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East Gorteau22261 Posts
As with all great innovators, there has been a lot of criticism in store for Life over the course of his already great GSL run. For reasons I can't quite understand, there seems to be a belief that there is some elusive aspect of Life's playstyle that is decidedly exploitable.
Every time I read what is essentially ”Well, just wait until he faces a good player”, I cringe a little. Life's GSL run so far has taken him right through Nestea, JYP, Happy, Seed, Marineking and freaking Taeja (”The best player in the world”) while only dropping two maps.
Of course, it's not unlikely that there is some level of dislike for Life in the community. His confidence, often called ”unearned” reminds many of his team mate Parting, who happened to fall to Mvp in almost embarrassing fahsion after talking about how any Terran meant a free win.
In a way, Life is very similar to Parting. In his semi-final interview, he more or less disregarded Mvp's accompolishments in a way very unlike the standard Korean ”I will bring my best games”, and for this, some seem dislike Life.
Him playing for Startale, a notorious second place-team does not seem to help.
”But really”, you ask. ”How can he be so confident? He's up against a four-time GSL champion!”
And yes, he is.
So why, then, does Life stand a chance against a guy with that kind of preparation and all the experience in the world? And more so, why is he going to demolish Mvp?
There are four reasons.
For starters, Life has insane mechanics.
As seen with Nestea, who was for a long time considered the smartest player around, it does not matter how intelligent you are when other players can do the same things you are doing, but three times faster and with greater precision.
It is well-known that Mvp does not think his mechanics are on par with other top Koreans, and Life certainly is one of those. Going back all the way to his all-kill of Liquid in the GSTL, Khaldor was already talking about how insane Life's mechanics are;
”Life is crazy! He doesn't even miss injects”
And keep in mind, this was a relatively long time ago. Since his break-out all-kill, Life has been improving steadily. Micro, macro, decision-making, everything has been improving at a rapid pace.
But in the meantime, Mvp's skill level has been a mostly fixed point. His neck pains prevent him from practising as much as he might otherwise need to. As if this was not obvious enough, that's not a very good thing going up against one of the most mechanically skilled players in the entire world. Against all players, Mvp relies on out-smarting his opponents. Now, I am not completely disregarding Mvp's mechanical skill. You cannot win a GSL by only being smart and let alone four, nor can you win an IEM or an MLG, going through group stages or open brackets by just being smart; but I'm convinced that Mvp's smarts carry him further than his mechanics.
But will outstanding preparation and slightly-above standard mechanics be enough against a player who has, time and again, shown great decision making and, undoubtedly, stronger mechanics?
Doubtful.
Life doesn't care. He really doesn't. Life is 15 years old, still goes to school, hasn't been practising Starcraft II seriously for a very long time, and is already in the finals of one of the grandest stages in the scene.
Imagine the kind of confidence he feels. Actually, you don't even have to imagine. Through each and every one of his GSL interviews, he has been talking about how he feels surpreme confidence against each and every player he could possibly go up against.
He's confident to the level where he is like ”Oh, I'm up against a Terran a lot of people consider the best in the world? All right, I rate my chances to about 90%”.
And confidence will be crucial against Mvp. There are no gaping holes for Mvp to exploit in Life's play when he plays his best, but should he start tilting there will be. This is why, as long as he remains as calm and confident as possible, Mvp will not tilt him.
And we've all seen, throughout the GSL and multiple tournament qualifiers, just how well Life performs when confident.
Many of top Zerg players have stated that they really admire Life's play. They say that they find his style intriguing and highly effective, and believe that it is not easily emulated, as it was perfected through huge amounts of laddering. It requires a sense of strategy that most Zergs do not possess, along with insane mechanical skill.
If players from FXO, TSL and MVP all admit to having trouble replicating Life's play, why should I believe LG-IM, whose weakest link (though there really are none) arguably lies with their Zerg line-up, is any different?
Sure, you might be able to find theoretical weaknesses in Life's play, and knowing Mvp he will, but there is no way of knowing if said counters will actually work in practice, because no one can quite replicate his style.
This is one of the key factors in Life's advantage over Mvp. He does not play a standard ”Turtle to Hive”-style of Zerg that a lot of players have converted to over the last few months.
The fact that his play is so fundamentally different from other Zergs means that Mvp, who is admittedly the uncontested king of preparation, will not be able to prepare for Life like he may have been able to with any other Zerg.
Some would like to pin Life's recent successes down to a single thing. Outdated and forgotten or innovative build orders or another level of micro. Maybe top-notch macro.
But Life is not in the finals of the GSL because he has good micro and macro, though he naturally does possess both. It's not just how he composes his armies or what build orders he chooses for certain maps, but how he approaches the game as a whole. Life's brilliance lies in how he uses every unit; when he uses it and where he uses it, and how he uses it in combination with others.
A sense of timing combined with mostly impeccable positioning and cold, efficient decision-making decide the outcome of his games just as much as his builds and strategies do.
What Life makes Life's play so good is hard to pinpoint because there are microscopic details all through his games - barely noticeable – that add up over time and eventually end games in his favor.
Many times, momentum is what can keep a player winning against tough opposition. So far, it appears Life has been no different. TSL4 Runner-up. Qualified for Iron Squid and MLG Fall Championships as well. Picked by Stsrtale to go to IPL5 this winter. Consistently picks up multiple kills in team leagues.
14-2 in maps so far in the GSL.
Life has seen an unreal amount of success over the last few weeks, and there seems to be no stopping him. With every game he wins, he seems to become better – the Life train moving faster and faster, rolling over everything and everyone, GSL champion or not.
Someone said that this season is all about shutting down hype trains, but how much hype and momentum can a player have behind him before he actually becomes too tough for Mvp to stop?
Mvp may have won IEM Cologne, but other than that he has not been doing much outside the GSL. And that is, of course, not strange at all given his current physical state. But Life has been beating top-notch players all over the place, gaining more momentum as he goes.
For Life, I believe this GSL finals will show us just how valuable momentum, when coupled with a unique style and unrivaled mechanics, can be. Mvp may seem the favorite with his four championships behind him, but trust me – Life has just not had the time yet.
There is only one person standing between Lee Seung Hyun and a Royal Road to his first GSL Championship. Mvp has the misfortune of standing in the way.
Life 4:2 Mvp
 
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East Gorteau22261 Posts
On October 15 2012 06:31 opterown wrote:nice hype  could use a bit of formatting and pics haha :p
Indeed it could, but I suck T_T If anyone wants to help me with that, send me a PM or something - I don't do stuff like that very well >.>
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I feel like Life plays a very instinctive style. Whenever I watch his games, I can't shake the feeling that everything he does is very knee-jerk ... not that this is bad or good, but I wonder what Mvp will pick up on from watching his games.
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Life has this. I said in the quarter finals if he can get past Taeja the GSL is his and he has done that with supreme ease. The only step left is to dismantle the player who has put an end to every significant Royal Road attempt before and replace him at the top of the pedestal.
In just a few short days Life will claim what he has been building up to for so long now and finally achieve true greatness.
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My only problem is I had a similar feeling for Squirtle... but then again the only reason he lost was because he succumbed to the pressure. The aura of confidence that Life has should make sure that doesn't happen, and hopefully that will be enough.
If anything the ZvTs he's played thus far makes Mvp look like an overcomeable object at least.
Please don't get an 11th silver, I believe in you Life :s
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First of all, I'd like to say that this is my opinion. I'd like to respectfully disagree:
1) Mvp has amazing mechanics. He is a macro Terran through and through, his macro is impeccable. People have noticed for a long time that Mvp's mechanics are clearly a cut above the rest - some attribute it to BW days, other say that he's just good. Either way, he was pretty much the best macro Terran in the world for a looong time. Only recently have new challengers tried to claim that title - namely TaeJa, who frequently goes for million OC builds. Still, Mvp's mechanics are fundamentally solid and, most people forget this, superior.
His micro is also similar. His marine splits are pretty even with MarineKing himself and his Hellion control is fantastic, always caring for each individual Hellion. His Banshee control is just awesome, he almost always makes them pay for themselves. Don't forget Ghost snipes (before they were nerfed), EMPs, lategame army control in general, etc.
Also, his multitasking... he frequently micros multiple drops at a time. Don't forget his lategame harass, filled with nuclear surprises, drops, you name it!
2) Perhaps Life isn't fazed, but neither has Mvp. Life has not been to a finals stage before. Between the two, I would say Life is bound to be more scared than Mvp will be. Consider the following: a 15-year-old playing in front of a huge audience, playing against the most accomplished StarCraft 2 player. Yes, he's confident, but that's not really valid considering Mvp is specifically known for his championship mindset and he has so much experience... 6 finals really says something, and so does his Game 7 vs. Squirtle. Mvp's mindset just doesn't fall apart.
3) Mvp is the king at tearing apart different styles of play. Naniwa had a distinctive style of playing for macro... Mvp crushed that with early game aggression. PartinG had a distinctive style of lategame PvT... Mvp crushed that too. Squirtle had a distinctive 2-base Colossus style... Mvp crushed that too. Those old Brood Lord/Infestor switch into Ultralisk... Mvp crushed that with mass Ghost. Remember when Terrans were struggling against Zerg severely after the Queen buff? Mvp crushed Brood Lord/Infestor with mass Seeker Missile.
Seriously, Mvp is just the master at this. If you could only choose one player in the entire world to overthrow a distinctive style, you would choose Mvp.
Don't forget that Mvp also has his unique brand of TvZ. No one mechs like he does nowadays, and Life hasn't had much experience against it either.
4. Mvp is also known for subtle things in his play. He frequently does things like place his first Barracks on the low ground, so that the Zerg doesn't scout it immediately and panics. When microing Hellions, he carefully places the injured one in the back. In every game, he always takes the closer gas geyser first. His scans are always on point and perfectly placed. His drops always have a clear purpose behind them: distract the opponent while maneuvering the army, delaying the push, giving him time to set up a stronger economy, etc. In short, Mvp is one of the most refined players in the entire game because he does these little things and they add up over the game.
Everyone, make sure to watch this GSL finals! It will go down in history!
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On October 15 2012 08:59 Entirety wrote:
First of all, I'd like to say that this is my opinion. I'd like to respectfully disagree:
1) Mvp has amazing mechanics. He is a macro Terran through and through, his macro is impeccable. People have noticed for a long time that Mvp's mechanics are clearly a cut above the rest - some attribute it to BW days, other say that he's just good. Either way, he was pretty much the best macro Terran in the world for a looong time. Only recently have new challengers tried to claim that title - namely TaeJa, who frequently goes for million OC builds. Still, Mvp's mechanics are fundamentally solid and, most people forget this, superior.
His micro is also similar. His marine splits are pretty even with MarineKing himself and his Hellion control is fantastic, always caring for each individual Hellion. His Banshee control is just awesome, he almost always makes them pay for themselves. Don't forget Ghost snipes (before they were nerfed), EMPs, lategame army control in general, etc.
Also, his multitasking... he frequently micros multiple drops at a time. Don't forget his lategame harass, filled with nuclear surprises, drops, you name it!
2) Perhaps Life isn't fazed, but neither has Mvp. Life has not been to a finals stage before. Between the two, I would say Life is bound to be more scared than Mvp will be. Consider the following: a 15-year-old playing in front of a huge audience, playing against the most accomplished StarCraft 2 player. Yes, he's confident, but that's not really valid considering Mvp is specifically known for his championship mindset and he has so much experience... 6 finals really says something, and so does his Game 7 vs. Squirtle. Mvp's mindset just doesn't fall apart.
3) Mvp is the king at tearing apart different styles of play. Naniwa had a distinctive style of playing for macro... Mvp crushed that with early game aggression. PartinG had a distinctive style of lategame PvT... Mvp crushed that too. Squirtle had a distinctive 2-base Colossus style... Mvp crushed that too. Those old Brood Lord/Infestor switch into Ultralisk... Mvp crushed that with mass Ghost. Remember when Terrans were struggling against Zerg severely after the Queen buff? Mvp crushed Brood Lord/Infestor with mass Seeker Missile.
Seriously, Mvp is just the master at this. If you could only choose one player in the entire world to overthrow a distinctive style, you would choose Mvp.
Don't forget that Mvp also has his unique brand of TvZ. No one mechs like he does nowadays, and Life hasn't had much experience against it either.
4. Mvp is also known for subtle things in his play. He frequently does things like place his first Barracks on the low ground, so that the Zerg doesn't scout it immediately and panics. When microing Hellions, he carefully places the injured one in the back. In every game, he always takes the closer gas geyser first. His scans are always on point and perfectly placed. His drops always have a clear purpose behind them: distract the opponent while maneuvering the army, delaying the push, giving him time to set up a stronger economy, etc. In short, Mvp is one of the most refined players in the entire game because he does these little things and they add up over the game.
Everyone, make sure to watch this GSL finals! It will go down in history!
I agree with a lot of what you say, but there's a few things I feel differently about:
Mvp's mechanics are amazing indeed, and so are Life's. Life is incredibly smart with his larva management these days and is able to build just as many drones as he can while making lings as well. I'd say this is even. If either player has an edge, it can't be much.
Life is coming in with everything to win, while Mvp has more to lose. He's done almost everything he can to destroy doubts of his condition, but Life has been playing mostly for fun and I think he's going to have a ball here. No reason for nerves on his part.
Thirdly, since Life has played so many styles in each matchup over the last year, he's able to pick and choose elements from each style in his matches.
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United States15275 Posts
On October 15 2012 08:59 Entirety wrote:
3) Mvp is the king at tearing apart different styles of play. Naniwa had a distinctive style of playing for macro... Mvp crushed that with early game aggression. PartinG had a distinctive style of lategame PvT... Mvp crushed that too. Squirtle had a distinctive 2-base Colossus style... Mvp crushed that too. Those old Brood Lord/Infestor switch into Ultralisk... Mvp crushed that with mass Ghost. Remember when Terrans were struggling against Zerg severely after the Queen buff? Mvp crushed Brood Lord/Infestor with mass Seeker Missile.
Seriously, Mvp is just the master at this. If you could only choose one player in the entire world to overthrow a distinctive style, you would choose Mvp.
Don't forget that Mvp also has his unique brand of TvZ. No one mechs like he does nowadays, and Life hasn't had much experience against it either.
The only thing I disagree is that any of these examples are relevant. Life's style is not tied to unit compositions like Parting or European zergs.
On October 15 2012 07:08 HaXXspetten wrote:
My only problem is I had a similar feeling for Squirtle... but then again the only reason he lost was because he succumbed to the pressure. The aura of confidence that Life has should make sure that doesn't happen, and hopefully that will be enough.
If anything the ZvTs he's played thus far makes Mvp look like an overcomeable object at least.
Please don't get an 11th silver, I believe in you Life :s
I think Squirtle was not as complete a player as everyone wanted to believe. He especially abused the novelty of his 2 base colossus all-in to the fullest; the current metagame at that time favored greedy marine-heavy openers and opening templar before colossus.
Very good hype article!
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opterown
Australia54748 Posts
how often did squirtle do the squirtle collosi timing? iirc it was mainly during ipl4; he didn't use it very often after?
squirtle did heavily underperform in his finals imo
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On October 15 2012 11:15 catplanetcatplanet wrote:Show nested quote +On October 15 2012 08:59 Entirety wrote:
First of all, I'd like to say that this is my opinion. I'd like to respectfully disagree:
1) Mvp has amazing mechanics. He is a macro Terran through and through, his macro is impeccable. People have noticed for a long time that Mvp's mechanics are clearly a cut above the rest - some attribute it to BW days, other say that he's just good. Either way, he was pretty much the best macro Terran in the world for a looong time. Only recently have new challengers tried to claim that title - namely TaeJa, who frequently goes for million OC builds. Still, Mvp's mechanics are fundamentally solid and, most people forget this, superior.
His micro is also similar. His marine splits are pretty even with MarineKing himself and his Hellion control is fantastic, always caring for each individual Hellion. His Banshee control is just awesome, he almost always makes them pay for themselves. Don't forget Ghost snipes (before they were nerfed), EMPs, lategame army control in general, etc.
Also, his multitasking... he frequently micros multiple drops at a time. Don't forget his lategame harass, filled with nuclear surprises, drops, you name it!
2) Perhaps Life isn't fazed, but neither has Mvp. Life has not been to a finals stage before. Between the two, I would say Life is bound to be more scared than Mvp will be. Consider the following: a 15-year-old playing in front of a huge audience, playing against the most accomplished StarCraft 2 player. Yes, he's confident, but that's not really valid considering Mvp is specifically known for his championship mindset and he has so much experience... 6 finals really says something, and so does his Game 7 vs. Squirtle. Mvp's mindset just doesn't fall apart.
3) Mvp is the king at tearing apart different styles of play. Naniwa had a distinctive style of playing for macro... Mvp crushed that with early game aggression. PartinG had a distinctive style of lategame PvT... Mvp crushed that too. Squirtle had a distinctive 2-base Colossus style... Mvp crushed that too. Those old Brood Lord/Infestor switch into Ultralisk... Mvp crushed that with mass Ghost. Remember when Terrans were struggling against Zerg severely after the Queen buff? Mvp crushed Brood Lord/Infestor with mass Seeker Missile.
Seriously, Mvp is just the master at this. If you could only choose one player in the entire world to overthrow a distinctive style, you would choose Mvp.
Don't forget that Mvp also has his unique brand of TvZ. No one mechs like he does nowadays, and Life hasn't had much experience against it either.
4. Mvp is also known for subtle things in his play. He frequently does things like place his first Barracks on the low ground, so that the Zerg doesn't scout it immediately and panics. When microing Hellions, he carefully places the injured one in the back. In every game, he always takes the closer gas geyser first. His scans are always on point and perfectly placed. His drops always have a clear purpose behind them: distract the opponent while maneuvering the army, delaying the push, giving him time to set up a stronger economy, etc. In short, Mvp is one of the most refined players in the entire game because he does these little things and they add up over the game.
Everyone, make sure to watch this GSL finals! It will go down in history! I agree with a lot of what you say, but there's a few things I feel differently about: Mvp's mechanics are amazing indeed, and so are Life's. Life is incredibly smart with his larva management these days and is able to build just as many drones as he can while making lings as well. I'd say this is even. If either player has an edge, it can't be much. Life is coming in with everything to win, while Mvp has more to lose. He's done almost everything he can to destroy doubts of his condition, but Life has been playing mostly for fun and I think he's going to have a ball here. No reason for nerves on his part. Thirdly, since Life has played so many styles in each matchup over the last year, he's able to pick and choose elements from each style in his matches.
I agree, Life and Mvp's mechanics are pretty much equal factors.
Life might have nothing to lose, but you have to admit that he'll be nervous, at least a little. Mvp will also be nervous, at least a little. Life doesn't want to blow this opportunity. Neither does Mvp.
But Mvp has experience. That is the factor which might put him above.
Finally, I think Mvp has more styles than Life does. Mvp literally has hundreds of build orders at his disposal and he has far more experience in my opinion.
Yes, it's true that Life has that WOW factor - that superb decision making/positioning/awesome play which isn't tied to shaky things like unit composition. On the other hand, so does Mvp. Mvp has managed to stay relevant for almost 2 years, and that isn't a fluke. Mvp has amazing game sense, that can be his WOW factor.
I personally believe that Mvp will win this GSL... but Life will definitely put up a great fight.
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United States15275 Posts
On October 15 2012 11:57 opterown wrote:
how often did squirtle do the squirtle collosi timing? iirc it was mainly during ipl4; he didn't use it very often after?
squirtle did heavily underperform in his finals imo
He used it a lot before and after. I distinctly remember rolling my eyes everytime he played a terran on Cloud Kingdom or Sanshorn Mists because I knew this build was coming.
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MVP's mechanics are solid but they are a bit crude. He controls armies well as a whole but there is always some sloppiness to it.
He's not the best multitasker. He relies on static defense a lot to play his late games. He's not like an MKP or Rain or whoever else that can manage economic harass with just sheer map awareness and APM.
Better mechanics than MVP: TaeJa, MKP, Flash (now or soon) Rain, Life, Symbol, Creator and maybe some others
The only way MVP will win and that's pretty much always how it happens is that he will bring the cutting edge of Terran strategy and will have an extremely intelligent plan for every map. He will throw some curve balls at Life so he will need to think on his feet because MVP won't let him play a textbook series.
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United Kingdom16710 Posts
^ I'm not sure you've seen enough recent MVP games. He's still second to none when it comes to macro and multitasking. He was frequently pulling ~20 supply ahead of Rain in the semis and he's still more than capable of attacking 2 or 3 places at once and executing it well.
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United States15275 Posts
On October 15 2012 21:43 Telcontar wrote:
^ I'm not sure you've seen enough recent MVP games. He's still second to none when it comes to macro and multitasking. He was frequently pulling ~20 supply ahead of Rain in the semis and he's still more than capable of attacking 2 or 3 places at once and executing it well.
Rain was doing extremely safe openers throughout the series. Mvp went 1 rax double expand in Game 4 and 5 while Rain was doing tech openings (like his DT expand) that did not do too much damage. Any solid Code S player would have been ahead in supply.
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Whatever you say, MVP will win. It's MVP in a GSL final. There is just no way around this fucking beast.
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Great write up by held back a lot by the terrible formatting. Paragraphs man, paragraphs.
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East Gorteau22261 Posts
On October 16 2012 04:04 AnYvia wrote:
Whatever you say, MVP will win. It's MVP in a GSL final. There is just no way around this fucking beast.
Except right through him?
On October 20 2012 13:49 RaiKageRyu wrote:
Great write up by held back a lot by the terrible formatting. Paragraphs man, paragraphs.
Sorry man, I only write in Word usually; and copy-pasting from Word onto TL doesn't keep any formatting, unfortunately; and I haven't taken the time to bother learning anything about formatting on the internet, much less TL.
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This up coming GSTL is going to be interesting with it being Startale vs IM
After Life took games off of Nestea, Seed, and MVP in the GSL. Lets see how both teams react to the choice in players.
I miss LosirA :'(
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EPT
