EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/MdjtQ.png)
Welcome to the first article from the Nuke News Network. I am your host Atomic Peace and today we will be talking about up-and-coming players who look to be the future of Code S, a class of players that represent the cream of the crop in competitive Starcraft II play.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/MgHlp.png)
Progamers from Broodwar and other realtime strategy games are finding it hard to ignore the huge prize pools and large community that are cropping up for Starcraft II. In recent months there has been an influx of new and talented competitors who did not get a chance to to participate in the first few seasons of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/GOMTV_Global_Starcraft_II_League , Starcraft II's most prominent and competitive tournament. These new players will be fighting for the chance to participate in the future of the GSL and we expect to see some exciting matches from them in the weeks to come.
We profiled two Korean players who we believe represent the best of the best in upcoming talent. These players have never qualified for the GSL and have stayed out of the public eye until now. But you can be sure each of these players has a chance to become a a well known name if they practice hard and do well in the GSL. We also took a look at which foreigners might have a shot at Code S after training in Korea.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/7TMkX.png)
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/6/60/Bomberzotac.png)
First up is Choi Ji Sung, playing with the nickname
Bomber on STARTALE. Bomber had a relatively lackluster career in Broodwar, but he is shaping up to be a big Terran to watch in Starcraft 2. Back in December Bomber took 2nd in the 2010 Danawa Cup YGosu.com Invitational losing a close set 4-3 to
MC in the finals. What's even more interesting is Bomber's path to the finals. He came out of quite a hard group with both 
NesTea AND MC and actually ended up winning the group. Then he faced FruitDealer in the quarter-finals and beat him 2-1. At the time FruitDealer had a ~70% win rate again Terran. All in all a very impressive showing, demonstrating strength in both ZvT and PvT.The GSL Writing Staff caught site of Bomber in early January. They write:
On January 02 2011 15:38 tree.hugger wrote:
The most convincing and hopeful card in ST's future is the presence of Bomber, formerly NsP.Fancy of eSTRO, who has caused huge waves in the offseason tournaments, making the finals of the YGosu event, and navigating the tricky prelims for the Gainward Tournament. He should have no trouble entering Code A next season, and looks to be a sure bet for eventual Code S placement, and beyond.
“A New Year” / GSL 2011 Preview / By the GSL Writing Staff
The most convincing and hopeful card in ST's future is the presence of Bomber, formerly NsP.Fancy of eSTRO, who has caused huge waves in the offseason tournaments, making the finals of the YGosu event, and navigating the tricky prelims for the Gainward Tournament. He should have no trouble entering Code A next season, and looks to be a sure bet for eventual Code S placement, and beyond.
“A New Year” / GSL 2011 Preview / By the GSL Writing Staff
And their prediction seems to be right on track.
Bomber had a dominant run in Season 2 of the Zotac Team Invitational. He had an all-kill against oGs, defeating 3 Code S players in succession (InCa, TOP, and MC). He achieved a 11-2 record for the season, propelling STARTALE to the top of the current standings. Against players who currently have or have held Code S, Bomber has gone 6-0. It's clear that Bomber will eventually qualify for Code S and we look forward to following his progress.![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/PwNyS.png)
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/f/f6/Puzzlezotac.png)
Next is Kim Sang Jun, currently playing for ZeNex as
Puzzle. Puzzle is also a former Broodwar progamer, and while he didn't play much, he was the first overall draft pick in the 2009 mid-year KESPA draft. He's clearly a talented guy and his Starcraft 2 career is certainly off to the right start.Like Bomber, Puzzle performed extraordinary well in Season 2 of the Zotac Team Invitational . Not only did he all-kill oGs, he also all-killed IM. Along the way he beat top tier players like
Ensare, Hyperdub, MC, and MVP. His record against Code S in the ZOTAC Team Invitational stands at 5-1, with an overall record of 13-4. His results against weaker Code A players are a little concerning, but having all-killed two of the top Starcraft 2 teams, it's hard to believe that Puzzle wont be able to qualify for Code S.![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/8cMyA.png)
First we take a look at potential Terrans. Evil Geniuses'
DeMusliM is known to be one of Europe's stronger players, recently taking 3rd in the 2011 Intel Extreme Masters European Championship Finals. With rumors of an Korean EG house on the horizon, DeMusliM may have a shot at Code S after training in Korea. It is true that DeMusliM and most foreign players are not Code S level yet. But as top foreign players like iNcontroL have noted, skill can shoot up after training in Korea. Most importantly, DeMusliM and EG have demonstrated a commitment to competing in Korea. Other Terran players like SjoW and BRAT_OK are actually stronger in terms of skill. But SjoW's commitment to Korea seems questionable when he's earning so much money in Europe and BRAT_OK has run in to quite a bit of trouble with visas in the past. Both have bailed on foreign tournaments for various reasons and we just don't think Korea works logistically for them. You can't get Code S if you don't commit to Korea.On the Protoss side,
Huk from Team Liquid represents the best shot at Code S. HuK has not one but TWO accounts at the top of the Korean ladder. We expect to see the months HuK has has committed to Korea to pay off and doubt that anyone will be surprised when HuK gets into Code S. One player who isn't in Korea right now who'd like to be there is (of course) White-Ra. A week or two ago he made $5,000 in tournament winnings in ONE WEEKEND, beating out many top foreign players in three separate tournaments. He also placed second in the 2011 Intel Extreme Masters European Championship Finals.Zerg talent in Europe seems to be sparse at the moment; none of the players in the 2011 Intel Extreme Masters European Championship Finals were Zerg.
Sen has already demonstrated that he is GSL material and we'd like to see him in Code S. Keep an eye on Mondragon as well. He's a bit of a dark horse and we have no idea how he will do in the renowned 2011 Pokerstrategy.com TSL3. He has been doing well on the European ladder, but has often declined tournament invitations for unknown reasons. Nevertheless, clearly he possess tons of talent and the TSL3 may rekindle the competitive spirit Mondragon needs to fight in Korea.![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/0r1oC.png)
These players represent the best of the best outside of Code S. They've all got a chance to qualify in the future, and new talent can only be a good thing. We'll keep you updated on the progress and accomplishments of these amazing players.
Thanks to zere and Antoine for keeping the Zotac Team Invitational thread up to date.
