Interview: Ryan 'Flash.Kyzer' Low

Ryan ‘Flash.Kyzer’ Low makes up one-third of Flash eSports’s newly acquired trinity of StarCraft II players. Quiet, not naturally disposed to speaking, Flash.Kyzer would be hard to pick out from a crowd if not for his talent in the game.

The 20 year old only recently revisited StarCraft II after being inactive for a while. His tenure with Flash eSports currently stands at just three months.

“I think [my friend] mentioned my name to Flash eSports; he told me to go and practice again. I managed to become good enough after some practice, and they took me in,” Ryan said, of his return to competitive gaming.

Ryan is currently awaiting his mandatory enlistment into National Service, having completed a diploma in Pharmacy Science from Ngee Ann Polytechnic. His affinity with science is clear to see – his Facebook profile’s alternate name is ‘aqua regia’ or royal water, an acid commonly applied in chemistry. Following his two years of NS, he will be enrolling into the Nanyang Technological University to read Chemistry and Biological Chemistry. But in between then and now, he’s in for one hell of a ride.

RGB finds out how a humble clan player has gone from online tournaments to training with the best of them.

RGB: Tell us about the World Championship Series. How did you do for the Singapore leg?

Flash.Kyzer: I took third place. I felt like I could’ve done better. Against EveYekke, who was my main obstacle for the day… I actually beat him on the ladder a few days prior. I felt if I had played as well as I did in practice, I could have taken him down.

RGB: How did you prepare for this tournament?

Flash.Kyzer: Flash had a boot camp one week before this event, and we practiced together. Sort of in a team house environment.

RGB note: Team houses are common in countries like Korea, where competitive gaming teams live and play together.

RGB: You were with Clan impeRiaL before Flash eSports. What’s the difference between being in Clan iRL and Flash?

Flash.Kyzer: With impeRiaL, we tried to be a pro team, but we did not make it. There were some problems in impeRiaL (since) and it has now become more of a social clan. The (more competitive) impeRiaL guys have also formed their own team for competition: Team Eehan.

RGB: In impeRiaL, you were one of its best players. How does it feel to go from steamrolling everyone to play with people of your own caliber?

Flash.Kyzer: In impeRiaL, I felt more stressed out in team leagues because I’d be the last player. I’d have to carry the team. In Flash, I just have to do my job, and our captain, Revenant, will carry the team.

RGB: How do you think your talent in StarCraft II ranks compared to the rest of the players in Flash?

Flash.Kyzer: I think I can’t give a rank to all of them. If you want to talk about tournament standing, though, I feel like I’m placed second in the team. But in practice, we all take games off each other. If my teammates do as well as they do in practice, I think they could’ve easily taken my spot… I expected the entire team to get a top four finish.

RGB: So where do you see yourself going with Flash?

Flash.Kyzer: I hope that we can take on the world stage together, to attend more international events, and to hopefully get our players to the Global StarCraft League (GSL). But I think we still have a long way to go, and have to work hard towards that goal.

RGB: Is this what you want to be? A professional StarCraft player?

Flash.Kyzer: Yes. Playing games for a living is what everyone dreams about.

We think Ryan will be a force to be reckoned with, come the future. His interview is the second in a series featuring the three new Flash eSports players. Follow Ryan on his Facebook page to keep updated with his gaming career.