In August 2010, When I first met Chris Loranger at MLG's first ever SC2 tournament, he had his hood up and sunglasses on. He was at the front desk, and he had sent an email: "Yo MLG, how do I get in? Do I just walk up and be like 'I'm Huk, bitches?'" He went on to win that tournament. I don't remember anything distinctive about his play, except that no matter what happened, he seemed to always find a way to win. Kiwikaki, the runner-up, seemed to do everything more precisely and creatively, but HuK somehow managed to just "fight better," if that abstract concept made any sense.
At the time, HuK was a kid with a huge chip on his shoulder. He had no progaming pedigree, not in Brood War or WarCraft 3, and he had not yet received the respect he felt he deserved. To many of the top players, Chris Loranger was a fluke, a passing player of note that would quickly fade once better mechanics appeared and more practice hours were logged. What he brought with him to that first MLG was an already large fan base and a certain aura. Even then, he had a belief in himself and that no matter who is opponent was, he could find a way to beat him.
In October 2010, Chris Loranger didn't have a cell phone. He was set to fly into Newark International and take a cab to the TLHQ to sign his Liquid contract and play in IEM New York. He was very late. Thirty minutes later and I'd either have to call Victor (Nazgul) and tell him that his newest recruit was here, or call the NY Police Department and report a missing person. HuK's attitude was one of supreme confidence in StarCraft and in life: that somehow, things will work out. It did, and he showed up, despite an obscenely expensive taxi.
Later that night, HuK mentioned he's going to Korea to try to compete in the GSL. I remember asking him how far he'd like to get, and if he thought Code S was a reasonable goal. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "I'm going to win." I must have laughed, because he looked annoyed and said "You don't believe me? I will." I didn't believe him then, but I do now.
Chris Loranger is one of the most honest and direct people I know. He's also one of the most energetic. You can see it in the way he befriends players who don't even speak English, and how he tirelessly interacts with fans online and in person. I'm not saying HuK is the perfect player, as he has always been one of the most difficult and demanding players when it comes to conditions and treatment. This is not because he's spoiled, but rather because he works hard and expects the same from others. That and he's definitely a little spoiled.
However, you could not find a player who was better at rallying fans. After watching the mothership he built at MLG DC 2010 and his "that's Halo" comment, I remember thinking, if this guy ever gets over his booth anxiety and wins a major title, he'll be the most popular player in the world. Few fans remember this, but HuK's first overseas tournament at Cologne had him placing fourth in his group, behind Tarson, Morrow, and Artosis. Simply put, he played terribly. Whether it was a combination of the crowd, conditions, or underpreparation, he just wasn't ready.
In March 2011, just after Chris won a few series in Code A, he still wasn't ready, and people knew it. The forums were filled with doubters, people calling him out for bad play or weak opponents. I remember him asking for a list of comments from haters as motivation. To much of the StarCraft scene, he was still a pretender, someone who was practicing all day every day for six months in Korea and having nothing to show for it. He had the "easy" road into Code A by invite and somehow PvP lucked into Code S. His only major win was half a year ago against a North American only field that didn't even include IdrA. Many believed he didn't have it in him to win a major title.
But those that watched his stream knew it was different. HuK was tireless, mass gaming day after day, posting great records and great games against the best players in the world. This was not someone who queued up against the best and thought, "I'll give it a try." HuK is a player who always, without fail, believed he could win any game against any player. We watched him play MVP, NesTea, and many many others and run several accounts into the top 5 on the Korean server. It was clear from those games that he was on that level. The question was whether he could perform in the booth.
Then, a few months later, this moment happened. HuK beat Moon twice and July once on his way to the biggest foreigner accomplishment at the time. He would top it one week later, defeating IdrA, MC, and NaNiwa at HomeStory Cup to win back-to-back titles.
In the final game against Moon, you could see Chris in the booth unable to contain his celebration after holding off Moon's six pool. All those months of doubts and pressure and expectations were swept away in just two weeks. What happened at DreamHack was not just the result of HuK's hard work and decision to train in Korea, but a justification of his life decision to become a progamer. Win or die was his motto, and he had just won.
------
I remember the night when HuK said good bye to Liquid. It was at MLG Anaheim, the last tournament that he would see his teammates before he joined EG. The offer was something he had to take. Chris said that between former teammates, nothing would change much, but we all knew things would. It was almost as if someone had died and we were going through the stages of grief.
I found it hard to watch him play. I was conflicted as a fan and even half-rooted against him a few times. But those feelings passed quickly. Despite huge salaries and rising fame, Chris's core personality hasn't changed one bit. He did things the right way throughout the entire negotiation and bidding process between Liquid and EG. In the end, it's impossible to not to wish someone who is so genuine and hard working to succeed.
Fast forward to MLG Orlando. I hope you don't mind if I skip the details, it's quite a bittersweet memory for me. I didn't watch the finals at the venue. I was in an hotel room, half-watching the stream and getting ready for dinner. The way HuK was playing, with a 2-1 ES lead, in my mind the result was nowhere in doubt. I did however watch the celebration, and it reminded me of DreamHack in an alternate universe. Chris had done it again, something that no other non-Korean had. I was simultaneously intensely happy for my friend and sad that the jersey he wore was a darker blue.
Orlando was the first time his parents watched him play. Ironically, the only game they watched was his only loss of the entire tournament, to Hero. I met his parents as they first walked in. They knew their son was somewhat important, but he clearly had not told them just how important. When HuK was stopped by a fan on their way out to get lunch, his dad whispered to me, "is it always like this?" I wasn't sure what to say. "Your son is popular at MLG" doesn't properly capture the two-hour mass autograph line that would happen if Chris stayed in one spot signing stuff for too long.
Late night Sunday, I remember sitting in a dark, deserted cafe with two team owners and talking a little about what had just happened. Alex Garfield said, "if they interviewed me, I would have said you guys deserve 80% of the credit for getting him here. I would have said that on camera. We're all part of what happened today."
I am not here to say Liquid owns a majority share in HuK's Orlando win. Chris will succeed no matter what team he is on. However, I believe EG has treated him very well, and he is not a player who is easy to please. Liquid was the best situation for him in the year that he was here, and all things considered, EG is the best situation for him now. This is not a particularly easy thing to say, but it's the truth.
I've always said that the Farewell, Liquid`HuK says more about Liquid than any tournament win or interview could. Victor said, "When he joined Liquid he was good, but he was not a world champion. Now he's leaving, and look where he is. I think we can be proud of that, to have helped take him there."
What I am here to talk about is the bittersweet feeling I have when watching him win, a feeling I'm sure many other Liquid fans share. It's painful, but that's good. It's true fan devotion. The fact that I felt anywhere close about a professional StarCraft player's jersey color as Cleveland fans feel about LeBron (sans hate) is a step in the right direction. It means we care, and it means we're one step closer to true sports and one step away from pseudo-sport pretend games.
So MLG Providence is in three weeks, and HuK is the second seed. I'll be happy for my friend if he wins, but I really hope he loses to HerO again.
Haha, you should seen HuK back when he first started in VT and then on Millenium. I'm sure Attero can give some contributing views in addition.
I met HuK on VT's Ventrilo, always a swarm around talking to him. I feel like HuK has been a long time player, despite it only been a year and a bit more since.
Old times, still a great player and it's true, he did always talk straight-up, straight-forward.
Huk's one of the only progamers to ever approach me before I could approach him! Granted, it was because he needed someone to carry his bag but I've still always been impressed with him, his skill, and his friendliness.
On October 28 2011 12:12 micronesia wrote: Huk's one of the only progamers to ever approach me before I could approach him! Granted, it was because he needed someone to carry his bag but I've still always been impressed with him, his skill, and his friendliness.
loooooooool
I can't imagine Micro's carrying someone else's bag. You just don't look it bro :B
A really nice story, i know that torn feeling well. He is a great play and absolutely one of the best players in the world i am sure he will be forever thankful for everything TL has done for him.
HuK is probably my second favorite foreigner. He was first while he was on liquid. This isn't a comment about the switch, it's a comment about TL. If that makes sense.
Really touching, boesthius and I shared our sadness together on msn when it was announced HuK vs leaving but every night we say the same thing "HuK is pretty good, can't deny it"
T_T This was an amazingly heartfelt post Hot Bid and I'm surprised at a lot of the similar emotions I felt reading through the post, even though I'm not even in the eSports scene and haven't met HuK. It's a true testament to what this game can achieve and the level of emotion and passion invested in the scene.
So to MLG Providence, to HuK, to all aspiring pro gamers, HWAITING!
Amazing read. None of us fans had a connection with Chris that you and the rest of TL had, I can only imagine how you feel if I feel the way I feel about the whole situation .
I feel the same. I want to root against HuK for putting on a different jersey and I did for awhile, but as time passes by, I'm slowly coming back around. HuK's personality hasn't changed and that's what made me a fan in the first place. Go HuK!
<3 i really dont know what else to say, some of the people ive met in liquid are some of the best people ive met in my entire life. the world and people are so fake and shitty, but people like hot bid and tl co. are genuinely good/decent people (which i sadly dont say about a lot of ppl)
idk where hotbid got the motivation form to write this, but good read. loved the analogy at the end of relating this to actual sports though, because its so true. Really does show how esports has come
Coincidentally, I was listening to an old episode of SotG today where it was mentioned that people used to shit on HuK and had doubts about him. I grinned because it seems everyone is a HuK fan these days. I've always been. =)
I remember my first interaction with HuK on the forums. It was in the announcement thread for the HDH Invitational and he was complaining on and on about not getting an invite. For those not familiar with beta SC2: the HDH was the largest SC2 event up to that date and featured only the biggest names playing at that time, HuK was still an emerging player only known to those who kept an especially close watch on the scene. While aware of his skill this was the first time I got to see how feisty he could be as well. Eighteen months later he has earned a great deal of fame and respect for his big titles, but I will always remember him as the pugnacious TL poster who refused to be counted out.
I can't say I'm a fan, and I doubt I ever will be, but I respect the hell out of HuK. He works his ass off and deserves everything that comes his way.
It was really hard for me. My favorite player, the one that inspired me to play protoss, to keep going, to reach a high master rank, to keep pressuring myself about all my mistakes, not just in the game, but in real life too, to work as hard as I could with the amount of time that I had... Leaving the team that inspired me to start playing starcraft, where I made friends that I play and talk to every single day, my favorite team, the place that I go every single day and spend 5 hours every sigle day, my favorite website, my favorite team.
It's like losing a friend. A very close one. But after all, he's still huk, he's still the same guy, and he will be always an amazing person and an amazing player.
Huk will be forever Liquid`Huk. And I guess TL/oGs will be forever his truly home.
And oh.. just one more thing. The most AMAZING thing at mlg orlando was hearing day[9] call huk by Liquid`Huk several times. <33
At the time, HuK was a kid with a huge chip on his shoulder. He had no progaming pedigree, not in Brood War or WarCraft 3, and he had not yet received the respect he felt he deserved. To many of the top players, Chris Loranger was a fluke, a passing player of note that would quickly fade once better mechanics appeared and more practice hours were logged. What he brought with him to that first MLG was an already large fan base and a certain aura. Even then, he had a belief in himself and that no matter who is opponent was, he could find a way to beat him.
I keep hearing people say this and every time I hear it I cringe. Players can grow with the game. You don't know their full potential until you sit their ass down in the game for weeks on end and grind it out. I cannot believe we have this silly generalization on HuK. I assure you, Chris was no fluke back then. You could knock HuK's sub-par mid-game all you want back then, but the guy still had all the tools and character.
If you looked at his micro and game sense you would know this guy was a threat; not to mention, very coach-able. Chris was definitely on my top five prospects out of the foreigners in the closed beta and I'm sure many others did as well. Huk always had a strong following. The guy got results back then and I guess I'm one of the few who isn't surprised now.
Anyway, thank you TL for sending the guy to Korea so he could fulfill his ambitions. He needed that work environment in order to thrive. Glad to see him doing well.
I'll always mourn the loss of Huk from Team Liquid. Staying up late and watching him rock Code A was a pleasure. With that said, I'll always be there cheering. I'm happy to be a fan of such an upstanding team and of such a dedicated player. Both TL and Huk represent everything we should want from competition.
I love both Liquid and EG! Huk is a great guy and a great player. The story is moving and well written Hotbid and I admire the honesty. As usual, you speak the truth!
I've always been a fan of huk, even when he went to EG, I was extremely happy for him because I knew that was a good decision to make career wise. In his recent success at MLG Orlando, I was both happy and sad. Happy to see the player that I learned my first build had won, but sad to know that my favorite team, Liquid, had gotten him to that level but wouldnt have the credit for it.
I'm happy to know that despite Huk being on EG, Alex acknowledges that. It shows a great cooperation about the eSports community. Huk WILL win a GSL. I no doubt in my mind. It's going to happen.
I love that Liquid shows so much love and emotion for everything that they do. I feel that Liquid has used their team and their forums to forge the qualities of the StarCraft community. Liquid expects good manner and a great deal of skill from their players. This reflected in their community. Liquid encourages not only eSports, but also friendships and talent. From calling police in Sweden to make sure a site member does not commit suicide to featuring things like Sketchpad.tv. Liquid encourages it's members to be better people and to go further with their talents.
I'm grateful for your post HotBid because it gives us a glimpse into the heart of eSports and the heart of Liquid. Thank you.
What an incredible write up; thanks for articulating what i am sure a ton of Liquid` fans are feeling when they watch HuK do so well. During MLG when Day9 referred to him as Liquid`HuK there was a moment of sadness. Everytime i see HuK's name i think LIQUID HWAITING! And i have to stop and check myself.
Watched Huk's stream those hardworking spring months and people thought he was in a slump or faded away. Now he's Top 3 control. Hot_Bid stream some Skyrim in couple weeks!
On October 28 2011 12:36 HuK wrote: <3 i really dont know what else to say, some of the people ive met in liquid are some of the best people ive met in my entire life. the world and people are so fake and shitty, but people like hot bid and tl co. are genuinely good/decent people (which i sadly dont say about a lot of ppl)
Great blog, Hot_Bid. I was at MLG Anaheim and HuK signed my shirt Liquid`HuK. Of course at the time I didn't realize that it would be the last tournament that he'd sign it that way, I just knew he was a fantastic and down-to-earth player. He even kidded me about the Zerg shirt I was wearing while he graciously signed my shirt.
This would be a moving article written by anybody, but its sincerity and emotional power are only reinforced in contrast to the standard, sarcasm-dripping troll that is Hot Bid.
Beautiful write-up Hot bid, you almost had me teary eyed towards the end. I honestly feel very similar to how you feel, and so do the hundreds of thousands of Liquid fans globally. However, you hit the nail on the head when you said that he as a person has not changed, and will not change, and that is what we should take away from the situation. He is a phenomenal player and an even better person at heart, and we all love him for that.
Chris, if you read this, you're our white savior. Never change. <3~
Edit: I'd just like to say that I re-watched this video, and laughed and felt sad at the exact same time.
On October 28 2011 13:30 boesthius wrote: This is 100% how I feel. Fuck, seeing HuK lifted up by robin/nony/ret etc after that Dreamhack win still makes me emotional. <3 Chris. Great blog, hotbid~
Oh wow... that moment was just incredible. Don't think that I'll ever really forget it.
Thank you for that amazing post, Hot_Bid! I'm a HuK fan forever!
I know I died a little inside when Huk left Teamliquid. Not because I had lost a player to root for but because one of my favourite players was no longer on my favourite team. Huk is still one of my favourite players and I absolutely can't stand to see him lose against anyone, unless it's someone on TL. I knew following e-sports would eventually have something like this happen, but I never thought it would happen so soon, especially with SC2.
Wow HB. I couldn't have said it better. Really a great thing to read! I really didn't like your closing sentence though. I feel like it could have been worded differently. It almost seemed like an outright diss to HuK, even though I know that isn't what you meant.
It is such a weird feeling. HuK was my favorite player hands-down. Even though i know he hasnt changed and hes still the baller protoss with one of the best personalities in sc2, i randomly find myself rooting against him. He is still one of my favs <3, i dont know if hes the top though.
I did like it when Hero started drawing hearts with rally points. They are so much more symmetrical and perfect. :p
I feel the same, when he 1st left I was truly sick to my stomach. I stopped following everything cuz I was in shock. My wounds have healed, and I love HuK, but TL fighting til I die!
Man incredible read. I may or may not be tearing up a little. It was very sad to see HuK leave, but I'm very glad it was done in the proper manner. <3 HuK <3 Liquid
This is a great read, I've been following Chris since a mutual High School friend told the rest of us he went pro at SC2. None of us believed him at first, (Chris was quite the character at our school. He was very athletic, playing football running track not your first candidate for pro-gamer however his dedication seems to have stayed the same.) but we were all huddled around the computer screen waiting for the HuK liquipedia page to open and there he was, in a Galt Ghosts hoodie.
He's come a long way since then and I've enjoyed watching it all, staying up till 6AM EST to watch Code S regardless of his performance its always fun watching someone you know play. His liquipedia entry is a lot longer now, and the picture has him in an EG jersey. I still cheer for Liquid when they're not facing Chris as I've grown accustomed to the team and community.
However I can't say I don't like the move to EG, I've always been an IdrA fan as well and having my two favourite players, who were once rivals on the same team makes everything a whole lot easier.
Keep up the good work Chris, and keep Fighting Liquid.
Alex Garfield said, "if they interviewed me, I would have said you guys deserve 80% of the credit for getting him here. I would have said that on camera. We're all part of what happened today."
beautiful quote
beautiful post Hot Bid. Really really amazing man.
I had the honor of meeting Huk at the TL meetup in Cologne and he asked me if I thought he'd be able to keep his fanbase after moving to EG. I told him that leaving TL broke a lot of hearts, but the way he plays and the way he is shouldn't be affected by the color of his jersey, and we'd stick with him for that. [TL needs a smiling smiley with a tear to insert here]
He also told me I shouldn't be buying him drinks because he's rich now.
Great post, I still think of HuK as a product of Liquid and just wish beyond all hope (and reason) that he sports the fantastic liquid pony once again.
Holy shit great write up. The Huk situation is the first SC2 situation that reminds me of the great BW storylines like Boxer vs Oov. This gives me hope that maybe, despite whatever I think can make SC2 better, just maybe SC2 can become the greatest Esport ever.
I am really happy for HuK and all of his success that he has had, and I really hope that he continues to perform well wherever he is… I do miss him on Liquid though. ;D At the Orlando finals I cheered for him and all, but because his farewell was so recent it seemed strange to see him around all of the EG people, and not the Liquid players like Tyler, Jinro, TLO, etc, like at Dreamhack.
Best of luck to HuK in the future, still a fan c: c: c: Great blog post 5/5
I remember MLG DC very vividly last year - I had the priviledge of being in the room while the SOTG cast immediately after idra's victory was held. I was absolutely starstruck by Idra, Incontrol, Machine, Tyler... but I had very little clue who Chris was. Up until that point, I honestly wasn't too into the SC2 scene. Heck, the guys I mentioned above I knew because of BW, not SC2. But even though I barely knew anything about him, you could tell nearly instantly that he was DEDICATED to what he was doing - moreso than anyone else in the room (and that says alot given his company at the time).
Insanely hard worker and a real showman, I'll always love Huk. Like many here, I can't say I was especially thrilled about the EG move, and I rofled when I read your line about wishing he lost - I've done the same myself. But you can only try to hold onto those feelings for so long, eventually you let them go and just cheer for a damn good player.
Whenever I watch Huk play in a major tournament, I have no idea what I feel. I feel like a teenage girl totally confused on whether I love him or hate him. It's a strange feeling haha. Truth is probably somewhere in between.
I get tons of motivation when I read this, just makes me want to play non-stop which I shall do. He's trying to say throughout this: don't stop at your goal, go beyond that goal. Nothing is ever good enough.
It felt so akward wen watching HerO agains Huk...it was like "I root for the foreigner" no but..."I root for liquid" no but..."he is huk" no but..."he is on EG" and...you know, "hero is awesome" and i ended up feeling sad whatever the result had been
I had a lot of fun talking to him on Vent back when he was playing Company of Heroes before the SC2 beta started up. Great guy, been rooting for him ever since he started competing. So great to see him finally begin to realize some of his goals.
What an intense blog to read. The emotion about this topic really shows.
I will continue to root for HuK and I will continue to cheer for Team Liquid. And it's because both are outstanding examples of what hard work can accomplish.
Amazing story :D Best result for Providence would be Jinro beating Huk in the finals, that would make me so happy. Jinros win at the last national championship was what started his run in GSL, I'm sure he has it in him to it again!
I'm extremely impressed by the quality of the article, unfortunately some other articles from certain unamed people in the gaming community don't put any time or effort in the editing. Liked the article; keep it up Hot_Bid! I think we can all agree as long as foreigners like HuK are competing with the best of the Koreans, things are good
Your post completely avoided speaking of the teams he was in when he was still a paria. It's great to make yourself look like a hero but it's not as simple as that.
You have no idea how excited and proud to say I watched his growth from my computer, over countless hours of his stream/gsl/general tournaments and be able to watch him win in my hometown of Orlando. The smile on my face was forced, I was standing on my chair during his award ceremony. Huk is the reason I got into SC2.
I remember back in the early beta days seeing this guy "GoSuHuK" (I think that was the capitalization) come in my stream chat and talk to me, and I remember thinking he was just another random scrub at the time. I saw his rise in fame in beta, even got to play a series against him in the TL Invitational. I started realizing how dedicated he was and respect for him grew in my mind
Then I got to meet him at MLG DC, see how much of a baller he is, and the rest is history :D
The selfish side in me almost wishes I could go back to the way things were, when I could chill with HuK and things felt more "real." Nowadays since he's so big it's hard to get time to hang out with him, and fans are always everywhere at events coming up to him. Obviously it's better for him and I'm so happy he has been able to accomplish his dream, but it does bring up some nostalgia from 2010.
Imo a lot of people still feel the connection between HuK and Liquid. I remember Day9 casting a game at MLG Orlando "...and Liquid.HuK doing ... uhm I mean EGs HuK..." Hard work pays off - HuK is the perfect example for that. gl in the future for him and for Liquid.
Liquid will always be THE foreign team in my opinion and HuK certainly seems to be THE foreign player so it is a bummer that they aren't together but right now I am more interested in any foreigner winning a GSL, whether they have Liquid, EG, or any of the other foreign team name before their handle doesn't concern me.
If this was a facebook post, i would 'like' this a million times over and wished there was a <3 button.
I've also been watching/following HuK's stream and tournament progress since the humble beginnings of Starcraft II and there was something about him that i believed he would rise up and win some major tournaments. He has a LOT of charisma, to say the least.
There any many things about the TL community that I love. This article represents one of them. Thank you for excellent article. I suppose it was easy to write when you live and love something so much, but to bring me (a reasonably casual fan by hardcore standards) in like you did took legitimate writing skill -- color me impressed and slightly less casual. Now if you please return to your regularly scheduled activities of trolling and photo bombing please.
Amazing write up, i kinda felt same way when I first saw the newspost that HuK is aalready an EG member, i felt angry for a bit thinking how could he betray such a great team that give's him the opportunities and the correct envoirment to grow up as a player, then i understand that it's probably the best for him he's not an 15 years old kid he has to earn money and if the best way to do so is EG then let it be EG. HuK & Liquid Fighting !
Hot_Bid, you just summed up how most non-EG fans feel about Huk, me included. When the Dreamhack LR thread exploded as we realised Huk had done it it was, and still is, the most excited I've been in SC2, except for maybe the TSL, but that still says so much given that I hate watching most PvZs.
Unless Huk wins something like a GSL I don't think I'll ever be as excited as I was when he got that wall down in game 5, and this makes me sad. Sure I'll be happy for him, and I'll always support the foreigner in the final, but its just not the same. In a way I want another player to take up the mantle of best foreigner, a player that I can support unconditionally when they win.
Nice piece. The part that resonated the most with me was:
...He did things the right way throughout the entire negotiation and bidding process between Liquid and EG. In the end, it's impossible to not to wish someone who is so genuine and hard working to succeed.
I feel this way not just regarding TL vs EG, but a lot of often obnoxious narratives that center around Huk such as hate, hype, Foreigners vs Koreans and balance.
Wow this has just about doubled the respect for HuK I have already had.
How To Be Like HuK:
1. Watch Fight Club 2. Use motivational quotes, shots from Fight Club and hot girls as your wallpaper 3. Play a ton of games, while listening to nutty music 4.??? 5. Profit :p
Chills down my spines when reading the first part. Liquid or EG, HuK will always be one of my favorite players. This awesome personality of his in addition to being extremely skilled makes him impossible not to adore.
No words can truely express how happy I am to see Huk really succeed. One of my best memories from Beta is one of his first streamsessions where he interacted with his fans and answered questions for an hour or something. He has come such a long way since then, and still in all his interviews he is still that same guy, so 'real'.
Thanks to Hotbid for sharing the story, was a great read.
I had chills reading this, because it described so beautifully what I felt for TeamLiquid and Huk when this happened. <3 <3 to you Hotbid, and all the best to Huk and my respect for TeamLiquid and NAzgul only grows. Much love from Denmark!
This is exactly how I feel too! Huk's stream is still the only one I watch when ever its on. I fell in love with his play long ago and it was heart breaking to see him switch teams.
So MLG Providence is in three weeks, and HuK is the second seed. I'll be happy for my friend if he wins, but I really hope he loses to HerO again.
Amazing. I can hear music like the end of a movie where the main character died but everyone is just so happy to have been touched by him. I almost have a tear in my eye too...
i personally dont mind it that much which team my favorite player plays on, because? i treat players and teams seperate from each other.
so if huk plays, i will cheer the player. if a liquid player plays, i will cheer the team. if one of those plays against each other, i will cheer both of them and be happy for whoever wins. liquid as a team has no influence on if i like the players playing for them, neither does eg.
just to bring a little story that just came into my mind, its exactly the same thing that happened in F1 (fastest speed car race in the world in case someone doesnt know) my favorite F1 hero is michael schumacher, not because he is german as i am, but because he is just a beast and won 7 world champion titles, top that then he suddenly took a break from F1 and noone knew if he might ever make a comeback. yes he did, but oh no, not to the team that made him big in F1, how cruel! now i still like him as he is the most interesting driver ever, despite the fact that he is now driving in a much weaker car and loosing alot of his glamour. he will fight his way back on top, just but because he can! but i also still like ferrari the most as a team, just because ferrari's are damn sexy.
tl;dr
towards the fellow fans, if you liked liquid'huk, there is 0 reason to not like eg.huk the exact same way now. if you disagree here, you never been a real huk fan to begin with, simple. feelings like 'how nice it would be if he won this for my favorite team now' are of course a totally different story and part of the game called life - money makes the world go round, and it cracks hearts left and right on its way.
I can't bring myself to have any positive feelings about him right now. If it were any other team than EG (or SK), I would share the feelings most people do.
As it is, I'm only waiting for the day he changes teams again.
Hopefully in a few years he'll be on SKT and all will be right in the world again.
Alex Garfield said, "if they interviewed me, I would have said you guys deserve 80% of the credit for getting him here. I would have said that on camera. We're all part of what happened today."
Oh how generous of you Alex.
I love it how he tries to wrap an inaccurate statement in a "nice" package. Subtly implying that EG deserves as much as 20% credit for it is nothing short of hilarious. They got him on a plane to Orlando and gave him a shirt to wear. HuK, TL and oGs did the rest.
I was really sad for about a week and didn't really know who was my favorite pro anymore...but the more I thought about it; the more it made sense. I 100% agree with what you wrote summing up my feelings on the matter, I will always miss Liquid'HuK, but I will always cheer for EG.HuK.
That was a great read! Very well written Hot_Bid and a very good point. It really is quickly becoming a sport of fan attachments and player movements, and how we react to them says it all. GL Huk, but I think I'll be rooting for HerO too.
I could not agree more with this.. Regarding it being a "proper" sport, certainly feels like it.. I get as happy when a liquid players wins an important match as when I see Man Utd win under the same conditions.. Hopes that more people will get this feeling as time moves on Awesome blogpost or w/e you want to call it
I've been feeling the same way about HuK lately too. I've been following TL for about 3 years now and even though I don't post often, I feel like I'm part of the community. I really like HuK, which may be in part due to the fact that he's the best Canadian hero we've got right now. I really want him to do well, but I feel almost betrayed because he went to EG. This obviously doesn't make any sense because I wasn't born on TL, and EG doesn't have the same kind of community that TL does.
It's got me wondering why I feel this way about EG. I also love iNcontroL and think he's a great guy. I watched the interview with Alex Garfield after MLG Orlando and got the sense that he was an honest, decent guy as well. I have nothing against EG, in fact I root for them at all the major tournaments (alongside TL, but honestly EG tends to go further ).
What it comes down to is that this is going to continue to happen a lot and it doesn't help to get down about player trades. I don't have the same association to TL that you do Hot_Bid, but I hope that all members of TL can understand that we should support the teams because of the players, and support the players because they deserve our support.
In the end, TL gets my support because it's a great community. I have to be honest with myself and say that if EG didn't have their awesome players, I would forget about them very quickly. This is the tenuous relationship between pro teams and their fans - we support the sponsors because the players need us to.
I hope that all made sense, I love Liquid and HuK and they don't have to be together for me to love them both.
But seriously, I think I might be rooting for HerO over HuK at Providence too!
interesting post, i can understand Liquid fan's pain of losing such a great player but I don't understand the "betrayal" that some people feel at Huk. In our every day lives if we're doing the same job we'll take higher pay over lower pay any day of the week. I could see if Liquid had offered the same money or very similar money how fans could feel betrayed but in reality they weren't in the same ballpark. Huk did a very graceful exit from liquid and left on the best terms that i have seen of any player leaving a team. I hope time will heal the pain for some fans because he should have the backing of the community for being one of the few "foreign hopes" that can actually compete and win against any korean.
I'm still a fan of team EG since Broodwar, the haters don't get to me. It's cool that liquid fans are starting to come to terms with the switch. This game gets more and more legit as time goes on, and I'm loving the direction Blizzard is pushing towards with the expansion. All of the suggestions I was throwing out early on are being considered. It's a good time for SC2.
"if they interviewed me, I would have said you guys deserve 80% of the credit for getting him here." bullshit, huk is where he is because of his own work, sure you gave him the conditions, but don't take too much credit in his success.
It's very nice to see that everyone agrees on everything and is very understanding. Alex for example understands how everyone in Liquid camp feels and has respect for that aswell.
On a personal level I didn't watch the finals cause I knew that HuK had a huge chance to win and as much as I rooted for him I felt like it's better to go to bed (finals is really late in Sweden and I've got two kids to take care of in the morning) than staying up and feel bittersweet and get tired in the morning.
I will always root for HuK and I like team EG aswell. Idra is one of my favourite players out there. But my all time favourite foregin team in wich I like all the players is and will probably always be Liquid!!!
On October 31 2011 10:20 Toxi78 wrote: "if they interviewed me, I would have said you guys deserve 80% of the credit for getting him here." bullshit, huk is where he is because of his own work, sure you gave him the conditions, but don't take too much credit in his success.
Exactly my thoughts. Nobody on teamliquid, even if they have been on the team a lot longer than him, has done what he did in his career. He's there because he works so hard. I am confident that he is the most hard-working foreigner out there, and not only because he's in korea practicing with his OGS teammates (because he ladders a lot).
Attributing 80% of his victory to teamliquid is like telling all the less successful foreigner players that they don't need to step up their practice schedule and work harder since it's only because of his team if he's where he is now. This is bullshit. Although teamliquid is a good team, they did not create monsters like HuK, even if they gave them the chance to do so (AKA going to korea).
That being said, I think HuK was having more fun when he was in Teamliquid and he seemed more happy. It could be just me, but that's the way I feel; I don't think he would have left if the EG's offer hadn't been significantly better than the TL's one.
On October 31 2011 10:20 Toxi78 wrote: "if they interviewed me, I would have said you guys deserve 80% of the credit for getting him here." bullshit, huk is where he is because of his own work, sure you gave him the conditions, but don't take too much credit in his success.
Exactly my thoughts. Nobody on teamliquid, even if they have been on the team a lot longer than him, has done what he did in his career.
Jinro.
Anyway, being in Korea has been instrumental to Huk's development. Without TL, there would be no oGs, there would be no Korea, and training with foreigners and laddering on NA can only get you so far even if you're at it 24/7.
On October 31 2011 10:20 Toxi78 wrote: "if they interviewed me, I would have said you guys deserve 80% of the credit for getting him here." bullshit, huk is where he is because of his own work, sure you gave him the conditions, but don't take too much credit in his success.
Exactly my thoughts. Nobody on teamliquid, even if they have been on the team a lot longer than him, has done what he did in his career. He's there because he works so hard. I am confident that he is the most hard-working foreigner out there, and not only because he's in korea practicing with his OGS teammates (because he ladders a lot).
Attributing 80% of his victory to teamliquid is like telling all the less successful foreigner players that they don't need to step up their practice schedule and work harder since it's only because of his team if he's where he is now. This is bullshit. Although teamliquid is a good team, they did not create monsters like HuK, even if they gave them the chance to do so (AKA going to korea).
That being said, I think HuK was having more fun when he was in Teamliquid and he seemed more happy. It could be just me, but that's the way I feel; I don't think he would have left if the EG's offer hadn't been significantly better than the TL's one.
Obviously, Alex meant 80% of what the teams have done, not 80% of the entire thing which includes HuK's own hard work. I thought that was clear...
So much emotion! You're right this is no pseudo-sport anymore. This is genuine and for you to be his friend and still a TL fan it must be hard. Great recount. 5/5
EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/R1CH/Happy2.gif)
great read. To both huk and liquid- wish only the best. Fighting to both 
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/qNqYU.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/zBffbl.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/2oxDKl.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/LipthePencilboy/BANNERS/MLG_TOSS_wallpaper3.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.hotflick.net/flicks/2004_Million_Dollar_Baby/004MDB_Mike_Colter_008.jpg)
