much less physical like SC2?

Well the mental game is the same in martial arts because you know you goal, you got a plan that you make with your coach and then just go in there and stick to the plan and do it with out hasitation . And in martial arts you also work in steps and plans; it’s like the same mind set as RTS games.

Of course, Netherlands has a good history in RTS, with players like Nazgul and Grubby - do you find their success inspiring or intimidating?

I can enjoy every game and every player. The thing that inspires me the most is the mind game. Why is someone doing that move or why is he making that units? Grubby and Nazgul, they’re so ingenious I really love it. I have respect for what they have achieved and what kind of players they are and what they game they play.

You said that you've played with a lot of the top EU/US players, but we haven't seen much from Korea yet in SC2. What do you expect from them?

Well to be honest, I saw some replays from the Korean section from artosis of course and i got many replays from my team mate, Violet so i saw many games from korea and i really love their style. Their zerg style is so inspiring. Like I said, I love to get in their brain and just know what they think and what they do. I just love analysing games.

Speaking of violet, you were a semi-professional WC3 player I believe, just like him. It seems like WC3 players are doing very well in the early days of SC2. Does that surprise you, or do you think that any RTS experience is an advantage?

I think violet is a pro gamer in wc3 scene and I was just a noob in wc3 if you compare him with me. The real names in the wc3 are doing really good like Demulism, Hasuobs, Nightend and many more. Of course wc3 is not SC:BW but BW is no SC2, it’s just a total new game. Of course the macro was an advantage for the SC:BW players but macro is easy to learn like you see now wc3 players are just picking it up really fast. And I think wc3 got slightly better micro than the BW players but that’s just my opinion.

Yeah I think so too; I was watching a livestream the other day where a player picked up his immortal with a prism in mid-fight, and the caster was really surprised. In WC3 we see this almost every game with zeppelins

(laughs) You see so many zeppelins in really high level WC3 but that’s just from the latest three patch. I believe before that you didn’t see zeppelins. So you see strats are evolving every patch, like in the beta right now. You need to be creative to stay on top and not only have one build and I think protoss got biggest advantage in the beta cause you can easy stay with the one or two strats and you will be fine. Terran and zerg need to be more creative to be honest.

To me, it felt like terran was doing MMM every game until recently, except in TvT mirror of course.

I see more and more mech vs zerg at the moment, with the reaper/hellion harrass into banshee into thor thanks to hellions. I see it more and more often.
It depends on the player, also morrow and Strelok just love to go mech! Even before the patch and some other players just like to go MMM attack move style
By the way, what I think is really brilliant play is ghosts. Don’t know who that invented though


So lets talk about patch 12. As a zerg player, how has the roach nerf affected your play?

Ah, man, it’s a pain in the ass. I had so many games that I’m making roach and making an expansion and I couldn’t even make drones any more for my expos while I was supply blocked and it felt I had a 140 food army. Then the protoss came in and just raped me and I’m like okay, this style don’t work any more. You need to mix it up much, much more ‘cause you cant have that big of a meatwall any more so its pretty hard to play vs siege/colossi

In another interview you said that protoss is the hardest matchup for zerg - is that even more true since patch 12?

No. I have more problems vs terran than protoss at the moment but I think every player’s got his good and bad match up. I always want to be aggressive. I sometimes go one base to fast hydra push on protoss and make expo while I push. It’s pretty strong but against terran it’s hard, especially when they turtle.
It feels like you can’t go that aggressive till you have broodlords or ultralisk

Ultralisk is a unit we don't see very often, despite recent buffs - is it too expensive, or just bad?

I use it more and more vs terran, especially when they turtle ‘cause they’re good meat and if they attack they hurt terran really much. But still I think they need some kind of buff, like if they die like the abomination [from Warcraft III] releases gas that do damage overtime or something. But it’s not that powerful for a tier three unit and it feels that, for zerg, going tier three is much harder then the other races.

Let’s play a little game for a moment. Imagine you win a tournament where the prize is working at blizzard for a day. You can change one thing for every race. What do you do?

I would make a Zerg siege unit (smiles). Force Field destroyable
and terran slightly nerf marauder with like five or 10 hp.

That’s probably the same two things that everyone complains about right now - marauder and FF. Do you think they're the biggest problems with SC2?

The biggest problem in SC2 is all the whiners about anything. I always think where there is a will there is a way. People complain too much and to fast even when they got outclassed in my opinion.

So you’re saying hate the player, not the game?

Yeah definitely, and Blizzard is just nerfing so hard to let the players be creative and show statistics. Everyone is like “OMG NOW THE RACE IS WORTHLESS IM GONNA SWITCH,” and stuff like that.

Getting a little more personal, what do you think are your main strengths and weaknesses as a player?

Strength is that I’m not afraid for anyone and I don’t get intimidated. My weakness is like cups such as Zotac/ESL. Playing in the bo1 you need to play kind of safer but I always want to play creative and aggressive and if you make one mistake when you stick to that plan you can lose easier. I’m good in the bo3 and bo5; bo1 is my weakness

Last question, then. I don't know if you know Carmac from ESL, formerly from SK, but he has a habit of "judo lifting" famous people from esports scene. Can we look forward to a real fight if you ever meet?

(laughs) Sure! I will lift him and let them take a picture and put it on SK Gaming site. If I ever meet him I will promise this.