EPT"Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory."
-General Patton
-General Patton
Eight long years ago a player was hailed one of the greatest of all time. He had revolutionized match ups. He was called Ma Bonjwa and maestro of his race. Eight years ago, this player competed in a finals against an opponent whom no one gave a chance. The finals ended as quickly as everyone expected, yet the results were contrary to everything we believed. That day, favorite to win,
sAviOr lost in incredible fashion to 
Bisu.We find ourselves in the same place we were eight years ago. An older, well decorated player, Bisu has been defeated by young rising
hero. And there's something to be gained from the way hero won. Like Bisu's first championship, hero took on three games, three different challenges, and all had one outcome. Victory. hero has become a champion. It has been marked in the book of records. The swarm now hold the crown, and there is valid reason to fear this outcome. hero doesn't look like a player slowing down. His skill is rising at an terrifying rate and should he lose in a future SSL, it will be an incredible defeat.Table of Contents
- Finals Recap
- by BigFan
- TL Corner
- by amazingxkcd
- On Site Reporting
- by GTR
- In usual fashion, Bisu opened up the series with a double gate in the center of Neo Jade while hero opted for pool first. Using his refined star sense, hero scouted the gates and prepared by making zerglings. While some of them snuck out and sniped probes in Bisu's main, the rest stayed at home and defended the inevitable zealot attack (gif). hero countered soon after to take the first game.
- Bisu opened up with a forge FE while hero opted for pool first then double expanded. Bisu tried to do some harass but hero repelled it with his good defense. After getting a spire, hero established air control and repeatedly worked on trying to deny Bisu's third while he took his fourth. A dark templar by Bisu dealt some several economical damage, however, Bisu lost his third and lost the game after being mined out and unable to defend the second hydra attack from hero.
First Hydra Attack - After opening with a pool first to Bisu's forge FE, hero grabbed a third and added a hydra den. He decided to try a hydra bust but Bisu was more than ready. Bisu counter-attacked with speedlots soon after, but, was blocked by hero who decided to switch to mutalisks. This caught Bisu offguard and he scrambled to get cannons and make goons and high templars for defense. This also led to him storming his own probe lines twice by accident. As Bisu battled the mutalisks, hero increased his drone count, got lurkers and teched up to defilers. Bisu kept trying to push with his army, but, was very hesitant to attack into hero despite his army's superiority. As both players took more bases, hero eventually took the economical advantage after dropping Bisu's fifth base. In an astounding moment, hero took down two mining bases, killed most of Bisu's army and destroyed Bisu's last mining base and remaining army remnants in a matter of minutes to exact revenge for SSL9 and become the SSL11 champion!
Bisu's Last Stand
With the finals having the grandiose that Brood War deserves, it's time for us as a community to reflect on the players, the games, the atmosphere, and the state of Brood War itself. Normally, our reviews of any grand event are done from the opinion of TL staff themselves. However, we decided to out-source some of the writing this time so that we can highlight the TL Starcraft community.
What is a final with Bisu playing without some electrifying play right off the bat? Bisu opted to go for double proxy against hero on Neo Jade, hoping to throw hero off his game right away. The TLers went wild at the audacity of Bisu using such a risky build order in game 1.
Unfortunately for Bisu, hero scouted the build using a cross-spawn Drone scout and completely revealed Bisu's game plan much to the delight of his fans to win the game:
The first game was quite surprising. We went off to ask feckless, a fellow TL community member about his thoughts and opinions on the first game, and why Bisu went for proxy 2 gates:
Game 2:
On La Mancha, Bisu needed to pull off a miracle on a map that favours hero's ZvP playstyle. Both players opened standard, with Bisu going for a zealot timing attack which flopped because hero's sim city defense was too hard to break:
hero then managed to take the game head on and made quick work of Bisu, even though Bisu's DTs dealt way too much damage to hero:
Game 3:
Playing on Heartbreak Ridge, a map that heavily favours protoss in all matchups, this was Bisu's chance to mount a comeback. Bisu fans are already starting to lose hope, yet muster on to stay positive:
hero went for a questionable 3 hatch hydra bust, looking to end the game quickly and net that 3-0 win however, he is denied and Bisu's DTs went to town on hero again:
hero scrapped together enough economy to get to spire tech and starts to pump mutas out. Of course, Bisu is already under a lot of pressure and makes some silly storms, including storming himself on multiple occasions
With the pressure mounting on both players to succeed, they start playing for the late game. What's the best thing to do as a Zerg player in the late game?
But even with the fake drops, no one could tell who was ahead! The game, already wild into the late stages was a back and forth brawl between the two players:
Slowly and surely, hero managed to come on top of Bisu and win the SSL 3-0 (or is it an OSL? :D ). This astonishing defeat has gotten everyone confused, happy, joyous, angry, and mind-blown:
And of course, Blind Rawr the legendary LRer has the best reaction to the 3-0 victory of hero:
With all of that action wrapped up by fellow community members, we turned to Taggard to see what he had to say about the 3rd and final game of the series:
That does bring us to a good point. Is hero the best player in the world right now? Who can take him on? Will Bisu rebound from this defeat? We can only speculate...
What is a final with Bisu playing without some electrifying play right off the bat? Bisu opted to go for double proxy against hero on Neo Jade, hoping to throw hero off his game right away. The TLers went wild at the audacity of Bisu using such a risky build order in game 1.
On August 30 2015 17:33 N.geNuity wrote:
BISU USING HIS BIG NOSE TO GO WINE AND CHEESE TASTING, LEARN THE TYPES OF CHEESES
DECIDES TO 2 GATE
BISU USING HIS BIG NOSE TO GO WINE AND CHEESE TASTING, LEARN THE TYPES OF CHEESES
DECIDES TO 2 GATE
Unfortunately for Bisu, hero scouted the build using a cross-spawn Drone scout and completely revealed Bisu's game plan much to the delight of his fans to win the game:
On August 30 2015 17:34 iamho wrote:
Star sense from hero. Predicted it perfectly!!
Star sense from hero. Predicted it perfectly!!
On August 30 2015 17:34 Stratos wrote:
OF COURSE HERO SMELLS IT. HE KNOWS BISU CAN'T PLAY ZVP
OF COURSE HERO SMELLS IT. HE KNOWS BISU CAN'T PLAY ZVP
On August 30 2015 17:38 vndestiny wrote:
EZ 1ST GAME.
HERO MY MAN
EZ 1ST GAME.
HERO MY MAN
The first game was quite surprising. We went off to ask feckless, a fellow TL community member about his thoughts and opinions on the first game, and why Bisu went for proxy 2 gates:
in game 1, we saw bisu go for a proxy 2 gates that hero shut down hard. why did you think Bisu went for that strategy?
Well, Bisu is Bisu, and he has a bit of a reputation for getting others to sample his cheese, so it's not like this is unexpected. Otherwise, I think it was Bisu attempting to play the mind games, try to mess up whatever gameplan hero had, dictate control of the series early on. It's worked before (July versus Best always comes to mind). Unfortunately, I think hero came prepared, and part of his preparation was to deal with this sort of thing, because he chose one of the best builds to counter it (note: if I recall correctly, I think he overpooled in every game, correct me if incorrect).
I'm not speculative enough to presume or assume how the series would have progressed had Bisu been successful (maybe it would actually have been better to forgo such strategies altogether) but, as it is, the idea looked like it backfired on him, like some BW judo move, where an attempt to brute-force an opponent in the first game and gain a mental edge ended up working against the initiating player. Bisu charged hard and hero responded by giving him the throwdown.
Finally, one thing I like about Bisu's play is that often times the cheese is not designed to end the game, it's part of an overall strategy. It's not an all-in. Many times he is somehow able to transition out of it into more "standard" play, even when the cheese itself is discovered. However, I'm not sure how 2-gate proxy in the middle of the map is not an all-in.
hero came well prepared. There is no such thing as luck.
Know yourself. Know your enemy. A thousand battles. A thousand victories. Sun Tzu.
Well, Bisu is Bisu, and he has a bit of a reputation for getting others to sample his cheese, so it's not like this is unexpected. Otherwise, I think it was Bisu attempting to play the mind games, try to mess up whatever gameplan hero had, dictate control of the series early on. It's worked before (July versus Best always comes to mind). Unfortunately, I think hero came prepared, and part of his preparation was to deal with this sort of thing, because he chose one of the best builds to counter it (note: if I recall correctly, I think he overpooled in every game, correct me if incorrect).
I'm not speculative enough to presume or assume how the series would have progressed had Bisu been successful (maybe it would actually have been better to forgo such strategies altogether) but, as it is, the idea looked like it backfired on him, like some BW judo move, where an attempt to brute-force an opponent in the first game and gain a mental edge ended up working against the initiating player. Bisu charged hard and hero responded by giving him the throwdown.
Finally, one thing I like about Bisu's play is that often times the cheese is not designed to end the game, it's part of an overall strategy. It's not an all-in. Many times he is somehow able to transition out of it into more "standard" play, even when the cheese itself is discovered. However, I'm not sure how 2-gate proxy in the middle of the map is not an all-in.
hero came well prepared. There is no such thing as luck.
Know yourself. Know your enemy. A thousand battles. A thousand victories. Sun Tzu.
Game 2:
On La Mancha, Bisu needed to pull off a miracle on a map that favours hero's ZvP playstyle. Both players opened standard, with Bisu going for a zealot timing attack which flopped because hero's sim city defense was too hard to break:
On August 30 2015 18:00 Heartland wrote:
well defended
well defended
hero then managed to take the game head on and made quick work of Bisu, even though Bisu's DTs dealt way too much damage to hero:
On August 30 2015 18:03 N.geNuity wrote:
HERO DOESNT SEE
15 drones down in main
HERO DOESNT SEE
15 drones down in main
On August 30 2015 18:16 iamho wrote:
I think that failed mid-game push by Bisu put him in too much of a hole already. The +1 archon thing doesn't really work against modern zergs anymore with muta micro being so advanced.
I think that failed mid-game push by Bisu put him in too much of a hole already. The +1 archon thing doesn't really work against modern zergs anymore with muta micro being so advanced.
Game 3:
Playing on Heartbreak Ridge, a map that heavily favours protoss in all matchups, this was Bisu's chance to mount a comeback. Bisu fans are already starting to lose hope, yet muster on to stay positive:
On August 30 2015 18:09 SetGuitarsToKill wrote:
Well... let's hope for a big comeback here. At least let this go to game 4
Well... let's hope for a big comeback here. At least let this go to game 4
hero went for a questionable 3 hatch hydra bust, looking to end the game quickly and net that 3-0 win however, he is denied and Bisu's DTs went to town on hero again:
On August 30 2015 18:28 Greg_J wrote:
busting through here?
busting through here?
On August 30 2015 18:31 Lachrymose wrote:
hero loses half his drones. Lucky for him half of 0 is not much.
hero loses half his drones. Lucky for him half of 0 is not much.
hero scrapped together enough economy to get to spire tech and starts to pump mutas out. Of course, Bisu is already under a lot of pressure and makes some silly storms, including storming himself on multiple occasions
On August 30 2015 18:32 Garrl wrote:
NOOOOOOOO BISU DONT STORM ALL UR PROBES
NOOOOOOOO BISU DONT STORM ALL UR PROBES
On August 30 2015 18:48 Kaal wrote:
Accurate portrayal of Bisu storms this game
![[image loading]](/staff/prech/files/SSL11/SSL11_finals_review_Bisu_spa.jpg)
Accurate portrayal of Bisu storms this game
With the pressure mounting on both players to succeed, they start playing for the late game. What's the best thing to do as a Zerg player in the late game?
On August 30 2015 18:46 prosatan wrote:
fake drop lol
fake drop lol
On August 30 2015 18:49 Ciryandor wrote:
Looks like a DOOM DROP
Looks like a DOOM DROP
But even with the fake drops, no one could tell who was ahead! The game, already wild into the late stages was a back and forth brawl between the two players:
On August 30 2015 18:49 Stratos wrote:
HOW IS HERO STILL IN THIS THOUGH?
HOW IS HERO STILL IN THIS THOUGH?
Slowly and surely, hero managed to come on top of Bisu and win the SSL 3-0 (or is it an OSL? :D ). This astonishing defeat has gotten everyone confused, happy, joyous, angry, and mind-blown:
On August 30 2015 18:50 disciple wrote:
how the fuck did bisu lose that
how the fuck did bisu lose that
On August 30 2015 18:51 gngfn wrote:
I can't believe this is happening hahahaahha
I can't believe this is happening hahahaahha
On August 30 2015 18:52 GoTuNk! wrote:
/slits wrists
/slits wrists
And of course, Blind Rawr the legendary LRer has the best reaction to the 3-0 victory of hero:
![[image loading]](/staff/prech/files/SSL11/SSL11_finals_review_Bisu_buc.jpg)
With all of that action wrapped up by fellow community members, we turned to Taggard to see what he had to say about the 3rd and final game of the series:
I found it funny that hero lost his drone line at his main yet still won. The last game we saw them play on New Heartbreak Ridge, a map favored for protoss in general, yet we see hero come out victorious on it. Thoughts on the final game?
Heartbreak Ridge is the map for drops. It's an oddity, because the fourth expansion is right next to the opponent main. Both players tried to take advantage of this fact. One failed and one succeeded. The funny thing in this game was Bisu's supply lead of 50 getting equaled in what seemed the blink of an eye: Bisu suiciding two shuttles for nothing in right the corner and hero dropping doom on Bisu's left corner base. The question is: did Bisu overextend himself? Where was his reaver? Did he send his army out of position to deal with the drop on the fourth - leaving his second expansion open? That was more than one question. Maybe there is more. Here is another one: Is hero the best player in the world? You his fan Xkcd, what do you think?
Heartbreak Ridge is the map for drops. It's an oddity, because the fourth expansion is right next to the opponent main. Both players tried to take advantage of this fact. One failed and one succeeded. The funny thing in this game was Bisu's supply lead of 50 getting equaled in what seemed the blink of an eye: Bisu suiciding two shuttles for nothing in right the corner and hero dropping doom on Bisu's left corner base. The question is: did Bisu overextend himself? Where was his reaver? Did he send his army out of position to deal with the drop on the fourth - leaving his second expansion open? That was more than one question. Maybe there is more. Here is another one: Is hero the best player in the world? You his fan Xkcd, what do you think?
That does bring us to a good point. Is hero the best player in the world right now? Who can take him on? Will Bisu rebound from this defeat? We can only speculate...
Three years ago, I left Korea knowing that I had fulfilled my life long dream of attending a live Ongamenet Starleague final - the last one, ever. Coming into Korea for my year-long exchange a couple of weeks ago, I didn't actually think that Brood War would be back in this capacity - live finals, famous K-Pop groups performing and the same energy I had experienced at the tving OSL finals.
Unlike last time where it was just me, my phone camera and kjwcj to help out with the on-site reporting - I was alone, armed with a new camera (check out my photo album if you haven't already) and some Korean to help me get around. While I'm here, I'd like to thank Genie Kim from OGN Global for letting staff know that I'll be there doing press work and Jaeyoung from OGN's PR team for being great support for me not only on Sunday, but over the weekend (I also did work at the LCK finals which I won't go into here for obvious reasons).
When you're working as 'press' for an event, it's a much more redeeming but tiring approach of looking at the games. Half the time, I was walking around the gymnasium trying to find that 'perfect angle' or taking the 'perfect shot' whenever something awesome happened. Later through out the night I just figured to just tame it down a bit and maybe focus a bit more on the games.
Oh, the games themselves? They were alright, but Bisu definitely disappointed everyone by getting swept by hero 3-0. Huge props to hero though as he seemed much more prepared than Bisu by a fair margin.
To be honest, the highlight of the night for me was AOA. Once the main proceedings finished, I felt a scrum of fan photographers graze against the back of me (I was at the very front of the photo line since I was press). From an amateur photographer's perspective, it is really difficult to take photos of a group that does so much choreography and dancing - it's hard to focus on which members to take note of and to take pictures of. Doing photography for that made me learn something new that night.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable experience. I can't wait for KSL to start and hopefully once the finals for that at G-STAR in Busan come around in November I can write something similar to what I did here.
Photos by Aroun 'GTR' Lepkhammany, Twitter - Facebook - GalleryUnlike last time where it was just me, my phone camera and kjwcj to help out with the on-site reporting - I was alone, armed with a new camera (check out my photo album if you haven't already) and some Korean to help me get around. While I'm here, I'd like to thank Genie Kim from OGN Global for letting staff know that I'll be there doing press work and Jaeyoung from OGN's PR team for being great support for me not only on Sunday, but over the weekend (I also did work at the LCK finals which I won't go into here for obvious reasons).
When you're working as 'press' for an event, it's a much more redeeming but tiring approach of looking at the games. Half the time, I was walking around the gymnasium trying to find that 'perfect angle' or taking the 'perfect shot' whenever something awesome happened. Later through out the night I just figured to just tame it down a bit and maybe focus a bit more on the games.
Oh, the games themselves? They were alright, but Bisu definitely disappointed everyone by getting swept by hero 3-0. Huge props to hero though as he seemed much more prepared than Bisu by a fair margin.
To be honest, the highlight of the night for me was AOA. Once the main proceedings finished, I felt a scrum of fan photographers graze against the back of me (I was at the very front of the photo line since I was press). From an amateur photographer's perspective, it is really difficult to take photos of a group that does so much choreography and dancing - it's hard to focus on which members to take note of and to take pictures of. Doing photography for that made me learn something new that night.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable experience. I can't wait for KSL to start and hopefully once the finals for that at G-STAR in Busan come around in November I can write something similar to what I did here.
Writers: BisuDagger, BigFan, amazingxkcd, GTR
Graphics: v1
Editors: BigFan, amazingxkcd, prech
Graphics: v1
Editors: BigFan, amazingxkcd, prech
