MaxPax Abstaining From Esports World Cup?

On June 30 2024 21:29 Haku wrote:
Did people expect anything else?

On June 30 2024 22:02 Cyro wrote:
Everybody who put the game and the safety of players/fans over the chance to make a quick $ abstained.

On June 30 2024 23:13 Gescom wrote:

Sometimes I have these feelings too, but it's not like people complain when tournaments happen in China & so on. /shrug. The scene is just gonna have to suck it up and move on with this new normal.

On July 01 2024 00:49 Balnazza wrote:
Spiral

On July 01 2024 02:35 Poopi wrote:
Shame on him for not participating in IRL tournaments in general, but I am happy that he didn’t change his behavior because of $$ and just went along with his usual credo.

On July 01 2024 02:35 Poopi wrote:
Shame on him for not participating in IRL tournaments in general, but I am happy that he didn’t change his behavior because of $$ and just went along with his usual credo.

I am kinda sad for the protoss fans - spectators that we don’t get to see him play in the « real » conditions, having to handle the pressure of live events and still deliver good StarCraft is what makes the difference between good and great players imo

On July 01 2024 03:22 Poopi wrote:

I mean shame on him, when you are at that level of gameplay you owe it to the game/public to actually show up and play
He doesn't, that's a pity

On July 01 2024 03:22 Poopi wrote:

I mean shame on him, when you are at that level of gameplay you owe it to the game/public to actually show up and play
He doesn't, that's a pity

On July 01 2024 03:22 Poopi wrote:

I mean shame on him, when you are at that level of gameplay you owe it to the game/public to actually show up and play
He doesn't, that's a pity

On July 01 2024 05:25 M3t4PhYzX wrote:
Imagine my shock!

Should have been banned from participating in qualifiers for offline tournaments a looong time ago. If he does not want to participate, that is fine.. but stop taking spots (warping results) and prize money from others. It's kinda disgusting, ngl.

On July 01 2024 03:32 thekaas wrote:

so many weirdos in esports think being good at a video game means you have some sort of social obligation to perform it in front of an audience.

On July 01 2024 03:22 Poopi wrote:

I mean shame on him, when you are at that level of gameplay you owe it to the game/public to actually show up and play
He doesn't, that's a pity

On July 01 2024 03:22 Poopi wrote:

I mean shame on him, when you are at that level of gameplay you owe it to the game/public to actually show up and play
He doesn't, that's a pity

On July 01 2024 05:49 CicadaSC wrote:

Are you obligated? Well... Sort of. When some of the tournaments you play in part of the prize is qualification for offline tournaments.

On July 01 2024 06:16 Poopi wrote:

Don't sign up for things where you are supposed to go LAN afterwards if you don't intend to actually go to the LAN if you qualify. It's fine if you don't want to go to LAN, then don't participate at all in the qualifiers and stuff.
Some players such as the Chinese players who really wanted to go, but couldn't make it due to visa issues / other problems were prevented to play despite them wanting to come, and this guy is wasting slots over and over again, in the latest years of the scene.

That's a pity.

On July 01 2024 03:22 Poopi wrote:

I mean shame on him, when you are at that level of gameplay you owe it to the game/public to actually show up and play
He doesn't, that's a pity

On July 01 2024 06:16 Poopi wrote:

Don't sign up for things where you are supposed to go LAN afterwards if you don't intend to actually go to the LAN if you qualify. It's fine if you don't want to go to LAN, then don't participate at all in the qualifiers and stuff.
Some players such as the Chinese players who really wanted to go, but couldn't make it due to visa issues / other problems were prevented to play despite them wanting to come, and this guy is wasting slots over and over again, in the latest years of the scene.

That's a pity.

On July 01 2024 11:44 Balnazza wrote:


So basically he shouldn't be allowed to compete at all, since most things he competes in are in some ways "qualifier"? Quick question also: If a korean knows he can't compete in the next World Cup, should he drop out of GSL aswell? He will essentially take away points and mess up the bracket.

On July 01 2024 06:41 Woosixion wrote:
C'mon Maxpax you can't be THAT ugly just show up one time to silence the haterz

On July 01 2024 10:01 Balnazza wrote:


In my defense: I was reading up on some stuff for Warcraft 3 before that and there is a WC3 player called Spiral. So I claim innocence!


As for the discussion going on:
I can see where people are coming from. It is a shame that one of the best players in the world doesn't join the really big tournaments. I know people tend to just assume MaxPax wouldn't perform at all, but lets be a bit optimistic here. Maybe he would in fact be an amazing offline player, changing the course of SC2...we will never know. And I honestly think, if he misses EWC, we can confidently say "never", because if potentially 400K won't motivate him, nothing will.

That being said - of course it is completly up to him. As Miz said, he isn't a "dancing monkey". And I don't think it is immoral of him to participate in ESL Europe. It's not a "qualifier", it is a regional event that just also happens to give out EPT Points. If you think ESL Europe is a "qualifier", I kindly remind you that GSL would be one, too. Same with the ESL Cups - in the end, they are just Cups that happen to give out some points. As far as I know, MaxPax has never played a qualifier that was just a qualifier to then not show up.

I think what mostly agitates people about MaxPax is the fact that he isn't telling the audience why he doesn't show up. And to be fair: If he doesn't want to, people shouldn't really probe. Gentle reminder that people probed the LoL-player Upset so much about him leaving his team at worlds that his own wife eventually just bursted out that she got sexually abused and that this as the reason he had to come back.
In WC3, I remember two cases of players who wouldn't travel. Satiini (who also played SC2) had a horrible fear of traveling. Sadly that also let to him letting his teams down multiple times, when he promised to show up and eventually didn't. The other case was Space, who had...can't remember the name of the illness, but basically a muscle-degeneration, so sadly he often just wasn't able to travel, however much his teammates tried to make it happen (he sadly passed away a few years after his career ended).

But in either of those cases, we still knew the players names and the reasons they wouldn't travel. Satiini was apparently a bit of a dick about it, but no one ever blamed Space for not being able to attend tournaments. But with MaxPax, we don't even know his full name.
And as much as I think about it, I really can't think of a reason why a danish person would be that mysterious about himself. Super-strict parents? Crown-Prince? I really don't know.

Anyway, as I said, eventually it is his decision. I just hope the player-camp knew beforehand that he won't attend, so Spirit knows to make travel-arrangement while one more EU-player can hope to play in the qualifiers in a few days.

On July 01 2024 08:54 Mizenhauer wrote:
Maxpax isn't a dancing monkey, he doesn't owe anyone anything.

On July 01 2024 03:22 Poopi wrote:

I mean shame on him, when you are at that level of gameplay you owe it to the game/public to actually show up and play
He doesn't, that's a pity

I mean shame on him, when you are at that level of gameplay you owe it to the game/public to actually show up and play

On July 01 2024 16:32 FataLe wrote:
Is MaxPax the last young blood talent we will ever see?

On July 01 2024 16:32 FataLe wrote:
Is MaxPax the last young blood talent we will ever see?

On July 01 2024 17:15 radracer wrote:
Lol at someone saying Artosis is to blame for saying in-person tournies matter more. They always have- and Artosis is not the originator.

On July 01 2024 18:05 Infested.rine wrote:
Damn, insane someone thinks someone with talent MUST entretain regular folks with that talent and that the regular folks are owed that.

My lost respect for Poopi just went to Maxpax who has to deal with this type of people.

On July 01 2024 18:23 Harris1st wrote:
Was he actually fined for declining an invitation? Never heard about that.

For me the only thing I really don't understand about this is the team/ sponsor that is sticking with him and paying salary.
Other than that, why wouldn't he be allowed to play? So many weird and hateful takes in here... shame on you guys

On July 01 2024 18:32 Philippe wrote:


A caster can talk about it but not be a total jerk like he was on stream, at least not to the point that some other casters also comment about his specific take ? Very lol to comment against it ? That's the weird part. Esp given he also has a bias against some players and is a fan of others when he should be way more neutral in that aspect.



In some the communities that Poopi is quoting, times have changed and this hounding would be considered bullying. Ultimately players are an equal part of the scene besides the viewership, not a one-way street that this kind of comments imply. That would only change if 50 percent +1 players petition ESL to get him kicked out, and it would still be a bad look for any outside viewer.



Some are conflating the fact that there are specific rules in place for skipping media duties, with the take that he shouldn't be allowed to play because of repeatedly fouling the rules. When ultimately, he probably paid fines during the 2021-2023 seasons but still was allowed to play.

Being hateful just because he's "denying" opportunities, in any case, do these players deserve to go further in the first place obviously just doesn't count to these commenters.

On July 01 2024 18:57 WombaT wrote:
What did Artosis say anyway?

I get the impression what rules he may be breaking is equivalent to taking a particular parking spot and just taking the fines. So long as you pay the fine you’re OK with doing this, and you’re not transgressing to such a degree that your car has to be towed or clamped etc.

On July 01 2024 16:12 Poopi wrote:

I mean yeah, this part is the good one, it sparks up discussion
But it's a stark reality though, people want to see performance.
Some people will want to see MaxPax play live and fail, some just want to see what he looks like, others want to know why he was so mysterious until now, some want to see him succeed. But the community is curious about MaxPax, and people at large enjoy watching.

On July 01 2024 20:17 Poopi wrote:

Of course this want doesn't supersede his right to privacy, and indeed it's all about bread and circuses.
My post looking grim or not is kinda irrelevant, the discussions going on are interesting though.

On July 01 2024 21:10 MyLovelyLurker wrote:


I mean, you started by explicitly shaming a pro player who 1. provides plenty of online and free entertainment to the community as is, 2. is consistent in their online-only stance and thus very plausibly has underlying causative issues. Trying to wiggle away from it in the name of 'I was just baiting' would be adding cowardice to disrespect IMHO.

When people show who they really are (relevant since that's what you're interested in !), I tend to trust them. You're a TL writer. It wouldn't make you a lesser man to simply apologize and move on.

On July 01 2024 16:08 Kitai wrote:
Just to clarify, in the past has Maxpax been fined simply for declining to participate in things he's qualified for?

On July 02 2024 00:29 vult wrote:
wow so many people firing at Poopi for a pretty level headed (albeit poorly worded) opinion.
.

On July 02 2024 01:06 Poopi wrote:

I mean « Poopi » is gonna become a brand at some point in the future, might as well keep doing what works

On July 02 2024 00:08 Poopi wrote:
The "owe" part was a bad wording on my end, it's more like a waste of talent indeed. I did not realize it sounded so offensive when I used that word, my bad for those who were offended.

On July 02 2024 00:29 vult wrote:
wow so many people firing at Poopi for a pretty level headed (albeit poorly worded) opinion.

Maxpax is free to do whatever he wants, but he is subject to the court of public opinion if he continues to sign up for offline tourney qualifiers, succeeding and then backing out which forces to tournament organizer to scramble last minute to organize replacements based on short-term visa eligibilities, costs of travel/board, etc. Maxpax is also old enough to understand that he IS obligated to participate in offline tournaments if he KNOWINGLY signs up for a tournament that feeds into an offline event. He is not a "dancing monkey" that is giving free entertainment, he is a professional playing for real money and if being a professional means attending offline events, he should feel compelled to do so.

Sucks for EU protoss fans because the only EU protoss hope keeps blackballing them over and over again. This behaviour from Maxpax is extremely convenient for him and likely nets him money but at the same time negatively impacts the tournament organizers, fans and fellow competitors who may have had a different experience themselves if Maxpax hadn't competed in the first place.

This notion that there should be zero expectation for him to attend offline is silly - Poopi is right in saying it is a shame that this has gone on unchecked for years and has become normalized.

On July 02 2024 03:40 Durnuu wrote:
Based Maxpax doesn't want to deal with Saudis

On July 02 2024 05:12 followZeRoX wrote:
I'd honestly ban him from participating from all non-online events. He messes up with the brackets eliminating players who'd potentially go to LAN left and right.
Why would any serious TO allow this?

On July 02 2024 05:17 Kreuger wrote:


Since he doesnt attend the offline events, wouldnt this ban be mostly symbolic?

On July 02 2024 05:12 followZeRoX wrote:
I'd honestly ban him from participating from all non-online events. He messes up with the brackets eliminating players who'd potentially go to LAN left and right.
Why would any serious TO allow this?

On July 01 2024 09:21 Yoshi Kirishima wrote:


Ok and I'd like you to show up to a comedy show and make jokes for us because this is a very funny take.
Don't want to? Too bad!! You're obligated!!
Seriously who do you think you are to demand what someone does with their life, especially when it's simply for your own entertainment? How incredibly entitled, vain, and selfish.



1) No one is "supposed to" show up to another tournament they qualified to.
Where in the rules does it say players are required to, or supposed to show up to any other events they qualify for?
2) Chinese players having challenges trying to attend or qualify is not Maxpax's problem.
3) No one got their spots stolen. Maxpax isn't wasting any slots. The slots are redistributed to other players based on an already defined system that the players are aware of. The money that he doesn't want is going to someone else that does want it. Where's the shame in that?

Seems like the tournament organizer accounted for and allowed players to decide whether to accept their invite to EWC. Good thing the tournament organizer also defined a system that would redistribute any declined invites!

Would you say shame on any other player who decided to decline, such as if they have issues competing in a tournament hosted by the Saudi state, or because they have concerns about their personal safety? I'm genuinely curious.

On July 01 2024 21:54 Poopi wrote:

I was not baiting anything in particular, just expressing what it feels like to "perform" as a player, I have done it myself several times (a community / group wanting to see you play a particular event). I tackled it as a duty even though a part of me didn't want to do it. It was not necessarily the best decision health wise but it's irrelevant.

If MaxPax personally wants a talk about what I said (online | by text) I would be more than happy to discuss the matter, otherwise I don't need nor want to apologize to random lurkers | posters.
I am just a bit flabbergasted by the reaction which I find disproportionate, but that's also interesting, it means saying (well, writing, but you know what I mean) what I said (wrote) can bring out that sort of reactions from people.

edit:

also, I am not a liquipedia writer, it's the second time I saw that mentioned (before being edited later on), it's a bit odd to read that. MyLovelyLurker correctly pointed out that I am TL (well, TLnet) writer, but several users wrote 'liquipedia' writer at some point. What does liquipedia have to do with the forum?

On July 02 2024 00:29 vult wrote:
Maxpax is also old enough to understand that he IS obligated to participate in offline tournaments if he KNOWINGLY signs up for a tournament that feeds into an offline event. He is not a "dancing monkey" that is giving free entertainment, he is a professional playing for real money and if being a professional means attending offline events, he should feel compelled to do so.
.

Its not a one time thing. He does it again and again. He should stop attend at qualifiers he has no intention of playing as others who will participate will could qualify instead .We dont know the reason he doesnt play offline he could also be a cheater/hacker.

On July 02 2024 07:09 Maksim2010 wrote:


Its not a one time thing. He does it again and again. He should stop attend at qualifiers he has no intention of playing as others who will participate will could qualify instead .We dont know the reason he doesnt play offline he could also be a cheater/hacker.

On July 02 2024 05:12 followZeRoX wrote:
I'd honestly ban him from participating from all non-online events. He messes up with the brackets eliminating players who'd potentially go to LAN left and right.

On July 02 2024 14:31 MJG wrote:

Sounds like a skill issue to me.

On July 02 2024 14:31 MJG wrote:

Please show me when he played in a pure qualifier for an offline event because I'm fairly sure he never has.


Sounds like a skill issue to me.

On July 02 2024 07:05 WGT-Baal wrote:

It s on ESL for using a point system in other, fully online, tournaments. It s normal Maxpax plays those. If ESL had their eswc only quali then I m sure Maxpax wouldn't play in that one.

Anyway a player can do whatever they want, they don't owe you anything. You are a viewer, you are nobody. Maxpax doesnt go offline, good for him. I m sure he has his reasons. It doesn't really screw the bracket because it s a known fact. Some other top players play all those events even though they don't need the points. They also eliminate people left and right. What a dumb take to have honestly. (Poopi too, worse since they re tl staff)

It s between this and him not playing sc2 at all. I d much rather have him continue being awesome online. Stupid comments like here may end up being the last straw for him to just retire.

On July 02 2024 19:41 Zergiica wrote:
i would just suspend him from every EPT event because he takes spot to someone. he should seek therapy or something. i don't know his issues but there is no point he is allowed to play online tournaments where major prize is offline event.

On July 02 2024 19:45 MJG wrote:

If people are annoyed that MaxPax is taking "their" spot, then they should get better and beat him.

As for the "major prize" being qualification for an offline event, I'm pretty sure that the "major prize" for most tournaments is the money, and that qualification for an offline event is just an additional bonus.

For the umpteenth time, I'd love to see where MaxPax has played in a tournament were the only outcome of winning was qualification for an offline event that he had no intention of attending, because I don't think he ever has (although I'm happy to be proven wrong).

EDIT:

Saying that MaxPax needs to "seek therapy" is pretty gauche.

On July 02 2024 19:52 CicadaSC wrote:

no no, the major prize is not the money, it is the qualification, because the main event gives you more money, even lower finishing players make a good amount compared to regionals.

On July 02 2024 20:12 MJG wrote:

In this case, we'll just have to agree to disagree. If a tournament has its own monetary prize, then I can't consider it to be a mere qualifier.

On July 02 2024 18:45 Philippe wrote:


Some users/players won't make any difference of whether the tournament is considered standalone if it incidentally gives out qualifiers slots. Which is a pretty bad approach since it's not a designated qualifier. Some still naming him as a cheater/hacker because he doesn't show offline is such an overcooked trope.

In any case as long ESL continues to allow him to play, I don't see how that flaming continues to pop up each year.

On July 03 2024 00:42 Balnazza wrote:


How do you force someone to play offline for an event he never signed up for? That's ridiculous. So what, no one can play ESL Cups anymore except you first sign a contract with ESL that you will, if needed, show up at the next EWC or you will otherwise be fined?

On July 02 2024 18:39 Argonauta wrote:


I strongly disagree, I think bringing your best game to the offline tournament, being able to compete in front of crows, with cameras pointing at you is an important layer to judge a player's quality.

In football, many young players are promising in the early stages leagues or in training, but when the pressure is on, they got anxious or shaky and cannot perform to their level. Those are players which will never advance to the A team, or will do one match and fumble.

On July 03 2024 00:56 geokilla wrote:

ESL weekly cups are open cups. They let anyone sign up knowing anyone under GM will never get enough points to play offline so they have nothing to worry about. Whereas when a professional plays in EPT tournaments, you're subject to their rule book. All I'm saying is that don't be surprised if the rules change next year, if we have a next year.

On July 02 2024 18:39 Argonauta wrote:


I strongly disagree, I think bringing your best game to the offline tournament, being able to compete in front of crows, with cameras pointing at you is an important layer to judge a player's quality.

In football, many young players are promising in the early stages leagues or in training, but when the pressure is on, they got anxious or shaky and cannot perform to their level. Those are players which will never advance to the A team, or will do one match and fumble.

On July 03 2024 02:13 MJG wrote:

ESL Weeklies award EPT points. You'd be banning MaxPax from playing in the Weeklies lmao.

On July 03 2024 02:32 JimmyJRaynor wrote:

+1.
Same thing happens with math exams. i've watched people fold like lawn furniture.

On July 03 2024 03:38 WombaT wrote:

You’re not really testing their ability to do maths there, but a time-constrained high-pressure examination scenario.

Hey it’s a useful life skill to have. But as someone who basically went whistling into various exams (if I could whistle), I definitely outperformed many a peer who outdid me academically prior, and who subsequently outdid me afterwards.

Even as a general beneficiary of a relaxed temperament aiding me in the exam environment I think it’s a very flawed way to assess aptitude

On July 03 2024 04:27 JimmyJRaynor wrote:

You are straw manning so I will steel man to provide contrast.

Any random, tax-funded, mediocre, general public school that employs weak unqualified mathematicians can create a lousy math exam process.

The Actuarial profession does a solid job of evaluating mathematicians via their exam process.

Properly structured curriculum coupled with well designed exams do a great job of developing mathematicians and actuarial associates.

Just like in sports contests and esports contests some people will fold under pressure. To be alive is to be under pressure.

On July 03 2024 01:45 WombaT wrote:

But in your football example, which is a decent one as I’m a football nut and have heard many an awed tale of a ‘training ground monster’, those folks aren’t competing in the real high-stakes competitions.

There were very few players I can think of who were say, temporarily top players in Covid times without crowds who dropped off when things returned to normality.

Ping is a big component of why offline competition is king, but it’s not really a factor in a European level competition.

As I said, dealing with pressure of various kinds is a part of being a great player sure, but it’s measuring your ability to do that, not necessarily how good you are at Starcraft.

Also I mean in SC2 you’re somewhat isolated from the crowd while you’re competing anyway so really what you’re adjusting to is travelling and being away from home and your usual routine as much as anything.

Whereas in most big sports you have full exposure to potentially hostile crowds, and how you deal with that is something you can’t really avoid

I think if you want the absolute best StarCraft and ping isn’t a factor, you maybe get that online, offline you get a better event spectacle wise, enfranchising the fans and it’s a real test of the players’ nerve and ability to deal with inconvenience and pressure.

I think it’s perfectly fine to consider either in assessing greatness for sure, but I do think there’s a certain snobbishness against online tournies in our particular scene. And I imagine this is going to be rough when the scene transitions to be more and more online just based on the economics, which I assume is going to become more common.

If memory serves for some reason Gamers8 actually had higher ping than many of the Covid era online competitions, so I really hope that isn’t the case again

For me MaxPax isn’t a great player but because he hasn’t done it in the biggest high-stakes tournaments, that happen to be offline, not because he hasn’t done it offline

On July 03 2024 07:16 Blitzball04 wrote:


You take that back Wombat!

2nd best Protoss behind herO

On July 03 2024 08:39 Poopi wrote:
Hard agree @Argonauta.
That’s what I was explaining to my friend who was a casual platinum protoss in WoL and barely following sc2 anymore, watching replays on YouTube of some events from time to time.

We were watching herO vs Maru at Dallas which was a highly disputed series and the stakes were high for herO. I had to explain to him that basically, the games you saw of MaxPax from the small online cups or in DH:EU without even Serral or Reynor aren’t that meaningful. This series between Maru and herO though, it was game 7 and you could feel in the gameplay of both players that they didn’t want to throw away things.

That’s why they seemed so timid at times, which you could exploit. Series such as this are the real StarCraft where it matters to perform. So I was basically telling him that MaxPax protoss gameplay wasn’t meaningful to look at since sport / esport is about handling pressure / emotions. If you want to see « technically » good StarCraft, you could just watch AI battle it out which isn’t very interesting.

On the other hand, players having to shake hands with their opponent, able to look at each other in between games, or feel the energy of the crowd, that’s what competition is all about.

On July 03 2024 17:16 Zergiica wrote:


going to military or having any RL obligation/illness/tragedy is not same as don't wanna go on purpose or at any condition. so, that example is wrong and of course koreans or serral or shouldn't be banned. they are here, they care for a game, fans and the whole show. maxpax doesn't.

On July 03 2024 17:12 Zergiica wrote:


ok, you can be angry but the thing is, he doesn't wanna compete on the highest level because of his issues. he is a great player and it is a loss not having him there. i think suspending him from online tournaments that lead to offline tournaments would maybe be some sort of motivation for him to get out of the comfort zone. he obviously wants and likes to compete.

On July 12 2024 01:35 Fango wrote:
Playing offline will always impact people differently. Some people don't travel well, get jet lagged, even differences in food or altitude can have an impact. Some aren't as comfortable playing on a stage with white noise blasting through headphones, some just find it distracting to play in an environment they haven't practiced in.

Home court advantage is a thing in every sport. People play better when they're well rested, and are playing in same environment they practice in. It's a shame in some sense that offline competitions are considered "real tournaments" in esports, because being resistant to all those factors is something outside of actual skill in the game

On July 11 2024 15:41 Yoshi Kirishima wrote:
In this interview, MaxPax says that he's never been to a restaurant.
So, there is interesting evidence that whatever reason he's not attending offline events, could be the same reason he doesn't go eat out.

There are people with immune disorders, so leaving the house can result in them getting deathly sick. Something like that would easily explain things and justify him not being able to attend.

https://youtu.be/W6Ps9HIB9NE?t=2309

On July 11 2024 15:41 Yoshi Kirishima wrote:
In this interview, MaxPax says that he's never been to a restaurant.
So, there is interesting evidence that whatever reason he's not attending offline events, could be the same reason he doesn't go eat out.

There are people with immune disorders, so leaving the house can result in them getting deathly sick. Something like that would easily explain things and justify him not being able to attend.

https://youtu.be/W6Ps9HIB9NE?t=2309

On July 13 2024 09:22 tskarzyn wrote:
Ban MaxPax from online events until we've seen him play with his camera on. He is almost certainly violating some tournament rule. I'd bet he is using AI but wouldn't be surprised if he's an alt account for another pro.

On July 13 2024 09:54 jy_9876543210 wrote:

He's Life in disguise all along! That's why he doesn't want to show his face! It all makes sense now!

On July 13 2024 09:26 WombaT wrote:

What other pro plays like him?

He may not yet be bringing the pain in offline tournaments but he’s probably got the best PvP out there right now.

What other pro would be smurfing under an assumed name, only to play better in a matchup than they do on their main?

Just a ridiculous comment. It’s good enough for ESL, his fellow pros seem to think he’s a legit player, he’s not appeared on camera but has spoken pretty regularly over a span.

Seems a hell of a bit to be doing if you’re well, not who you say you are.

MaxPax demonstrably plays like a human plays, if it’s an AI whoever did it did a better job than Google’s well-funded DeepMind team, does that seem at all likely?

On July 13 2024 21:53 tskarzyn wrote:


It seems equally ridiculous that he'd spend most of his waking hours playing a game, and then proceed to forfeit every opportunity to make real money playing it for #reasons. "He doesn't eat at restaurants. He has social anxiety!" "His parents don't want him to show his face!" "His identity is super duper secret!"

Let's be real. He is not on the level. Maybe he is hacking. Maybe Maru wants to fuck around with Protoss and has a buddy in Denmark who is fronting for him. Maybe it's 10x easier to write an SC2 AI today than in 2019 and he is a talented coder. (There are AI bot competitions for sc2.) Whatever he's doing, he is only able to do it online when no one is watching.

I love nerds, but as the joke goes... you see someone flip heads 10x in a row, you'll say the odds they do it again are 50%. Someone with a bit of common sense sees it, and they'll know it's a weighted die.

On July 13 2024 22:24 WombaT wrote:

If the maybe is ‘maybe an SC2 bot exists that is superior than what one if the world’s foremost companies in the space managed to make’ or ‘maybe someone is smurfing to a very high level, from Europe but they’ve also played against all of Europe’s top players at some stage’ those aren’t very common-sense observations.