EPTI might try again this exercise in the future, this is such an interesting moment to me in starcraft II, that yes I might taint it another time with my delusionnal writing
Eminem-Lose yourself playing
This is it.
The last opportunity.
A door not yet close, a Schrodinger-effect- like situation, right now he is not the winner nor the loser, he is a player.
A player like every other? No, not even close, he is the best terran in the world,that's a given, but it would be hard arguing to be the best player...not after the last 3 games. Six games ago, he was already the best terran, and after those 3 first games he was the best player in the world, no doubt, no hesitation, an uncontested title, that he would not give himself of course, but granted by the community. Even the haters would have to bow to the King, the king of wings...that title will come later...now however he is on verge to become a statistics.
i]Number two is not a winner, number three no one remembers...[/i]
The road has been long, so long, and now he might be feeling like this last step will never be climbed...not by him at least.
1 month ago he almost fell, second in a group with a foreigner, finishing behind that foreigner, what a shame. Two terrans, two protoss, a little puzzle to solve. That's a pun, puzzle was one of the protoss, "a foreign puzzle" that would have been an aAa title (if the website was in english), they like to put those weird puns up.
1 week later he would, once again, almost fell short. Second in a group with a legend and an hero, "legendary hero", not sure if they would have picked that title, but yes a group with JulyZerg, sauron, the god of war himself, falling short... could have it been a premonition, the kings and gods falling one by one during this GSL?
That's only what one from later in history could be thinking, or an article writer, some kind of hype maker -if there was even the needs for hype-, because right now in his booth the king might not be thinking about it.
No, instead he might be thinking about what happened... he had 4 steps to climb, they are two to try the ascension, he was 3 steps ahead, and now he is out of breath, the summit seems out of reach... you can see it if you try, his hand trying to grab that last step and pull him to the top of the world, but on the other side of the moutain stands Squirttle...
It looks like two differents world, one picked a pokemon name, the other one a poker/winner name.
One month ago, squirttle finished first of his group, the good student, a group that saw nada being knocked out...yes another legend fell that spring. A week later, he would finished first again, clean slate this time, three protoss, one terran.
A terran, his match-up for this day.
While his opponent had an "easy" road, slaying a foreigner, mere achievement but a protoss...then slaying another protoss, a young and inexperienced one, but still a protoss... That was started to get scary.
Squirttle himself slayed a terran, Taeja himself, then putting a 3-0 over a protoss, in order to claim the title of best protoss in the world...at least for the time being.
Before coming to the final squirttle was slightly favored by his results, history was on MVP side.
But right now none of that matters, what matter was the ungoing serie.
Best of seven.
3-0.
3-3.
He might have the upper hand right? He just counter the "perfect" plan of his opponent, the archon toilet has never been so handy.
What now? What to do, what to attempt?
He had tried everything he could think of, two games ago, the title should have been his, his plan was near perfect, turtle and overwhelm, but no it has been stopped, vortex... who would have dreamed of seeing such an efficient vortex ever, in a pro grame, in gsl, in the final of gsl?
That was insane, and now he was left without any options.
He was not thinking about his burning/stinging wrists, he was not thinking about the three first games, he was even forgetting about that vortex-decided game.
Right now he was thinking about a new plan, what could he pick? Was he going to lose to a rookie -in comparison to himself- no that wasn't nice, that wasn't fair, he could not allow himself to think like that.
He was facing the best protoss in the world, maybe even the best player, that would have to be decided after this game, the last game, who ever won after this, was crowned king, adding his name to the pantheon of champions.
Only a draw could help you, but no one was thinking about that situation, we already had a god-like intervention and scenario, no way we would witness a draw in the last game of the gsl final.
This is it.
Nananana,we came to battle baby, we came to win the world...
Atlantis Spaceship.
11/19 first rack.
11/19 second rack.
"Both unscouted, I think", that what thought the king, no need to detail anything further than that, every korean terran, and most of koreans know the build, the unfamous 2-racks-bunker-rush.
A strategy as old as the game.
"If he is going nexus first, I might just win, will he be that greedy? He might be getting to my base now, he might realized, will it be too late for him?".
I've been lying, I don't think MVP was thinking any of that, not right now, now his nerves might be doing the thinking, he had to control them, the game was just a chess-board, the real fight was in his head, connected to his painful wrists, fingers, his eyes trying to focus as hard as he can on the screen...
The probe runs into his main, swifting through the workers.
This is it.
Now the game starts over, but squirttle is not going nexus first, he shoudl be fine, right?
Just have to spot the racks, this has to be a double racks, maybe he wants to rush banshee, no that can't be, he is putting everything on the line, double racks, into a bunker, I can defend it, right? I have time, where are those racks anyway, let me find them.
The boys are being pulled, everything or nothing, go big or go home, this is either a win or a loss, no draw this time.
Girls are being pulled too, squirttle has to stopped it, he cannot lose, he started with a gate, the build-order is okay...ish? What are the odds 65-35/60-40/70-30? he is favored anyway right? Just have to pull the girls, make some units and win, just stop the bunker, that all that matters.
Have to kill that zealot, have to build a bunker, this is the way to go.
Okay, don't lose any marines, you can do it, easy, stutter step, best terran in the world, nothing can stop me.
Here we go, probes dying, zealot running low, let's block him, ô cheeky you squirttle you don't want that zealot block, but that's fine I am gonna get it.
Wait, the bunker, here we go, if he doesn't stop it I win.
Lost my zealot, but that's okay, here comes my stalker, let's keep some girls pulled, I have to stop that bunker, let's lose some probes to his marines, focus the scvs with my stalker and this game will be mine.
Here we go, micro, micro, micro, mcrio-again, you won't get me MVP you are too old, using and olt strategy, yes I am the rookie, doesn't mean I am gonna do a face at you because you ask, old man time to retire.
YES the scvs are down, the bunker is not up, just have to micro now, he has only 5 marines and my second stalker just popped, that's perfect!
2more marines, I can do it, just kite, kite, kite and kite even more.
7 marines, two starlkers, I can do it.
Here we go, pull your probes, if I kill them you have nothing less.
SHIT, let's stutter back, too deep, losing 5 marines now, 2 more are coming, freaking hell what is this kid doing, my bunker isn't up the scv are on their way.... damn you squirttle!
Damn he has a zealot, but hey my scsvs are coming, you can't move, you can't leave that base, the ramp is mine! Here we go! SHIT my bunker
This offensive is over, let's find those racks, you have nothing now mvp, how many scv were that? The mules, the god damn mules, they won't mine forever though, let's wait for that zealot, fine, out now, time to hunt!
Not here, not here either, were are they... HOOO right there, you cheeky little rat, I almost found them the first time, how did I miss that, but that doesn't matter anymore, I am the one bringing the title home, IM has too many of them already.
Okay, calm down, calm down.
Let's pull the boys again, some new boys, plan A failed, let's try plan B? NOPE plan A-bis, repetitas.
Let him think he can have the rax, then the lower on life stalker is gonna be ours, then the zealot, we can do it.
Exactly as planned... here we go 8 marines vs one stalker, where is your god now? Fool, he is facing you!
Let's kill his mining mules, this probe is gonna help too!
3 stalkers, they are like 8 marines, I can do it, just have to gain some time...right? RIGHT?
My god what is happening, I was suppose to win this game, it was mine, I scouted it late, but my build, my build was good?
Gate is down, core is down, nexus is falling, how is that possible? How did he... I have been that foolish to think I would overcome the king himself. This one is over...
This it it.
This it it.
"GG"
MVP has done it, history has been written, the first to win 4 gsl title, the king of wings, the most dominating player to ever played starcraft II.
The box is now opened, for ever, the cat is alive, the trophy is his.
He will be remembered as the first, maybe only, to win 4 titles.
The best tournament in the world, the hardest, the most notorious one, the GSL.
Global Starcraft League, 4 pins to the king.
This is it.
