XlorD: I’m satisfied with my progress

escene.de: Hi Daniel, how are your preperations for the EPS Finals going? How would you describe your current shape? 
Daniel ‚XlorD‘ Spenst: Good Day! My preperations are underway and it’s looking good so far, despite the fact, that the new patch changes almost everything. How big these changes will be in the end is not safe to say though. My current shape, especially versus Protoss, is better than it used to be last month.

Your opponent in the semifinals is Socke, who won the EPS in StarCraft2 three times already. Could you figure any weaknesses in his gameplay yet or do you rely on your ZvP?
Every player has a weakness. I think Socke’s weakness is the micro, which isn’t considered to be the best. I also rely on my ZvP but unfortunatly the new patch was released and I’m not sure about the matchup now.

You won the Quarterfinals by defeating Hanfy, who won last year. Does it mean something special to you, that you kicked the last-years-winner out of the tournament at this early stage?
It’s not something remarkable for me but it shows off that my hard practice pays off. Anyway, those matches versus Hanfy were pretty bad from my side and I’m quite astonished, that I won.

You took some breaks from eSports in the last years but now you are full-time player. How does this influence your progress in practice and what else did it change in your life?
I’m a lot better now, than I used to be when I wasn’t a full-time player, eventhough I wasn’t able to win anything important yet. That might be related to the higher amount of Pro-Gamers which is also constantly growing. Though I’m satisfied with my progress and the direction I’m heading. Playing all day has not changed much, at least nothing I’m aware of.

What goals do you want to achieve as a full-time Pro-gamer?
National tournaments are not interesting to me but I would like to get a good ranking in international events (so badly!!!!) and that’s where I’m heading for.

You are currently sponsored by XMG. Is there a difference in being supported from a sponsor directly, instead of playing in a „normal“ clan?
Yes, it is. In example, you can stay in touch more easily and you don’t need to think about other sponsors. Advertisements are a lot of fun, especially at XMG, as I have never seen anything like this before. You will also establish a personal relationship to these people and focus on promoting the sponsor.

Monchi was announced as the second player for XMG at the end of october. Does this competition inside the team motivate you?
Yes, definitly. Monchi is a very good player and he is on my level, even though I’m more crazy than him. We practice together and the pressure to gain victories is raising.

The first addon for SC2 will be released at the beginning of the next year. What would you like to see in Heart of Swarm?
I would like the hydraliscs to be more useful than they are right now.

The interview has been translated into english
Translation by Jogi