GosuGamers grabbed Carlo "ClouD" Giannacco before traveling to Sweden for DreamHack Winter 2011. We find out that he has been resting more the past week to perform at his best.
Hi ClouD, great to have you with us today! How are you preparing for DreamHack?
- I have played a lot in the past two months, every day, preparing so I can be a better all around player prepared to play and counter every playstyle. I've been focusing a lot on my mechanics and every day after I wake up and before going sleep I watch GSL and other tournaments and replays. I am devoting myself to the competition and I've been focusing more on my growth as a player rather than specific tournament preparation. 1 week before the tournament I just started to rest more and think a bit more about the game. I think having a good rest before a tournament right after hardcore training is the best way to perform well.
Carlo "ClouD" Giannacco has since a week before DreamHack started to rest more. " I think having a good rest before a tournament right after hardcore training is the best way to perform well."
Photo by: NETGAMING.it
Photo by: NETGAMING.it
What do you think of your chances of advancing from the first group stage? (White-Ra, Phoenix and ViprO)
- It's not an easy group. I can't know how good my opponents will play against me at DreamHack so it's hard for me to make a clear statement about my chances. All I can say is I am approaching this tournament with confidence and I'm definitely able to make it deep into the bracket.
"I've been relying more on my own talent and experience in SC:BW in the past 2 months I've become really hard working and I believe this is going to make an huge difference."
This year's summer event of DreamHack you did not make it out of the group stage, losing to SEn and MC. Do you bring any of that experience with you coming into this week's tournament? Tell us a bit about your experiences with DreamHack.- I had definitely the hardest group at the time. I had close games with Sen and it could have really gone either way. MC was out of question and I was not expecting to beat him. This time though I'm just more prepared and while in the past year I've been relying more on my own talent and experience in SC:BW in the past 2 months I've become really hard working and I believe this is going to make an huge difference.
Are there any matchups you are struggling with right now, or anyone you've really felt you've "nailed"? Are you happy with not playing any Terran at least in the first group stage?
- I think I have a pretty good understanding of the game. I'm not the kind of progamer who just plays and sees what happens. I just consider rationally every possible situation to come out with an answer to everything. Given this I can't really say I have a worst matchup, but I would say it's harder to play against protoss due to lack of scouting and the huge luck factor around the matchup.
"Since I joined the team I have this motivation I never had before, or at least not for such a long period of time."
Photo by: FRAGSTER.de
Photo by: FRAGSTER.de
- I like Alternate more, they are very professional in what they do and since I joined the team I have this motivation I never had before, or at least not for such a long period of time.
This event will sort of "sum up" the European StarCraft 2 year. How do you feel this year has been for you? What will you take with you in 2012?
- I had a year with ups and downs. During this summer I broke my hand because I punched a wall due to high stress and real life problems and couldn't play for a lot of time. I think overall I grew a lot as a player and learned how important it is to practice and working hard. I also learned how to not get nervous when people expect you to do well and I can see lately I can perform much better at tournaments than I used to, due to my confidence being stable and in good condition. 2012 will be a good year for me, I expect to do a lot better and place myself among the very best players, where my skill truly belongs.
The last words are yours!
- I thank my team Alternate and my fans for supporting me so well. I've gone through a lot of hardship and living in a different country, being away from family and friends trying to compete with the best and dealing with the high expectations from everyone was really tough for me. You both helped me dealing with these difficulties much better and I want to repay by becoming the best in the future.
About ClouD
ClouD is a former StarCraft: Brood War player with five gold medals from World Cyber Games Italy. While playing Protoss in Brood War he now plays Terran on a high level in StarCraft 2. He moved to Germany in August 2010 to compete in the German ESL Pro Series. He now plays for Alternate Attax, and is paired up with White-Ra, Phoenix and ViprO in the first DreamHack AMD Sapphire Championship group stage.
