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Corey in Zephyr's training base Corey in Zephyr's training base

Hi Corey, could you give us a little update on what your team has been up to since the victory in the NSL?

Zephyr.Corey: Mostly we've just been streaming and pubbing to pass the time in between KDL matches. We live in a pretty quiet part of town so there's not much of a nightlife here, much to Bamboe's dismay. We're lucky that we have KDL to keep us somewhat busy, otherwise I think we might go insane.

Before the forming of Zephyr you were absolutely unknown to major parts of the scene. Did you want to become a professional Dota player beforehand or did Purge approach you and you suddenly changed your mind.? - Vekus

Zephyr.Corey: I had been trying my hand with amateur NA teams, Stay Free for example, but none of these teams had noteworthy results. I was most noticeably an IXDL player, which is how Blitz became aware of me and approached me about joining the team.

Even before your move to Korea, you were building a reputation for yourself in the North American scene as one of the brighter talents through strong performances in the qualifiers for the MLG Full Sail LAN - how did that experience shaped your development as a player and how did does it differ to playing in Korea? - SohNata

Zephyr.Corey: My experiences in the NA scene definitely gave me the confidence to further pursue Dota, even though I was never truly satisfied in my results. The biggest difference between my experiences in NA and Korea is the fact that almost everything I play here is on LAN. Winning on LAN gives you a feeling that cannot be replicated with online victories.

Team Zephyr: Corey (2nd from the left) - image from Team Zephyr: Corey (2nd from the left) - image from TeamLiquid

There have been back and forth discussion as to whether it was fair for an international team (Zephyr) to go to Korea and participate in NSL. Some argue that the league was created to sponsor and encourage the local Korean scene. Do you feel your win was a completely satisfying victory given the circumstances? Did you experience any backlash from local fans or teams? - Genghis

Zephyr.Corey: I can definitely understand why some people think it's unfair for us to participate in NSL. However, almost every single team that participated in NSL Season 3 had 2 or more foreigners (MVP.Hot6, EoT.Hammer, 5inQ). If Nexon didn't want foreigners to participate, they could easily change the rules to disallow this. I think that we are bringing a lot of attention to the Korean scene while also providing an incentive for the Korean teams to improve and beat us. And as we've shown in the past, we are not an unbeatable team in the slightest.

Blitz mentioned in his blog that if you hadn’t won the NSL you guys would in fact have lost money in deciding to move to South Korea. How much of a risk did you consider this decision? Were you willing to accept the consequences of failure or did you just try not to think about them?

Zephyr.Corey: All of us were extremely well aware of how risky this move was. None of us really showed it, but I think that upon arriving here, we were all really nervous that this venture would be a massive failure. Blitz especially, considering his past experience with fOu. Winning NSL was truly like having a massive weight lifted off our shoulders.

Team Zephyr Team Zephyr

For most people Purge is the most recognisable player as a good proportion of players learned the ropes through his YouTube channel. However, his performance in comparison to the rest of your team-mates has sometimes come under criticism, some considering him the “weakest link” of the team. What are your thoughts on Purge’s performances?

Zephyr.Corey: Considering Purge has the least competitive experience out of all of us, I don't think it's unfair to say that he is the 'weakest link' on our team. I can also say that he has easily improved the most compared to the rest of us. Every team will inevitably have a weakest link - it's not a bad thing.

Your performances on the other have been outstanding. How do you have such high K/D/A's without ever selling out on your team? - SuperCletis

Zephyr.Corey: I think I owe most of my performances to Bamboe's space-creating playstyle. Every time he plays a hero like nyx/bat/anything that can divert the enemy's attention, I know it's going to be a great game for me.

Over the course of the last two patches the traditional carry is disappearing in competitive Dota (excluding Luna). Versatile, mid-game alternatives to Lifestealer and Weaver such as Slark and Mirana are beginning to occupy the carry role. Are there any “unusual carries” that you have been practicing? Do you think the current divergence from the hard carry is just a trend or that the latest patches and game styles do not as easily accommodate it? - Genghis

Zephyr.Corey: Dota essentially revolves around trends, and I agree that the current trend is to pick carries who are increasingly flexible early game and less farm dependent. And while I don't think 4 protect 1 strategies are entirely dead, they certainly feel significantly weaker in this current patch. I'm just glad this trend gives me more opportunities to play fuzzy wuzzy.

Most Western teams have a tendency to boot camp only before major tournaments, with players choosing to preserve their personal lives for the remainder of the year. Living together for too long can be a detriment to the team, as personal difficulties and differences arise. How do you think you can avoid this from happening? - Genghis

Zephyr.Corey: Like I said in a previous question, if we didn't have KDL to keep us busy I think we would go insane. But really, on the whole, I think all 5 of us are level-headed and mature individuals. Only one or two arguments have arisen since arriving here. Luckily, we have a brand new country to explore and plenty of new things to experience while we're here. I think that makes the process a bit easier, although some of us do miss our girlfriends. :(

With the rumored changes to qualification for TI4, it seems that the Korea will be offered some representation in the qualifiers for this year's tournament as part of the SEA region - what would you say are the odds of a Korean team earning the right to play at TI4, Zephyr included? - SohNata