![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/t0PJY.png)
A few of Hiya's most memorable matches, put together into a highlight video ~
On November 30 2011 12:01 Bibbit wrote:
+ Show Spoiler +
+ Show Spoiler +
I would like to preface this with one short note: I implore you to read his post-retirement interview if you haven’t already. I won’t be referencing it a bunch so you won’t be confused if you don’t, but it’s not long and had me inches from tears on at least two occasions.
Hiya, even though recently retired after the unfortunate disbanding of Hwaseung Oz, is a player that will forever live on in the hearts and minds of Brood War fans the world over. And it is for good reason. Although HiyA was never able to post the strongest results or make a great Starleague run, he served his entire Progaming career as an integral component of Oz’s success. That is why I feel HiyA is the most deserving player I can honour in the only way I know how: By showing everyone I can what a spectacular player he truly was.
There are two main characteristics of HiyA I want to discuss today, outside of his skill. First is HiyA the Clown. I always felt like HiyA was one of the most “real” players around, one who displayed his emotions and never took himself too seriously. As such, I’ll make sure to take plenty of time to look at his facial expressions
. Secondly, a lot of people might not realize just how clutch HiyA was in high pressure situations and whenever his team needed him most. It will be my aim to fix that. But let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
HiyA the Clown
I’ll bet that card is a Rare Candy. Wait no I think I’m confusing franchises.
Firebathero notwithstanding, HiyA is probably the player most known for his ceremonies. Pictured above is his famous Trap Card ceremony, performed after defeating Hyuk in the second Korean Air OSL. But he doesn’t stop there. Once upon a time, he beat his teammate Jaedong, came out of his booth, mysteriously pulled out a snare drum, and marched right into JD’s booth with it. Hell, he even made Jaedong play it a bit. Go ahead and watch it, it’s worth every second.
But to truly understand his insanity, we have to take a look at one of his games. Specifically, we have to look at what could be his most famous game and certainly one of the weirdest games we’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. I’m talking, of course, about HiyA vs free on Triathlon.
Now, Triathlon was a bit of a wonky map in the first place, so let’s just re-familiarize ourselves with it real quick.
The main weird thing isn’t just the lurker eggs blocking paths everywhere, but that they’re cloaked. Specifically, they’re used to create a backdoor expansion that’s easy to get workers to but hard to get real units to. That will be important but for now, let’s start the match!
Our protagonist spawns at the 7 in purple while Free is over at the 5 in orange. They both open up about as economical as you can get, with Free going Nexus first and HiyA going gasless Command.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/5mzBM.png)
Because who really needs units, right?
The scouting SCV and Probe meet each other at the 12 o’clock so they both turn around and go the other way to find their opponents.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/EUh75.png)
Joking! What fun would that be? Hiya just stashes his SCV in the 12’s backdoor expo.
The casters stare at the SCV for a long time but then remember they’re supposed to be casting a game and move on. The SCV just stays there. Eventually Free does come looking around the base, but HiyA has hidden the worker.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/t9glM.png)
PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE LURKER EGGS - Wizard of Oz (bam). I heard once that all jokes are funnier when you explain them.
All of a sudden, apparently frustrated with the whole “units have to walk on the ground” idea, HiyA slams down 3 Starports.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Kve6S.png)
Hurry, someone tell HiyA that Dragoons do indeed shoot up!
And, of course, HiyA starts working on cloak.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/U26oM.png)
Because 3 Port Wraith in TvP would just be silly without cloak!
Finally, after his Wraith production is well underway, HiyA starts working on his secret third base even before Free starts his own.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/EcqIr.png)
That’s HiyA for you, falling back on the super standard Wraith expand
Now is when the real fun starts. HiyA has gotten out of respectable Wraith fleet entirely unscouted up until now and starts taking out Probes.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/nqtBE.png)
A protip for those of you struggling in Starcraft: One of the main signs that your opponents is going mass Wraith is when there are Wraiths killing your guys. You’re welcome.
Of course, when the Wraiths start running show, we get one of the things that make Brood War so great: The Doom Zoom.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/xP8dL.png)
“What the hell is that unit? I haven’t seen one of those since I first picked up the game in 1999” - Free
Remember when I said that the backdoor expo was easy to get workers to but hard to get units to? Typically that’s not going to be a real problem PvT but HiyA doesn’t know what “typical” means.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/sY12o.png)
Free has to break down the eggs, Zerg fetuses are now pissed.
Sadly Free manages to break through on time to defend his Nexus. Since Wraiths die instantly to anything that shoots up, he has to run away and find some defenseless Probes. But now that HiyA has scanners ready, he can transition into the next phase of his Wraith harassment.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wsCJ0.png)
I like how the casters realized in advance what was going on and showed Free helplessly watch hisdignity Observer get shot down by Wraiths.
Now that HiyA’s done his Wraith shenanigans, it’s time to transition into a normal game.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/MCsfo.png)
Joking again! The amazing casters go “PEEZIKS LAB?! PEEZIKS LAB?! PEEZIKS LAB?! COVERT OPSU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Of course we now have to get a look at the psychopath behind the monitor.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/acyjZ.png)
He’s actually slowly nodding his head up and down at this point, he knows he’s a hero.
And what do you do when you build a secret Covert Ops at your secret base? You build a secret Nuclear Silo, of course !
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/UHGgw.png)
It turns out HiyA is the head of the Illuminati. Can’t wait for Dan Brown’s Magikarp novel.
By this point, Free is well-aware that the game is really stupid. So he starts preparing his excuse for losing if he ends up doing so.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/WIsiK.png)
“No, guys, I totally woulda won if I didn’t screw around with the Dark Archon.”
HiyA has done well to deny scouting of The Pentagon, even sniping off an Observer heading that direction with his Wraith taskforce and then trying to circle the base with Turrets to prevent any future Observers. But one gets in before the Turrets finish and sees everything there is to see.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/4leuR.png)
While Free scouts everything out, HiyA is still off pewpewing as much as he can. Also, the two players are engaged in a side-challenge of who can take in more air through their mouths.
Free is finally gearing up for his first major attack, over at The Pentagon. But HiyA has dropped two tanks over there already and his Wraiths are coming back to help (lol?)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/rJPK6.png)
HiyA and Zerg fetuses, Best Friends Forever.
For those of you who don’t know, an EMP and a spot-on Nuke kills a Nexus. With that in mind, can you guess what this taskforce is up to?
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/AwTfH.png)
That’s right, it’s toD-Matrix the Ghost and Lockdown Probes try to kill the Nexus!
Free finds where the Nuke is going pretty (get it?!) fast but he can’t stop it. Fortunately for him, the Nexus was far enough away from the ledge that a Nuke can’t hit it with full force so it lives quite handily.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/LAIgC.png)
Needs Ocular Implants imo : )
Meanwhile, we can see in the audience that Girl-Free isn’t too pleased.
Free is ready to have another go at cracking the Pentagon. I mean, how long could two tanks, some SCVs, a depot, and some eggs withstand the might of an entire Protoss army?
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/K5q3C.png)
It turns out the answer is a really bloody long time.
But HiyA has more important things on his mind. What can possibly be more important than defending his third, you ask?
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/6561n.png)
That. Some Cannons and quite a few probes lost their lives.
While that’s going on, HiyA actually manages to hold his third, trading a single Tank for much of Free’s army.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/vwelA.png)
Note the distinct lack of Protoss army.
Free makes his first recall of the game, into HiyA’s main. It does some damage but HiyA manages to push it away without too much trouble.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wSb2y.png)
But what’s that written across the bottom?!
Oh, it was this:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/CIs8v.png)
“Wait a minute...?” - Free
Finally realizing that Supply Depots are totally imbalanced, Free decides it’s best to just recall into the Pentagon.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/d3ylb.png)
In an act not befitting of an American President, Hiya abandons the Pentagon and floats away.
These recalls have really been tearing HiyA apart. This next one is slated to do even more damage since Hiya has moved into the middle of the map with his army to claim his fourth.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/9zXc2.png)
Arbiters poop Dark Swarm apparently.
But HiyA’s not just gonna lay down, spread his legs and take it, will he? Of course not !
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/XffjM.png)
HiyA suddenly remembers he’s actually Batman.
The commentators yell as loud as they can, echoing everyone elses’ sentiments of “Holy shit.” It is now time for an audience shot.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wEROr.png)
HiyA... She is ready for you.
Unfortunately another nice Recall does eventually get off way over in HiyA’s backdoor base.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wFdPM.png)
Supply Depots can’t save you now. : (
He’s eventually able to push it back but it puts him greatly out of position and has to retreat from his fourth.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Z5man.png)
That SCV is tackling a High Templar but it might not be enough
Soon, Free shows that he is also capable of ridiculous clowning.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/t9Ced.png)
Remember that guy? He also Mind Controlled one of those neutral Arbiters earlier.
HiyA pretty quickly takes out the SCV, all the while showing that he thinks the game is as cool as the rest of us do.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/MEiEV.png)
“Wow that’s BM, I can’t believe you didn’t play your hardest in an important game like this !”
HiyA managed to eventually defend that last attack, but now Free is 6 bases and is really getting out of control. With one more attack, Free manages to take the game.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/J280A.png)
Wait. Who opens a tribute article with a loss?
Yes, HiyA lost the game. But we have to take a look at the context. For one, this is the quarterfinals of the MSL, the furthest he ever made it in an individual league. He’s up 2-1 going into this game and knows that if he loses, he’ll be going into the 5th and final set where anything can happen. Secondly, it’s Free ! It’s not Perfectman, it’s not Pure, it’s one of the 6 goddamn Dragons ! In 2010, when this game was played, Free had a 58% overall winrate. He was 55% against Terran but if you ignore his whopping 9 games against the Ultimate Weapon, of those he won only 2, suddenly he’s at 65% with a record of 21-11. My point is he’s really damn good. But HiyA basically made the closest Terran equivalent to the Stove that he possibly could and almost won with it. If that doesn’t say “hero-boss” to you, I don’t know what does !
And with that, I want to transition into telling you how good HiyA was at representing his team under the most pressured situations.
HiyA the Clutch Player
I first started to really notice Hiya’s consistently clutch play in January of 2010. Jaedong, who as you all know has carried Oz on his back since forever, was going to miss a Proleague match so he could practice some more for an upcoming MSL finals. It wasn’t against Ace or anything like that, they were facing a perfectly strong opponent in Samsung Khan. This was a time where entire lineups were announced in advance, and it was looking pretty grim for Oz.
+ Show Spoiler [Lineup] +
Keep in mind that at this point in time, Killer was one of the biggest laughing stocks of the scene. Losing to Killer was about as shameful as it got. GGaemo and Perfectman were also not players who anyone ever counted on for a win. Surely Oz was in for a thrashing at this point, right? Let’s actually take a look at some comments from the Live Report before the match started.
As expected, FBH took out ggaemo and Stork handily defeated Perfectman. But Killer beat an equally mediocre player in Odin and HiyA somewhat surprisingly managed to take out JangBi in a very standard but well-played game. Tied up at 2-2, we moved into the ace match. Stork naturally stepped up for Khan, but who does Oz have at this point that can challenge him? If you actually can’t guess, I’m very disappointed in you.
It was HiyA! He was the one to challenge Stork on Outsider SE; a map where Protoss, Stork especially, typically did quite well. Unfortunately I can’t remember the game and the VODs from this particular set are nowhere to be found. But however it went down, HiyA emerged victorious. A “Jaedong Oz” without Jaedong defied everyone’s expectations and defeated Khan due to two great TvP performances from HiyA.
I wanted to talk about his game against JangBi because I remember it being pretty good, but the missing VODs won’t allow me to do that. Instead, I will cheat and go over his game against JangBi in Winners League on the same map just over a month later. ^_^
HiyA is at the 4 in yellow while Jangbi is at 12 in purple. Once again we see HiyA open open gasless Command.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/yx9kz.png)
Not a backdoor base this time and he builds it on the spot. If nothing else, HiyA has giant nerdballs.
Jangbi sees it really quick and sends his first Zealot down hoping to pressure with it. Unfortunately for him, HiyA has a bunker up in plenty of time.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/aKt6N.png)
Football SCV that was tackling Free’s High Templar is back and ready to block.
The Zealot and Probe do manage to run by but is cleaned up pretty easily, with HiyA only losing one marine. Meanwhile, Jangbi expanded with one gate and goon range en route. He pressures the bunker when range finishes and eventually takes a quick third off of just the one gate.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/MHkAi.png)
Please tell me I’m not the only one who sees the llama (with a collar) cuddling with a seal in the minimap.
Eventually a tank comes out and manages to push away the Dragoons. But now Jangbi has 3 Nexus, is mining gas with only one probe, and has spammed down Gateways, now up to 5 with no tech.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/2qZoz.png)
That is many Gateway. Yes?
HiyA, perhaps having seen what Jangbi was up to with his super early comsats, pushes out onto the map with 5 Tanks, a few vultures, 3 Factories at home, and not much else. He’s getting mines while rallying Vultures forward, knowing Jangbi will have very late Observers.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/hUrZR.png)
Kind of odd timing out of HiyA but, seriously, what about HiyA isn’t at least a little bit odd?
He manages to run straight into Jangbi’s natural pretty uncontested and starts laying down mines. Jangbi doesn’t have an Observer but there aren’t that many mines just yet and Jangbi’s army is pretty big so he runs in.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/PzUyL.png)
Shockingly, Hiya’s two marines become blood spots pretty quick.
Jangbi shows some pretty suave micro and manages to push HiyA back to the high ground, away from his natural. Still, having just now started his Robo, he can’t chase any further.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/NMRtF.png)
The wolf that is Jangbi may have been able to blow down the house made of straw, but he couldn’t blow down the house made of freaking mines and artillery.
Probably knowing how late the Robo was (again because of his quick scanners), HiyA’s free to try to barrel down the third because of his mines on the high ground outside Jangbi’s natural.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/7LJ5C.png)
“I was over there, and now I’m over here. Whatcha gon’ do son?” - HiyA
With the wall broken down, Vultures on the loose all over the place, and Observers still not out, Jangbi has to temporarily retreat his probes from his third.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/kWLpY.png)
That’s a very excited Vulture !
Jangbi decides he wants to break through the force at his third, so he sends in a Zealot to absorb some mines.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/KhKIa.png)
You may have noticed on TL the “Sad Zealot Fan Club.” They’re actually talking about that guy right there.
But it turns out there’s only one tank there anyway, and Hiya’s going for the natural now. Jangbi was forced to wall off his natural when his third was under attack, which is nice to keep the vultures out but pretty much seals the fate of some buildings.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/c8NMT.png)
“FML” - Jangbi
After breaking the wall down, HiyA swings in a bunch of Vultures and goes for some big offensive mines.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/TAYMa.png)
Meanwhile, Jangbi prepares to select sad Zealot #2.
Jangbi decides he has to bust down the contain.
But isn’t hugely successful.
While all that fun stuff is going on, HiyA broke through the new wall to Jangbi’s third and even managed to knock down the Nexus. Behind that, HiyA’s working off 6 factories and is starting his own third base.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/fszsJ.png)
Jangbi managed to break out of the contain but is still looking pretty boned.
Jangbi’s going for one last big attack on HiyA’s natural but he never dealt with those Vultures that killed his third so they got a bunch of Probe kills on top of it all. Now Jangbi is even more all-in with his attack.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/kKk7R.png)
HiyA can’t stop thinking about that one time a Probe stole his lunch money.
Despite everything, when Jangbi gets to HiyA’s natural, there’s not a ton of units there to defend. Could Jangbi possibly end up taking the game?
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/cUV8q.png)
The answer is no.
Though it looked like Jangbi came close, 6 factories rallying out units eventually put a stop to it. With that, Hiya collected his GG.
Now some of you might be thinking “He 6 Factory all-inned some guy, so what?” To you, I saystop being a dick remember that HiyA initially attacked with 3 factories. I feel that, likely enough, he just smelled blood and pursued a probably victory. Can’t blame a fish guy for that, can you?
The other example of HiyA coming in strong when his team needed him came in June of 2010. The Hana Daetoo MSL finals occurred at the end of May and as you may recall, that was the one where Flash trounced Jaedong 3-0. When KT and Oz were set to play in Proleague just a few days later, hype around a possible Flash vs Jaedong rematch was outrageous. They didn’t hit each other in the first four games, Jaedong took out Stats while Flash beat Backho, the series was eventually tied 2-2 and was ready to move into the Ace Match. The rematch everyone was waiting for seemed imminent. That was before HiyA got up and made his way over to the booth. A lot of people claimed that JD and/or Oz’s coach didn’t think Jaedong could take Flash but I’m not here to get into that. HiyA stepped up and gave Flash one hell of a game, which we’re going to look at in depth in just a moment.
But first, let’s look at some of the comments in the LR thread right before the Ace Match.
Regardless of whether Jaedong could have won, HiyA’s the one who got the opportunity. Let’s see how he does with it.
The game is on yet another blue map, Polaris Rhapsody, with Flash at the top in brown and Hiya at the bottom in teal. They both open almost identically with a one factory expand but Flash goes right for the Machine Shop while Hiya gets out a few Vultures first.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/qt26M.png)
Expansion timing pictures are always the hardest to write jokes for. That’s why .. um .. screw it, watch this again.
Remember when I casually said Hiya squeezed out a few Vultures before Machine Shop? It turns out that’s pretty important.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/oAeAr.png)
“The Cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.” - Homer Simpson (presumably) talking about the Vulture.
Because of that Vulture and a second one that came after, HiyA netted three SCV kills, all ones that were working on the CC. So he ended up with a noticeably faster Command Center even though they started at the same time. Also, because of the extra scouting information he picked up, he was able to go second Factory before Armory while Flash had to do the opposite. This in turn allowed HiyA to make the first move on the map.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/zx3JT.png)
Remember kids, never eat those weirdo mushrooms.
But Flash, being Flash, scouted Hiya’s attempt to swing in from the top. Hiya, realizing the jig was up, tries to move back home. Unfortunately, Flash is still Flash and has cut him off, forcing Hiya to just siege up on the high ground.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/NzKUm.png)
“No, you come up here!”
Eventually HiyA thinks it’s safe to come down and try to get home. It turns out it wasn’t.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/sQ8tZ.png)
That’s probably the aforementioned Splash Attack.
Flash finds some more tanks that are out on the field and tries to kill them with Vulture/mine surrounds. Unfortunately for him, Hiya is secretly amazing so he micros out it spectacularly.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/puhOb.png)
I’ll bet Jaedong wouldn’t have microed his tanks like that … …
Moments later, Hiya does something else Jaedong wouldn’t have done. He lifts his CC trying to place a scanner.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/hmIsn.png)
Hiya doing his best impression of me. How endearing.
Trying to establish himself a nice position, Hiya moves forward. It’s now his turn to make a big Vulture attack on some tanks.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/rqPD6.png)
Vultures are famously free and kill everything so want as many as you can !
He’s quite successful with this attack, so we get a nice Doom Zoom on Flash.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/OgGIs.png)
“No freaking way.” - Flash
With some more nice micro, HiyA manages to push Flash back entirely and forces him to lift his third. With the help of some more Vultures coming in from the bottom for a surround, Hiya tries to brank Flash’s position outside his natural. Again, he’s pretty darn successful with it. So we quickly get another one of these:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/x97S9.png)
“NO FREAKING WAY !”
Ultimately Flash manages to hold. Hiya can’t make it any deeper so he’ll have to be content with his third CC which, though he built considerably later than Flash, he has operational quicker. With some nice control, he breaks Hiya’s contain and the game moves on. Hiya then tries to set up outside Flash’s third with hopes to push into it.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/8qQIW.png)
Don’t judge me for failing to come up with a joke, because there’s a certain Leta-related video I could link again if you do.
With some well placed mines and a Vulture advantage, Flash manages to crush Hiya’s task force, giving him his own Doom Zoom. Flash pushes down the map and handily wins another battle in the center, giving himself a fantastic position.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/kj9Ag.png)
Things not looking too good for our friendly neighbourhood fishiking.
Hiya gets out a Wraith which delays for a little bit but a Goliath shows up quickly. Eventually Flash realizes that he’s not going to be able to cross the skinny bridge and attack Hiya so he swings around to set up a position towards the left side of the map.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/YJlQS.png)
The Bouncer SCVs make sure the Tanks are safe.
Still, at this time there’s no real possibility of Flash pushing any further since he would need to either brank a ramp or cross a skinny bridge. As such, Hiya will be pretty content chilling for the time being, sitting on the same amount of bases as Flash. Both players start their fifth bases as exactly the same time on opposite ends of the map.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/T8ydf.png)
Hiya’s Command Center is, of course, cooler. You can tell because that’s the one I screencapped. I mean, why else would I do that?
Shortly after Flash’s +1 attack finishes, Hiya’s +2 does as well. Also, he’s managed to mostly beat back Flash’s position on the left side for now.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/AsBt8.png)
Yeah you better run.
Hiya starts fortifying his fifth base with mines, turrets, and some Tanks realizing that, as this TvT starts to enter the late stages, his fresh bases are going to become incredibly important to hold. But meanwhile, at the Legion of Doom:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/gqwU4.png)
Flash suddenly decides he wants to be baller who gets add-ons to his Science Facility, like a certain other guy.
However, always a man of action, Hiya decides its time for a big attack on Flash’s fifth base. He flies in with dropships while running units in on the other side of the wall. But will it work? !
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/fhrzy.png)
Whenever you ask the question “Will this attack break Flash?”, remember the answer is almost always an emphatic “No.”
Hiya turns out to be no exception to the rule and gets his attack crushed pretty heavily.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/rZzUF.png)
Or maybe “pretty heavily” was a bit of an understatement.
Again showing us why we should love him, Hiya gives us one of these:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/V6ZGx.png)
Aw, shucks.
Still, Hiya stabilizes pretty well and can’t be broken just yet. Unfortunately for him, a few Battlecruisers are now out with more on the way. But all of a sudden, Hiya throws down 5 more Starports. The commentators point out that he didn’t leave space for Control Towers and therefore will be going Wraiths.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/qTXVD.png)
Hey guys, I think he might have scouted the BC switch. (Hiya then made another Starport but I already took and uploaded the screencap !)
Hiya hits +3 while Flash is still at +1 on his ground, presumably because Flash has been getting Air Weapons. Some marauding (hehe) Vultures scout out Hiya’s Starport collection.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/W1yCo.png)
Wait a minute …
After their shocking discover, those Vultures try to get some worker kills but Hiya cleans them up without much of a problem. After a brief period of relative peace during which Hiya built up his Wraith fleet, he decides its time for another kill move: a drop in the main. Flash has a ton of Turrets set up to prevent such a thing but Hiya doesn’t care. He draws fire with the Wraiths then drops his units in.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/BFsM7.png)
“Hey, man.” - Hollywood Fishiking
Now begins the dance of Battlecruisers on one side and masses of Cloaked Wraiths on the other, with both sides complimented by Goliaths. This is the last play of the game and it cannot be expressed in words so I suggest you watch the final 3~ minutes and see how it turns out (I couldn’t possibly include 2 out of 3 games with HiyA losing, could I?!)
Some things to note:
- Goliaths are among the dumbest units in the game, there’s no way in hell they’re ever getting up that ramp.
- This whole time, Flash is losing production and supply. This being a two player map, there’s not even another main for him to try to rebuild.
- Hiya had the presence of mind (and the micro ability) to prevent his Wraiths from getting decimated by the Valkyries.
- Holy shit.
With that win, Hiya secured the Proleague set for Oz. And with one hell of a game, if I may say so myself. Yes, I’m sure people were still disappointed by the lack of JD vs Flash rematch, but that game was spectacular nonetheless. Could Jaedong have taken out Flash? Maybe. But Hiya sure as hell did.
I hope anyone who read this and wasn’t aware of how key Hiya was can now understand. Eventually Killer stepped up and arguably became Jaedong’s partner in crime but for a long time, it was all Hiya. Even after Killer rose to stardom, Hiya was absolutely key to Oz’s performance. And it’s on that note I want to end. If anything comes out of the time I’ve put into this, I hope its that people acknowledge Hiya for what an incredible and special player he truly was.
Goodbye Hiya. Thank you for the many amazing games you have shown us over the years and the endless entertainment you brought in and outside of the game. You will be missed.
+ Show Spoiler +
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_b919f37d6c4826f69d61179b416cc258.jpg)
Hiya, even though recently retired after the unfortunate disbanding of Hwaseung Oz, is a player that will forever live on in the hearts and minds of Brood War fans the world over. And it is for good reason. Although HiyA was never able to post the strongest results or make a great Starleague run, he served his entire Progaming career as an integral component of Oz’s success. That is why I feel HiyA is the most deserving player I can honour in the only way I know how: By showing everyone I can what a spectacular player he truly was.
There are two main characteristics of HiyA I want to discuss today, outside of his skill. First is HiyA the Clown. I always felt like HiyA was one of the most “real” players around, one who displayed his emotions and never took himself too seriously. As such, I’ll make sure to take plenty of time to look at his facial expressions

HiyA the Clown
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/DkN62.png)
I’ll bet that card is a Rare Candy. Wait no I think I’m confusing franchises.
Firebathero notwithstanding, HiyA is probably the player most known for his ceremonies. Pictured above is his famous Trap Card ceremony, performed after defeating Hyuk in the second Korean Air OSL. But he doesn’t stop there. Once upon a time, he beat his teammate Jaedong, came out of his booth, mysteriously pulled out a snare drum, and marched right into JD’s booth with it. Hell, he even made Jaedong play it a bit. Go ahead and watch it, it’s worth every second.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-APwMXSfLPc
See? I wasn’t even lying!
See? I wasn’t even lying!
But to truly understand his insanity, we have to take a look at one of his games. Specifically, we have to look at what could be his most famous game and certainly one of the weirdest games we’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. I’m talking, of course, about HiyA vs free on Triathlon.
Now, Triathlon was a bit of a wonky map in the first place, so let’s just re-familiarize ourselves with it real quick.
The main weird thing isn’t just the lurker eggs blocking paths everywhere, but that they’re cloaked. Specifically, they’re used to create a backdoor expansion that’s easy to get workers to but hard to get real units to. That will be important but for now, let’s start the match!
Our protagonist spawns at the 7 in purple while Free is over at the 5 in orange. They both open up about as economical as you can get, with Free going Nexus first and HiyA going gasless Command.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/5mzBM.png)
Because who really needs units, right?
The scouting SCV and Probe meet each other at the 12 o’clock so they both turn around and go the other way to find their opponents.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/EUh75.png)
Joking! What fun would that be? Hiya just stashes his SCV in the 12’s backdoor expo.
The casters stare at the SCV for a long time but then remember they’re supposed to be casting a game and move on. The SCV just stays there. Eventually Free does come looking around the base, but HiyA has hidden the worker.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/t9glM.png)
PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE LURKER EGGS - Wizard of Oz (bam). I heard once that all jokes are funnier when you explain them.
All of a sudden, apparently frustrated with the whole “units have to walk on the ground” idea, HiyA slams down 3 Starports.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Kve6S.png)
Hurry, someone tell HiyA that Dragoons do indeed shoot up!
And, of course, HiyA starts working on cloak.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/U26oM.png)
Because 3 Port Wraith in TvP would just be silly without cloak!
Finally, after his Wraith production is well underway, HiyA starts working on his secret third base even before Free starts his own.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/EcqIr.png)
That’s HiyA for you, falling back on the super standard Wraith expand
Now is when the real fun starts. HiyA has gotten out of respectable Wraith fleet entirely unscouted up until now and starts taking out Probes.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/nqtBE.png)
A protip for those of you struggling in Starcraft: One of the main signs that your opponents is going mass Wraith is when there are Wraiths killing your guys. You’re welcome.
Of course, when the Wraiths start running show, we get one of the things that make Brood War so great: The Doom Zoom.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/xP8dL.png)
“What the hell is that unit? I haven’t seen one of those since I first picked up the game in 1999” - Free
Remember when I said that the backdoor expo was easy to get workers to but hard to get units to? Typically that’s not going to be a real problem PvT but HiyA doesn’t know what “typical” means.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/sY12o.png)
Free has to break down the eggs, Zerg fetuses are now pissed.
Sadly Free manages to break through on time to defend his Nexus. Since Wraiths die instantly to anything that shoots up, he has to run away and find some defenseless Probes. But now that HiyA has scanners ready, he can transition into the next phase of his Wraith harassment.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wsCJ0.png)
I like how the casters realized in advance what was going on and showed Free helplessly watch his
Now that HiyA’s done his Wraith shenanigans, it’s time to transition into a normal game.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/MCsfo.png)
Joking again! The amazing casters go “PEEZIKS LAB?! PEEZIKS LAB?! PEEZIKS LAB?! COVERT OPSU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Of course we now have to get a look at the psychopath behind the monitor.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/acyjZ.png)
He’s actually slowly nodding his head up and down at this point, he knows he’s a hero.
And what do you do when you build a secret Covert Ops at your secret base? You build a secret Nuclear Silo, of course !
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/UHGgw.png)
It turns out HiyA is the head of the Illuminati. Can’t wait for Dan Brown’s Magikarp novel.
By this point, Free is well-aware that the game is really stupid. So he starts preparing his excuse for losing if he ends up doing so.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/WIsiK.png)
“No, guys, I totally woulda won if I didn’t screw around with the Dark Archon.”
HiyA has done well to deny scouting of The Pentagon, even sniping off an Observer heading that direction with his Wraith taskforce and then trying to circle the base with Turrets to prevent any future Observers. But one gets in before the Turrets finish and sees everything there is to see.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/4leuR.png)
While Free scouts everything out, HiyA is still off pewpewing as much as he can. Also, the two players are engaged in a side-challenge of who can take in more air through their mouths.
Free is finally gearing up for his first major attack, over at The Pentagon. But HiyA has dropped two tanks over there already and his Wraiths are coming back to help (lol?)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/rJPK6.png)
HiyA and Zerg fetuses, Best Friends Forever.
For those of you who don’t know, an EMP and a spot-on Nuke kills a Nexus. With that in mind, can you guess what this taskforce is up to?
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/AwTfH.png)
That’s right, it’s to
Free finds where the Nuke is going pretty (get it?!) fast but he can’t stop it. Fortunately for him, the Nexus was far enough away from the ledge that a Nuke can’t hit it with full force so it lives quite handily.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/LAIgC.png)
Needs Ocular Implants imo : )
Meanwhile, we can see in the audience that Girl-Free isn’t too pleased.
Free is ready to have another go at cracking the Pentagon. I mean, how long could two tanks, some SCVs, a depot, and some eggs withstand the might of an entire Protoss army?
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/K5q3C.png)
It turns out the answer is a really bloody long time.
But HiyA has more important things on his mind. What can possibly be more important than defending his third, you ask?
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/6561n.png)
That. Some Cannons and quite a few probes lost their lives.
While that’s going on, HiyA actually manages to hold his third, trading a single Tank for much of Free’s army.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/vwelA.png)
Note the distinct lack of Protoss army.
Free makes his first recall of the game, into HiyA’s main. It does some damage but HiyA manages to push it away without too much trouble.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wSb2y.png)
But what’s that written across the bottom?!
Oh, it was this:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/CIs8v.png)
“Wait a minute...?” - Free
Finally realizing that Supply Depots are totally imbalanced, Free decides it’s best to just recall into the Pentagon.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/d3ylb.png)
In an act not befitting of an American President, Hiya abandons the Pentagon and floats away.
These recalls have really been tearing HiyA apart. This next one is slated to do even more damage since Hiya has moved into the middle of the map with his army to claim his fourth.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/9zXc2.png)
Arbiters poop Dark Swarm apparently.
But HiyA’s not just gonna lay down, spread his legs and take it, will he? Of course not !
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/XffjM.png)
HiyA suddenly remembers he’s actually Batman.
The commentators yell as loud as they can, echoing everyone elses’ sentiments of “Holy shit.” It is now time for an audience shot.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wEROr.png)
HiyA... She is ready for you.
Unfortunately another nice Recall does eventually get off way over in HiyA’s backdoor base.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wFdPM.png)
Supply Depots can’t save you now. : (
He’s eventually able to push it back but it puts him greatly out of position and has to retreat from his fourth.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Z5man.png)
That SCV is tackling a High Templar but it might not be enough
Soon, Free shows that he is also capable of ridiculous clowning.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/t9Ced.png)
Remember that guy? He also Mind Controlled one of those neutral Arbiters earlier.
HiyA pretty quickly takes out the SCV, all the while showing that he thinks the game is as cool as the rest of us do.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/MEiEV.png)
“Wow that’s BM, I can’t believe you didn’t play your hardest in an important game like this !”
HiyA managed to eventually defend that last attack, but now Free is 6 bases and is really getting out of control. With one more attack, Free manages to take the game.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/J280A.png)
Wait. Who opens a tribute article with a loss?
Yes, HiyA lost the game. But we have to take a look at the context. For one, this is the quarterfinals of the MSL, the furthest he ever made it in an individual league. He’s up 2-1 going into this game and knows that if he loses, he’ll be going into the 5th and final set where anything can happen. Secondly, it’s Free ! It’s not Perfectman, it’s not Pure, it’s one of the 6 goddamn Dragons ! In 2010, when this game was played, Free had a 58% overall winrate. He was 55% against Terran but if you ignore his whopping 9 games against the Ultimate Weapon, of those he won only 2, suddenly he’s at 65% with a record of 21-11. My point is he’s really damn good. But HiyA basically made the closest Terran equivalent to the Stove that he possibly could and almost won with it. If that doesn’t say “hero-boss” to you, I don’t know what does !
And with that, I want to transition into telling you how good HiyA was at representing his team under the most pressured situations.
HiyA the Clutch Player
I first started to really notice Hiya’s consistently clutch play in January of 2010. Jaedong, who as you all know has carried Oz on his back since forever, was going to miss a Proleague match so he could practice some more for an upcoming MSL finals. It wasn’t against Ace or anything like that, they were facing a perfectly strong opponent in Samsung Khan. This was a time where entire lineups were announced in advance, and it was looking pretty grim for Oz.
+ Show Spoiler [Lineup] +
Lineup:
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/43.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2780/4270138554_9d0f968feb_m.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/216.jpg)
Game 1:
firebathero < New Tornado >
ggaemo
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/63.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/4270138564_1e218895fc_m.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/205.jpg)
Game 2:
JangBi < Neo Moon Glaive >
HiyA
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/57.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2680/4276248604_849e323a14.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/558.jpg)
Game 3:
oDin < New Heartbreak Ridge >
Killer
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/59.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2711/4270138498_267ee50737_m.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/599.jpg)
Game 4:
Stork < Fighting Spirit >
PerfectMan
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/liquibet/players/noimage.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4270138512_2c0c751908_m.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/liquibet/players/noimage.jpg)
Ace Match: < Outsider SE >
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/43.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2780/4270138554_9d0f968feb_m.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/216.jpg)
Game 1:


![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/63.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/4270138564_1e218895fc_m.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/205.jpg)
Game 2:


![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/57.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2680/4276248604_849e323a14.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/558.jpg)
Game 3:


![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/59.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2711/4270138498_267ee50737_m.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/599.jpg)
Game 4:


![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/liquibet/players/noimage.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4270138512_2c0c751908_m.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/liquibet/players/noimage.jpg)
Ace Match: < Outsider SE >
Keep in mind that at this point in time, Killer was one of the biggest laughing stocks of the scene. Losing to Killer was about as shameful as it got. GGaemo and Perfectman were also not players who anyone ever counted on for a win. Surely Oz was in for a thrashing at this point, right? Let’s actually take a look at some comments from the Live Report before the match started.
I dont think this match is even worth watching.
Oh god.....this match is pretty lame.
Khan pulls out epic lineup, while Oz .....
As expected, FBH took out ggaemo and Stork handily defeated Perfectman. But Killer beat an equally mediocre player in Odin and HiyA somewhat surprisingly managed to take out JangBi in a very standard but well-played game. Tied up at 2-2, we moved into the ace match. Stork naturally stepped up for Khan, but who does Oz have at this point that can challenge him? If you actually can’t guess, I’m very disappointed in you.
It was HiyA! He was the one to challenge Stork on Outsider SE; a map where Protoss, Stork especially, typically did quite well. Unfortunately I can’t remember the game and the VODs from this particular set are nowhere to be found. But however it went down, HiyA emerged victorious. A “Jaedong Oz” without Jaedong defied everyone’s expectations and defeated Khan due to two great TvP performances from HiyA.
I wanted to talk about his game against JangBi because I remember it being pretty good, but the missing VODs won’t allow me to do that. Instead, I will cheat and go over his game against JangBi in Winners League on the same map just over a month later. ^_^
HiyA is at the 4 in yellow while Jangbi is at 12 in purple. Once again we see HiyA open open gasless Command.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/yx9kz.png)
Not a backdoor base this time and he builds it on the spot. If nothing else, HiyA has giant nerdballs.
Jangbi sees it really quick and sends his first Zealot down hoping to pressure with it. Unfortunately for him, HiyA has a bunker up in plenty of time.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/aKt6N.png)
Football SCV that was tackling Free’s High Templar is back and ready to block.
The Zealot and Probe do manage to run by but is cleaned up pretty easily, with HiyA only losing one marine. Meanwhile, Jangbi expanded with one gate and goon range en route. He pressures the bunker when range finishes and eventually takes a quick third off of just the one gate.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/MHkAi.png)
Please tell me I’m not the only one who sees the llama (with a collar) cuddling with a seal in the minimap.
Eventually a tank comes out and manages to push away the Dragoons. But now Jangbi has 3 Nexus, is mining gas with only one probe, and has spammed down Gateways, now up to 5 with no tech.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/2qZoz.png)
That is many Gateway. Yes?
HiyA, perhaps having seen what Jangbi was up to with his super early comsats, pushes out onto the map with 5 Tanks, a few vultures, 3 Factories at home, and not much else. He’s getting mines while rallying Vultures forward, knowing Jangbi will have very late Observers.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/hUrZR.png)
Kind of odd timing out of HiyA but, seriously, what about HiyA isn’t at least a little bit odd?
He manages to run straight into Jangbi’s natural pretty uncontested and starts laying down mines. Jangbi doesn’t have an Observer but there aren’t that many mines just yet and Jangbi’s army is pretty big so he runs in.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/PzUyL.png)
Shockingly, Hiya’s two marines become blood spots pretty quick.
Jangbi shows some pretty suave micro and manages to push HiyA back to the high ground, away from his natural. Still, having just now started his Robo, he can’t chase any further.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/NMRtF.png)
The wolf that is Jangbi may have been able to blow down the house made of straw, but he couldn’t blow down the house made of freaking mines and artillery.
Probably knowing how late the Robo was (again because of his quick scanners), HiyA’s free to try to barrel down the third because of his mines on the high ground outside Jangbi’s natural.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/7LJ5C.png)
“I was over there, and now I’m over here. Whatcha gon’ do son?” - HiyA
With the wall broken down, Vultures on the loose all over the place, and Observers still not out, Jangbi has to temporarily retreat his probes from his third.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/kWLpY.png)
That’s a very excited Vulture !
Jangbi decides he wants to break through the force at his third, so he sends in a Zealot to absorb some mines.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/KhKIa.png)
You may have noticed on TL the “Sad Zealot Fan Club.” They’re actually talking about that guy right there.
But it turns out there’s only one tank there anyway, and Hiya’s going for the natural now. Jangbi was forced to wall off his natural when his third was under attack, which is nice to keep the vultures out but pretty much seals the fate of some buildings.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/c8NMT.png)
“FML” - Jangbi
After breaking the wall down, HiyA swings in a bunch of Vultures and goes for some big offensive mines.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/TAYMa.png)
Meanwhile, Jangbi prepares to select sad Zealot #2.
Jangbi decides he has to bust down the contain.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/TOHAp.png)
But isn’t hugely successful.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/0HrBp.png)
While all that fun stuff is going on, HiyA broke through the new wall to Jangbi’s third and even managed to knock down the Nexus. Behind that, HiyA’s working off 6 factories and is starting his own third base.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/fszsJ.png)
Jangbi managed to break out of the contain but is still looking pretty boned.
Jangbi’s going for one last big attack on HiyA’s natural but he never dealt with those Vultures that killed his third so they got a bunch of Probe kills on top of it all. Now Jangbi is even more all-in with his attack.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/kKk7R.png)
HiyA can’t stop thinking about that one time a Probe stole his lunch money.
Despite everything, when Jangbi gets to HiyA’s natural, there’s not a ton of units there to defend. Could Jangbi possibly end up taking the game?
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/cUV8q.png)
The answer is no.
Though it looked like Jangbi came close, 6 factories rallying out units eventually put a stop to it. With that, Hiya collected his GG.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/OOoTM.png)
Now some of you might be thinking “He 6 Factory all-inned some guy, so what?” To you, I say
The other example of HiyA coming in strong when his team needed him came in June of 2010. The Hana Daetoo MSL finals occurred at the end of May and as you may recall, that was the one where Flash trounced Jaedong 3-0. When KT and Oz were set to play in Proleague just a few days later, hype around a possible Flash vs Jaedong rematch was outrageous. They didn’t hit each other in the first four games, Jaedong took out Stats while Flash beat Backho, the series was eventually tied 2-2 and was ready to move into the Ace Match. The rematch everyone was waiting for seemed imminent. That was before HiyA got up and made his way over to the booth. A lot of people claimed that JD and/or Oz’s coach didn’t think Jaedong could take Flash but I’m not here to get into that. HiyA stepped up and gave Flash one hell of a game, which we’re going to look at in depth in just a moment.
But first, let’s look at some of the comments in the LR thread right before the Ace Match.
I`m rooting for Hiya here,but i guess he doesnt have much chance.
USES SPLASH
BUT IT DOES NOTHING
BUT IT DOES NOTHING
Well, hope hiya cheeses, don't really want to see him slowly destroyed in a half hour game.
Regardless of whether Jaedong could have won, HiyA’s the one who got the opportunity. Let’s see how he does with it.
The game is on yet another blue map, Polaris Rhapsody, with Flash at the top in brown and Hiya at the bottom in teal. They both open almost identically with a one factory expand but Flash goes right for the Machine Shop while Hiya gets out a few Vultures first.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/qt26M.png)
Expansion timing pictures are always the hardest to write jokes for. That’s why .. um .. screw it, watch this again.
Remember when I casually said Hiya squeezed out a few Vultures before Machine Shop? It turns out that’s pretty important.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/oAeAr.png)
“The Cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.” - Homer Simpson (presumably) talking about the Vulture.
Because of that Vulture and a second one that came after, HiyA netted three SCV kills, all ones that were working on the CC. So he ended up with a noticeably faster Command Center even though they started at the same time. Also, because of the extra scouting information he picked up, he was able to go second Factory before Armory while Flash had to do the opposite. This in turn allowed HiyA to make the first move on the map.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/zx3JT.png)
Remember kids, never eat those weirdo mushrooms.
But Flash, being Flash, scouted Hiya’s attempt to swing in from the top. Hiya, realizing the jig was up, tries to move back home. Unfortunately, Flash is still Flash and has cut him off, forcing Hiya to just siege up on the high ground.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/NzKUm.png)
“No, you come up here!”
Eventually HiyA thinks it’s safe to come down and try to get home. It turns out it wasn’t.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/sQ8tZ.png)
That’s probably the aforementioned Splash Attack.
Flash finds some more tanks that are out on the field and tries to kill them with Vulture/mine surrounds. Unfortunately for him, Hiya is secretly amazing so he micros out it spectacularly.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/puhOb.png)
I’ll bet Jaedong wouldn’t have microed his tanks like that … …
Moments later, Hiya does something else Jaedong wouldn’t have done. He lifts his CC trying to place a scanner.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/hmIsn.png)
Hiya doing his best impression of me. How endearing.
Trying to establish himself a nice position, Hiya moves forward. It’s now his turn to make a big Vulture attack on some tanks.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/rqPD6.png)
Vultures are famously free and kill everything so want as many as you can !
He’s quite successful with this attack, so we get a nice Doom Zoom on Flash.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/OgGIs.png)
“No freaking way.” - Flash
With some more nice micro, HiyA manages to push Flash back entirely and forces him to lift his third. With the help of some more Vultures coming in from the bottom for a surround, Hiya tries to brank Flash’s position outside his natural. Again, he’s pretty darn successful with it. So we quickly get another one of these:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/x97S9.png)
“NO FREAKING WAY !”
Ultimately Flash manages to hold. Hiya can’t make it any deeper so he’ll have to be content with his third CC which, though he built considerably later than Flash, he has operational quicker. With some nice control, he breaks Hiya’s contain and the game moves on. Hiya then tries to set up outside Flash’s third with hopes to push into it.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/8qQIW.png)
Don’t judge me for failing to come up with a joke, because there’s a certain Leta-related video I could link again if you do.
With some well placed mines and a Vulture advantage, Flash manages to crush Hiya’s task force, giving him his own Doom Zoom. Flash pushes down the map and handily wins another battle in the center, giving himself a fantastic position.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/kj9Ag.png)
Things not looking too good for our friendly neighbourhood fishiking.
Hiya gets out a Wraith which delays for a little bit but a Goliath shows up quickly. Eventually Flash realizes that he’s not going to be able to cross the skinny bridge and attack Hiya so he swings around to set up a position towards the left side of the map.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/YJlQS.png)
The Bouncer SCVs make sure the Tanks are safe.
Still, at this time there’s no real possibility of Flash pushing any further since he would need to either brank a ramp or cross a skinny bridge. As such, Hiya will be pretty content chilling for the time being, sitting on the same amount of bases as Flash. Both players start their fifth bases as exactly the same time on opposite ends of the map.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/T8ydf.png)
Hiya’s Command Center is, of course, cooler. You can tell because that’s the one I screencapped. I mean, why else would I do that?
Shortly after Flash’s +1 attack finishes, Hiya’s +2 does as well. Also, he’s managed to mostly beat back Flash’s position on the left side for now.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/AsBt8.png)
Yeah you better run.
Hiya starts fortifying his fifth base with mines, turrets, and some Tanks realizing that, as this TvT starts to enter the late stages, his fresh bases are going to become incredibly important to hold. But meanwhile, at the Legion of Doom:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/gqwU4.png)
Flash suddenly decides he wants to be baller who gets add-ons to his Science Facility, like a certain other guy.
However, always a man of action, Hiya decides its time for a big attack on Flash’s fifth base. He flies in with dropships while running units in on the other side of the wall. But will it work? !
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/fhrzy.png)
Whenever you ask the question “Will this attack break Flash?”, remember the answer is almost always an emphatic “No.”
Hiya turns out to be no exception to the rule and gets his attack crushed pretty heavily.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/rZzUF.png)
Or maybe “pretty heavily” was a bit of an understatement.
Again showing us why we should love him, Hiya gives us one of these:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/V6ZGx.png)
Aw, shucks.
Still, Hiya stabilizes pretty well and can’t be broken just yet. Unfortunately for him, a few Battlecruisers are now out with more on the way. But all of a sudden, Hiya throws down 5 more Starports. The commentators point out that he didn’t leave space for Control Towers and therefore will be going Wraiths.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/qTXVD.png)
Hey guys, I think he might have scouted the BC switch. (Hiya then made another Starport but I already took and uploaded the screencap !)
Hiya hits +3 while Flash is still at +1 on his ground, presumably because Flash has been getting Air Weapons. Some marauding (hehe) Vultures scout out Hiya’s Starport collection.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/W1yCo.png)
Wait a minute …
After their shocking discover, those Vultures try to get some worker kills but Hiya cleans them up without much of a problem. After a brief period of relative peace during which Hiya built up his Wraith fleet, he decides its time for another kill move: a drop in the main. Flash has a ton of Turrets set up to prevent such a thing but Hiya doesn’t care. He draws fire with the Wraiths then drops his units in.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/BFsM7.png)
“Hey, man.” - Hollywood Fishiking
Now begins the dance of Battlecruisers on one side and masses of Cloaked Wraiths on the other, with both sides complimented by Goliaths. This is the last play of the game and it cannot be expressed in words so I suggest you watch the final 3~ minutes and see how it turns out (I couldn’t possibly include 2 out of 3 games with HiyA losing, could I?!)
Some things to note:
- Goliaths are among the dumbest units in the game, there’s no way in hell they’re ever getting up that ramp.
- This whole time, Flash is losing production and supply. This being a two player map, there’s not even another main for him to try to rebuild.
- Hiya had the presence of mind (and the micro ability) to prevent his Wraiths from getting decimated by the Valkyries.
- Holy shit.
With that win, Hiya secured the Proleague set for Oz. And with one hell of a game, if I may say so myself. Yes, I’m sure people were still disappointed by the lack of JD vs Flash rematch, but that game was spectacular nonetheless. Could Jaedong have taken out Flash? Maybe. But Hiya sure as hell did.
I hope anyone who read this and wasn’t aware of how key Hiya was can now understand. Eventually Killer stepped up and arguably became Jaedong’s partner in crime but for a long time, it was all Hiya. Even after Killer rose to stardom, Hiya was absolutely key to Oz’s performance. And it’s on that note I want to end. If anything comes out of the time I’ve put into this, I hope its that people acknowledge Hiya for what an incredible and special player he truly was.
Goodbye Hiya. Thank you for the many amazing games you have shown us over the years and the endless entertainment you brought in and outside of the game. You will be missed.
+ Show Spoiler +
Bibbit is a Starcraft fan who apparently has too much time on his hands. If you want to be the first to know when he writes more overly sappy tributes, follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Bibbit_Mack
On November 18 2011 04:13 rotinegg wrote:
+ Show Spoiler +
HiyA: "I want my days as a progamer to remain as good memories"
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_b919f37d6c4826f69d61179b416cc258.jpg)
Earlier this month, on Novemer 4th, Kespa posted the progamers that used to belong to the disbanded Hwaseung OZ, MBCGame HERO and WeMade FOX. Posting is basically a draft conducted by the six other corporate-sponsored teams, excluding ACE. Players state a minimum salary, then a desired salary, and if they negotiate a deal somewhere in between with a team, they are drafted.
Hiya, the terran ace of Hwaseung Oz, participated in the posting as well. He was planning on continuing his career as a progamer if a team picked him up. However, none of the teams wanted him. Rumor has it that his minimum salary was much higher than what the teams had expected.
When
Shine, who was a big fish among those who failed to post initially, was later picked up by Samsung KHAN, we were curious of Hiya's status. Daily E-sports visited Hiya on the 16th at his house and conducted an interview.
DE=How have you been?
Hiya=The first few days after I failed to post, I thought alot about my future, and came to the conclusion to tie everything up. I have no plans of continuing on as a progamer, so I haven't reached out to other teams either. To be honest, I am enjoying this break away from progaming.
DE=Alot of things happened after Hwaseung Oz disbanded.
Hiya=The news of our disbanding broke after the season ended. I packed my luggage and came home with a heavy heart. One day, I even went onto an e-sports news site and F5'd all day to see if any corporations wanted to sponsor a team. For about two months, I did nothing but wait for the good news. They were very unsettling times for me. Then, to top it off, my father passed away last month, weighing even more heavily on my heart.
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_50d702f2b5a772881b5f07e572d1e83b.jpg)
DE=We heard he passed away in October. How was the funeral.
Hiya=Alot of e-sports personnel visited and tried to cheer me up. My father loved to drink and he was admitted to a hospital for Liver Cirrhosis a few months ago. He was let go after being treated, but he suddenly collapsed, so he was readmitted. We were so shocked because he passed away not two days after re-admittance. Our relatives said he probably knew he didn't have much time left, and wanted to pass away quickly to reduce medical bills. I was still trying to comprehend what had happened, but with my older brother and mother's efforts, we were able to have a successful funeral.
DE=You are now the head of the family [가장=one who brings home the bread]
Hiya=I'm the younger brother, so I'm not the head. My older brother, who is 7 years older, is our head now. Even during our funeral, he managed everything and I just helped him. He must be overwhelmed by the responsibility he now carries.
DE=I remember you saying 'I hope things start to look up after October.' It is now November, and things are still looking gloomy for Hiya.
Hiya=I expected things to flesh out after October. I waited for our team to find another sponsor, then heard that wouldn't be happening. I participated in the posting on the 4th, and I was planning on entering a team that wanted me. But they must have thought my desired salary was too high.
I heard Shine, who also failed to post initially, entered Khan. I am happy for him. Coach Han of team8, and ex-coach of Hwaseung Oz, said he would try to find me a spot in another team, but after 2 days, I told him that I would like to retire. To be honest, after I failed to post on the 4th, I gave up continuing on as a progamer.
DE=What have you been up to recently.
Hiya=I've been streaming on Afreeca. I guess it's because I used to be a progamer, but over a 1000 viewers log onto my channel at times.
DE=The viewers must have alot of questions regarding your whereabouts and future plans.
Hiya=Yea. Alot of them ask me if I have plans of continuing as a progamer. I answer them honestly.
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_475bef666419bc36820942a684fc868d.jpg)
DE=Afreeca doesn't necessarily have the best reputation at the moment.
Hiya=That bothered me too. There are alot of people who disapprove of ex-progamers who had been involved in match-fixing streaming on Afreeca. I was worried I would get involved in that mess somehow. But the viewers all gave me words of encouragement, and only had positive things to say. Since [Starcraft] is all I know how to do, I am happy that I can still earn some money, however little it is, through streaming.
I wanted to enjoy the game without the title of 'progamer.' When I was on the team, sometimes it was a pain to practice according schedule and live by tournament schedules. However, now I am just having the time of my life playing [Starcraft] and talking to my viewers. This has been the happiest time of my life.
DE=There is speculation that you may transfer to Starcraft 2.
Hiya=It would be a lie if I said I hadn't thought about it. After Hwaseung disbanded, I tried SC2 at home for a week. I hit diamond very easily. I thought it might be possible, but then I played against
fOrGG who recently switched to SC2, and I got absolutely demolished. He was off-racing as Zerg at that, so I gave up right then and there. I am planning to join the military rather than to play SC2. [NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO]
DE=
Lomo is joining the police sooon.
Hiya= I went down to Pusan about a week ago with
Sky,
Bee,
sHy and
Ryul2. When my father passed away, Lomo came up all the way from Pusan. It meant alot for me. That's when I heard of his plans to join the military as a police officer. I decided to return the favor by going down to Pusan and throwing him a good-bye party, while getting some fresh air as well. I told him to take care and come back safely.
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_616c081851ad1a26d2d5f29cf3ebdd77.jpg)
DE=Are you jealous of players who joined team8.
Hiya=It was cool to see the ace players from 3 teams, such as
Jaedong,
Sea,
Killer,
BaBy,
beatace OR
Jaehoon and
Tyson, together. It's pretty obvious that this team will do well. I thought 'only if I had performed better in the 10-11 season, then maybe I could have joined too' but it is a thing of the past and there is nothing I can do now.
Since there were alot of us Hwaseung players who were close to Coach Han, we visited him in Itaewon. I went with
Alone and
Bee. We wanted to talk about future plans, but we got there late so we couldn't talke much. Itaewon is far from Boochun and we started to worry we wouldn't have a bus home. I hope team8 does well.
DE=Did your father's passing away have a impact on your decision to retire.
Hiya=When I was packing away my father's belongings, I realized we didn't have a single family picture. My father worked in Japan to earn our family money since I was very young. I never saw my father in elementary and middle school. When he came back, I was already part of a team and living in a dormitory, so I never saw him.
Before my father passed away, he suggested that we go on a vacation to Jaeju island. He suggested it when he was healthy, but then was admitted to a hospital and passed away in less than a week. We missed the opportunity to go on our first family vacation in 20 years. [T_T.. this is so saddening.. RIP]
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_6b87eb5097142c147f0ea93cc3ac0858.jpg)
After my father passed away, I realized the importance of family. I am now trying to spend as much time as I can with my mother and brother. It played a big part in my decision to retire. I want streaming on Afreeca to be a hobby, and use the time that is left to spend one more hour, have one more conversation with my family.
DE=You mentioned that money is not a big motivator for you in one of the past interviews, that you play for fun.
Hiya=Yea. Even my decision to become a progamer was not based on the money. I was good at what I did, and I found fun in being good. It would have been ideal to earn money while doing what I enjoy, but for now, spending time with my family is priority number one.
When I was a progamer, I thought 'I should retire after becoming the best'. I dreamt of announcing my retirement after winning an individual league title. But I guess becoming the best wasn't that easy. I didn't want to become a thing of the past and retire because I had to. In the 10-11 season, I didn't have the best results, but I think I put up a good fighting. I think now is a good point to walk away from it all.
DE=Any last words to your fans.
Hiya=I often talk about my status and life when I stream on Afreeca. They support [my decision to retire] and empathize, so I am thankful. But some viewers try to over-analyze or fixate on one aspect of what I say and blow it out of context. I hope they don't put words in my mouth and post it all over the internet in the future.
The days I spent as a progamer remain as dear and fun memories. Now we have parted ways, but you can never tell what will happen in life. When we meet again in the future, I hope you will still remember me as the 'funny progamer Hiya.'
Source: Daily E-sports
*I have one request for all the readers: please do not turn this into a Savior/match fixing flame war.
Hiya's streaming thread
+ Show Spoiler +

![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_b919f37d6c4826f69d61179b416cc258.jpg)
Earlier this month, on Novemer 4th, Kespa posted the progamers that used to belong to the disbanded Hwaseung OZ, MBCGame HERO and WeMade FOX. Posting is basically a draft conducted by the six other corporate-sponsored teams, excluding ACE. Players state a minimum salary, then a desired salary, and if they negotiate a deal somewhere in between with a team, they are drafted.
Hiya, the terran ace of Hwaseung Oz, participated in the posting as well. He was planning on continuing his career as a progamer if a team picked him up. However, none of the teams wanted him. Rumor has it that his minimum salary was much higher than what the teams had expected.
When

DE=How have you been?
Hiya=The first few days after I failed to post, I thought alot about my future, and came to the conclusion to tie everything up. I have no plans of continuing on as a progamer, so I haven't reached out to other teams either. To be honest, I am enjoying this break away from progaming.
DE=Alot of things happened after Hwaseung Oz disbanded.
Hiya=The news of our disbanding broke after the season ended. I packed my luggage and came home with a heavy heart. One day, I even went onto an e-sports news site and F5'd all day to see if any corporations wanted to sponsor a team. For about two months, I did nothing but wait for the good news. They were very unsettling times for me. Then, to top it off, my father passed away last month, weighing even more heavily on my heart.
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_50d702f2b5a772881b5f07e572d1e83b.jpg)
DE=We heard he passed away in October. How was the funeral.
Hiya=Alot of e-sports personnel visited and tried to cheer me up. My father loved to drink and he was admitted to a hospital for Liver Cirrhosis a few months ago. He was let go after being treated, but he suddenly collapsed, so he was readmitted. We were so shocked because he passed away not two days after re-admittance. Our relatives said he probably knew he didn't have much time left, and wanted to pass away quickly to reduce medical bills. I was still trying to comprehend what had happened, but with my older brother and mother's efforts, we were able to have a successful funeral.
DE=You are now the head of the family [가장=one who brings home the bread]
Hiya=I'm the younger brother, so I'm not the head. My older brother, who is 7 years older, is our head now. Even during our funeral, he managed everything and I just helped him. He must be overwhelmed by the responsibility he now carries.
DE=I remember you saying 'I hope things start to look up after October.' It is now November, and things are still looking gloomy for Hiya.
Hiya=I expected things to flesh out after October. I waited for our team to find another sponsor, then heard that wouldn't be happening. I participated in the posting on the 4th, and I was planning on entering a team that wanted me. But they must have thought my desired salary was too high.
I heard Shine, who also failed to post initially, entered Khan. I am happy for him. Coach Han of team8, and ex-coach of Hwaseung Oz, said he would try to find me a spot in another team, but after 2 days, I told him that I would like to retire. To be honest, after I failed to post on the 4th, I gave up continuing on as a progamer.
DE=What have you been up to recently.
Hiya=I've been streaming on Afreeca. I guess it's because I used to be a progamer, but over a 1000 viewers log onto my channel at times.
DE=The viewers must have alot of questions regarding your whereabouts and future plans.
Hiya=Yea. Alot of them ask me if I have plans of continuing as a progamer. I answer them honestly.
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_475bef666419bc36820942a684fc868d.jpg)
DE=Afreeca doesn't necessarily have the best reputation at the moment.
Hiya=That bothered me too. There are alot of people who disapprove of ex-progamers who had been involved in match-fixing streaming on Afreeca. I was worried I would get involved in that mess somehow. But the viewers all gave me words of encouragement, and only had positive things to say. Since [Starcraft] is all I know how to do, I am happy that I can still earn some money, however little it is, through streaming.
I wanted to enjoy the game without the title of 'progamer.' When I was on the team, sometimes it was a pain to practice according schedule and live by tournament schedules. However, now I am just having the time of my life playing [Starcraft] and talking to my viewers. This has been the happiest time of my life.
DE=There is speculation that you may transfer to Starcraft 2.
Hiya=It would be a lie if I said I hadn't thought about it. After Hwaseung disbanded, I tried SC2 at home for a week. I hit diamond very easily. I thought it might be possible, but then I played against

DE=

Hiya= I went down to Pusan about a week ago with




![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_616c081851ad1a26d2d5f29cf3ebdd77.jpg)
DE=Are you jealous of players who joined team8.
Hiya=It was cool to see the ace players from 3 teams, such as







Since there were alot of us Hwaseung players who were close to Coach Han, we visited him in Itaewon. I went with


DE=Did your father's passing away have a impact on your decision to retire.
Hiya=When I was packing away my father's belongings, I realized we didn't have a single family picture. My father worked in Japan to earn our family money since I was very young. I never saw my father in elementary and middle school. When he came back, I was already part of a team and living in a dormitory, so I never saw him.
Before my father passed away, he suggested that we go on a vacation to Jaeju island. He suggested it when he was healthy, but then was admitted to a hospital and passed away in less than a week. We missed the opportunity to go on our first family vacation in 20 years. [T_T.. this is so saddening.. RIP]
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_6b87eb5097142c147f0ea93cc3ac0858.jpg)
After my father passed away, I realized the importance of family. I am now trying to spend as much time as I can with my mother and brother. It played a big part in my decision to retire. I want streaming on Afreeca to be a hobby, and use the time that is left to spend one more hour, have one more conversation with my family.
DE=You mentioned that money is not a big motivator for you in one of the past interviews, that you play for fun.
Hiya=Yea. Even my decision to become a progamer was not based on the money. I was good at what I did, and I found fun in being good. It would have been ideal to earn money while doing what I enjoy, but for now, spending time with my family is priority number one.
When I was a progamer, I thought 'I should retire after becoming the best'. I dreamt of announcing my retirement after winning an individual league title. But I guess becoming the best wasn't that easy. I didn't want to become a thing of the past and retire because I had to. In the 10-11 season, I didn't have the best results, but I think I put up a good fighting. I think now is a good point to walk away from it all.
DE=Any last words to your fans.
Hiya=I often talk about my status and life when I stream on Afreeca. They support [my decision to retire] and empathize, so I am thankful. But some viewers try to over-analyze or fixate on one aspect of what I say and blow it out of context. I hope they don't put words in my mouth and post it all over the internet in the future.
The days I spent as a progamer remain as dear and fun memories. Now we have parted ways, but you can never tell what will happen in life. When we meet again in the future, I hope you will still remember me as the 'funny progamer Hiya.'
Source: Daily E-sports
*I have one request for all the readers: please do not turn this into a Savior/match fixing flame war.
Hiya's streaming thread
And of course do not forget . . .