My IPL5 Experience

I never got around to my PAX / Red Bull LAN recap due to Torchlight 2's release proximity, so I'm making sure to do at least a quick overview of this awesome event (my first full eSports event) before it all fades from memory. I'll go tackle that other one later.

Day 1 (Thursday)

Flew in at night and met up with Seattle Barcrafters who came in the morning. Vegas is ridiculous. You drive in past a black pyramid shooting a beam of light out the top, a small eiffel tower, etc. I stayed at Bally’s which has escalators and flat escalators ringing it. It really feels like you’re inside a movie. Music plays, fountains erupt around you, and people flood by in suits and dresses.

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Day 2 (Friday)

Met up with MN Barcraft people who visited during PAX. See some games, eat at Wicked Spoon buffet at the Cosmo. SO GOOD. Slab bacon, the most moist, tender pork roast, a delicious prime rib roast, amazing chicken, good braised lamb that even I enjoyed, and a ton more.

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There was a bunch of neat stuff to buy at the merchandise booths, but hoodies aren’t my style and I already have too many keyboards. Ended up getting a zerg t-shirt and the sc2 poster. Ran into some more Seattle Barcrafters from Microsoft.

Grabbed a bunch of signatures for my Starcraft 2011 book, where I've been having players sign their entry.

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Cheered for Bomber and Polt to advance (Terrans). Bomber won my heart at PAX when he came to Barcraft to hang out and play with fans. Elaborate on that also awesome weekend another time.

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Polt Leenock has technical difficulties so it’s time to cheer for Hyun and Ryung (TERRAN) in the GSL Semis. I tried to make a mutalisk with a boxing glove over the glaive wurm shooting part... but it just looks like a penis.

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Alack, alack.

Day 3: Saturday

Cheering for the world, I bet $10 on the world vs. my friend’s $15. Guess I hit the ratio close with the 2-3. I also bet a young lady next to me $5 on Korea after she declined taking my $5 bet on the World, so I felt super guilty when I won that one and she tracked me down to make good on it. Didn’t get a chance to redeem myself on that one.

Related, the racing stripe on Scarlett’s roach totally redeemed this cheerful for me.

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It was super packed, so ended up changing seats. Ended up sitting right behind some more barcrafters I knew from Seattle, such a small world.

In the GSL finals, I was rooting for Hyun since Sniper killed everyone else I would root for, but I don’t hold a strong grudges so I made him a cheerful, too. It’s also not their personal faults for it being another ZvZ.

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I managed to snag signatures from Mr. Chae and Engine

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I offered to buy Mr. Chae a drink after the finals, which he was ready to accept but realized he had to take care of stuff. After a promise to be at the roulette tables at 2 AM, we wandered off for food. I think I startled Mr. Chae when we passed by him later on and I was like “2 AM Mr. Chae??”, I think he thought it was 2 AM already for a second. Met up with others and walked around the casinos and stuff for a while. Mr. Chae didn't end up making it out to the roulette tables by 2.

Day 4: Sunday

Woke up bright and early for Bomber Polt! Was conflicted but ending up siding with Bomber and lose $5. Then I cheered for Polt. The World Championships came up next with Vortix replacing Naniwa so... the GomZvZ came out for a bit longer while I drew up a Leenock Polt cheerful in hopeful anticipation of a TvZ finals.

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Alack, alack!

Was forced to fix this cheerful repurposed an old one

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I didn’t have any idea how to do Violet, so I’ll make it up to him next time. Apparently he’s the surgeon zerg. I think I can work with that. Sorry, Violet!

Passed by ST_Legend in the hall with a case of Redbull. I think he remembered me from the day before when I got his autograph, so he offered me a can, which was a real lifesaver.

Also ran into Mr. Chae right after that, who profusely apologized for not showing up. It’s okay Mr. Chae, you can do no wrong in my eyes!

The finals go the full length, and it hits somewhere around 11 or 11:30 when it finishes. There’s a lady with the most amazing baneling plushie, so I have to ask.

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It’s a baneling hat in fact, and she (Kat Gunn) said she takes commissions and it would go for about $200. I believe she said it had 75 or so parts? The detail is more incredible than the picture suggests. I wasn’t able to find a storefront so presumably you’d just tweet her if you were interested.

We run into Leenock eating by himself (with a handler). Either he was just absorbing his victory or he was too young to join the private party with the players and important people held half a floor down. Hopefully it’s the former, but either way we offer our congratulations for his great performance. Then we wistfully gaze down upon the closed party before moving on.

We grab hidden pizza and spy MMA, Ryung, Crank, and Miya(?) with Genna. The players walk by and I go “You’re awesome MMA!” and he gives this funny wave from the waist. I initially interpret it as a “no, don’t draw attention” kind of thing so I don’t say anything more or ask for autographs. Then they pass by fully and I realize it was probably just a normal wave, just from the hip, and I feel super awkward for not saying anything to the other players.

Oops.

I walk by Golden and Ryung while I'm walking to Walgreens. I turn around and catch them to get autographs, and then afterwards they head off in the opposite direction from where they were going when I stopped them. I hope I didn’t completely disorient them.

On the way back I catch Grubby at the bottom of the bar where the private party is being held. I congratulate him for his IEM Singapore performance, and he asks what this book I’m signing is (The Year in Starcraft 2011). He’s like “Oh you can download this right? But you want to support him, cool. Am I even in there?”

I’m all, “Of course! You're Grubby. Why wouldn’t you be?”

Thumb over to the G section... and he’s not in there.

Grubby quips, “Oh right, that’s why I didn’t buy it. Do you still want my signature?”

Psssh, of course! I have him sign the back where the GOM staff and Life (no 2011 records either) have signed, and he’s just like “Oh, I’m in good company!”

Grubby is awesome.

All the other players spill out from the party onto the casino floor at this point. We end up chatting up Legend for a while with the assistance of a very helpful, friendly translator, who I hope we didn't monopolize for too long. Legend is super awesome and friendly. I snag Bumblebee’s signature on his favorite player of the moment (HerO), try to talk to Polt, and offer to wingman for Legend if he comes to visit Seattle. Mr. Chae passes by and tells us he’s seen us so often this weekend, we seem like family.

At this point it hits 5 or 6 and my flight is at 9:25, so I leave despite the arrival of Tastosis, Stephano, and probably others.

What a memorable weekend. Should you ever get the chance, go.

I leave you with a message from ST_Legend:

TL;DR - Went to IPL5, got stood up by Mr. Chae.

My IPL5 Experience

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