StarCraft II: NaNiwa: "was a bit scared of Kiwi and Select"

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By Duncan 'Thorin' Shields

Apr 14, 2011 13:01

Dignitas' NaNiwa has been interviewed by MLG about his victory in Dallas in early April.

Dignitas'

Johan 'NaNiwa' Lucchesi has been interviewed by MLG regarding his victory at MLG Dallas at the beginning of April. NaNiwa went an astonishing 26-2 in maps, losing two only in the grand final, as he stormed through the open bracket into the championship bracket and eventually took the crown.

On which players he thought might have stopped his run:

"I was a bit afraid of Sheth in the Open Bracket , but fortunately he lost to Pokebunny so I had a bit [of an] easier path than I think I could’ve had. But when I saw my group, I thought that every opponent should be very beatable. To be honest, I was a bit scared of Kiwi and Select; Select is always very strong in practice and I knew he would be a big hurdle. And Kiwi I have always had a positive record against, so I knew I would have the mental edge against him. But he played extremely well against Socke, Huk, [and others], so I wasn’t really sure [smiles]. I just treated every Bo3 like my life depended on it, especially in the Open Bracket. In the Championship Bracket I just thought that it would be very sweet to make it to the Winners Bracket side after group play, which I fortunately did [grins]."

Whether he fed off the energy of the crowd:

"In the beginning, I was a bit nervous playing for such a big crowd but after I kept hearing roars after each match it motivated me a lot to keep doing my absolute best. So I guess you could say I was feeding off their energy for sure."

If the Swede will be at the next MLG event:

"I have already booked [the] hotel and flight to Columbus, so I will be there to defend my title."

Despite being highly touted and with a 2nd place in the Homestory Cup #2 NaNiwa had been lacking LAN success until MLG Dallas. At both Gamescom and DreamHack Winter he found himself eliminated in the group stage with only a single win each time. With his victory at MLG Dallas, including numerous flawless series wins, the Swede puts himself in a position proportionate to the reputation of his skill as a player.

Source: MLG

(Photograph copyright of dignitas)