At only 17 years old, Lee ”Life” Seung Hyun has already won more than most eSports professionals do during a lifetime.
But compared to last year, 2014 has been somewhat of a disappointment for the young superstar – and now he’s gonna win Blizzcon to once again claim the throne of Starcraft 2.
– That would mark the beginning of a second stint in Life’s career, he says.

Little over two years ago, he had his breakthrough on the Starcraft 2 stages when he at 15 became the youngest player ever to win a major tournament in the GSL. Since then, Zerg player Lee ”Life” Seung Hyun has been spreading fear amongst his opponents all across the globe with his cocky attitude and merciless playing style.

And the 17-year old recognizes how fortunate he is as he travels across the world to compete in a game he loves.
– I don’t think I could be happier than I am now, it’s a different experience, an experience not everyone can have. Also, I get results and get recognized so it’s no other way to describe it how much I appreciate it compared to the life of others in my age.

”To win here is being the pinnacle of the scene”

But during 2014, Life has had something that can be described as a sophomore slump, where a brilliant first year is followed by a lackluster second. And even though he managed to win DreamHack Bucharest, the star seems somewhat displeased with what he’s shown in tournaments so far. The, for Life, weak results have led him to train harder than ever before leading up to Blizzcon. In interviews before the tournament he shared stories about how he sacrificed eating and even sleeping and instead practiced.
– Blizzcon is the biggest event for Starcraft 2. To win a championship here is being the pinnacle of the scene. I know I haven’t shown up recently, and I wanted to pour all I got into it now and give something back to the fans and the people who come to Blizzcon.

”Terrans are favored”

When Lee ”Jaedong” Jae Dong and Ko ”HyuN” Seok Hyun were eliminated before Blizzcon, Life became the last hope for the Zerg fans. And he attributes the lack of Zerg players to the current meta in which the race has a hard time against the as of now powerful Terrans.
– Terrans are favored these days, and a lot of Zerg players have difficulties playing against Terrans. I got a bit lucky advancing after playing Protoss.

”Don’t think I am an underdog”

So do you consider yourself an underdog against TaeJa?

– No, I really don’t think I’m an underdog but if anyone says so it’s because I haven’t done that well in the tournaments the last couple of months.

After the game against San you said in the interview that it wouldn’t matter who you faced in the semis and that you’re confident against both TaeJa and Innovation…

– I didn’t really say that I was confident facing either of the Terrans. What I wanted to say was that no matter who I end up playing against I will do all I can to show what I am capable of.

”Would make me super happy”

And during the games yesterday against San he definitely showed what he’s capable of when he dismissed the Protoss adversary easily in a 3-0 victory. Against TaeJa, Life is now driven on by a desire to end ”the bad year” and show that ”The Ling King” is the best player in the World.
– To win Blizzcon would make me super happy for lack of a better term, and it would mark the beginning of a second stint in Life’s career.