EPThttp://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/Hwaseung_Oz
OZ, as Ideal Space, tanked hard when Boxer poached players and left to make his own team. They were, for years, the whipping boys of proleague, the way ESTRO and Airforce ACE are often viewed. It wasn't until much later, after Jaedong joined OZ (then sporting the Lecaf brand), that the team surged out of last place and became a force to be reckoned with.
People who follow Proleague are probably aware that when Jaedong broke out as a star player, OZ won gold in Proleague, 2007. That's around when I started watching Starcraft, right afterwards, when Jaedong was the most fearsome player on the scene. He singlehandedly carried OZ on his back to the Proleague finals 2008-2009, only to get sniped by Fantasy (get it? by.fantasy?) in the final, deciding game. The hard truth became apparent: Proleague is a team league, and one amazing players is not enough to get the win.
But... the fact that OZ came so far emphasizes just how powerful of a player Jaedong really is.
Flash has been the same way this year, hoisting KT to a huge lead in the early rounds of Proleague 2010. But after the free agency saga, Jaedong hasn't been able to do it by himself anymore.
"I can't carry this all, can't carry this on my own, tell me what did I do wrong?" -Saosin, What Were We Made For (Shinhan Bank 09-10 Proleague music, OnGameNet)
Sometimes, the English-language music chosen for SCBW events in Korea makes me wonder if the person choosing the songs knows what the lyrics mean. In the 2009-2010 Proleague season, OZ has fallen back to the bottom rankings, and Saosin's song quoted above stung with bittersweet irony. Jaedong gave it his all in 08-09, and it wasn't enough. Flash, meanwhile, when he began dual-leaguing in OSL and MSL this year, could no longer keep KT afloat by himself, and they have struggled to maintain their lead. The fact that KT is still #1 is only due to the fact that they had such a strong start in the early rounds.
Again, it leaves me with a feeling of amazement about how strong these two players are. OZ has always been a weak team, all in all. During his best years, Jaedong elevated them to god-status singlehandedly, and this year, Flash likewise took KT out of its endless slump, catapulting them to the front of the pack.
Now, Jaedong is in great shape again. There's only one round left to go, but OZ still has a shot at the playoffs after a really rough first four rounds. That is the OZ of today. The Jaedong-Hiya-Lomo trifecta have gotten themselves together. Killer had a breakout year. Perfectman slumped, Backho disappeared. "OZ protosses" is a joke on the forums.
I have talked a lot about Jaedong in this post, but a word or two is due to the other OZ players. I began to watch Starcraft in 2008 knowing nothing about the current scene at that time. A friend of mine told me to look out for Jaedong, because Jaedong is a really good player. I listened to my friend, but Jaedong won me over on an individual basis with his amazing micro control. My cheering for Jaedong is no longer based on what my friend said, it's based on all the amazing games Jaedong has shown me.
I began to watch OZ play, therefore, because it was Jaedong's team. It was only much later that I learned that OZ (IS) was the team Boxer left. I got to know the other OZ players, who struggled to support Jaedong, by watching OZ's games against other teams. Over time, they grew on me. Hiya is a funny guy and a solid Terran (I'll never forget when he came to group selection ceremony with a ForGG mask after ForGG left OZ for KT). Anytime is a great protoss and I'm really hopeful he'll come back to OZ after his military service. Killer, or "mini-Jaedong", has finally come out of his shell and reached A-class progamer level. Lomo, as he explained in his message to the fans, doesn't like to drag out his games, and goes for technical micro-control wins, like his recent snipe of MBC's Light. The current dark period for OZ really began when Anytime and ForGG left the team. OZ has had to call on its younger members, like Killer and Perfectman, to fill those holes, and it hasn't been pretty.
When I began to cheer for OZ, they and Khan were the teams to beat. Now both OZ and Khan are struggling (Khan moreso). It's been hard to watch them fall from the top and try to rebuild while still having to compete week in and week out. But rooting for the underdog can be fun. Even if they lose, they are still the team I've gotten to know, and they try their best. The two recent reality shows, "Hyungjoon becomes a progamer," and "Nalra's oldboy", really show behind the scenes how difficult it is to compete in Starcraft at the very highest level. Days of preparation and many hours of practice go into every game. The disappointment is evident on many players' faces when they lose their game. OZ has been losing a lot this year, but still... with my Hwaseung shirt proudly on my chest, I can happily say "Fighting!" whenever the OZ boys are sent out to play.
tl;dr, Everybody get hype for Jaedong/Flash finals this week!!!
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