With Shuttle recently departing for the military, the Protoss race has lost a strong player, one who displayed fantastic skills, and immense growth over the years. Through years and years of streaming on Afreeca, Shuttle gained many nicknames, and there were many ways to describe him:
Hard-worker
Charismatic
Family man
Champion
Elsa Toss
Mole Toss
Star Dragon, and of course
Monstrous Progeny of Capitalism
These are, but a few of the descriptions and names that such a player has become attributed with over the years. Considering his behaviour on stream, you get the impression that he's a joker. Someone who has a great sense of humour, and who is more than likely to pull a funny prank that will have us all laughing with tears, lest the language barrier disappeared, and his full personality came to light.
However, beyond all the labels, Shuttle was just a really passionate BW player. He was one of us!
A guy who just loved competing, and loved being in the spotlight with all his heart. During BW's dark days, Shuttle returned earlier than other ex-pros to the game we love, and was one of the first to truly inspire us to keep fighting for Aiur during the SSL days. He may not have had the same accomplishments as other top players at the time, with his best placement being a Ro16 finish in SSL8, but you knew that this guy was serious and that he'll eventually have his time in the spotlight. This was further emphasized by the fact that even during those days, he was still placing well overall in online tournaments, taking several gold, several silver and a single bronze:
"My secret is just industriousness. Crazy hard work. I literally eat, shit, sleep, and stream. Before we got married, my girlfriend would tell me that I must be obsessed with money to stream so much."
A player who was once the captain of STX SouL, liked PvP, and hated PvZ with a passion, Shuttle slowly reformed himself over the years, streaming for many hours on end, and gradually improved his skills until he was considered one of the best. A monstrous Protoss in 2016 who was not afraid to use the race to its maximum potential, and who became known for his PvT prowess by then, Shuttle's newfound skills helped him push through major barriers, as he defeated EffOrt, free, Jaehoon, Last and Sharp on his way to becoming the first ASL champion. Certainly an unforgettable moment for a Protoss player who worked hard for years, and finally had his efforts rewarded:
"I think EyeWater [has] improved significantly compared to [his] progamer days." - Flash
Still, Shuttle's form was one of inconsistency. While he finally managed to win a championship, he faltered in the next ASL, crashing out in last place in his Ro16 group. He struggled in ASL3 getting eliminated in the Ro24 while ASL4 was slightly better with a Ro16 finish. ASL5 was finally the tournament that helped him gain his footing, and it was a tournament that depicted Shuttle perfectly in a way. His ability to perform above expectations when he's motivated, and he must do so. Facing an all Zerg group consisting of some of the best ZvPers in the game, Larva, EffOrt and Jaedong, Shuttle prepared diligently and took first place defeating both EffOrt and Larva with stellar games that were a reminder of what he's truly capable of when everything lines up.
Even though he was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the ASL5 champion, Rain, this set him up for his highest exit since his ASL1 days in the upcoming ASL, ASL6. There, he defeated ErOs_ByuL, MisO, Soulkey, Snow, and Action quite convincingly before he eventually succumbed 0-3 to Flash in the semifinals. He fought Last in the third place match, but lost 0-3 there to take fourth place. It may not have been another ASL championship, but Shuttle showed that he could tangle with some of the best.
A look at his TLPD results shows that his winrates converge towards 50%, with his PvP being several percentile higher than the rest. Ironically, though he hates PvZ, he's had his PvZ tested many times by great Zerg players, and he's grown to become one of the best PvZers in the current scene. A force to be reckoned with and someone that should not be underestimated, here's a small selection of games that he has played over the years, in no particular order, to give you guys a grasp of his true abilities:
6
Afreeca Starleague Season 1 Ro16 Shuttle vs EffOrt on Fighting Spirit
5
Afreeca Starleague Season 1 Finals Shuttle vs Sharp on Circuit Breaker
4
Afreeca Starleague Season 5 Ro16 Shuttle vs EffOrt on Neo Transistor
3
Afreeca Starleague Season 4 Ro16 Shuttle vs sSak on Crossing Field
2
Afreeca Starleague Season 5 Ro16 Shuttle vs Larva on Third World
1
Afreeca Starleague Season 6 Ro16 Shuttle vs Snow on Circuit Breaker
A Protoss player that heeded the fans' call. Shuttle, you will be dearly missed!
Writer: Bigfan Graphics: v1 Thanks: 2Pacalypse- for css support Photo Credits: AfreecaTV, Blizzard
I got some eyewater in my eyes! Damn this military taking away so much talented blood. GL Shuttle, you surely made yourself a name in BW scene. Shuttle vs Last. were also brilliant series from ASL1 and should be included, showing how protoss should turtle and refuse to be defeated and comeback.
With Shuttle and Bisu(is free in military too?) gone the protoss players of the Sospa era are essentially gone. Movie didn't accomplish quite as much as these two. It'll be interesting to see how 2019 shapes up now.
Shame another great player is heading off. Has to go at some point though. I've really enjoyed Shuttles play. The performances he has had in the KCM matches where excellent. I hope there's still a scene for him to come back to when he finishes his service.
Damn, really gonna miss Shuttle's presence in the scene, he's been one of my favorite protoss players since I first started supporting STX Soul back in the proleague days. I think I remember him having a pretty ridiculous winrate in PvP back then. Hoping that he returns to playing when he's finished with his service.
Thanks for the great write-up. I'll definitely have to check out those VODs as I missed a lot of BW in that time period. Shuttle has always been a great consistent player even if he was never really quite at the top. This article really reminds me to be thankful for him and all the other great players that keep playing and making great games for us.
I'm really sad to see shuttle go, he's been a mainstay of tournaments for a long ass time, and with so few really good protoss in competition at the moment it's sad to lose another one. Watching him take down Last in ASL1 was what got me back into BW.
On December 14 2018 07:19 outscar wrote: I got some eyewater in my eyes! Damn this military taking away so much talented blood. GL Shuttle, you surely made yourself a name in BW scene. Shuttle vs Last. were also brilliant series from ASL1 and should be included, showing how protoss should turtle and refuse to be defeated and comeback.
I am retiring from being EiC come next year, aka, no more leading coverage so I won't be writing recaps/previews, pushing for content like interviews or doing other miscellaneous tasks. However, I'm hoping that I can squeeze an article or two here and there if a player retires like Flash or Jaedong for instance. If you want to discuss this more, I can do so in my blog or through messages so we don't go OT ^^
yes, the vod selector is nice, and customizable. Just takes a bit of work.
On December 14 2018 07:55 BisuDagger wrote: With Shuttle and Bisu(is free in military too?) gone the protoss players of the Sospa era are essentially gone. Movie didn't accomplish quite as much as these two. It'll be interesting to see how 2019 shapes up now.
yes, I believe free in the military. He just left so abruptly from what I recall a while back. So far, we've lost ZerO, Bisu, Hiya, free, hero and Shuttle. We're still going to lose Flash, Jaedong, Stork, Soulkey, and a bunch of other players. Lucky for Protoss, they will always have Rain, Snow, and Mini since they all completed or were exempted from their military service.
Even Bisu claimed that Shuttle had the best late game pvz in the world.
My favourite pvz of all time might still be his game vs Larva on Heartbreak Ridge, played in a KCM Legend Match last year. Shuttle was below 2 bases consistently throughout the game, yet with near perfect defense and late game army control he was able to push back Larva until all the minerals on the map were mined out including the middle base in favour of Larva. 10 years ago protoss progamers might be able to hold on vs zerg with 2 bases less, but in our age they have to stay on an equal amount of bases and even then zergs are slightly favoured in the late game.
A truly impossible mission. One that only Shuttle seemed to be able to force out of himself consistently.
His nickname in the topic title is from his lategame macro ability. Took me awhile to figure that one out. He always out up a good fight even when facing better opponents.
On December 15 2018 00:36 Alpha-NP- wrote: His nickname in the topic title is from his lategame macro ability. Took me awhile to figure that one out. He always out up a good fight even when facing better opponents.
afaik the name stems from his reputation to always play better if money is on the line
On December 15 2018 00:36 Alpha-NP- wrote: His nickname in the topic title is from his lategame macro ability. Took me awhile to figure that one out. He always out up a good fight even when facing better opponents.
afaik the name stems from his reputation to always play better if money is on the line
On December 14 2018 21:34 tanngard wrote: Even Bisu claimed that Shuttle had the best late game pvz in the world.
My favourite pvz of all time might still be his game vs Larva on Heartbreak Ridge, played in a KCM Legend Match last year. Shuttle was below 2 bases consistently throughout the game, yet with near perfect defense and late game army control he was able to push back Larva until all the minerals on the map were mined out including the middle base in favour of Larva. 10 years ago protoss progamers might be able to hold on vs zerg with 2 bases less, but in our age they have to stay on an equal amount of bases and even then zergs are slightly favoured in the late game.
A truly impossible mission. One that only Shuttle seemed to be able to force out of himself consistently.
Very nice words my friend BigFan. It is indeed very sad that Shuttle has to attend that nonsensical mylitary service that steals years of young man's life. í really hope he can go back asap to his life and to do whatever he wants to do with it, and if that is Brood War, many of us will be probably here, wating for him. Good bye Shuttle, come back soon!
And also, what an awesome best games ranking you pulled out there. As I was going up the rank I was only thinking of wether or not you would had included that awesome game in your list and ofc you did, I'm talking about Shuttle appreciation of Third World, versus Larva. My god, watching that game was an intense experience for me as it is not easy for us who watch them play every day and are "used to it" to fully grasp the abbismal gap there is between them and us in what would be real time understanding of the game, and the superhuman brain work there is behind it. You really have to put your mind into it, remembering getting 10-0ed by some D-C fisher user, getting outsmarted evrey single game, multiply that several times and you start to understand it, and then, let the chills kick in.
I am retiring from being EiC come next year, aka, no more leading coverage so I won't be writing recaps/previews, pushing for content like interviews or doing other miscellaneous tasks. However, I'm hoping that I can squeeze an article or two here and there if a player retires like Flash or Jaedong for instance. If you want to discuss this more, I can do so in my blog or through messages so we don't go OT ^^
Omg now I'm panicking! What will happen to the TL bw community now without you BigFan? O.o
On December 14 2018 21:34 tanngard wrote: Even Bisu claimed that Shuttle had the best late game pvz in the world.
My favourite pvz of all time might still be his game vs Larva on Heartbreak Ridge, played in a KCM Legend Match last year. Shuttle was below 2 bases consistently throughout the game, yet with near perfect defense and late game army control he was able to push back Larva until all the minerals on the map were mined out including the middle base in favour of Larva. 10 years ago protoss progamers might be able to hold on vs zerg with 2 bases less, but in our age they have to stay on an equal amount of bases and even then zergs are slightly favoured in the late game.
A truly impossible mission. One that only Shuttle seemed to be able to force out of himself consistently.
On July 19 2020 00:30 FakeFin wrote: Shuttle just finished his military service and started his first stream back (not playing starcraft atm): AfreecaTV
Eon played someone with the id [NeOx] Eyewater that was around 1850 on his stream an hour or so back, maybe it was actually Shuttle having played placements or something lol
On July 19 2020 00:30 FakeFin wrote: Shuttle just finished his military service and started his first stream back (not playing starcraft atm): AfreecaTV
Eon played someone with the id [NeOx] Eyewater that was around 1850 on his stream an hour or so back, maybe it was actually Shuttle having played placements or something lol
On July 19 2020 00:30 FakeFin wrote: Shuttle just finished his military service and started his first stream back (not playing starcraft atm): AfreecaTV
Eon played someone with the id [NeOx] Eyewater that was around 1850 on his stream an hour or so back, maybe it was actually Shuttle having played placements or something lol
No way Shuttle doesn't win 5/5 placements lol.
See, this is what I thought as well but this thread popping up at the same time elevates the narrative bias too much, so now I must believe it!
On July 19 2020 00:30 FakeFin wrote: Shuttle just finished his military service and started his first stream back (not playing starcraft atm): AfreecaTV
great, great news! I really hope his pre-military shape comes back soon. Always enjoyed watching his games.
EPT
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Shuttle vs 
EffOrt on Fighting Spirit
Sharp on Circuit Breaker
