We caught Kristoffer "TargA" Marthinsen at the Ministry of Win where he was preparing for the upcoming DreamHack Valencia event. He was kind enough to agree on a short interview before he takes off for Spain.
TargA is one of the very few Norwegians who play Starcraft 2 on the highest level. Back in the day he played Warcraft 3 as a Night Elf, but when Wings of Liberty came out he switched immediately.
Currently, Marthhinsen is playing for Mindfreak eSports who are based in Australia, where TargA used to study. To prepare for the rest of this year, TargA arrived at the Polish pro-house Ministry of Win and will stay there until December.
A perfect timing, as we ambushed Kris with questions about the upcoming event this weekend.
You just came to Ministry of Win but are already leaving to Valencia to participate in DreamHack Open event. Feeling good?
Yeah, I've been here a week and a half and I've been laddering and playing customs like a mad man. I feel very good going into this tournament!
Do you feel any pressure at all going to event like that? Are you nervous or is it just another event for you? I ask because lately there's a boom on articles saying that the less you care the better you are at Starcraft 2.
I dont feel any pressure, nobody expects me to win or place high and I rarely get nervous before games or tournaments. I usually get nervous when I realise I'm about to win. For me it's a tournament where I can showcase my skills and meet up with my friends.
However, you are more than capable of competing with other Europeans. What would be your "dream group?" Who would you like to meet on your way to the playoffs?
Lucifron, Vortix and ForGG
The two brothers put a good show during WCS: Europe taking both 2nd and 3rd place. Are you confident that you could beat them or is there some other reason for this choice?
Yeah, I am confident against them and knocking them out in a Spanish tournament would be nice.
Love the attitude! Are you going to relax a bit in Spain or you're going there purely for the event?
My plan was to be there purely for the event but my lovely team decided to let me leave Warsaw 7 am on Friday, so I will have that day to relax and maybe get some last minute practice if the Internet is good at the hotel. Also, if I get eliminated early from the tournament I will of course go out and enjoy the city.
Let's talk about the future for a second. Once you come back from Valencia, you'll stay at the Ministry of Win until December if I am correct but what happens after? You're going back to Australia? Furthermore, are there any other offline tournaments you want to visit in the meantime?
I am planning to attend as many European tournaments as possible as well as MLG Dallas, but its hard to predict and schedule for the future in the esports world so I can't say for sure what's going to happen though.
Thank you so much for spending some time with me this evening. Good luck in Valencia and enjoy your stay at the Ministry of Win. Any last shoutouts?
Thank you for interviewing me, shoutout to tomken and a big thank you to mindfreak esports and steelseries. Follow me on twitter @targa01.
