Writer’s note: I’ve been following the e-Sports scene for about a year now. My history is not perfect. If you find some factual error, please let me know. I’ve been referencing the TLPD (to which I am greatly indebted) so there shouldn’t be anything big. Perhaps a number or two. I would also like to point out that I am in part indebted to several TLFE’s (which I reference). I love the TLFE’s; I think they are the best feature of TL aside from the TLPD. I understand the article is long, but it's interesting to notice and comment on the similarities between these players.
2nd Triumvirate
In the late pre-Principate period of Roman history, the political scene was dominated by three political entities, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, Mark Antony, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Together, these men wielded the fate of Rome and the future of the Empire, each with their own armies and supporters. The ruled their areas and were rivals amongst each other, fighting for ultimate control and the throne of the Roman Empire.
History has repeated itself in e-Sports, as we witness the formation of the 2nd Triumvirate.
The first triumvirate was very different from the second. If we are to look to the past with all of this in retrospect, and to apply this sentiment, there is but one other time when such a trichotomy, as it were, also existed. The beginning of 2004 saw a new dominant Terran, iloveoov, a promising new generation Zerg, sAviOr, and an unlikely hope for Protoss, Anytime. Together, these appeared to make the 1st Triumvirate in late 2004 and 2005, as old time gamers petered out and their tactics phased out to the high mechanics, macro, and creativity of the new generation. Anytime dominated the 2005 So1 OSL over Boxer with iloveoov coming in third, sAviOr and iloveoov took second and third respectively in the 2005/2006 CYON MSL, iloveoov dominated the Shinhan 2005 OSL over July, and sAviOr came out over Reach in the 2005 UZOO MSL.
The ascent of these players is radically different from the ascent of the 2nd Triumvirate. iloveoov roared onto the scene going 34-8 in his first year, shortly becoming the most dominant new Terran in programing. sAviOr started 20-14 in 2004, a strong start, and only gained momentum, becoming the best Zerg of the new generation with his UZOO MSL victory. Anytime posted medial results in 2004, going 6-10, but with a dearth of new Protoss talent, Anytime eventually won out as the best of the new tribes of Protoss with his OSL title.
It has been a long time since 2005. The players of the 2nd Triumvirate are the best of the newest generation. Lee Jae Dong is the best Zerg in the world. Lee Young Ho is the best Terran in the world. Doh Jae Wook is the best Protoss of his generation, and will likely overtake Stork in time. Their career pasts are remarkably similar--that of steady, consistent results. The best of the next generation of Starcraft are achieving, but their futures are uncertain. With no clear best among them, they have, like iloveoov, sAviOr, and Anytime before them, come together to form the 2nd Triumvirate.
A New Hope
When in the GOM TV MSL Season 1, Bisu blitzed sAviOr in straight sets, the throne of bonjwa was made open, it felt like when the Visigoths sacked Rome. The whole world felt as though the mother of the world had been slain; in the aftermath of the MSL finals the bonjwa had been slain. With it, the Zerg king had been slain, and the throne was made vacant. An extensive treatment has been given to this in the TLFE ‘Heir Apparent’ by Hot_Bid. sAviOr continued to struggle, winning here and there, but clearly not to form. Zerg fans, desperately wanting a champion, began looking elsewhere, but still hoping for the return of sAviOr. When Lee Jae Dong quietly started his career, few eyes were on him, but he was for those who were, a new hope.
Lee Jae Dong’s story is a different path than many others in progaming. His emergence onto the scene was relatively quiet, posting steady and unlikely results for a new face. Instead of a rocky introduction to televised games, Lee Jae Dong emerged ready and full of talent, somewhat like iloveoov before him. Within his first two months on the scene, Jaedong had bested Reach, NaDa and GoRush, with strong showings in all matchups. In his first Proleague, Sky 2006 Round 1, the rookie Jaedong went 6-5. The next season went even better, with Jaedong becoming the vZerg sniper, going 11-1 in the ZvZ matchup and 2-0 in ZvT. In Shinhan Bank Proleague 2007 Round 1, Jaedong became Lecaf’s most dominant player, earning the most wins on the team going 15-7 and helping to carry his team to a second place finish.
However, Lee Jae Dong continually failed to make in-roads in the individual leagues. He had undoubtedly made an impact in the Proleague, rapidly ascending from an unknown, faceless Zerg to ace player for a second place team. Doubtless, Jaedong had quietly become the best Zerg in lieu of a dramatically slumping sAviOr and continued mediocrity from the likes of Kwanro, GGPlay, Rumble, Yarnc and Luxury. The only problem was, nobody knew it yet.
Then Lee Jae Dong walked the Royal Road.
Overnight, the anxious eyes of Zerg fans across the world had a new hope. He trashed the Proleague and individual league qualifiers, and his GOM Star Invitational group, until he hit Lee Young Ho. An extensive treatment of this relationship is below.
Skip ahead to the present. Lee Jae Dong is struggling. He lost the Arena MSL Finals to ForGG, whose previously untested TvZ steamrolled Jaedong’s tried and true ZvT. He failed to qualify for the Incruit OSL, and lost to a streaking Free handily in the Club Day MSL. Although he won a bid to the World Cyber Games, what is ailing Lee Jae Dong is unclear. He is 6-3 in Proleague, and the only individual league in which he remains is the GOM Averatec-Intel Classic. He is not in a position to have lost his status as the best Zerg in the world, but Zerg fans have much to worry about.
Lee Jae Dong’s future is far more than uncertain.
Flash in the Pan
The highest ELO of any player in e-Sports history. GOM Star Invitational champion. Bacchus OSL champion. For four months, Lee Young Ho achieved Broodwar perfection. Nobody could touch him. During an awe-inspiring 26-3 run between March and June of 2008, only dropping games to Canata, go.go and BeSt, it was unclear when the domination was going to slow, much less end. For those four months, Lee Young Ho terrified the Broodwar scene with the relentless macro, impeccable game sense, and flawless micro of the next generation Terran.
Even as he started his career, something seemed to set Lee Young Ho from the rest of the rookie Terrans. In only his twelfth game, Flash halted and pushed back iloveoov’s 2 factory proxy Goliaths for the win. The look on Lee Young Ho’s face was as grim as oov’s. For him, it was strictly business. However, as his career progressed, Lee Young Ho became known for cheese with games against Luxury, and several times against Bisu, the supposed best player in the world after the GOM MSL over sAviOr. In the aftermath of these games, Lee Young Ho would meet for the first time a player who would change the course of his career.
In the Shinhan Bank Proleague, Lee Young Ho met Lee Jae Dong on Python. Lee Young Ho emerged victorious, face as stoic as ever. Both players foreshadowed flashes of their future brilliance, and the coming of their epic rivalry, in an action-packed TvZ.
Not long after, Lee Young Ho would face off in the Daum OSL against GGPlay, losing 3-2. Ending his first OSL run would be Song Byung Goo, 0-3, embarrassing Lee Young Ho with his dominant and agile carriers. Stork’s carriers would again plague Lee Young Ho in the EVER OSL. It would be this experience that would make Lee Young Ho’s career in the not so distant future.
After the embarrassment of the Daum OSL and EVER OSL, Lee Young Ho had to pick up the pieces. Qualifying for the GOMTV Season 4 MSL, the Bacchus OSL, and invited to the GOM Star Invitational, Lee Young Ho had finally broken out of the image as a young, inexperienced, cheese factory. However, he was a goner; everyone agreed. He had the misfortune of running into the new best player in the world, Lee Jae Dong, not only in one, but both StarLeagues, and the GOM Star Invitational. What ensued was one of the most defining moments of a career in progaming, and the result would be decisive. Would the relentless assault of the Legend Killer break Lee Young Ho’s new image? The answer, to the abject shock of the e-Sports world, would be a definitive no.
The MSL was a tense series, but Jaedong took it 3-1. After blitzing his GSI group, Lee Young Ho again met Lee Jae Dong in the Bacchus OSL, splitting the first two games, and taking it to a defining and decisive third set, which Flash took with a creative mech build. The chance for evening the series awaited in the GOM Star Invitational, where a more confident Lee Young Ho took the series 2-1. Going into the OSL series, Jaedong was on a tear of his own, at 24-3.
The rest was history of Lee Young Ho. He had slaughtered the best player in the world, and the only thing that stood between him and the StarCraft throne was Song Byung Goo’s carriers, who had so often cut Lee Young Ho’s quest for glory short. This time, however, Lee Young Ho was prepared. After showcasing inspired and technical builds vs Jaedong, Lee Young Ho extrapolated this creativity to his TvP by crafting the ‘Flash build’ to run Byung Goo’s carriers off the map in the GOM Star Invitational.
“And now Goliaths are coming around from the other side…taking out one Carrier! And coming in from another angle too! And it looks like Stork might be losing on a map that favors Protoss-to a fifteen-year-old StarCraft genius! Another one is taken out…GG Stork’s surrendered!” –Nick “Tasteless” Plott with the call in game one of the GSI Finals
The first game Flash outplayed Stork, straight up, on the Carrier-friendly Katrina. The second set was a protracted micro battle where Lee Young Ho grappled again with Song Byung Goo’s Carriers this time on the also Carrier-friendly Blue Storm, with Byung Goo coming out on top. In both of these games, Flash showcased an early armory build, knowing that in the past Stork’s Carriers had shamed him, and he was determined to keep it from happening again. The third set, Stork opted for a ground army, and Lee Young Ho could not keep up. On Katrina, Byung Goo again called on Carriers, and this time, as before, Lee Young Ho was ready. In the fifth set of the final, Flash smashed the player who had ended his Daum and EVER runs, and slain a personal demon. The rest was downhill for Lee Young Ho. Walking all over Byung Goo in the Bacchus OSL in one of the most one sided finals in recent memory, Flash claimed a vacant Terran throne.
The next 3 months showcased some of the most inspired and dominant StarCraft since iloveoov’s reign. For a brief moment, a flash in the pan, so to speak, Lee Young Ho flirted with a destiny only Boxer, NaDa, iloveoov, and sAviOr had before achieved-bonjwa. His dispirited rival Lee Jae Dong was slumping as greatly as he had dominated before Flash’s thrashings in Bacchus and GSI. Song Byung Goo was being tormented by the crystalline second-place mentality. There was no one to challenge Lee Young Ho, and he knew it. He had made it to penultimate; there was no Terran who could challenge him. The ultimate, the throne of bonjwa and uncontested king of the Broodwar world, was there for the taking.
Something stopped him. Whether he became predictable, or his creative spark petered out, or even a slowing of his fingers, Lee Young Ho came back down to Earth. Something drew him from the mentality of he, a god, directing his soldiers to crush the foolish mortal using a mouse and keyboard. After his historic ELO peak game against DarkElf, Lee Young Ho hit a wall. The first sign of trouble was his loss to Park Chan Soo in EVER 2008 OSL on historically strong maps for him. Up through his series with ForGG, Lee Young Ho went 7-12, and the fated bonjwa-to-be surrendered the throne.
He would get one last chance at fate when the ‘Dream Final,’ Lee Young Ho squared against his old rival, Lee Jae Dong. This one is known by every fan of Starcraft around the world.
Lee Jae Dong had his revenge.
Post Averatec Intel Classic, Lee Young Ho suffered even worse. Failing to advance from his MSL group, twice losing to Yarnc, Lee Young Ho was unable to shake it off. He was cut down decisively by GGPlay in the Round of 8 Incruit OSL.
KTF continues to rely heavily on Flash, but questions about his future must be asked. With ForGG’s continual failure to post results past the Arena MSL, the Terran throne remains open. ForGG, Flash, and fantasy are the only contenders, and none have posted consistent, recent results in both Starleagues and Proleague. Will Lee Young Ho remerge, creative and overpowering once again? Time will tell; his story is far from over.
Good Form
To this point I’ve ignored discussing the elephant in the room, the one player who is a pivotal part of each story I here enumerate. There are reasons he is coming before Doh Jae Wook. Stork is the best Protoss in the world right now (sorry Kal, OSL preparation > MSL preparation), and is, undeniably and forever more, a champion. Doubtless, Song Byung Goo’s story is being typed as I write this, to be a TLFE all its own, so I won’t step on anybody’s toes but for what Song Byung Goo is to the 2nd Triumvirate.
Three times Stork has met the members of the 2nd Triumvirate in finals, twice in the OSL, and he has squared off against Doh Jae Wook in one of the best OSL semifinals in a long time. He has been in three of the last four OSL finals, and for the only one he was absent from, his rival for the Protoss throne had taken his place.
This puts Doh Jae Wook in a unique position. When Song Byung Goo hits the end of the line and begins what promises to be a long and painful downward spiral, I contend with much agreement that Doh Jae Wook will step in to fill the void as his fellow members of the 2nd Triumvirate have themselves done for their races.
Indeed, of his comrades, Doh Jae Wook is the only one without a major title. He is the only one who has not defeated Song Byung Goo is a series. But he fits in with the mold of his company in the triumvirate. He has possibly the most solid mechanics of any Protoss in the game today, one of the best senses for the game (second only to Byung Goo, I think) and the most frightening macro of any Protoss. He plays with the style of the 2nd Triumvirate, with the potential and the future of it. Indeed, among the Roman triumvirate, Marcus Lepidus was considered the odd one out, the one without solid foundations, though he was still powerful.
When Song Byung Goo retires, or indeed goes the way of the sAviOr, who take the microphone? Who will be there to take the spotlight? Here’s a hint: It won’t be Jangbi, and it won’t be Kal.
The Devil Within
Doh Jae Wook is no Anytime. Doh Jae Wook’s climax did not swiftly come through mixed results, but instead is in crescendo. His career started as a tremor, and has reached a roar in Shinhan Bank Proleague 2008. His OSL final against July is promised not to be the climax of his career, as he remains as dominant as ever. Like Mike Bacsik desires, Doh Jae Wook refuses to be remembered only as the guy who gave it up, the guy who gave up the record-breaking home run, or the guy who gave up the Golden Mouse and made July a legend.
Doh Jae Wook’s is the youngest of the careers here discussed, which makes it perhaps even more impressive that he has made it within striking distance of an OSL title twice. His career, however, is also the least remarkable.
Most of the substance on BeSt comes in the form of questions. He is a clear favorite for whatever StarLeague he’s in which does not include Jaedong, Flash, or Stork. When will Jae Wook’s time come? When will his vZerg reach the heights of his other matchups? When will he be the champion that Protoss fans know he can be? When will the bottomless potential explode into the results that will strike the same fear into opponents as do the names of Lee Jae Dong and Lee Young Ho?
Look at those questions. To whom were those questions formerly directed? That’s right. Song Byung Goo. Each one of them came true of Byung Goo, and they will come true for Jae Wook. The parallels do not stop there. In his first Proleague, Byung Goo went 6-5 (a winning percentage of ~54%). In Jae Wook’s first Proleague, he went 12-10 (~54%). Even though Doh Wook’s career is young, he is criticized, as Stork was, for his inability to finish the deal. Both have displayed remarkable consistency. You can go on, to be sure.
Surely, Doh Wook is the most promising Protoss of his generation, but as with Lee Jae Dong and Lee Young Ho, his future is uncertain.
Vacuus Solium--“The Empty Throne”
The 2nd Triumvirate ended with blood. Octavian defeated both of his rivals in a series of brutal battles. Who, then, is who? The future will tell who, if any of these, will have the courage to fulfill their potential.. Already, the beginnings of a new generation are coming into place. Kim Jung Woo, CJ Entus’ hottest new Zerg is posting significant results against established players. Perhaps even the promising eSTRO Terran Sea.Really can have a breakout. The past is the past, particularly in programing. The future is forever marching. Lee Young Ho, Lee Jae Dong, and Doh Jae Wook all have to keep up, or they will dig themselves a grave of unfulfilled potential, with the next generation overtaking them without mercy.
What will become of these players is highly uncertain, an exciting prospect, and part of what keeps me watching. Which will emerge from among them, grasping for the title of bonjwa, is part of what makes watching each of their games so interesting.
Each of these players is very similar to each other. All have statistically the best mirror matchup of all time in their race (per most recent ELO ranking). Jaedong and Flash have won OSLs. They all play highly technical, brilliant games. Flash and Best have lost a series to Stork. Jaedong and Flash have won a series against Stork. They are all aces for their teams. The most striking similarities are in their styles, are in the way their units move, and in the complete lack of mercy with which they strike down their opponents. Indeed, they appear on all accounts to be more similar than they are different.
To close: the head-to-head numbers.
Jaedong v BeSt 4-2 Flash v Jaedong 6-9 BeSt v Flash 1-0
In the meantime, we will await our Octavion.
Edit: fix'd a couple mistakes/things pointed out by responders...and did it again...
I, as a Jaedong fanboy, would like to include his 3-0 of Flash in your head-to-head standings since Flash said the finals was all he was practicing for.
As someone who doesn't exactly care for best, I find it weird lumping Best with Jaedong and Flash. The only protosses currently on Jaedong/Flash level are Bisu and Stork. Another thing is that Best isn't even that young. He's the same age as Bisu and just a year younger than Stork.
And I think it's more apt to call this the 1st triumvirate, since I think the "Octavion" was pretty obvious in the past, with Oov and Savior both absolutely dominating for long stretches. But no one's dominating much recently.
On November 12 2008 13:23 baubo wrote: As someone who doesn't exactly care for best, I find it weird lumping Best with Jaedong and Flash. The only protosses currently on Jaedong/Flash level are Bisu and Stork. Another thing is that Best isn't even that young. He's the same age as Bisu and just a year younger than Stork.
And I think it's more apt to call this the 1st triumvirate, since I think the "Octavion" was pretty obvious in the past, with Oov and Savior both absolutely dominating for long stretches. But no one's dominating much recently.
Doh Jae Wook. He is the best Protoss in the world right now (sorry Kal, OSL preparation > MSL preparation), and is, undeniably and forever more, a champion.
How can he "undeniably and forever more" be a champion if he's never won a championship?
Doh Jae Wook. He is the best Protoss in the world right now (sorry Kal, OSL preparation > MSL preparation), and is, undeniably and forever more, a champion.
No that would be Bisu or Stork, and hes not a champion since he hasn't won anything + Kal was closer to winning his MSL finals (really close) than Best was winning his OSL (one sided rape).
Good write up, but like everyone has already said, Best hasn't achieved anything yet, nor has he been even close to dominating as Jaedong/Flash, but you group him with them as if he were a semi-bonjwa.
On November 12 2008 13:23 baubo wrote: As someone who doesn't exactly care for best, I find it weird lumping Best with Jaedong and Flash. The only protosses currently on Jaedong/Flash level are Bisu and Stork. Another thing is that Best isn't even that young. He's the same age as Bisu and just a year younger than Stork.
And I think it's more apt to call this the 1st triumvirate, since I think the "Octavion" was pretty obvious in the past, with Oov and Savior both absolutely dominating for long stretches. But no one's dominating much recently.
Point well taken. I lumped Best in because I saw stylistic similarities. I dunno, maybe it's just me, but he seems to combine the game sense/macro/mirror matchup domination thing with the others.
As far as the triumvirate observation, that may also be true. It is a point of detail, however, I suppose.
Doh Jae Wook. He is the best Protoss in the world right now (sorry Kal, OSL preparation > MSL preparation), and is, undeniably and forever more, a champion.
No that would be Bisu or Stork, and hes not a champion since he hasn't won anything + Kal was closer to winning his MSL finals (really close) than Best was winning his OSL (one sided rape).
But great write up!
Meant to be Stork...antecedent was a couple sentences away, my mistake.
Doh Jae Wook. He is the best Protoss in the world right now (sorry Kal, OSL preparation > MSL preparation), and is, undeniably and forever more, a champion.
No that would be Bisu or Stork, and hes not a champion since he hasn't won anything + Kal was closer to winning his MSL finals (really close) than Best was winning his OSL (one sided rape).
But great write up!
Seems like he corrected it or you read it wrong:
"Stork is the best Protoss in the world right now (sorry Kal, OSL preparation > MSL preparation), and is, undeniably and forever more, a champion."
FYI oov dominated the Trigem/Hanafos/Spris MSLs, dominated the Gilette OSL before losing to July, and then won the Ever OSL. That was his streak of dominance, just as Savior's was the 5 MSL finals+Shinhan 3 OSL victory. His victory over July in Shinhan 0 was more of a semi-resurgence when he had briefly overcome his motivational issues, but was stopped from MSL domination by Savior himself. So essentially oov and Savior dominated and defined two different eras in their primes, although a remnant of oov was still left for Savior to fight out with in CYON.
I would liken oov and Savior to Scipio Africanus and Hannibal, strategical greats that eclipsed all others and won the war for their sides in each era of dominance. At the very least, neither of them is a Pompey lol.
But that being said, the comparison of these 3 to either of the triumvirates works moderately well, as Best fits perfectly with Crassus/Lepidus: the odd weakling out. Best cannot possibly be compared with Jaedong/Flash (and even Anytime) as he is a player who lacks strategy and planning in series, and thus is really only going to go far with lucky draws (i,e Luxury). Maybe he can overcome this in the future but as of right now he looks to be a Sea/Casy mix: very proficient in 2 matchups and terrible in the 3rd, and a lack of strategical foresight and mental strength that kills him in series.
Correction on the stats though: I'm pretty sure Jaedong has 9 wins to Flash's 6 in their games against each other, yet you have it the other way around.
I've always kind of seen Stork being likened to JD and flash as opposed to best... Stork didn't really break out until they also became very good. Not to mention the amount of games played between the 3 of them (especially in finals).
On November 12 2008 13:13 Avidkeystamper wrote: I, as a Jaedong fanboy, would like to include his 3-0 of Flash in your head-to-head standings since Flash said the finals was all he was practicing for.
On November 12 2008 15:01 Atrioc wrote: Awesome article! Reads like a great TLFE
Correction on the stats though: I'm pretty sure Jaedong has 9 wins to Flash's 6 in their games against each other, yet you have it the other way around.
On November 12 2008 13:23 baubo wrote: As someone who doesn't exactly care for best, I find it weird lumping Best with Jaedong and Flash. The only protosses currently on Jaedong/Flash level are Bisu and Stork. Another thing is that Best isn't even that young. He's the same age as Bisu and just a year younger than Stork.
Age isn't entirely a relevant issue. He's only 3 months older than Jaedong.
I think it has to do with the theme of potential. Bisu and Stork are up to Jaedong/Flash level, but we've seen how far they can go. They've made their runs. We haven't seen the "best" out of Best yet though.
Honestly I think Bisu would be a better fit for the Triumvirate than Best.
Bisu, unlike Best, had a long period of Dominance. He was a semi-bonjwa. 2 MSL golds, 1 MSL Silver, and a 3rd place finishing in the OSL. Bisu has both defeated Stork in a series (like Flash/JD have done), and lost to Stork. Before Flash became great, one of the things he was known for was Cheesing Bisu out of the Daum OSL. Jaedong was cemented as the best player in the world when Bisu put Jaedong in his MSL group, and lost an epic game on Blue Storm to him. In the Bacchus OSL, Bisu played Flash in the Semi-finals, and lost a pretty good series. If I recall correctly, after Flash raped Stork, he said that he considered Bisu as his Protoss rival (and JD as his Zerg rival).
Although Bisu is earlier than JD and Flash in terms of dominance, he is still recent history for Progaming. It went from Savior Era, to Bisu, to Jaedong, to Flash, to Jaedong and Flash sorta, to the present. And just look at the current Power Ranks to see how Bisu is doing currently.
I like Best, but he isn't semi-Bonjwa. The only Protoss in recent history who has a claim to that, is Bisu, and maybe Stork now.
On November 12 2008 13:13 Avidkeystamper wrote: I, as a Jaedong fanboy, would like to include his 3-0 of Flash in your head-to-head standings since Flash said the finals was all he was practicing for.
seems like your jaedong fanboism is blinding you too much.
Neat article. I'd really prefer if you could've used player names though, the Korean names just confuse me, everytime I see one (except Lee Jae Dong) I have to stop and think about who it is.
On November 12 2008 17:14 Kong John wrote: Nice read, though i dont think best is well placed among the two champions. There are other tosses that are alot better than Best.
Best has been hyped up to be more than he is, hes just good at PvP thats it. + Show Spoiler +
though i guess that pretty neat in a tossworld
Best is pretty beastly in PvT too, its just PvZ he isn't great at.
On November 12 2008 13:23 baubo wrote: As someone who doesn't exactly care for best, I find it weird lumping Best with Jaedong and Flash. The only protosses currently on Jaedong/Flash level are Bisu and Stork. Another thing is that Best isn't even that young. He's the same age as Bisu and just a year younger than Stork.
Age isn't entirely a relevant issue. He's only 3 months older than Jaedong.
I think it has to do with the theme of potential. Bisu and Stork are up to Jaedong/Flash level, but we've seen how far they can go. They've made their runs. We haven't seen the "best" out of Best yet though.
The age is relevant for anyone to make the argument of Best > Stork/Bisu in the near future. One person has to improve greatly, the other two has to maintain their performance. If you're going to tell me that Best, at the age of 20, has plenty of room to improve, why can't we expect Bisu and Stork, who are 20 and 21, to also improve?
Or are we going by rankings? In which case I guess Stork is unable to improve because he's #1. And therefore Best will surpass him?!?
He has lost to the one and only Protoss he needed to beat to make the statement that his PvP is the best in the world (Stork).
He barely beat Luxury in a BO 5 where he could prepare for and after that had his mind destroyed by July... You also find some games where he really get's wasted by Jaedong. Hes 50/50 against Zerg, I would not really call that *Bonjwa* material (Flash and Jaedong have all Matchups over 60%, Bisu has all in the high 5x% and Stork has only his vZ at 55% the rest is well over 60%...).
Bests problem is, if he is running in to a good ZvP-Player chances are high that he will be out of the league in no time. The other big names don't have this weakness.
When the trend goes on as it does now with like no Zerg's fighting in the later stages of the Starleagues and a ton of Protoss players Best will probably steal one if someone is nice enough to kick Jaedong out before he meets him, but that’s about it.
I also feel like Best is not good at preparing against certain opponents... Ok, he beat Luxury... But how? After 0-2? That does not look like a good gameplan to me. He failed against Stork (which people thought he would win), he failed epic against July... In unprepared state Best is probably one of the greatest players, but in BO5's with 1-2 weeks of practice before the actual game he tends to fail.
Jaedong/Flash/Bisu/Stork are the guys which at the moment can dominate about everything if they play to their full potential, Best just sits behind them together with some other highly talented players (forgg, kal, free, fantasy.... You know these names ).
But to be realistic... We all know what happens next season:
Amazing read, great job! But seriously why you are counting out Bisu? Even during his long slump he never lost his mechanics and the only reason he was struggling were his major mistakes in every game. BeSt and Stork are great toss players maybe with better PvT and PvP but the strong PvZ and lacking of serious weaknesses in the other MUs is making Bisu the only true all-rounder in the toss ranks. No matter how improved Storks PvZ seems to be he just cant win 10 PvZ games back-to-back. As for JD and Flash they both will most likely win a couple more major titles , but none of them will reach the bonjwa status - the house is too small for those two, one of them must slump incredibly hard so the other has a chance to dominate the scene, not to mention that Bisu/Stork/BeSt and maybe some new guys will always be there with the ambition to take the gold. The competition is harder than ever so I think the scene will remain unstable unless Bisu takes both MSL/GOM or Stork takes GOM slaying all in his path
Nice thread.GJ. I think OoV(3 MSL 2 OSL golds) and Savior(3 MSL 1 OSL golds,+2 MSL silvers + dominance about 2 years) were most dominant players in SC histrory, Jaedong can't be Bonjwa, Flash will fail too(his dominance was about 2-3 months). Best is good player,time will show us... Conclusion:Do not compare JD and FLash and others to SAVIOR and OOV , ok ?????????? thank,you!
Doh Jae Wook. He is the best Protoss in the world right now (sorry Kal, OSL preparation > MSL preparation), and is, undeniably and forever more, a champion.
No that would be Bisu or Stork, and hes not a champion since he hasn't won anything + Kal was closer to winning his MSL finals (really close) than Best was winning his OSL (one sided rape).
But great write up!
Kal was as close to won that final as Yellow to win the next OSL
I agree with JD and Flash, but not Best. To be accepted in the triumvirate, you need to have no weak mu, and Best is average, decent at best, in PvZ. And like people already said, he has no accomplishments. Stork fits better, as he has been an eternal title contender(ok, silver medalist), and lately he has been the most dominant and feared player.
Besides, right now, if Best and Stork had to face both Flash and JD in a BO5, I'd give better chances to Stork than Best. He is not there yet. He has to wait for Stork to leave his place as protoss king, and who knows, maybe Best is meant to be part of the next triumvirate as the eldest member(pro elite experience, not age), just like Stork has for this one.
On November 12 2008 18:32 baubo wrote: The age is relevant for anyone to make the argument of Best > Stork/Bisu in the near future. One person has to improve greatly, the other two has to maintain their performance. If you're going to tell me that Best, at the age of 20, has plenty of room to improve, why can't we expect Bisu and Stork, who are 20 and 21, to also improve?
Or are we going by rankings? In which case I guess Stork is unable to improve because he's #1. And therefore Best will surpass him?!?
We're going by the fact that Best is relatively new to the scene. The probability that we've seen the most out of Bisu and Stork is much higher than the probability that we've seen the most out of Best, since he's been around far less than they have. Relative to them, he's very inexperienced. Adding more experience should help him improve more, whereas Bisu and Stork have pretty much seen what there is to see.
On November 12 2008 20:01 Velr wrote:In unprepared state Best is probably one of the greatest players, but in BO5's with 1-2 weeks of practice before the actual game he tends to fail.
This in my mind, though, is what shows me that Best has potential. His ability to prepare for a set may be lacking compared to more experienced protosses, but that can be trained on as he gains more experience. What makes Best stand out to me is his ability to react to unprepared circumstances. Go watch the 3rd and 4th game of his set against Luxury that you reference. Yes he almost loses, but the fact that he can pick himself up, and find a way to win is what's incredible. His zealot elevator in game 3 is not something he possibly could have prepared for. A similar game would be Best vs. Nada in that same OSL. Best is caught unprepared by Nada's biomech push, and it should be GG, but Best has the nerve to seal his own front door, and find a way to pull out the win.
Preparation can be trained with good coaching. Best's INSTINCT and ability to react are what set him apart from others.
On November 12 2008 13:13 Avidkeystamper wrote: I, as a Jaedong fanboy, would like to include his 3-0 of Flash in your head-to-head standings since Flash said the finals was all he was practicing for.
seems like your jaedong fanboism is blinding you too much.
seems like your Flash fanboyism is blinding you from REAL FACTS. The OP wrote Flash - Jaedong 9 -6 when Avid was pointing out that its the other way around, its actually "Jaedong-Flash 9 -6" because OP made a typo.
If you look at their Kespa shit, its 6-6 tie but we also have to remember that they forgot to add in the 3-0 Beating in GOM finals that Jaedong gave to Flash. Thats why its 9-6 And JD should have much higher ELO but KESPA didnt sanction 1st season of GOM Finals where JD went champion (but starts counting 2nd season? wtf.)
Doh Jae Wook. He is the best Protoss in the world right now (sorry Kal, OSL preparation > MSL preparation), and is, undeniably and forever more, a champion.
No that would be Bisu or Stork, and hes not a champion since he hasn't won anything + Kal was closer to winning his MSL finals (really close) than Best was winning his OSL (one sided rape).
But great write up!
Kal was as close to won that final as Yellow to win the next OSL
So I just rewatched the Kal-Jaedong series. Kal wins convincingly game1, is ahead in game2 after going mass cair vs muta + killing lots of drones with his first zealforce +2dronekills with his first zealot after 2-3mins. But insted of taking out Jaedongs corner expos like he should have and get a 3 base vs 3base game, he wastes units attacking jaedongs front and have to retreat once he loses obser, had he just taken out the 2 expos ( he killed 1 of them) im certain he would have taken set2, game3 hes in a good spot, after taking out JDs 4th base while warping his own 3rd, once again hes constantly repelled by lack of obsers (great play by jd taking them out all the time) But was damn close to breaking trough several times. Set4 he was raped, but who would knows what would have happened had the game gone to a 5th game. Point is Kal was in good positions in both game 2 and 3, especially game2 were he was firmly ahead. And who knows how game 3,4 and 5 would have turned out if Kal had been 2-0...
So if you dont consider that close, you either didnt watch the games or got zero understanding of the game. And judging by your location I am gonna go out on a limb and guess both.
it's a really nice read, but unfortunately as far as i see the things now, not a new Triumvirate is taking place right now, but the so called "protoss-renaisansce". The silver-curse was broken, the royal-roader was defeated, the legend of the fall was re-established and i don't know how many curses and traditions were set or broken by the Dinasaur- toss, Stork. And the only protoss who was about to become the Bonjwa, is kicking ass once again, just made his longest winning streak (12 consecutive wins overall)- Bisu of course. The ever-present mediocre protoss, the definition of the good play-no major results (nor individually nor with team) just made it to the semifinals, and brought his team from the bottom to the middle of the PL standings, non other than Free. And let's not forget about the Devil's apprentice! I feel his win against Flash was the game that brought him back to Earth, not only he was defeated on a T friendly map/balanced, but was beaten by Carriers, a unit that simply dissappeared after Flash came and beat Stork's carriers. (after that loss couple others came, in relatively standard games on good maps, Hero_V_, Free etc) But that doesnt counts, what does is taht Best is still known as the top2 PvT PvP in the world. More players who arent even getting much attention beacuse of their shining breathren from Aiur/Shakuras, but they are tearing everythin apart, Jangbi and Kal.
The MSL semifinals are upon us. What we see? 4 protoss/ 4 players. Did this EVER happened? i'm sure it didn't. And look at the OSL, protoss champion, ok, that happened befor, but look at te semifinals. Stork-Best GGplay-Fantasy. Now if the 2 matches were at the same time, i think 80% of ppl would have watched the mirror-match semifinals, even though we all know how unpopular are the mirror MUs.
Protoss dominance everywhere, the zergs are nowhere, i mean NOWHERE. We all saw what JD did recently, and we all hope he will be back in his form. The twins? They are who were before, good players who can win consecutive games, win even important games, fight their ways in the SLs, but do you know what wont ever happen? One of them becoming the top zerg of the scene for months, or even weeks, or even days. July? Nobody heard from him. Oh, wait, i now remember, he just played in the GSI, and LOST to a terran whose name isn't even important, cuz we will never see him again taking a game from an established progamer. Don't come with Effort, beating Hwasin 2-1. Holy shit, what an achievment. Who is the player that actually lost to Hwain recently? C'mon... Yes his played looked good, that's not enough, your play most be good for weeks, months, not to beat a decent opponent in convincing fashion and pull out a couple PL wins. Type-b? Winning an ace match against Stork wont put you in...
And the terrans? Simply not enough to take down the top5 PvT, even if they arent fully focused, or are facing the greatest pressure in their lifes. The strong terran presence which always was (no matter who was the bonjwa or whatever, there were terrans who could beat him if they got the chanse) now seems to fade away. Flash? Beating terrans, that's what he does. Apparently that's waht every non-toss does, beats his own race and looks strong amongst them, and fails to beat the protoss. No... Not yet, but he can, he got everything what is needed. Fantasy? As the OSL award said "one-hit-wonder" he will fade away as if he wouldn't be. Forgg? Maybe, just maybe, but the fact that he lost to the half-prepared Stork doesnt puths him in a too good light. Others? THERE ARE NO OTHERS. FBH and Nada came closest to reach the PR, untill they eventually got washed up by two -woudnt guess- protoss players.
Doh Jae Wook. He is the best Protoss in the world right now (sorry Kal, OSL preparation > MSL preparation), and is, undeniably and forever more, a champion.
No that would be Bisu or Stork, and hes not a champion since he hasn't won anything + Kal was closer to winning his MSL finals (really close) than Best was winning his OSL (one sided rape).
But great write up!
Kal was as close to won that final as Yellow to win the next OSL
So I just rewatched the Kal-Jaedong series. Kal wins convincingly game1, is ahead in game2 after going mass cair vs muta + killing lots of drones with his first zealforce +2dronekills with his first zealot after 2-3mins. But insted of taking out Jaedongs corner expos like he should have and get a 3 base vs 3base game, he wastes units attacking jaedongs front and have to retreat once he loses obser, had he just taken out the 2 expos ( he killed 1 of them) im certain he would have taken set2, game3 hes in a good spot, after taking out JDs 4th base while warping his own 3rd, once again hes constantly repelled by lack of obsers (great play by jd taking them out all the time) But was damn close to breaking trough several times. Set4 he was raped, but who would knows what would have happened had the game gone to a 5th game. Point is Kal was in good positions in both game 2 and 3, especially game2 were he was firmly ahead. And who knows how game 3,4 and 5 would have turned out if Kal had been 2-0...
So if you dont consider that close, you either didnt watch the games or got zero understanding of the game. And judging by your location I am gonna go out on a limb and guess both.
Jaedong always looses his first game in a bo5, he likes it this way, he did it like 6 times already. Ok, joking, but eventually that happenes. And i was joking about that final, apparently you have no sense of humor.
"So if you dont consider that close, you either didnt watch the games or got zero understanding of the game. And judging by your location I am gonna go out on a limb and guess both."
Oh that sounded so cool, now i'm so ashamed, OMG, i'm going in to the corner and cry. (this is a joke too, in case u didn't notice, sarcasm you know). If somebody is talking about Yellow and OSL win, you shoudn't take that as a real comment but a funny/crazy one. note that to yourself, it might help you out inn the future.
We're going by the fact that Best is relatively new to the scene. The probability that we've seen the most out of Bisu and Stork is much higher than the probability that we've seen the most out of Best, since he's been around far less than they have. Relative to them, he's very inexperienced. Adding more experience should help him improve more, whereas Bisu and Stork have pretty much seen what there is to see.
Best is new to the scene, but Bisu still fits better, since its not like hes been around forever. Bisu only made it big in early 2007. About half a year after Bisu started his dominance, Jaedong got good and won the OSL. Really, the only difference here is that Bisu was before Jaedong and Flash, while Best was after. And due to Bisu being a semi-bonjwa, he fits better than Best.
Doh Jae Wook. He is the best Protoss in the world right now (sorry Kal, OSL preparation > MSL preparation), and is, undeniably and forever more, a champion.
No that would be Bisu or Stork, and hes not a champion since he hasn't won anything + Kal was closer to winning his MSL finals (really close) than Best was winning his OSL (one sided rape).
But great write up!
Kal was as close to won that final as Yellow to win the next OSL
On November 13 2008 00:50 Velr wrote: So was best.
Not if you actually watched the games instead of just looking at the score. Kal gave Jaedong a good run for his money the first 3 games while July made Best look like a utter-no name in all three games. Best was never ahead at any money during the series, while Kal looked to be ahead until the end of game 2.
Doh Jae Wook. He is the best Protoss in the world right now (sorry Kal, OSL preparation > MSL preparation), and is, undeniably and forever more, a champion.
No that would be Bisu or Stork, and hes not a champion since he hasn't won anything + Kal was closer to winning his MSL finals (really close) than Best was winning his OSL (one sided rape).
But great write up!
Kal was as close to won that final as Yellow to win the next OSL
So I just rewatched the Kal-Jaedong series. Kal wins convincingly game1, is ahead in game2 after going mass cair vs muta + killing lots of drones with his first zealforce +2dronekills with his first zealot after 2-3mins. But insted of taking out Jaedongs corner expos like he should have and get a 3 base vs 3base game, he wastes units attacking jaedongs front and have to retreat once he loses obser, had he just taken out the 2 expos ( he killed 1 of them) im certain he would have taken set2, game3 hes in a good spot, after taking out JDs 4th base while warping his own 3rd, once again hes constantly repelled by lack of obsers (great play by jd taking them out all the time) But was damn close to breaking trough several times. Set4 he was raped, but who would knows what would have happened had the game gone to a 5th game. Point is Kal was in good positions in both game 2 and 3, especially game2 were he was firmly ahead. And who knows how game 3,4 and 5 would have turned out if Kal had been 2-0...
So if you dont consider that close, you either didnt watch the games or got zero understanding of the game. And judging by your location I am gonna go out on a limb and guess both.
Jaedong always looses his first game in a bo5, he likes it this way, he did it like 6 times already. Ok, joking, but eventually that happenes. And i was joking about that final, apparently you have no sense of humor.
"So if you dont consider that close, you either didnt watch the games or got zero understanding of the game. And judging by your location I am gonna go out on a limb and guess both."
Oh that sounded so cool, now i'm so ashamed, OMG, i'm going in to the corner and cry. (this is a joke too, in case u didn't notice, sarcasm you know). If somebody is talking about Yellow and OSL win, you shoudn't take that as a real comment but a funny/crazy one. note that to yourself, it might help you out inn the future.
Oh playing the good old irony\sarcasm card when you look like a fool, thats the internet. How are you suppose to take it beside that his chances was slim to none when its used in a setting like that?
Oh that sounded so cool, now i'm so ashamed, OMG, i'm going in to the corner and cry. (this is a joke too, in case u didn't notice, sarcasm you know). If somebody is talking about Yellow and OSL win, you shoudn't take that as a real comment but a funny/crazy one. note that to yourself, it might help you out inn the future.
His joke about your location wasn't humor, but your ignorant statements about a finals match are supposed to be funny......
Could just be me ... but I think your the uptight one without a sense of humor. Also alot of the members of this forum who are decent are starcraft sometimes get annoyed with those who aren't. .... its life.
Oh that sounded so cool, now i'm so ashamed, OMG, i'm going in to the corner and cry. (this is a joke too, in case u didn't notice, sarcasm you know). If somebody is talking about Yellow and OSL win, you shoudn't take that as a real comment but a funny/crazy one. note that to yourself, it might help you out in the future.
His joke about your location wasn't humor, but your ignorant statements about a finals match are supposed to be funny......
Could just be me ... but I think your the uptight one without a sense of humor. Also alot of the members of this forum who are decent are starcraft sometimes get annoyed with those who aren't. .... its life.
I don't think i'm bad at starcraft, i'm not talking about mechanics and macro, sure you can be easily better than me in that, i barely reach C-, but i have some understanding for the game, i didn't born with it, i watched many pro reps and pro commentaries, so i can understand what's going on, who's ahead, who is close to win. It's so obvious that the Kal Jaedong match wasnt a one sided rape, and adding the Yellow-OSL "joke" .. i really dont understand how can somebody take that as a real opinion. Ok, you don't find it funny, that might be, no problem with that, but actually answering to it, in a handling mode, how that guy did, you know that's just stupid. I got the joke-insult referring to the country i come from, i answered accordingly, without anger or anything, why to leave it without a comment, when actually he's the one who lacks understanding?
Doh Jae Wook. He is the best Protoss in the world right now (sorry Kal, OSL preparation > MSL preparation), and is, undeniably and forever more, a champion.
No that would be Bisu or Stork, and hes not a champion since he hasn't won anything + Kal was closer to winning his MSL finals (really close) than Best was winning his OSL (one sided rape).
But great write up!
Kal was as close to won that final as Yellow to win the next OSL
So I just rewatched the Kal-Jaedong series. Kal wins convincingly game1, is ahead in game2 after going mass cair vs muta + killing lots of drones with his first zealforce +2dronekills with his first zealot after 2-3mins. But insted of taking out Jaedongs corner expos like he should have and get a 3 base vs 3base game, he wastes units attacking jaedongs front and have to retreat once he loses obser, had he just taken out the 2 expos ( he killed 1 of them) im certain he would have taken set2, game3 hes in a good spot, after taking out JDs 4th base while warping his own 3rd, once again hes constantly repelled by lack of obsers (great play by jd taking them out all the time) But was damn close to breaking trough several times. Set4 he was raped, but who would knows what would have happened had the game gone to a 5th game. Point is Kal was in good positions in both game 2 and 3, especially game2 were he was firmly ahead. And who knows how game 3,4 and 5 would have turned out if Kal had been 2-0...
So if you dont consider that close, you either didnt watch the games or got zero understanding of the game. And judging by your location I am gonna go out on a limb and guess both.
Jaedong always looses his first game in a bo5, he likes it this way, he did it like 6 times already. Ok, joking, but eventually that happenes. And i was joking about that final, apparently you have no sense of humor.
"So if you dont consider that close, you either didnt watch the games or got zero understanding of the game. And judging by your location I am gonna go out on a limb and guess both."
Oh that sounded so cool, now i'm so ashamed, OMG, i'm going in to the corner and cry. (this is a joke too, in case u didn't notice, sarcasm you know). If somebody is talking about Yellow and OSL win, you shoudn't take that as a real comment but a funny/crazy one. note that to yourself, it might help you out inn the future.
Oh playing the good old irony\sarcasm card when you look like a fool, thats the internet. How are you suppose to take it beside that his chances was slim to none when its used in a setting like that?
I look like a fool, when you take it seriously that JD raped easily Kal in the final, and Kal's chanses were as Yellow's to take the next OSL. A) it's obvious it didnt happened B) Yellow winning next OSL. Put that 2 things near each other. that sounds to you as a real opinion. GOD! I dont know, maybe my "joke" wasnt funny, but than you say "That was a lame joke" not answer with proper arguments. Do you want to seem smart by resuming what happened there? Everyobdy saw it, everybody knows it. And when i say- Wake up, you shoudnt took that seriously -you still try to prove that you're right.
You know i never been in Norway, but i was told is a really wonderful conutry, and the people there are polite and smart and committed. Is this a misbelief or you're just an exception? Or just had a tough day?
PS: in case you were wondering, i'm not a romaninan by origin. But that's the country i live in, so i leave it in my card.
So your post served no purpose and you were just trolling or was it suppose to be funny? Maybe i just dont get your humor. Sarcasm\Irony is kinda hard to tell online in written format, and im pretty sure theres plenty of people who think that series was a 1sided rape (especially looking at youtube comments, blinded fanboyism ect) And in case you didnt understand it, I took your location argument as a joke and I have nothing against Romanians. Anyway I guess its just an misunderstanding then and no point in taking it further.
Please put the player's nicks in these write-ups. While the Korean scene uses their real names mostly, the western scene doesn't. It's way too esoteric to expect newer reads to know every real name and match it to the nick we've been following in VODs.
As for actually contributing on this... I think it is really too early to say a similar triangle is forming. Flash and Jaedong could be part of such, but Flashes recent struggles, as well as Jaedong's make you wonder about how stable such a triangle would be.
On November 14 2008 11:33 sk` wrote: Please put the player's nicks in these write-ups. While the Korean scene uses their real names mostly, the western scene doesn't. It's way too esoteric to expect newer reads to know every real name and match it to the nick we've been following in VODs.
Main Entry: es·o·ter·ic Pronunciation: \ˌe-sə-ˈter-ik, -ˈte-rik\ Function: adjective Etymology: Late Latin esotericus, from Greek esōterikos, from esōterō, comparative of eisō, esō within, from eis into; akin to Greek en in — more at in Date: circa 1660 1 a: designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone <a body of esoteric legal doctrine — B. N. Cardozo> b: requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group <esoteric terminology> ; broadly : difficult to understand <esoteric subjects> 2 a: limited to a small circle <engaging in esoteric pursuits> b: private , confidential <an esoteric purpose> 3: of special, rare, or unusual interest <esoteric building materials> — es·o·ter·i·cal·ly \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
Not saying that you do want to increase your audience or not... but even someone like me who's lurked forever... TLPD means what? If you make your material such that only you understand it, then you will never grow your audience. Up to you really, I get my SC thrills watching VODs more than anything else.
Okay, it obviously didn't stick the first time so I'll try again, seeing as how this should probably be interesting to you given your interest in roman history.
In latin, the adjectives generally go on the back of nouns, as opposed to english where it's the other way around. And there are three genders, one of them being neutrum, as is the case with the word "solium", throne. Therefore, the ending of the adjective, in this case "vacuus" becomes -um instead of the masculine -us, id est, "vacuum".
So, we end up with "solium vacuum" - the empty throne.
None of this really relates to the SC-oriented part of the article (which I thoroughly enjoyed) but given the theme I thought it would be appropriate to nit-pick a little bit
EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.gamereplays.org/community/uploads/post-14673-1190868994.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v122/JadedEnmity/Flash.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.mymym.com/gfx/BeStOSL.jpg)
).
