EPTSamsung Khan was another team with meager beginnings. Being a bottom feeder team that either was at the bottom of the standings, or failing to qualify for the ProLeague in the first place, Samsung Khan was a hopeless bunch of players such as SaferZerg, or DoGGi, who would have made decent supporting casts on other teams, but were not fit for elite ProLeauge ace roles.
Being the ProLeague ace for Samsung Khan in 2003 was somewhat like being the most youthful in a nursing home. So, for the first year of Samsung Khan's history, while DoGGi did what he could in the one-versus-one games, I personally think the spot for the ProLeague one-versu-one ace was in some ways vacant during this time-frame.
It all changed after Samsung Khan recruited JJu from SouL in 2005, and Samsung Khan no longer became a bottom feeder team.
1. DoGGi: The player known more for his memes than his achievements
![[image loading]](http://sports.chosun.com/news/entertainment/200404/20040423/44w80003_2.jpg)
Duration as the ace player: KTF EVER ProLeague ~ SKY 2004 ProLeague Grand Finals
DoGGi's one-versus-one record during this time-frame: 8-9 (47.1%)
One-versus-one record of the second best Samsung Khan player (GGon) during this time-frame: 5-6 (45.5%)
One-versus-one record of the best ProLeague players during this time-frame:
1. iloveoov: 20-7 (74.1%)
2. SiR@SoNi~: 16-9 (64.0%)
3. NaDa: 16-13 (55.2%)
4. ClouD: 15-6 (71.4%)
5. GoodFriend: 15-6 (71.4%)
DoGGi was the struggling ace of a struggling team before JJu came to the rescue. Not only did Samsung Khan fail to make the play-off stages for any of the seasons before 2005, they often were at the bottom of the totem pole.
DoGGi was a competent terran player who peaked at the round of eight of the OGN StarLeague, and did what he could do for the team in the ProLeague, but was vastly outgunned by a plethora superior terran players of his era. He is mostly remembered by the older fans as a player who had an unnatural fixation with the number three (three factories, three expansions, and so forth)
2. JJu: The savior of Samsung Khan
![[image loading]](http://game.donga.com/images/news_images_u/uzoo20060504_02.jpg)
Duration as the ace player: SKY 2005 ProLeague R1 ~ SKY 2006 ProLeague Grand Finals
JJu's one-versus-one record during this time-frame: 24-17 (58.5%)
One-versus-one record of the second best Samsung Khan player (Stork) during this time-frame: 22-22 (50.0%)
One-versus-one record of the best ProLeague players during this time-frame:
1. NaDa: 30-19 (61.2%)
2. Midas: 24-9 (72.7%)
3. JJu: 24-17 (58.5%)
4. GGPlay: 24-19 (55.8%)
5. sAviOr: 22-11 (66.7%)
JJu started off his career as the zerg ace of SouL alongside ChoJJa, and like it was the case for all poorly funded teams, both ended up being sold off to other teams to make ends meet.
JJu's impact on the team was immediate. Samsung Khan won the first ever KeSPA Cup that was held in 2005, as well as reaching the finals of SKY 2005 ProLeague R1 after years of toiling at the bottom of the ladder.
During this time-frame, JJu arguably had more ProLeague presence and influence than some of the greatest zerg players of this era such as July, sAviOr, and GGPlay. Stork was a protoss prodigy who also made his presence known to the public by doing wonderfully in his rookie year in the ProLeague. Together, both JJu and Stork were able to take Samsung Khan to previously unreachable heights.
3. Stork: The greatest ProLeague ace Samsung Khan ever had
![[image loading]](https://news.samsung.com/kr/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/ss_0000001.jpg)
Duration as the ace player: Shinhan 2007 ProLeague R1 ~ SK Planet ProLeague S1
Stork's one-versus-one record during this time-frame: 165-98 (62.7%)
One-versus-one record of the second best Samsung Khan player (JangBi) during this time-frame: 105-103 (50.5%)
One-versus-one record of the best ProLeague players during this time-frame:
1. Flash: 228-80 (74.0%)
2. Jaedong: 219-97 (69.3%)
3. Bisu: 180-79 (69.5%)
4. Stork: 165-98 (62.7%)
5. Leta: 148-91 (61.9%)
After years of playing second in command to JJu, Stork was able to transform his contender team into one of the most fearsome ProLeague rosters in memory. From 2007 to 2008, Samsung Khan was the team to beat for many. And during this time-frame, Stork was probably the best ProLeague ace in the entire scene.
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Duration as the ace player: Shinhan 2007 ProLeague R1 ~ Shinhan 2008 ProLeague
Stork's one-versus-one record during this time-frame: 43-19 (69.4%)
One-versus-one record of the second best Samsung Khan player (firebathero) during this time-frame: 31-13 (70.5%)
One-versus-one record of the best ProLeague players during this time-frame:
1. Stork: 43-19 (69.4%)
2. free: 42-31 (57.5%)
3. Sea: 41-15 (73.2%)
4. Jaedong: 41-21 (66.1%)
5. Anytime: 39-18 (68.4%)
Stork's one-versus-one record during this time-frame: 43-19 (69.4%)
One-versus-one record of the second best Samsung Khan player (firebathero) during this time-frame: 31-13 (70.5%)
One-versus-one record of the best ProLeague players during this time-frame:
1. Stork: 43-19 (69.4%)
2. free: 42-31 (57.5%)
3. Sea: 41-15 (73.2%)
4. Jaedong: 41-21 (66.1%)
5. Anytime: 39-18 (68.4%)
2007 represents a significant change in the landscape of professional Brood War. Taek-Beng-LeeSsang is the quartet of the best players of this particular era. Not only did these four players dominate the ProLeague for years on end, these four players represented their respective races in countless individual leagues, and won fifteen major individual league championships between the four of them.
Stork is the odd one out out of these four. Stork is the oldest, and is the only non-draftee out of the four (the drafting system was first implemented in 2005, when Stork had already made his debut as a professional). As can be seen above, Stork was actually a top performing ProLeague player as early as 2005, when it was the likes of NaDa and Midas reigning supreme in the ProLeague realm.
Stork transitioned from being part of the triumvirate of new protoss hopefuls by the end of 2005 (Anytime, PuSan, and Stork), and gradually became part of another group of protoss elite known as the Six Dragons (Bisu, Stork, JangBi, Kal, free, and BeSt).
Although Stork is indeed the weakest link out of the formidible Taek-Beng-LeeSsang line-up during this specific time-frame, it is important to note that Stork is the odd one out of the four because he actually belonged to another era. His superlative longetivity drew him comparisons with younger players such as Flash, Jaedong, and Bisu despite the other three all making their debuts later than Stork. Stork's debut date is actually closer to the debut of the likes of iloveoov and sAviOr than it is to Flash. Let that sink in for a while.
