EPTYou may have come here from the launch party, from Day9, from Kotaku or IGN. Whatever brought you here in the first place, Welcome. This is an introduction to the SC2 community meant for newcomers. If you get lost when I say, "Symbol lost the Bo7 finals of GSL Code S, the final tourney of WoL," then this post is targeted to you. You’ve arrived at the table late and the story is already in progress. Allow me to catch you up.
I’m outlining the basic history and major themes of this scene as I see them. It’s certainly not a comprehensive guide nor definitive authority of all things Starcraft, but I’ve been watching and paying attention to the SC2 scene since it bagan and these are my observations 3 years in. Consider this “PREVIOUSLY: ON STARCRAFT 2,” the TV guide cliff notes.
Something people will want me to say is that you must play the game, and play it a lot, to really appreciate its beauty. It’s true that you can only deeply appreciate the strategy of a game and recognize its brilliance once you’ve sat with it for a while. Practical knowledge is important before you get to that stage where you're chatting with friends about the game. Playing it as a bunch of pals hanging out. Here are some important themes from the past three years to keep in mind as you enter the scene.
Brood War
The first and most important thing to appreciate about Starcraft 2 is its predecessor : Brood War.
Playing Brood War makes you go crazy and the people devoted to Brood War are crazy. Not bad crazy, but as Tasteless once pointed out, Brood War breaks your brain. The people devoted to BW are very, very passionate about one of the greatest games ever created, certainly the best Real Time Strategy game. They’ve seen people come and go, empires rise and fall, lived through the betrayal of SaViOr, and they are very, very wary of new people. You see, Old-School Brood War was not easily viewable on the internet, and you had to be very dedicated to pursue it as a form of entertainment. A (comparably) small community of very dedicated people grew around this sport, and it became a vestige from the Real World. Those people have grown into the old men sitting in rockers on the BW porch shouting “back in my day” at those kooky kids and their fancy “Murderships or whatever those whippersnappers fiddle with these days.” Of course, there are old folks who get along fine with newer community members, but I digress. Broodwar fanatics are killing eSports with their resistance to inclusion, and so are you. Don’t worry, we’re all killing eSports.
South Korea
The best players in the world are from South Korea, the Big Leagues. South Korea is to Starcraft what the West is to the NBA. Start with that as a baseline with respect to appreciating the games you see. To play in South Korea is to play in the Big Leagues, and the best players are from there and should win every single game they play against foreigners. The important part of the story here is that basically every time a foreigner beats a Korean, it's news. Note that a player is "foreign" with respect to Korea, Not America.
This is not to say that South Koreans don't lose, in fact, they lose all the time. As a man born in Massachusetts this metaphor pains me, but South Korea is the Yankees. On paper, they win every game. They should win, but occasionally they lose to a team like the Pirates. Koreans do lose to non-Koreans, and it’s significant when it happens.
Major Players
Here’s a short list of notable players. I picked only some of my favorite players, because there are a TON of amazing story lines out there and this is not Liquipedia. These are players who have been around for a minute. Remember, pay attention and follow players you like. Fans are the most important part of a vibrant scene! I’ll list some newer interesting players in a later post.
- SK.MC: The Boss Toss with an incredible personality, MC is one of the best to play the game, er, Wings of Liberty, at least. His tactics are varied and he always puts on a great show outside of the booth. MC used to play second fiddle to other pro Koreans and has been dominant from the first. Look to see how he transitions in HOTS in foreign tournaments. I sat next to him in a bar during MLG Providence. He almost sang “On a Boat” at karaoke—A Showman.
- Liquid`Hero: A player you can’t help but love, Hero is quirky and very talented. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and posts unbelievable results when people don’t believe in him. His skill is extreme and, apparently, his nerves get to him. One of the most well-loved and most respected players in the game, his candid demeanor and willingness to improve will probably win you over, unless you don’t have a soul. In which case, go find something you love, and devote some time to it. Souls are important.
- Grubby: Perhaps the most mature and consistently well-mannered gamer, he was one of the best Warcraft III players and he carries with him a horde of fans. For a long time he was one of the few foreigners capable of taking games off top Koreans.(see http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=379518#1 for reference) Always fun to watch stream he is perhaps the best player-ambassador in the industry.
- EG.Idra: While players of all stripes praise Idra’s normalness outside of the game, in the community he carries a reputation for… prickliness. Outspoken and opinionated he is an old Brood War pro and one of the most followed players.
- SK.Boxer: Now retired and currently coaching SK, Boxer was the king of micro in Brood War. He can’t go out in public in much of the eastern hemisphere without getting mobbed. Any player who approaches extreme micro supremacy will be compared to him, and The Emperor’s names—Boxer–Lim Yo Hwan— are names you should know.
- EG.Stephano: Stephano changed the way Zerg was played. This young French phenom Demolished top Koreans with a new style of Zerg centered around roaches. It took a very long time for the rest of the world to catch up. He’s been playing in Korea with mixed results and has the potential to carry the West’s Torch.
- IM.MVP: The winningest Terran to grace Starcraft 2, when you hear MVP you should quake. He has four GSL Championships.
- MarineKing.Prime (MKP): Reddit once flew MKP to play at MLG Orlando. He’s a huge fan favorite whose journey has been very up and down within the highest level of play. He consistently still plays at the top level, utilizing entertaining micro to baffle his opponents and win over unbelievers. He hasn’t hit the highest notes we know he is capable of but he has a ton of heart and is one of the best Terrans around.
- Acer.Scarlett: THE Woman in Starcraft 2, Jenna Prosser Robinson, eat your heart out. For a moment in SC2, not only was Scarlett one of the most dominant players in the world, she also possessed unique anatomy in the male-dominated culture. If her previous performance carries forward expect her to hear a lot from her moving on. And fuck you, you toll. Just because a person you don’t understand is better than your favorite player, stop belittling women. It’s toxic and juvenile, and won’t help you to get laid.
- ST.Life Hom’god. 2 in a row. Just, jesus, watch out.
Major Tournaments
MLG
The winter championship is happening right now, As I write this, Polt’s down a game to Life. It’s a really exciting and important series. Both of these players are going on incredible, ascendant runs, amongst whispers of Terran’s immortality. Life is the player to shut whiny Zergs up, and Polt is a potential Terran impressor. Just as HOTS releases, these players are winning. What’s the takaeaway? ---Life is in the finals now, and Flash just lost the third game. This is big.
MLG want to be the MLB of eSports. They aim for big prize pools with the best players the world has to offer. MLGs happen 3-4 times a year and are looking to entrench themselves as the Premiere eSports league. Just so you know, 134,000 people are watching the finals at this moment. The old record of concurrent SC2 viewers was 105,000, set during release.
IEM
Europeans hold spotlight at The Intel Extreme Master’s Cup. It seems like the tournament value capitalizes more live than online, but I am a biased American. The production value has traditionally lagged for online viewers. The live LAN experience pales in comparison t MLG, NASL and GSL. North America is pretty obsessed with itself and would love for domination at the hands of any of its players, but Europe’s long and convoluted history lends to exciting story lines no matter who is playing deep in the tournament. This tournament leads the charge with excited and passionate live experiences, launching impressive players into the spotlight.
GSL Code S
This GOM TV Korean tournament features the highest level of Starcraft 2 competition, period. (.)There are constant qualifiers in lower brackets vying for spots in the coveted 32-man experience. The Mokdong, Korea studios, with Tasteosis casting in a dirty cluttered corner, were home to the highest level of Starcraft 2 in a disproportionally decrepit studio. As SC2 grows, so will the level of competition and international exposure of this tournament. Any person competing in here is to be respected and feared by any every player.
Homestory Cup
Take, an impressive German man, hosts a bunch of professionals in his apartment as they all drink, gamble, and play in a tournament. The whole experience is streamed and everyone hangs out with his or her guard down. The best HSC to watch is during December, when the off-season begins and players head to the final “major” tournament before the holiday off-season. I’ve seen some amazing moments live that are amplified through sheer force of viewership. It’s hard to downplay the closeness you feel to the living, breathing scene while you’re watching Take’s inspired situation. The lesson of TakeTV’s HSC is that You Can Create Your Own Phenomenon if you have space, money, and booze.
Conclusion
I have more to say to introduce you to storyline Starcraft 2, but I’m capping myself. Players are where you should focus your attention. Once you spend a few months following your favorite player you’ll begin to appreciate the significance of a single victory. Until then, you’ll wait for unseen engagements that shift the way the game is played, antics, and silly Caster nonsense. Once you, as an informed viewer, start to read between the lines, a newer significant story line starts to emerge, informed by the history that came before your experiences. The story is here, and needs to be told and appreciated in order to grow. In later posts I will cover personalities outside of the physical game being played as well as more meta thru-lines informing a broader appreciation.
For now, again, welcome. We hope you stick around and contribute constructively. Trolls help only trolls. Haters hat your hats.
