EPTNow that 2012 is drawing to a close, let's look back at this year of ups and downs for the ailing champion, the King of Wings.
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Compared to 2011, this year was an utter disaster for our dear King. But who can blame him? Yes, 2012 was disappointing in many ways, but only because he shone so brightly in 2011. In fact, his 2011 year was so strong that many people wanted to crown him bonjwa in 1 year when it usually takes multiple (2-3+). Such was his glory that, at the start of 2012, Mvp had a legacy unsurpassed, even by his close rival NesTea. Still, the very end of 2012 had signaled a worrying shift... Mvp had actually started to not win championships. Losing to MMA in the finals of GSL October, losing to Leenock in the semifinals of MLG Providence, losing to Leenock once more in the semifinals of GSL November, then losing to MMA again in the finals of GeForce and the semifinals of GSL Blizzard Cup. Although these sound like really amazing results, they were beneath our King's pristine standards. It raised the question: Was Mvp in a "slump"?
This was the question we wished to answer as 2012 began. Right off the bat, Mvp dropped out of GSL Season 1 in the Round of 16 group stages, but it's not like Mvp can win every single GSL in a row (though he did come close). However, talk of his wrist conditions grew more ubiquitous and Mvp's performance in MLG Winter Arena, though better than NesTea's, was decidedly poor. He lost to opponents that should have been mere distractions. To compound things, he suddenly lost to IdrA in Iron Squid, of all people, and his health was called into question. It was not Mvp's style to bomb out of tournaments in succession, GSL, MLG, and Iron Squid.
Now, we set the stage for GSL Season 2. Our champion's wrists were greatly suffering and his form looked like the worst it had ever been. Protoss was at a ridiculous high, with lategame TvP being called "unwinnable" due to the combination of Storm and Colossi. Protoss players rose out of the woodworks - PartinG made a name for himself with his Templar control during MLG Winter, Squirtle made a name for himself with his Colossus push against Terrans in IPL 4 (2nd place), and HerO vanquished his anxiety problems and started to shine in GSL with his trademark multitasking. Of the Terran players who could stand up to this Protoss threat, there were only two: MarineKing, and The King.
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Mvp scraped by the group stages in 2nd place with his special magic. Beating out Ryung and Puzzle in the Round of 32, then beating out July and Leenock! in the Round of 16. However, a loss to HerO was worrying in the era of Protoss.
The Round of 8 opponent was notorious NaNiwa who feared no King. However, Mvp used early game strategies and quickly dispatched the foreigner. The King of Korea himself had kicked out the foreign intruder to GSL, but fans wondered whether these early game rushes signified Mvp's fear of the lategame or Mvp's health problems. Soon, Mvp would truly be tested.
The Round of 4 opponent was PartinG, hailed as the best PvT at the time. People predicted an overwhelming defeat for Mvp and it was easy to see why - the champion simply did not look like a champion, PvT lategame looked broken, and PartinG was crushing Terrans left and right. Still, the more Mvp looked vulnerable, the stronger he became. PartinG was conquered, 3-1, and his boasts were left hollow.
The final boss was Squirtle, who now claimed the title of best PvT. Squirtle had an amazing record leading up to the finals and Squirtle vs. Mvp was hailed to be one of the greatest clashes in StarCraft 2. And it was - voters were split, almost 50/50, on who would win and the series is one of the most well-known series ever. Notably, Mvp went head to head with Squirtle in the lategame, defying Terran tears, Squirtle came back from behind to tie things up at 3-3, Mvp showed off a new Battlecruiser build which seemed unstoppable if not for Mothership Vortex and Storms abound, and Mvp proudly displayed his manhood inheritance in Game 7 with quite possibly the ballsiest 2 Rax ever. Squirtle seemed to have won, but a moment of carelessness and a great surround handed Mvp the game and 4th championship on a platter.
His team, Incredible Miracle, carried a banner: The King has returned.
(Oh yeah, he also took 3rd place at NVIDIA Gaming Festival. He should have won that tournament - it would have been the easiest $5,000 of his career. His failure to win created more doubts about his form, but hey - at the end of the day, is 3rd place and $1,000 really so bad?)
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Euphoric after his success, we didn't expect Mvp to suddenly lose his form once again. An early Ro16 exit from GSL Season 3 (which was won by his teammate, Seed), an early Ro16 exit from OSL (a surprising loss to Flying), an early Ro16 exit from HomeStory Cup IV (which was his tournament to lose... losing to Naama, monchi, Ret...). His HomeStory Cup IV performance was especially telling. How far the King had fallen, to lose to 3 different foreigners of 3 different races. He had just beaten Squirtle and PartinG, yet he lost to monchi. His once fearsome TvZ (which beat Leenock) was overcome by Ret. His best matchup, the undisputable King of TvT had lost a TvT to Naama.
All the while, his health problems seemed to get worse and worse and worse. KeSPA players started streaming in and made thoughts of championships even harder to realize. TvZ became Mvp's worst matchup because of the Queen patch and Zergs began to rise everywhere. Talk of Mvp's retirement began to spread... it was a dark time for Mvp fans indeed.
After an early loss in WCS Korea (which was basically GSL Season 3.5), Mvp dropped out of WCS Korea in order to attend IEM Cologne with NesTea. "A sponsorship obligation" was the prevailing thought.
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Mvp suddenly crushed through IEM Cologne. Sure, it was full of foreigners and the only Korean he beat was NesTea. Sure, it was the era of "Patchzergs" (at the time, these Zergs were called Patch Zergs, I don't agree with the term). Still, he put on a TvZ mech clinic by incorporating Banshees to create a super solid mech build safe from Roaches. He used heavily upgraded Thors to combat Brood Lords directly. For a time, it looked like Mvp had solved the dilemma of TvZ. The only player he lost to in IEM Cologne was viOLet.
Crushing through the Open Bracket, securing 1st place in his group despite his loss to viOLet, and cruising along the back of his revitalized TvZ, 3-1 sLivko, 3-1 VortiX, 3-1 Nerchio. Just like that, Mvp took home $6,500 and proving to LG that IM was the best investment they could have ever made.
Now, Mvp was looking to take that success back to Korea. His games in the group stages were amazing to watch - he overcame MMA, his old rival. He slapped MarineKing silly, as usual. He lost to the hottest Terran around, TaeJa. Things were looking pretty good for him as he advanced to the Round of 8.
His Round of 8 opponent was Symbol, the guy who all-killed IM before. Now, it was time for Mvp to prove his TvZ against a premier, top-class Korean Zerg. His TvZ shone through, his mech play dismantled Symbol 3-1. In the era of Protoss, Mvp had been the Terran's hope. Now, in the era of Zerg, it seemed like Mvp was to be the Terran's hope once more. No problem, the King is supposed to lead the way.
The Round of 4 was a crazy match-up... Elephants?!?!?! Yes, By.Rain was here with surprising dominance, upsetting TaeJa 2-0 and making TaeJa fear him. His PvP looked solid (taking apart HerO), his PvZ was amazing, and his PvT seemed unbeatable (check the LR threads at the time, people were saying that his style is perfect and unbeatable). This was the ultimate matchup - KeSPA's best player against the eSF's King.
Rain was the favorite and people expected him to crush Mvp. In a closely fought series, Mvp edged out Rain in an epic series, 3-2. What an amazing night! The eSF hero had beaten the KeSPA star on GSL grounds, making a clear statement: KeSPA hadn't caught up to eSF, not yet! The King restored honor to eSF and proved that it wasn't going to be an Elephant Stomp... Mvp would always be there to compete.
Finally, Life, the ZvT extraordinaire. His ZvT was so strong throughout GSL and it overcame Mvp too, but not before Mvp took 3 games off Life and left him seriously doubting whether he could win the championship. Mvp utilized Mech and proved that Mech could take Life to the brink, but his predictability might have been his downfall. We will never know what might have happened if Mvp used Bio to mix things up, but there's no use considering the possibilities. Mvp graciously accepted his loss. GSL Season 4, although he didn't win, was his victory. His run was amazing, he overcame the odds one more time, and came so close to beating the unstoppable Royal Roader. Life had everything on his side - age, race (remember, TvZ Queen patch!), health, momentum. The King brought his shiny Mech build and a heart of gold, and he almost won it all.
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2012 ends on a low note. A super early exit from WEM, an early exit from GSL Season 5 and continuing health problems made him skip both IPL 5 and GSL World Championship. His GSTL performances have been poor.
In GSL Blizzard Cup 2012, he had the worst night of his career. I will not talk about this more.
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Still, he made it back into Code A, meaning he was in Code S for 10 seasons straight - Mvp won the NesTea award!
Mvp advanced in his Iron Squid group to the Round of 16 - perhaps he will make a splash in this tournament in 2013.
IM stated that the players will rest up and regain their health.
Mvp will be back in 2013, so all the other players better watch out.
The Legacy of 2012
In 2012, Mvp was no God, he was no Flash - Mvp was a mere mortal, but he was a King. He cemented his position as the most accomplished player in the world and he has undoubtedly proven himself to be the King of Wings of Liberty. With HotS being released soon, it is unlikely that anyone will surpass his accomplishments. Perhaps no one will ever rival what he has accomplished - 4 GSLs, 6 finals is not so easy to achieve.
Mvp topped the GSL ranking in 2012 AGAIN, even while it seemed like his entire body was failing him. He was a true inspiration, he has shown us two different sides of him: the champion who dominates all and the underdog who perseveres and overcomes the odds. When you look at Mvp, you feel respect.
MMA has fallen far and has not recovered, NesTea was just as disappointing in 2013. MarineKing showed promise in the beginning of 2012, but a few MLGs was the extent of what he accomplished - no GSLs for him. MC had slumps like Mvp, and while MC took home a lot of foreign tournaments, he was unable to make things happen in the GSL and OSL - though he did get 2nd in a GSL.
In the end, MC did not even qualify for Blizzard Cup, and his throne looks to be in danger - PartinG, Seed, HerO, Squirtle, Rain have all stood up to challenge the throne. NesTea's Zerg throne has been overtaken by fresh blood - DongRaeGu, Leenock, Life, Sniper, HyuN, and more.
Out of all the legends of 2011, Mvp alone remains strong. TaeJa is a formidable challenger, but he is the Prince and Mvp is the King. Mvp is the Legend - the one who is not swept away by the tides, the one who is not fazed by impossible odds or racial imbalance, the one who does not care if his body disintegrates into nothing, the one who will always remain in our hearts.
