EPT
The topic of my 1,000 blog comes naturally to me: the StarCraft II pro-gamer hailing from South Korea, the King of Terran himself: LG-IMMvp.
Where to begin? I suppose I should start with my crowning achievement: the Mvp Fan Club. This fan club is my life and blood, and probably the only reason why I even come to Team Liquid. I have chosen to dedicate myself fully towards one project, and one project only. My time here is constantly spent trying to make the Mvp Fan Club the best fan club it can possibly be.
Briefly, I will try to summarize the work I have done for the fan club.
- I started off by compiling all the interviews of Mvp I could find, and I sent the updated list to the owner of the Mvp Fan Club at the time (bkrow).
- I posted frequently in the Fan Club, often writing match previews (I vividly remember writing match previews for GSL Season 4 2012). I started including a "Mvp Schedule" and "Upcoming Games" section at the end of every post, which eventually became a feature of the fan club itself.
- Then, I made it my goal to update the Replays/VODs list. Before, the list was practically empty, and now the list contains basically every single professional game that Mvp has played. Every single one. I also dug up VODs and replays and I carefully formatted the list.
- Sometime along the way, I took up ownership of the Mvp Fan Club.
- I totally revamped the Fan Club by recreating the Player Profile and writing an entirely new Player Biography, as well as creating new banners, a new layout, and updated sections (such as an updated Achievements section).
- opterown kindly informed me that the Replays/VODs list took up too much space and that I should take tips from the Creator Fan Club. I contemplated suicide, and then started the project of redoing the entire list to make it more space-efficient (currently almost done with this).
- I have compiled all the interview photos of Mvp with the eventual goal of completely revamping the Photos section.
- I have started another project to compile every article written about Mvp (including every single Team Liquid preview/recap)... this project is far from complete.
- Most importantly, I have taken my borderline obsession with Mvp wherever I go, spreading the Mvp love and supporting Mvp all the way!
Okay, I didn't mean for this blog to sound like a brag post... Truth be told, the work I have done for Mvp is only a tiny fraction of the work that still remains, and that makes me happy. I still have to make the VODs list more space-efficient, I still have to collect all Team Liquid articles, I still have to update his photos. I still have to cheer for him until he wins that G5L trophy. My mission is to make this one fan club the most comprehensive in all of Team Liquid history.
I encourage you to sign up if you are a fan of Mvp!
So... why Mvp?
It's impossible to describe why Mvp has such influence over me, but I will do my best to try. I can only hope that other people can see what I see in him.
Mvp is a story, and he's not just any old story. He is the story of humanity itself, he embodies so many characteristics yet remains himself. I can't claim that I was a loyal fan from the very beginning - instead, I started off admiring MC. It's no secret that, like many other fans, I only became his fan during his domination in late 2011. However, domination is not the reason why I am his fan.
I suppose I should start with struggle. Starting from his Brood War days, he is a clear example of the average pro-gamer, talented but struggling to break into the scene. He showed a brilliant game against Flash, but it is obvious that his Brood War days were unsatisfactory. He took a chance by choosing pro-gaming, and he almost failed. He almost descended into obscurity, he almost hung up the mouse forever. Instead, he took one more chance in the new game.
Then came perfection. Although his run of domination came later, I would actually say that early 2011 was when he looked most unstoppable. He was not simply an amazing player - he was actually unbeatable. He all-killed Team Zerg (the best Zerg players of the day), he crushed the enormous Gainward SC2 Tournament with ease, he demolished the first GSL Code S while dropping a single map.
He was solid - in the days of cheesing and aggressive plays, Mvp truly revolutionized Terran play. He was, in my opinion, the first true macro Terran, whose playstyle displayed confidence in himself. He started a wave of Korean Terran domination.
He started rivalries. Mvp vs. MarineKing was, perhaps, the first rivalry I can remember. He created essential storylines - the unbeatable king.
He was the embodiment of domination. Even though his earlier run in 2011 was "perfection", his later run was "domination" due to the sheer number of tournaments. Every single tournament was his, every single time he made deep runs, and he seemed untouchable except for a select few players at the very top.
He was complete. He wasn't just a macro Terran, he split his Marines like no tomorrow. He had extraordinary game sense (he still leaves us wondering how he nails all his scans perfectly). He had the strategy, the multitasking, the championship attitude, the mindgames. More than anyone else, he was the full package.
Then came the fall. From being the undisputed best player in the world, he suddenly fell down, down, down, and somehow that makes him even more likable, more human. Suddenly, we could relate to him more, the challenger once again.
Yet he displayed such perseverance. Everyone knows about his spine condition and the subsequent problems it causes with his wrists, yet he didn't allow himself to be stopped. With such a debilitating condition, it wouldn't be strange to see Mvp retire, yet he still perseveres. He still wins.
He was an underdog. The pieces fell into place: PvT swung in Protoss's hands, new blood (PartinG and Squirtle) rose up to become the best PvTers in the world, and the fallen king could barely move his wrists. Yet he completed the underdog story, and at the same time, he fulfilled the story of the fallen king teaching a lesson to the new blood. This is the same story NesTea failed to fulfill against DongRaeGu, but Mvp is not NesTea.
He was irrelevant. Just think of HomeStory Cup where he lost to Naama and Ret in devastating fashion, just think of how he bombed out of Code S. Still, the fact that he sunk so low and managed to climb his way back is a moving story... how many other players managed to become relevant once more?
He was humble. There are players like MC who are natural entertainers, but there need to be players like Mvp: humble kings. With his GSL earnings, he bought his parents a house and overcame the poverty which made his pro-gaming decision so risky in the first place. He discussed the impact of his parents on his decision to go pro, and he loves his girlfriend. He wins tournaments but he acknowledges his faults and never becomes overconfident. When other players doubt his ability, he simply states that his skills are deficient.
He is revolutionary. From Ghost usage in TvZ to Battlecruisers in TvP, from Ravens in TvZ to Battlecruisers in TvT, from Banshee/Mech in TvZ to Reactor Hellion in TvZ... Mvp has changed the face of StarCraft II repeatedly, proving that he's not a product of the metagame. He is the metagame.
Struggle, perfection, solid, rivalries, domination, complete, fall, perseverance, underdog, irrelevant, humble, revolutionary... how can I describe such a player as Mvp? He is all that and far, far more... how can I aptly describe the way he gracefully accepts losses and fights for tomorrow's victory? How can I properly explain his drive to win, which stems not out of desperation but a champion's will? How can I begin to write about his brilliant smile, a smile which exudes joy, a smile which forces me to smile too and enjoy my day?
I can have a terribly depressing day and tune into Mvp, only to find him come back from a 40 supply deficit against INnoVation after losing nearly all of his workers... Then, he flashes his happy smile and I remember everything that took him this far: his struggles, his successes, his failures. How is it even possible to cheer for another player?
LG-IMMvp.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ot8mh.jpg)
