Name: Joona Sotala Date of birth: March 22, 1998 Country: Finland Race: Zerg Keyboard: ASUS ROG Claymore Switches: Cherry MX Brown Mouse: Logitech G pro
Goes 1-2 in group B inAcer Pro Challenge and doesn't advance to the playoffs after beating DnS 2-1, but losing against VortiX and MarineLorD 0-2.(February 16th)
Goes 3-1 in the CybBet Race Wars After losing to Bomber 0-2, and winning against Rail 2-1, Strange 2-0 and Kas 2-0. Not enough for a spot in the playoffs though.(January 21st - February 7th)
Goes 1-0 against Kas and 2-1 against Bly in the quarterfinals before falling 0-2 against MarineLorD in the semifinals of NationWars III(January 2th-3rd)
Wins Helsinki.gg after taking down elfi 4-1 in the finals(May 23rd)
Will play in Dreamhack Open: Tours.(May 8-9th)
Loses in the WCS premier league qualifiers against some protoss(April 30th)
Wins against XiGua 2-0 in his First series in his WCS ro16 group, but then loses to ForGG 0-2 and to TLO 1-2 to finish 9-12th in the tournament. Better luck next time. (April 3rd-4th)
Loses against Welmu 1-3 in the Loser's round 1 in the Fragbite Masters Season 4 (March 18th)
After the SixFirst WCS Europe qualifiers made it to the "LastChance"-qualifier where he was able to beat Adonminus, Hanfy and Petraeus to make it to the WCS season 1 challenger. (January 16th)
wiNs "Fuzer LotV Invitational" with a score of 10-0, beating for example elfi 2-0 and Welmu 3-0. (January 25th)
wiNs 2-0 against Naama and elfi in the group stage of "Assembly Winter 2015" , before 3-0'ing ZhuGeLiang in the semifinals. In the finals Welmu, the cryptonite toss, came back from 1-2 to win the series 3-2 against Serral. (January 31st)
Took part in all four of the 2014 WCS Season 2 Europe: European Qualifiers (April 21st-24nd) = Made it to the ro16 in the First qualifier, but was defeated 2-1 by First and fell quite early in the Rest of the qualifiers.
Playing against Axiom.Ryung in the SHOUTcraft Clan Wars on the map Wrecking Ball (April 21st) = Takes the First game in the series to give mYinsanity the 1-0-lead
Playing against TeamLiquid.TLO in the SHOUTcraft Clan Wars as mYinsanity's 4th player (April 23th) = Victory is Serral's on the map New Pompeii and he puts his team up 3-1.
Participating in the 2014 DreamHack Open: Bucharest (April 26th-27th) = Made it to the third group stage where he was eliminated after losing to both TY and jjakji by a score of 1-2
Is the starting player of mYinsanity in their aceR TeamStory Cup series against NewRoSoft (May 3rd) = In the first match Serral defeats Welmu, but falls against NightEnD in the second game
In the aceR TeamStory Cup series against mousesports is defeated by VortiX as the second and as the ace-player (May 10th)
Lost against Liquid.HerO in the aceR TeamStory Cup as the second player of mYinsanity (May 12th)
Defeats Has, Ian and Leenock before falling against San as the First player of mYinsanity against yoe Flash Wolves in the aceR TeamStory Cup (May 27th)
Won GoOdy 2-0 and StarDust 2-1 in Dreamhack Open: Summer -tournament group stage 2, but then dropped out in group stage 3 after going 1-2 against MC in his First series, and again in the decider match after beating Prebs 2-0 in the losers match (JuNe 14th-16th)
Took part in the 2014 WCS Season 3 Europe: European Qualifier (1st qualifier) and gets through with a 2-1-win over SortOf in the deciding match!!! (July 10th)
Participated in 2014 DreamHack Open: Valencia. In group stage #3 was defeated First by HyuN 2-0, then won against Tefel 2-0, but ended up falling against Nerchio in the final series 2-1 to barely not make it to the top16 once again (July 18-19th)
Played against FireCake in2014 WCS Season 3 Europe Challenger League for a spot in premier. Was down by two, but made the comeback to win the series 3-2. (July 31)
What I like the most is Serral's play style seems much more cerebral and, um, strategic than most SC2 players, relying on making correct decisions and tech choices and forcing or baiting the opponent into bad or losing choices. His play was so on point today. I look very much forward to seeing more of this player!
On February 24 2015 02:37 NobleNyne wrote: so... really not trying to be an asshole. Is it a kind of a finnish accent that makes him speak rather high pitched, or is that just him?
either way: gj kid, very impressive performance!
Typical late Finnish maturity with some nerves and accent maybe contributing to it a bit. At least that would be my guess. We'll see how his voice develops in the future though.
Edit. Oh, and I'll be updating the op a bit today... so yeah.
Yeah, its just inexperience with being interwieved. I think he was more stressed about interwievs than the games, which is an awesome sign.
I saw some reddit thread about getting a finnish translator. To me that sounds funny, because how else would you conquer your anxiousness of speaking another language if not by speaking it :p. Sure we might miss some points he's trying to say, but in the end, its going to be for the best, for himself and for the average fan.
Serral was a guest on YLE's morning show alongside ENCE eSports' natu: http://areena.yle.fi/1-3063646 (edit: starts around 19 minute mark)
The video might be restricted for Finnish viewing only and is ofc in Finnish. Briefly, Serral was talking about how the game works, how much he practices (goal is 6h/day), and how there is pressure in live tournament play.
The reporter refers to him as world champion which is a bit hilarious, but I guess you could say that as he won the 2015 IeSF WC.
On January 28 2016 23:27 sagi wrote: The reporter refers to him as world champion which is a bit hilarious, but I guess you could say that as he won the 2015 IeSF WC.
And yeah as it was said the previous interview was pretty basic stuff overall. Said he started going to the gym lately though, which he finds helpful keeping himself a bit more fresh and limber
Also pretty basic stuff, but had a couple of minutes to spare so here's a few notes from it.
- Expected to win a Finnish tournament, especially when there are so few players from other countries.
- Felt it still wasn't as easy as in the past. Probably due to other Finns improving also.
- Felt maybe a bit uncertain against the muta style that both Reynor and Namshar like since it's not the most standard style.
- Maybe isn't the best player out there in his opinion so the ratio of invites/qualifiers to tournaments for him is probably 50/50
- Looked into the top opponents play in this tournament, but didn't think he needed to show anything too out of the ordinary, mostly standard play.
- Likes to both research and practice with the six hours he tries to spend with the game daily
- Plays hearthstone and other more relaxing games also.
- Was ok to get some games before the IEM qualifiers even though it took quite a bit of time.
- Not sure if he's going to the Dreamhack in the US. Other than that doesn't know what big tournament up ahead.
Result aside, this tournament has really shown just how talented Serral is. He isn't just talented, he's also humble and graceful in defeat. This is just the breakthrough, now I think he will start to really kick on and make it happen all the best to him
Pretty sad that you didnt make it further, I must say. True was really tough but I think you couldve made it. The games were excellent though, really fast paced . But, best of luck onwards, you got insane talent.
Let's be honest Korean Starcraft is somewhat stagnant. There are no young players ready to burst onto the scene and perhaps dominate. There are a couple of young Chinese players out there but the real hope for the future of our game is in the 3 young foreigners, Neeb, Serral and Elazer.
Serral vs Gumiho today is a bit of the future vs the past. Gumiho has been around forever and a Serral win could signify a changing of the guard just a bit.
Those of you who have followed Serral a bit more than I have could answer this. How is his poise and his ability to take his game up a notch against better competition? He's not playing Lambo in a European tournament he is playing a GSL winner in Blizzcon. Is he ready for the challenge? He is obviously talented but also young and inexperienced for this stage.
great games, a lot to learn from the way he paces ZvP and is willing to make the extra effort to backstab from different angles when the protoss moves sloppily. really makes use of the strengths of the race, and he has a solid plan vs air lategame.
Serral noted that he somewhat ran out of ammo 200vs200 vs. very high caliber terran. Simply not too much of experience of those situations I guess. Same thing popped in my mind watching the game. Nevertheless, fantastic performance once again while not the gold medal this time.
On March 18 2018 09:46 It's britney bitch wrote: Serral noted that he somewhat ran out of ammo 200vs200 vs. very high caliber terran. Simply not too much of experience of those situations I guess. Same thing popped in my mind watching the game. Nevertheless, fantastic performance once again while not the gold medal this time.
Yup, same thing with pretty much all foreigners. Did fairly well considering the opponent and the practice he's getting outside of Korea. Obvious solution on improving, especially vT, would be going back to Korea, maybe for a longer period of time this time around. A cheeky try at the GSL would be pretty exciting also.
Serral streamed (with > 2.5K viewers at the time i watched, which was when he had stopped playing, so peak must be 3k or something). Did anyone who was watching hear him saying if there will be a vod?
On April 14 2018 03:03 Uberfather wrote: Serral streamed (with > 2.5K viewers at the time i watched, which was when he had stopped playing, so peak must be 3k or something). Did anyone who was watching hear him saying if there will be a vod?
Peak was 3k.
Additional info: Will try to stream once a week when there's no tournaments on.
On April 14 2018 03:03 Uberfather wrote: Serral streamed (with > 2.5K viewers at the time i watched, which was when he had stopped playing, so peak must be 3k or something). Did anyone who was watching hear him saying if there will be a vod?
On April 14 2018 03:03 Uberfather wrote: Serral streamed (with > 2.5K viewers at the time i watched, which was when he had stopped playing, so peak must be 3k or something). Did anyone who was watching hear him saying if there will be a vod?
For the non-Finns: Morning tv-show talking about eSports and being a player in general. Not a lot of really new stuff.
Said he usually practices about 5-6 hours a day, and there days when there's no motivation he doesn't bother much. Also mentioned that he probably should exercise a bit more than walking the dog. :>
On May 08 2018 09:27 TrueStorm wrote: It is possible that the more emphasis people place on Serral's amazing play, the more stress he may get.
Yup, happens to every player that gets to a very good level. Maybe it was harder when there was a lot of pros hyping him up even though he wasn't getting too many great results yet. Now it seems like he's handling the stress from the recognition of his play fairly well though. With the results he's had in the last 6 months the non-pros have joined in on the "hype train", but most seem to be fairly realistic when it comes to expectations of him.
I usually cheer for toss players, and i would have been happy if Mana had won. However, I think Serral is a worthy winner. A truly great player. Hats off.
So I should just post here that i want to sign up and that's it? Does anybody know if there is any info on his hotkeys? He seems to have exceptional mechanics, I love the diligence in his scouting. And out of curiosity, does anybody know if he has said anything about what he spends his prize money on?
On June 11 2018 14:03 Coriander wrote: So I should just post here that i want to sign up and that's it? Does anybody know if there is any info on his hotkeys? He seems to have exceptional mechanics, I love the diligence in his scouting. And out of curiosity, does anybody know if he has said anything about what he spends his prize money on?
Standard hotkeys with a few changes tailored to his favor.
While I don't fanboy that much, this Valencia is/was great to cheer people on. Scarlett and Reynor for one, the amazingly entertaining TLO and Has.
But if Serral keeps going like this, does well at Blizzcon and/or upcoming GSLs, he looks like SC2's first Bonjwa tbh (ofc if you exclude remarkable consistency of soO, Inno and soon, likely, Maru).
On July 14 2018 20:38 dicey wrote: While I don't fanboy that much, this Valencia is/was great to cheer people on. Scarlett and Reynor for one, the amazingly entertaining TLO and Has.
But if Serral keeps going like this, does well at Blizzcon and/or upcoming GSLs, he looks like SC2's first Bonjwa tbh (ofc if you exclude remarkable consistency of soO, Inno and soon, likely, Maru).
A lot of respect for both the mastery&humility.
TLO didn't even make it out of 2nd group stage and lost twice to Demuslim, you feeling ok buddy.
Grats, Serral. Not an easy series for him but he's able to hold a lot of cheeses, all-ins, EVERYTHING. In GSL vs the World, I want to see him battle the tier 1 Koreans.
On July 15 2018 03:51 TrueStorm wrote: For this one, Serral feels as dominant against the foreign scene as did prime Taeja. But this is definitely not the limit Serral will reach.
Taeja didn't win a single wcs circuit champion. It's a bit different from a three-in-a-row.
On July 15 2018 03:51 TrueStorm wrote: For this one, Serral feels as dominant against the foreign scene as did prime Taeja. But this is definitely not the limit Serral will reach.
Taeja didn't win a single wcs circuit champion. It's a bit different from a three-in-a-row.
On July 16 2018 16:03 DarkGamer wrote: Does Serral train / play on the korean oder europe server? couldnt find his account on both...
I heard that he has been in Korea for sometime. But disappointed because he found nobody to practice with him. He's now in eu master league with 7200 mmr.
On July 16 2018 16:03 DarkGamer wrote: Does Serral train / play on the korean oder europe server? couldnt find his account on both...
I heard that he has been in Korea for sometime. But disappointed because he found nobody to practice with him.
Wait, really? Is there a post/interview about this somewhere?
Just live chat of the chinese caster Scboy few weeks ago. About how Major made effort to be a FRIEND , hang out with the koreans, while Serral could only play ladder games and go home. It's more entertaining story than serious report. Details may be exaggerated, but the fact should be trustworthy.
There is a chinese sponsor running team house in Korea for years, who is both close to the chinese community and the Korean pros. Most stories come from him.
The level of denial by so many people is honestly just weird. My favorite part is how many people are making excuses along the lines of "well korean play is the weakest it's ever been because sc2 is declining". absolute nonsense, the player pool may be smaller, sure. but simply by watching the games it is clear that the general level of play is the highest it's ever been, it just happens that serral is one of the best players we've ever seen in the world.
On August 05 2018 04:02 travis wrote: The level of denial by so many people is honestly just weird. My favorite part is how many people are making excuses along the lines of "well korean play is the weakest it's ever been because sc2 is declining". absolute nonsense, the player pool may be smaller, sure. but simply by watching the games it is clear that the general level of play is the highest it's ever been, it just happens that serral is one of the best players we've ever seen in the world.
Agreed, the mass retirements and disbandments of korean teams have increased the skill level drastically. Also as the players get older their mechanics and reaction times are getting sharper and sharper.
edit: My intention is not to shit up the Serral fan club and this may be the wrong place for this debate but I just disagree so heavily with the "highest skilled era" statement that I couldn't let this unanswered.
On August 05 2018 04:02 travis wrote: The level of denial by so many people is honestly just weird. My favorite part is how many people are making excuses along the lines of "well korean play is the weakest it's ever been because sc2 is declining". absolute nonsense, the player pool may be smaller, sure. but simply by watching the games it is clear that the general level of play is the highest it's ever been, it just happens that serral is one of the best players we've ever seen in the world.
Agreed, the mass retirements and disbandments of korean teams have increased the skill level drastically. Also as the players get older their mechanics and reaction times are getting sharper and sharper.
edit: My intention is not to shit up the Serral fan club and this may be the wrong place for this debate but I just disagree so heavily with the "highest skilled era" statement that I couldn't let this unanswered.
Your argument would be more convincing to me if you were comparing current situation to a hypothetical present time where those mass retirements and disbandments of korean teams didn't happen at all. The retiring players don't wave a magic wand to make the remaining players worse and the fact that people age isn't proof that they stop developing at all (also it's not like they're 40 years old).
I personally don't mind you making the argument, but I'm a bit annoyed by your sarcastic tone given that it's Serral fan club.
On August 05 2018 04:02 travis wrote: The level of denial by so many people is honestly just weird. My favorite part is how many people are making excuses along the lines of "well korean play is the weakest it's ever been because sc2 is declining". absolute nonsense, the player pool may be smaller, sure. but simply by watching the games it is clear that the general level of play is the highest it's ever been, it just happens that serral is one of the best players we've ever seen in the world.
Agreed, the mass retirements and disbandments of korean teams have increased the skill level drastically. Also as the players get older their mechanics and reaction times are getting sharper and sharper.
edit: My intention is not to shit up the Serral fan club and this may be the wrong place for this debate but I just disagree so heavily with the "highest skilled era" statement that I couldn't let this unanswered.
Your argument would be more convincing to me if you were comparing current situation to a hypothetical present time where those mass retirements and disbandments of korean teams didn't happen at all. The retiring players don't wave a magic wand to make the remaining players worse and the fact that people age isn't proof that they stop developing at all (also it's not like they're 40 years old).
I personally don't mind you making the argument, but I'm a bit annoyed by your sarcastic tone given that it's Serral fan club.
Every retiring player is a player that gets removed from the pool of top level players to practice with and makes the scene less competitive as players won't have to try as hard anymore to achieve a certain tournament finish. I don't think I have to elaborate what impact the disbandments of korean teams have. About the age thing - Well, in BW the oldest player who ever won an OSL was Jangbi with 23 y as the older players usually got overtaken by younger ones. Also INnoVation himself admitted that he feels his mechanics getting worse with increasing age. + Show Spoiler +
It´s really nice to see Serral compete with the best and even crushing them, remembers me of the feeling back when Stephano was in his prime, just even a bit better Excited for tomorrows games, but Serral already showed what everyone wanted to see, the outcome of the finals doesn´t matter that much (at least for me). You´ve done great Serral, foreignerland is proud of you
@Charoisaur I see your point, but neither Inno nor Dark are very old even for a progamer. Sure the korean scene had some hard troubles to master, but for me that just means that the actual play would only be even better if all that didn´t happen. Because what you seem to forget is that nearly any sport is always getting better over time, bec of more refinement. And even more so with a relatively young sport like sc2. Just look at football for example, it´s played on a pro level for about a hundred years already, still it gets more refined. Players like Maradona, Pele, Beckenbauer, even Zidane, would not be that good today, the same will go for Messi and Ronaldo in ten years. Hard to imagine for me how you cannot see the refinement in sc2 over the past two years. So you really think kespa Inno from two years ago would beat Serral easily or what ?
On August 05 2018 06:20 Rob-Zero wrote: So you really think kespa Inno from two years ago would beat Serral easily or what ?
No, Serral is definitely legit good. How he would fare against peak Kespa players is a hypothetical question that can sadly never be answered. But saying the current era is the "highest skilled era ever" is just delusional imo. We can admire Serral's insane skill and dominance of the current best players without making up such bs claims.
On August 05 2018 06:20 Rob-Zero wrote: So you really think kespa Inno from two years ago would beat Serral easily or what ?
No, Serral is definitely legit good. How he would fare against peak Kespa players is a hypothetical question that can sadly never be answered. But saying the current era is the "highest skilled era ever" is just delusional imo.
Ok, i don´t think so, but i also think neither could i convince you of the opposite, nor could you convince me, so i stop here and wish you a good night
On August 05 2018 04:02 travis wrote: The level of denial by so many people is honestly just weird. My favorite part is how many people are making excuses along the lines of "well korean play is the weakest it's ever been because sc2 is declining". absolute nonsense, the player pool may be smaller, sure. but simply by watching the games it is clear that the general level of play is the highest it's ever been, it just happens that serral is one of the best players we've ever seen in the world.
Agreed, the mass retirements and disbandments of korean teams have increased the skill level drastically. Also as the players get older their mechanics and reaction times are getting sharper and sharper.
edit: My intention is not to shit up the Serral fan club and this may be the wrong place for this debate but I just disagree so heavily with the "highest skilled era" statement that I couldn't let this unanswered.
Your argument would be more convincing to me if you were comparing current situation to a hypothetical present time where those mass retirements and disbandments of korean teams didn't happen at all. The retiring players don't wave a magic wand to make the remaining players worse and the fact that people age isn't proof that they stop developing at all (also it's not like they're 40 years old).
I personally don't mind you making the argument, but I'm a bit annoyed by your sarcastic tone given that it's Serral fan club.
Every retiring player is a player that gets removed from the pool of top level players to practice with and makes the scene less competitive as players won't have to try as hard anymore to achieve a certain tournament finish. I don't think I have to elaborate what impact the disbandments of korean teams have. About the age thing - Well, in BW the oldest player who ever won an OSL was Jangbi with 23 y as the older players usually got overtaken by younger ones. Also INnoVation himself admitted that he feels his mechanics getting worse with increasing age. + Show Spoiler +
Again, all this sounds convincing to me only if the comparison is between current time and the hypothetical current time where the scene never declined.
Cant believe this fanclub has only 8 pages! Granted, I didnt watch Starcraft during Stephano’s golden era, but I’ve never seen a foreigner play as well as Serral is playing now.
Didn't Stephano say (in a documentary during his time in Korea at the beginning of the year, i think), that if you compare his level of play now to when he was at his peak (of results/ ranking among his peers), how he is more skilled by far now than then? That its just that everybody is playing so much better?
I think this debate about the level of the era is healthy, as long as no one is hateful.
Edit: Here is the quote:
"If i compare my level that i had back then to the level i have right now... i'm 100 times... way better then i used to be"
just pick 2 of the best games (the top players) from each year. compare multitasking, resource spending, crispness, decisionmaking. you can actually see the improvement over time.
Damn! Grats Serral. Serral vs Stats is really the best among all of the matches he did in this tournament. Stats didn't play bad. Remember most of Stats vs Dark matches? It goes 4-3 or close matches. Vs Serral, he did well too. It's just Serral is too strong in the end. To tell that Serral is still weak is an insult. Sure, most foreigners is still far from the Koreans but that doesn't mean some foreigners can't beat the strongest of the Koreans.
I hope that he runs deeper in Blizzcon and get that Montreal trophy too while he's at it.
I just finished watching GSL vs. the World. My heart was beating out of my chest during that roach attack. His decision making is immaculate and he's the best in the world at taking engagements. I can't believe it.
On August 05 2018 22:36 sparkyk24 wrote: I just finished watching GSL vs. the World. My heart was beating out of my chest during that roach attack. His decision making is immaculate and he's the best in the world at taking engagements. I can't believe it.
Is he the first foreigner to win a GSL?
First one to win a GSL event. Jinro got to the ro4 two times in GSL.
Nice little story about Serral in Finnish. Mostly pretty standard stuff explaining the game and situation, Serral being humble and saying Koreans are great, and his dad being a bit more hyped about Joona's play and success.
A couple of somewhat interesting comments:
- You don’t get too much prestige from South Koreans with WCS wins.
- Would say that this has been a perfect year. If he would have expected more it would’ve felt unrealistic.
- Doesn’t think one tournament tells that he’s the best. Prefers to consider himself a top-5 player.
- Even though many of same players will be at Blizzcon it feels quite inconceivable that he would win that. Last year he couldn’t even get out of my group.
On August 05 2018 06:54 Silvana wrote: Cant believe this fanclub has only 8 pages! Granted, I didnt watch Starcraft during Stephano’s golden era, but I’ve never seen a foreigner play as well as Serral is playing now.
Gotta say here that sign me up? Sign me up too!!!!!!!!! Ive been Serral fanboy now for one year already really. I have watched his every tournament game and I have also sent him a loveletter on battle.net, and he did answer to me back <3 So nice!
On August 05 2018 06:54 Silvana wrote: Cant believe this fanclub has only 8 pages! Granted, I didnt watch Starcraft during Stephano’s golden era, but I’ve never seen a foreigner play as well as Serral is playing now.
Sign me up please
OP please 🙂
My apologies. I'm not used to this much traffic in my little thread. D:
On August 05 2018 06:54 Silvana wrote: Cant believe this fanclub has only 8 pages! Granted, I didnt watch Starcraft during Stephano’s golden era, but I’ve never seen a foreigner play as well as Serral is playing now.
Sign me up please
OP please 🙂
My apologies. I'm not used to this much traffic in my little thread. D:
Get used to it because Serral isn’t stopping so the fans will keep coming:D
About the sports school that enables talented athletes, also in esports, to continue training during their military service.
Serral has contemplated going there this year, but is still unsure if they can give him enough time to practice the game, and going to tournaments.
Likely won't go until he knows how much time they could give him to play. Sees the traditional military service as a big threat for his career, since most gaming careers, for example his brother's, end there.
In the upcoming weeks the Sotala's, the Finnish eSports union, and the Defense Forces are going to have a conversation about how Serral could best benefit from the service, and what the military would expect from him.
There's been three eSports applicants for the school, none have been one of 30-50 top players of Finland.
This opportunity for e-athleses was gives because the Finnish Olympic committee accepted the eSports union to be a member, and defined eSports as a sport.
Far from dominating this time, as one would quite expect considering how much this meant for so many players. Regardless I'm so incredibly happy for you, Joona. Even with the lost aligulac points.
Best of luck in the Qlash invitational... oh yeah, and Blizzcon afterwards.
Thanks for the whole year Joona - Watched every single game. Yesterday's games were extremely close and I had even lost hope at times but you did it! Big Grats from Helsinki for the GrandSlam. Win Blizzcon and I just might have to frame a picture of you and put it hanging on my bedroom wall. Too bad finns at large don't understand anything about RTS, if they did I'm sure Kauppatori wouldn't have fit all the people going mad!
On September 10 2018 22:47 dr3am_b3ing wrote: Greatest foreigner to ever come into Starcraft to date
that's a really hard claim to make when almost all the tournaments are region locked. The previous foreigners we would consider the best, people like Stephano, HuK, Naniwa etc were winning multiple tournaments with all the best koreans, akin to Serral's GSL vs The World. We will need to see more results like this before we can make such claims.
On September 10 2018 22:47 dr3am_b3ing wrote: Greatest foreigner to ever come into Starcraft to date
that's a really hard claim to make when almost all the tournaments are region locked. The previous foreigners we would consider the best, people like Stephano, HuK, Naniwa etc were winning multiple tournaments with all the best koreans, akin to Serral's GSL vs The World. We will need to see more results like this before we can make such claims.
I disagree. Only Neeb and Stephano come close to Serral at this point. Neither one of those players dominated the feild so much
On September 10 2018 22:47 dr3am_b3ing wrote: Greatest foreigner to ever come into Starcraft to date
that's a really hard claim to make when almost all the tournaments are region locked. The previous foreigners we would consider the best, people like Stephano, HuK, Naniwa etc were winning multiple tournaments with all the best koreans, akin to Serral's GSL vs The World. We will need to see more results like this before we can make such claims.
I disagree. Only Neeb and Stephano come close to Serral at this point. Neither one of those players dominated the feild so much
Serral so far got 1 win in a tournament with top koreans. Stephano got something like 10 top4 finishes (including 3 wins) in tournaments with top koreans. Hard to compare though, because there were more tournaments including foreigners and koreans back then, but the fact is that Stephano was kicking Koreans asses quite often, and Serral still needs to prove himself on global stage. He did it once, but imo that is way not enough to consider him the greatest foreigner of all time. However he may very well take the throne in the near future if he keeps playing like this.
On September 10 2018 22:47 dr3am_b3ing wrote: Greatest foreigner to ever come into Starcraft to date
that's a really hard claim to make when almost all the tournaments are region locked. The previous foreigners we would consider the best, people like Stephano, HuK, Naniwa etc were winning multiple tournaments with all the best koreans, akin to Serral's GSL vs The World. We will need to see more results like this before we can make such claims.
I disagree. Only Neeb and Stephano come close to Serral at this point. Neither one of those players dominated the feild so much
Serral so far got 1 win in a tournament with top koreans. Stephano got something like 10 top4 finishes (including 3 wins) in tournaments with top koreans. Hard to compare though, because there were more tournaments including foreigners and koreans back then, but the fact is that Stephano was kicking Koreans asses quite often, and Serral still needs to prove himself on global stage. He did it once, but imo that is way not enough to consider him the greatest foreigner of all time. However he may very well take the throne in the near future if he keeps playing like this.
You are still forgetting WESG and IEM Katowice where Serral finished top4 in both.
But in the end, there is indeed not a lot of data of Serral vs korean to talk about consistency. It could be just a peak. Blizzcon could be decisive in that regard though.
On September 10 2018 22:47 dr3am_b3ing wrote: Greatest foreigner to ever come into Starcraft to date
that's a really hard claim to make when almost all the tournaments are region locked. The previous foreigners we would consider the best, people like Stephano, HuK, Naniwa etc were winning multiple tournaments with all the best koreans, akin to Serral's GSL vs The World. We will need to see more results like this before we can make such claims.
I disagree. Only Neeb and Stephano come close to Serral at this point. Neither one of those players dominated the feild so much
Serral so far got 1 win in a tournament with top koreans. Stephano got something like 10 top4 finishes (including 3 wins) in tournaments with top koreans. Hard to compare though, because there were more tournaments including foreigners and koreans back then, but the fact is that Stephano was kicking Koreans asses quite often, and Serral still needs to prove himself on global stage. He did it once, but imo that is way not enough to consider him the greatest foreigner of all time. However he may very well take the throne in the near future if he keeps playing like this.
You are still forgetting WESG and IEM Katowice where Serral finished top4 in both.
But in the end, there is indeed not a lot of data of Serral vs korean to talk about consistency. It could be just a peak. Blizzcon could be decisive in that regard though.
Blizzcon certainly will be decisive in that regard. I look forward very much to seeing how well he performs, and am sad it's still a couple months away.
Serral laddered with an amazeballs MMR of almost 7.4k. Proof that he's head and shoulders above everybody in EU and that despite gap closing that the Korean Ladder is definitely more competitive.
holy shit !!!! Well deserved going into the final! What a brilliant tactician. Just relentlessly, constantly, calmly, wearing Rogue out. My god thats brilliant play. game 4 most beautiful zvz ever seen
Well, I had left SC2 for some years but it was incredible coming back to see him be on top of the world, and with absolutely dominant games. I don't remember being that impressed by a Zerg player in the past. Proud to be #10 on that fan list.
Gratz to Serral ! Undisputed best player of 2018 ! Almost flawless and just stunning perfomances all year long. I watched almost all of it and cant be more proud. Celebrate this Joona, and continue on the campaing next year !
I am so proud to be a Serral fan. His games never disappoint.
This level of dominance reminds me of Jaedong in his prime. Like him, Serral is a player who refuses to lose. With that strong a mindset anything is possible!
Serral! You deserve the view at the top. I can't wait to see you crush the scene again next year! One more time around the wheel, and you will be undeniably the greatest player SC2 has ever seen!
On November 04 2018 10:48 OtherWorld wrote: Well, I had left SC2 for some years but it was incredible coming back to see him be on top of the world, and with absolutely dominant games. I don't remember being that impressed by a Zerg player in the past. Proud to be #10 on that fan list.
Simply amazing! Strongest player in the world at the moment, player of the year 2018, best foreigner in Sc2 without any doubt, and most likely best non korean in all Starcraft history! I could not see Grrr play but his OSL win happened extremely early, before the korean scene was developed so i'd say Serral's golden road is way ahead of that.
He's not just the best player of 2018 - he is starting to make the claim for the Greatest SC2 Player of All Time.
Hear me out - while other players have racked up more tournament wins over a longer period of time, no one has ever achieved the peak that Serral has in 2018.
Admirable play all year. I always thought to reach a level like this you would have to live in Korea for a while to train and play against those players consistently day after day. A remarkable achievement to reach the highest level of play without having to do that.
Yea, his peak during this patch after May is unparalled in Sc2 with 5/5 wins in Premier Tournaments!
I would love if he'd go to Korea to win GSL titles as well! He does not have to do it as he there really is no need to prove himself more, but it would be incredible for him to move there and beat Maru in the dream matchup we were expecting to take place.
By doing so, he could really be considered a contender for the greatest sc2 player of all time; he already is the best foreigner and one of top 10 players ever.
On November 05 2018 03:51 Bagration wrote: He's not just the best player of 2018 - he is starting to make the claim for the Greatest SC2 Player of All Time.
Hear me out - while other players have racked up more tournament wins over a longer period of time, no one has ever achieved the peak that Serral has in 2018.
In terms of skill level he is already the greatest ever. In terms of achievements there are a few still above him but if he has one more dominant year I think he will surpass them all. Right now I'd say: 1. Mvp 2. TaeJa 3. INnoVation 4. Life 5. soO 6. Serral
He says he's not planning on permanently moving to Korea, but that he is might consider to go for a season to practice and (try to) play in GSL next year.
On November 17 2018 04:16 DarkGamer wrote: i felt like his tvz was so damn good. especially his mechanics and micro were top notch! even matching the top 3 eu terrans. what you guys think?
Yup. And the general understanding is definitely there even without too much practice.
On November 17 2018 04:42 Sviru1 wrote: Did he ever play terran?
He did start as terran in BW, but it hasn't been his main race in SC2.
When it comes to competitive play he did get terran a bunch of time as random in the Starcraft2.fi 7V. Cup
On November 17 2018 04:16 DarkGamer wrote: i felt like his tvz was so damn good. especially his mechanics and micro were top notch! even matching the top 3 eu terrans. what you guys think?
On June 25 2017 08:26 ypslala wrote: i agree, Serral is incredibly talented. unbelievable. unreal. Serral will win a lot of tournaments in the future, i am 100% sure.
On November 17 2018 04:16 DarkGamer wrote: i felt like his tvz was so damn good. especially his mechanics and micro were top notch! even matching the top 3 eu terrans. what you guys think?
What this guy does, is just absolute superb tactical planning and positioning of every unit, even with Innovation knocking at the door of his bases. He calmly splits, sets up every unit for concaves. This is just perfection.
-- :O What an amazing game. He lost 1st but what a bloodbath :O Inno vs Serral, Starcraft perfection. Could not have wished for a better hsc final
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OMG !!!!!!! SERRAL!!!!!!!!!!! what a TACTICIAN!!!!!!!! that perfect sandwich was amazing, what a comeback and 2-2!!
Year of Serral alright. I hope he does well too next year. This kid's just too good. Tactical plays, even when behind a game or tied for match point, he makes it in the end.
Heck, even though he's having a hard time with some Koreans this HSC, he still wins.
What a monster we have here. Never seen this much skill and awesome plays from any player in SC2-scene. Makes comebacks that seem to be impossible. Keeps winning, winning and winning. Hopefully 2019 will be at least nearly as good as 2018 was. He is the best player at the moment, and nobody comes even close to him. Keep up the amazing work !
TEN non minor tournaments in one year gaining him approximately 480k! FOURTY Bo3/Bo5 consecutive wins(TWENTYTHREE of which were defenses of the Unofficial World Champ title, a record; not to mention he'll have held it the longest as well.) A domination unheard of in SC2 scene.
Serral has a number of qualities that are very worthy of emulation as a SC2 player or competitor in any game or sport:
-He remains cool and composed across a series. Many players would be seriously on tilt losing two games in a Bo7 to proxy rax. -He remains his composure within a game. Game 7 of HSC finals he got significantly behind Innovation in supply to the point where I felt almost certain he would lose, but clawed his way back in an inch at a time. -He is quite possibly the most patient SC2 player I've seen, more than willing to sit back and wait, sacrifice a base etc. as he accumulates the necessary units, tech, upgrades, spellcaster energy etc. to feel confident of taking the engagement. Then he pounces. -He exhibits tenacious and active multitasking, both in defending pressure and harrassment on multiple fronts as well as dishing it out when he can in ling runbys, roach drops, burrow roach attacks etc. -He is very adaptable. In Blizzcon finals Stats adapted to his swarmhost play so he switched to Broodlords, likewise his results with muta in HSC finals were less than desired so he went back to hydra play, and went to pool first builds after falling victim to proxy rax losses.
In short, Serral's play shows a lot of qualities we could all learn from regardless of the race, or even game, that we play! A worthy champion whose games I really enjoy watching.
On December 03 2018 23:54 Marras wrote: Some of the group B matches were played yesterday, and they will start the group A matches today, tomorrow will be the rest of both groups.
There is also a liquipedia page for the tournament, so if you want you can check the results there.
Woah, really long since I have read the name Satiini. Awesome he's still around.
I suddenly remembered there is conscription in Finland as well as in Korea! It is less restrictive tho, right? Even if Serral is still very young so there should be no risk of seeing him go sooner than the five years(at least) he declared he want to spend playing.
On December 05 2018 10:26 Xain0n wrote: I suddenly remembered there is conscription in Finland as well as in Korea! It is less restrictive tho, right? Even if Serral is still very young so there should be no risk of seeing him go sooner than the five years(at least) he declared he want to spend playing.
Needs to start it by the end of the the year he turns 28 years old. Should't be much of a worry.
Also when it comes to Serral and his military service:
About the sports school that enables talented athletes, also in esports, to continue training during their military service.
Serral has contemplated going there this year, but is still unsure if they can give him enough time to practice the game, and going to tournaments.
Likely won't go until he knows how much time they could give him to play. Sees the traditional military service as a big threat for his career, since most gaming careers, for example his brother's, end there.
In the upcoming weeks the Sotala's, the Finnish eSports union, and the Defense Forces are going to have a conversation about how Serral could best benefit from the service, and what the military would expect from him.
There's been three eSports applicants for the school, none have been one of 30-50 top players of Finland.
This opportunity for e-athleses was gives because the Finnish Olympic committee accepted the eSports union to be a member, and defined eSports as a sport.
You can now vote option 35. "Joona Sotala made StarCraft history" for the most exhilarating Finnish sports moment of the year.
Serral made it to the top-10 and you can now vote option 10. "Joona Sotala made StarCraft history" for the most exhilarating Finnish sports moment of the year.
Apparently people have been asking for his address where they could send him gifts, but he hasn’t told it to anyone.
And when asked what the Koreans thought of his world championship Serral just said that it’s pretty food for the game that there was some change, and that if they want the game to have more longevity then Koreans are probably ok with it.
Based on Serral grandma he's a calm and stays cool under pressure in general. Serral agrees with her.
To me the most intrensting thing was, trying to guess wich is the global champion throphy. Im assuming that the picture is up to date and its there, it just different from what we saw in blizcon (blizzard probably doesn't give away that throphy, its just there for the show?)
soul's micro is nowhere near KR terran level, so he really has no chance vs Serral since he is quite good in late game army control, not a very good game tbh.
God its unfair that Serral is not playing any of the qualifiers, for the reasons we don't get to watch the kid play. I miss the Finnish phenom. Can't wait for WCS Group G to start.
It's fine, the streak could not go on forever. The championship is what truly matters! His level of play doesn't seem BlizzCon's but I hope it will be enough.
If any of you finnish guys finds some thoughts and insight Serral might share about his IEM experience, please post it here. It's not like Dlight doesn't do it every time, but I'm especially curious since this tournament didn't go as expected.
Serral is more likely to win if it's bo7 - more series, more probability for him to take it out! So I'm not even going to count that ZvZ snipe. He's still on monstrous form and everyone should beware, he can still roll over all tournaments this year again!
On March 03 2019 08:46 outscar wrote: Serral is more likely to win if it's bo7 - more series, more probability for him to take it out! So I'm not even going to count that ZvZ snipe. He's still on monstrous form and everyone should beware, he can still roll over all tournaments this year again!
Was that a snipe though? I agree his chances are even better in bo7, but a bo5 where soO played standard every map cant be called a snipe. soO just had confidence that his standard style and great mechanics measured up to serral's and we saw he was right. He didn't play a tailor made strategy to take advantage of Serral's game's predictability (of whatever remains of it nowadays), like say, classic did last year at one of the early tournaments, when he 3-0ed Serral who was on a tear having just defeated Trap (who was playing really well) and Zest.
I think Serral made more mistakes then usual, put people have this impression that he never or rarely makes mistakes. I think he makes mistakes, less then other players true, but not by much, but just plays so well around them. He plays at such a higher level that even some play that he executed but not well for his standards is still better than other players could execute.
By the way: we call series the whole boX
Like a bo7 is one series of 7 games, also called matches.
For example: From 2018 to now, Serral is 2-0 in offline series against Rogue, 2-0 against Dark and 1-1 against soO. In matches: 5-2 against Rogue, 6-1 against Dark and 4-4 against soO
What i think is that that was the highest level ZvZ Serral ever had to play. Last WCS event Serral had some close calls against other players who are very good to top level players like Reynor, Lambo and Scarlett, but this is the first time imo Serral had to play zvz against someone at or close to his level in raw mechanics. Those roach ravager vs roach ravager battles were something else. Here was someone whose game plan wasn't to try to outsmart him, but to rely on mechanics and hit perfect timings etc.
So the more difficult a task, the more mistakes show and the more they matter. Against the other aforementioned players he sometimes powered through bad moments just by his superior engagements and multitasking. But not soO. Even better zergs like Rogue or Dark dont have soO's mechanics, relying more on out smarting or having the better plan against the opponent.
I think he may have been less focused and had less preparation then say at blizzcon, but if the series was against another zerg he would have won and made less mistakes
On March 03 2019 10:33 Uberfather wrote: What i think is that that was the highest level ZvZ Serral ever had to play. Last WCS event Serral had some close calls against other players who are very good to top level players like Reynor, Lambo and Scarlett, but this is the first time imo Serral had to play zvz against someone at or close to his level in raw mechanics. Those roach ravager vs roach ravager battles were something else. Here was someone whose game plan wasn't to try to outsmart him, but to rely on mechanics and hit perfect timings etc.
So the more difficult a task, the more mistakes show and the more they matter. Against the other aforementioned players he sometimes powered through bad moments just by his superior engagements and multitasking. But not soO. Even better zergs like Rogue or Dark dont have soO's mechanics, relying more on out smarting or having the better plan against the opponent.
I think he may have been less focused and had less preparation then say at blizzcon, but if the series was against another zerg he would have won and made less mistakes
What you are saying is correct to a certain extent but Serral did not lose the series because soO proceeded to constantly win Roach Ravagers battle which were more or less even. Serral's victories in g1 and g4 seemed overwhelming, much more than his losses.
I had never seen him before committing mechanical errors like his failed amove into gg in g2(actually, he mismicroed zerglings into gg against Ragnarok yesterday); he fended off the attacks very well when under pressure so I won't say soO forced him to fail with his superior micro or multitasking.
He was impressive at eroding soO's bank and getting back into the game in g2 and he had a very good start in g5 but he didn't press the advantage! The best Serral would have as he showed us many times last year.
Serral donated soO the advantage much more than he usually does with unforced errors and basically lost half of the times because of his decision making when he himself had the advantage.
It's decisiveness and killer instinct where soO clearly was superior in the series; thus said, Serral would have beat a lesser Zerg as soO did play very well.
To sum up, I'd say Serral played slightly better on average mechanically during the engagements but was made more critical errors while soO capitalized his tactical advantages way better(not strategically as he could close the game in a much safer and faster way in g3 with higher tech, Serral had to defend constantly and could have never afforded it).
On March 03 2019 08:46 outscar wrote: Serral is more likely to win if it's bo7 - more series, more probability for him to take it out! So I'm not even going to count that ZvZ snipe. He's still on monstrous form and everyone should beware, he can still roll over all tournaments this year again!
I think Serral made more mistakes then usual, put people have this impression that he never or rarely makes mistakes. I think he makes mistakes, less then other players true, but not by much, but just plays so well around them. He plays at such a higher level that even some play that he executed but not well for his standards is still better than other players could execute.
Agree. My head was starting to hurt hearing Pig say "an uncharacteristic mistake" all the time
On March 03 2019 08:46 outscar wrote: Serral is more likely to win if it's bo7 - more series, more probability for him to take it out! So I'm not even going to count that ZvZ snipe. He's still on monstrous form and everyone should beware, he can still roll over all tournaments this year again!
Was that a snipe though? I agree his chances are even better in bo7, but a bo5 where soO played standard every map cant be called a snipe. soO just had confidence that his standard style and great mechanics measured up to serral's and we saw he was right. He didn't play a tailor made strategy to take advantage of Serral's game's predictability (of whatever remains of it nowadays), like say, classic did last year at one of the early tournaments, when he 3-0ed Serral who was on a tear having just defeated Trap (who was playing really well) and Zest.
I think Serral made more mistakes then usual, put people have this impression that he never or rarely makes mistakes. I think he makes mistakes, less then other players true, but not by much, but just plays so well around them. He plays at such a higher level that even some play that he executed but not well for his standards is still better than other players could execute.
By the way: we call series the whole boX
Like a bo7 is one series of 7 games, also called matches.
For example: From 2018 to now, Serral is 2-0 in offline series against Rogue, 2-0 against Dark and 1-1 against soO. In matches: 5-2 against Rogue, 6-1 against Dark and 4-4 against soO
i read this before. im not a zvz expert, but even i saw soo did a bo whats kind of a new meta, isnt it? staying on 2 base, fast upgrade with fast / mulitply overseers to contaminate the upgrades of the opponent, just to jump on a really nice roach timing on from 2, 2.5 and 3 bases eco with superior upgrades. serral had problems to adapt to this strategy all games. and the much more critical point: soo just has built on the fact that serral would fe all games. he played more greedy in the early game. for example in the last game he would have died easily to a rush build on that small map. soo played this bo5 really clever and did snipe the player serral and didnt play a standard game by definition. however soo played awesome, with really good decision making, macro, micro and multitasking.
i would love to see them meet each other again soon!
I really enjoy watching Serral play. Even when he loses, you can gleam very useful information from the game. He's a once-in-a-decade asset for the Starcraft global community. Adolescent kids are watching him play, and being inspired. Some of them will join the new generation of foreigner SC2 pros.
I want to add: in the first game he lost, I think it was due to him not getting roach speed. I don't know if that was intentional. I remember yelling (in my mind), "Why no speed?!"
SoO is historically the greatest ZvZ player in the world. Same with Inno and TvZ. If he's going to drop a match it makes sense it'll be to either of the two.
You lost to the eventual winner, so i guess that's okay, especially since it was soO.. If someone deserves a tournament win it's him. Still some exciting games from you, i hope the loss makes you even more motivated for the upcoming tasks Love to see you play, every game is auch high caliber play. Can't wait for WESG and WCS to come. Gogo Serral!
On March 05 2019 07:13 sertman wrote: Serral got outplayed, but he is still the best player in the world. He got killed by a red hot soO who was bound by destiny to win that tournament.
He'll probably still win every WCS EU - nobody can touch him - and be top 2 at BlizzCon
He wasn't outplayed, I disagree. WESG is the closest stop!
On March 05 2019 07:13 sertman wrote: Serral got outplayed, but he is still the best player in the world. He got killed by a red hot soO who was bound by destiny to win that tournament.
He'll probably still win every WCS EU - nobody can touch him - and be top 2 at BlizzCon
I don't think he was outplayed at all. He could have won he just didn't pull the trigger when he had to.
Just throwing out some hypotheses. I think there are two potential demons that are possibly plaguing Serral.
One is complacency. He's already accomplished so much, so perhaps he's not as hungry as before. This loss may add to his hunger, at least.
Second is extreme pressure from everybody around him. Korea's presence in the scene is as overwhelming as ever before, and everyone has an intense laser focus on one person to take on an entire country. Serral has in the past stated that he doesn't think too much about the "foreigner vs korean" aspect, but I'm sure he still feels that concentrated weight of hope and expectation from everybody. It can either motivate him, or really distract him.
In my opinion, a significant aspect of his Ro8 elimination was the legendary but amazingly draining series loss vs Innovation at the end of the group stage. He had one of the longest Bo3 series ever at a major tournament, in length comparable to all other group games he had played combined. It had to be mentally and physically exhausting to be at that level for that long. Winter casting the replay was like "I'm getting tired just trying to watch all of the constant action," imagine playing for 4 hrs/4 Bo3s and THEN having to play a Top3 Terran for almost two straight hours, and THEN play maybe the best ZvZ in the world in soO only 24 hours after that.
Serral's previous greatness and his offline series streak hurt him in this tourney. Had he not had a nearly 1 year streak on the line, the outcome of the series vs Inno had no meaning and he would have 12-pool zergling rushed three times without a care. So much, maybe too much, of his effort was expended in the meaningless series, and that schedule is a taxing one, making that fatigue factor much larger.
On March 06 2019 11:48 tigon_ridge wrote: Just throwing out some hypotheses. I think there are two potential demons that are possibly plaguing Serral.
One is complacency. He's already accomplished so much, so perhaps he's not as hungry as before. This loss may add to his hunger, at least.
Second is extreme pressure from everybody around him. Korea's presence in the scene is as overwhelming as ever before, and everyone has an intense laser focus on one person to take on an entire country. Serral has in the past stated that he doesn't think too much about the "foreigner vs korean" aspect, but I'm sure he still feels that concentrated weight of hope and expectation from everybody. It can either motivate him, or really distract him.
Try to watch more of his hype video from Starcraft 2 team
This guy saw that winning a tournament is something you normally do He said that he just want to win a lot before retiring...
so there is no way he is affected by the pressure.. he doesn't care whether you argued about him being the best player in the world or not...
Wow these Serral fanboys... Serral got massively outplayed by both Innovation and soO. Innovation completely dismantled him in TvZ lategame (which is not that strange to be honest there arent many Zergs out there who could match the machine in the super late) and soO destroyed him with better micro and decision making. Also he made fewer mistakes.
Serral is still a godlike player, but it was just a matter of time until the top Koreans "figure him out" and start giving him losses from time to time.
On March 06 2019 23:11 MarianoSC2 wrote: Wow these Serral fanboys... Serral got massively outplayed by both Innovation and soO. Innovation completely dismantled him in TvZ lategame (which is not that strange to be honest there arent many Zergs out there who could match the machine in the super late) and soO destroyed him with better micro and decision making. Also he made fewer mistakes.
Serral is still a godlike player, but it was just a matter of time until the top Koreans "figure him out" and start giving him losses from time to time.
Man, please. Serral played in a terribly passive way against Innovation in games that had nothing at stake(200 dollars?Wow) whereas Serral won three out of four macro games against him the last time they played in a final at HSC.
On the other hand, soO had better decision making and made fewer glaring mistakes during the series but he definitely did not outmicro nor outplay Serral; you don't "destroy" someone by barely winning 3-2(or 2-1) in hard fought games, it's nonsense.
It was just a matter of time before Serral was defeated because it's not human to keep winning forever whereas it is to have worse days than usual. It didn't seem like any of the top koreans in IEM reached a higher level of play than Serral's best, he should and would just need to get back to better focus and sharper decision making to win another tournament.
On March 06 2019 23:11 MarianoSC2 wrote: Wow these Serral fanboys... Serral got massively outplayed by both Innovation and soO. Innovation completely dismantled him in TvZ lategame (which is not that strange to be honest there arent many Zergs out there who could match the machine in the super late) and soO destroyed him with better micro and decision making. Also he made fewer mistakes.
Serral is still a godlike player, but it was just a matter of time until the top Koreans "figure him out" and start giving him losses from time to time.
Man, please. Serral played in a terribly passive way against Innovation in games that had nothing at stake(200 dollars?Wow) whereas Serral won three out of four macro games against him the last time they played in a final at HSC.
On the other hand, soO had better decision making and made fewer glaring mistakes during the series but he definitely did not outmicro nor outplay Serral; you don't "destroy" someone by barely winning 3-2(or 2-1) in hard fought games, it's nonsense.
It was just a matter of time before Serral was defeated because it's not human to keep winning forever whereas it is to have worse days than usual. It didn't seem like any of the top koreans in IEM reached a higher level of play than Serral's best, he should and would just need to get back to better focus and sharper decision making to win another tournament.
On March 06 2019 23:11 MarianoSC2 wrote: Wow these Serral fanboys... Serral got massively outplayed by both Innovation and soO. Innovation completely dismantled him in TvZ lategame (which is not that strange to be honest there arent many Zergs out there who could match the machine in the super late) and soO destroyed him with better micro and decision making. Also he made fewer mistakes.
Serral is still a godlike player, but it was just a matter of time until the top Koreans "figure him out" and start giving him losses from time to time.
Man, please. Serral played in a terribly passive way against Innovation in games that had nothing at stake(200 dollars?Wow) whereas Serral won three out of four macro games against him the last time they played in a final at HSC.
On the other hand, soO had better decision making and made fewer glaring mistakes during the series but he definitely did not outmicro nor outplay Serral; you don't "destroy" someone by barely winning 3-2(or 2-1) in hard fought games, it's nonsense.
It was just a matter of time before Serral was defeated because it's not human to keep winning forever whereas it is to have worse days than usual. It didn't seem like any of the top koreans in IEM reached a higher level of play than Serral's best, he should and would just need to get back to better focus and sharper decision making to win another tournament.
Okay dude, stay deluded I dont really care
Aaah, I love this kind of enlightening criticism, well memed here.
Did you even watch the series? Serral still looked better than soO in term of mechanics, he managed to stay in game 3 despite having a crippling deficit in supply and resources; however, soO didn't commit glaring errors as Serral did and he had a sharper decision making going for the win with the right timing, while Serral failed to realize he had a chanche for the killing blow at least twice.
On March 06 2019 23:11 MarianoSC2 wrote: Wow these Serral fanboys... Serral got massively outplayed by both Innovation and soO. Innovation completely dismantled him in TvZ lategame (which is not that strange to be honest there arent many Zergs out there who could match the machine in the super late) and soO destroyed him with better micro and decision making. Also he made fewer mistakes.
Serral is still a godlike player, but it was just a matter of time until the top Koreans "figure him out" and start giving him losses from time to time.
When Serral mentioned Life, I was thinking, "Wow! We really think alike." I, too, always thought that Life was the all-time best before Serral came along. I also see a lot of similarities in how they play, such as their ling run-bies.
Let's be honest, though. When he said that Life was the best of all time, in the back of his mind, he was surely thinking "second best."
That is really smart, because grinding long ass hours isn't going to help you in the long term. E.g. you can pull an all nighter to study for an exam and get a good grade but you won't remember that stuff at all like a week later.
And yeah, speaking in your native language is always easier as you don't have to stress about remembering words etc. which very easily limits your capability to express yourself.
Thanks for the interview just saw the 1st min will watch the rest later.
On March 15 2019 21:33 MockHamill wrote: The only non-Terran I have ever cheered for. It is like watching the intelligence of MVP combined with the mechanics of Life.
Was Life's mechanics really that good? (yea, I know his lings were actual blue flame hellion counters... and his ling bane engagement against dream's elite bio mine micro were ridiculous)
"Basically the dude is a third-year uni student who got hired as an assistant ref for WESG. He has a pretty honest, descriptive POV of his interactions with and observations of Dark, Serral, Maru, Scarlett, and Inno.
...
Serral
Serral the great demon king, non-Korean number one, world no. 1 zerg, unlimited future potential – most of the EU/NA players I’ve been talking with says so.
Of course, in general, Serral is not invincible, like getting 2-0’d by Neeb during group stage. My first impression of Serral is that he looks very young, as he was born in 1998, less than a year older than me. Feels like Serral’s the youngest out of all the NA/EU players, all the other players look middle-aged (Scarlett you’re the exception).
Serral’s practice regimen is also quite diligent, compared to the other NA/EU players, Serral practices a lot longer every day, but different from other players, Serral likes to find pro players to play custom 1v1, not laddering.
When Serral’s practicing, there’s always a lot of players watching, like Scarlett, DNS, Lambo, Special, Harstem, etc., and these folks like to chat a lot, often standing there and talking for an hour at a time.
Serral watches Maru play a lot, at least one match per day, then talks about Maru’s strats and control with other players. If WESG final is Maru vs Serral, personally I feel like Serral is more likely to win.
Top notch skills, friendly demeanor, good relations with others, hot topic champion, one of my favorite players, that’s pretty much all I have to say about Serral."
Such very good series. I liked the Game 6. Serral must have prepared a lot to counter the highly aggression at the late game against the combinations of bio armies, ghosts, Liberators and a couple of Nukes.
can't tell if it's just his nature to be a mess in the booth or if he'll outgrow this. his emotion doesn't seem to hinder him as he looks like that in the booth even when he is winning or going to win. anyways, great tournament from the great finnish wonder no shame losing to inno
the lr and chat seemed to think his cheeses were a sign of weakness but i never saw it like that. i don't think serral is afraid to go into a long game against anyone i think this tournament just annoyed him with the pauses and the lag and delays
Maybe he intentionally tried to avoid multiple long games in his tactical choices, not only because of perceived late game ZvT weakness but also because he wasn't fully recovered from sickness physically? I don't know how it is/was with Joona, but I know this particular flu seems to be using long delaying guerilla tactics to me. Already some 12-13th day going with it: muscles hurting, aching throat, slimy ectoplasma flowing... etc. nice, but no fever/only low fewer.
Anyway. Good tournament, regardless of circumstances. Inno was better, period. Consistency wise there are no big concerns as if player can consistently reach among Ro8 or higher in tournaments with top players, in long run he will do very good career.
If these last 2 tournaments constitute what is "slump" for Serral, then we have no reasons to be particularly concerned.
On March 17 2019 21:55 UnLarva wrote: Maybe he intentionally tried to avoid multiple long games in his tactical choices, not only because of perceived late game ZvT weakness but also because he wasn't fully recovered from sickness physically? I don't know how it is/was with Joona, but I know this particular flu seems to be using long delaying guerilla tactics to me. Already some 12-13th day going with it: muscles hurting, aching throat, slimy ectoplasma flowing... etc. nice, but no fever/only low fewer.
Anyway. Good tournament, regardless of circumstances. Inno was better, period. Consistency wise there are no big concerns as if player can consistently reach among Ro8 or higher in tournaments with top players, in long run he will do very good career.
If these last 2 tournaments constitute what is "slump" for Serral, then we have no reasons to be particularly concerned.
How I join to fan club?
You ask for it and Dlight adds you!
Quite sure Serral had to try another build in g7, Inno had that push already figured out and a standard game wasn't looking as dire as he maybe expected it to be; might as well be it was a decision dictated by his sickness, only Serral himself can clarify this.
It was a close series, and he scored $40k. He may not have won the tournament, but he still won. Not very many people have been as consistent as he has.
As I said after IEM, I am incredibly eager to hear from Serral to understand what is his opinion on his current form, chanches and goals. If you spot any interview in finnish, don't hesitate to share
On March 17 2019 21:50 Alejandrisha wrote: the lr and chat seemed to think his cheeses were a sign of weakness but i never saw it like that. i don't think serral is afraid to go into a long game against anyone i think this tournament just annoyed him with the pauses and the lag and delays
I just assumed it was because he wanted to throw Innovation off and play an unexpected style. The guy is known for opting for long macro games nearly every time and suddenly, he's throwing out cheeses left, right, and center. To me, that says he wanted to try and punish innovation for trying to cut corners and be greedy by throwing something unexpected at him. We saw in game 6 that Serral can certainly go toe to toe with inno in a long macro game, so I don't think it was fear of the late game. I do, however, wish Serral, and all Zergs, would stop trying to go for roach ravager comps. They never win outside of cheeses and all ins, and I knew Innovation had won the series when I saw the Roach Warren go down in game 7.
On March 17 2019 21:50 Alejandrisha wrote: the lr and chat seemed to think his cheeses were a sign of weakness but i never saw it like that. i don't think serral is afraid to go into a long game against anyone i think this tournament just annoyed him with the pauses and the lag and delays
I just assumed it was because he wanted to throw Innovation off and play an unexpected style. The guy is known for opting for long macro games nearly every time and suddenly, he's throwing out cheeses left, right, and center. To me, that says he wanted to try and punish innovation for trying to cut corners and be greedy by throwing something unexpected at him. We saw in game 6 that Serral can certainly go toe to toe with inno in a long macro game, so I don't think it was fear of the late game. I do, however, wish Serral, and all Zergs, would stop trying to go for roach ravager comps. They never win outside of cheeses and all ins, and I knew Innovation had won the series when I saw the Roach Warren go down in game 7.
Yeah. Ling / bane /queen would clean this siege in game 7
- Pornainen is going to award Serral for his success.
- "We're extremely excited about Joona's worldwide success in an extremely challenging competitive environment. It's amazing that talented young individuals are coming out of Pornainen, said Hannu Haukkasalo, who is the city manager of Pornainen.
- Pornainen is going to map out ways to support esports locally. There's discussions of a possible collaboration with Serral.
- Serral's mom, who works as a bank negotiator, has helped him invest a bunch of the winnings into some kind of sports funds. Serral himself hasn't bough anything with the winnings outside of the new gaming equipment.
In finland the "sports funds" are a fund that professional sport people can use to deposit a percentage of their annual earnings and later withdraw the money with lower tax rate when their success is over.
It's not that he's on fire; the fire is burning once again within him. 7500 is really incomprehensible to me. If he can transfer this level of performance to tournaments, then 2019 will be an extremely exciting year for SC2.
Yeah I figured after the championship he would taste some defeat, which would in turn light a fire under him.
It's the test all champions face, and only a handful of them rise back to the top again. Some of them, it takes years before they rise back up. But Serral is something else isn't he?
On May 01 2019 22:03 Rob-Zero wrote: So Serral is top20 GM in Korea with Protoss ??
Weird. That one is a barcode tagged ENCE|Serral, it would seem weird to me to see Serral practicing Protoss on Korean server at the moment, but it might as well be the real one since EU ladder isn't really enough of a challenge for Serral evidently.
On May 01 2019 22:03 Rob-Zero wrote: So Serral is top20 GM in Korea with Protoss ??
Weird. That one is a barcode tagged ENCE|Serral, it would seem weird to me to see Serral practicing Protoss on Korean server at the moment, but it might as well be the real one since EU ladder isn't really enough of a challenge for Serral evidently.
I just don´t know how Sc2unmasked works and where potential mistakes can happen. Sometimes he appears as Zerg on the korean ladder, too, but that of course is no big surprise. Maybe he visited his brother for some days?
EU to Korea is shit, I would be surprise the Serral protoss is really him, seems like a weird things to do. Plus I seemed to remember Terran being his second strongest race and it was far from top 20 KR (although he could probably make it if he wanted) Unless he really wanted to see how top kr zerg play vs protoss I guess.
"Welcome to the Artificial Overmind League. The rules are simple: build an AI in Python that can play StarCraft II, outsmart the other players, and rise in the rankings.
Once per month, Starcraft II World Champion and gaming icon Serral will face off against the top rated bot - and we’ll livestream the match. The first match against Serral will be played June 17th."
On May 26 2019 23:43 D-light wrote: So apparently on Lambo's stream he and Serral will cast a money match between Reynor and Marinelord at 7pm CEST tomorrow.
On April 29 2019 16:44 Harris1st wrote: So is this the highest MMR ever recorded or what?
What does a score that high even mean? Any of you maths folks have any idea what that correlates to? I’m not sure how the MMR value is calculated either, is it similar to ELO or anything?
Does Serral stream much? He’s one of few streamers I have push notifications on for but he’s yet to go live.
Just want to see how impressive he is in first person form, wish tournaments would give us those feeds to go with commentary.
Any good VoDS of that kind any of you guys are aware of much appreciated too!
On April 29 2019 16:44 Harris1st wrote: So is this the highest MMR ever recorded or what?
What does a score that high even mean? Any of you maths folks have any idea what that correlates to? I’m not sure how the MMR value is calculated either, is it similar to ELO or anything?
Does Serral stream much? He’s one of few streamers I have push notifications on for but he’s yet to go live.
Just want to see how impressive he is in first person form, wish tournaments would give us those feeds to go with commentary.
Any good VoDS of that kind any of you guys are aware of much appreciated too!
There has been another "article" about Serral in a Finnish garbage tier tabloid, www.seiska.fi
There is some interesting comments about preferring Finnish team for convenience of communication and option for face to face meetings. He also says to really value being in domestic team, but having always been really open to offers.
Siellä meni ihan yhtä hyvin, mutta kivempi on aina olla suomalaisessa tiimissä. Kaikki kommunikointi on mukavampaa, ja pääse kasvotustenkin tapaamaan.
Annan kotimaisuudelle paljon arvoa. Olen aina ollut kuitenkin hyvin avoin tarjouksille.
Don't know what to think about that picture :D I think easily the coolest (media) appearance of Serral is in GSL S1 2019 promovideo. Man, that video was chilling.
Guys, Scarlett made me notice every single HSC that had a 20k overall prize is considered a Premier on Liquipedia, except the one Serral won. It's not related to the fact he didn't win 10k since MC earned 7.5k winning HSC IV(which is a Premier); moreover, I remember that it was initially labeled as Premier and it was moved to Majoe after a while.
Does any of you know why? Who to ask to move it back to Premier?
On June 17 2019 04:53 Xain0n wrote: Guys, Scarlett made me notice every single HSC that had a 20k overall prize is considered a Premier on Liquipedia, except the one Serral won. It's not related to the fact he didn't win 10k since MC earned 7.5k winning HSC IV(which is a Premier); moreover, I remember that it was initially labeled as Premier and it was moved to Majoe after a while.
Does any of you know why? Who to ask to move it back to Premier?
If I recall correctly, this was discussed by the SC2 Liquipedia staff/contributors at great length. I believe the determinant factor wasn't so much prize money as it was the overall tournament format. + Show Spoiler +
HomeStory Cup XIV (Premier)
Format:
Two group stages. Ro32 stage: 8 groups of 4 players each. Ro16 stage: 4 groups of 4 players each. Group stages are Bo5. Top two of each group from the second stage will advance to the bracket. Bracket will be single-elimination, best of 5. Grand finals will be best of 7.
Prize pool: $20,000
HomeStory Cup XVII (Major)
Format:
Group stage Ro32 stage: 4 groups of 8 players each Round-Robin Bo3 matches Top 2 of each group from the group stage will advance to the Round of 8 Winner Bracket, 3rd and 4th place will be moved into the first round of the lower bracket. Bracket will be double-elimination, best of 5 Grand finals will be best of 7
Prize pool: $10,000
HomeStory Cup XVIII (Major)
Format:
Group stage: 4 groups of 8 players each Round-Robin Bo3 matches Top 2 of each group from the group stage advance to the Round of 8 Winner Bracket, 3rd and 4th place are moved into the first round of the lower bracket. Playoffs: Double-elimination Bracket: All matches are Bo5. Grand Finals are Bo7.
On June 17 2019 04:53 Xain0n wrote: Guys, Scarlett made me notice every single HSC that had a 20k overall prize is considered a Premier on Liquipedia, except the one Serral won. It's not related to the fact he didn't win 10k since MC earned 7.5k winning HSC IV(which is a Premier); moreover, I remember that it was initially labeled as Premier and it was moved to Majoe after a while.
Does any of you know why? Who to ask to move it back to Premier?
If I recall correctly, this was discussed by the SC2 Liquipedia staff/contributors at great length. I believe the determinant factor wasn't so much prize money as it was the overall tournament format. + Show Spoiler +
HomeStory Cup XIV (Premier)
Format:
Two group stages. Ro32 stage: 8 groups of 4 players each. Ro16 stage: 4 groups of 4 players each. Group stages are Bo5. Top two of each group from the second stage will advance to the bracket. Bracket will be single-elimination, best of 5. Grand finals will be best of 7.
Prize pool: $20,000
HomeStory Cup XVII (Major)
Format:
Group stage Ro32 stage: 4 groups of 8 players each Round-Robin Bo3 matches Top 2 of each group from the group stage will advance to the Round of 8 Winner Bracket, 3rd and 4th place will be moved into the first round of the lower bracket. Bracket will be double-elimination, best of 5 Grand finals will be best of 7
Prize pool: $10,000
HomeStory Cup XVIII (Major)
Format:
Group stage: 4 groups of 8 players each Round-Robin Bo3 matches Top 2 of each group from the group stage advance to the Round of 8 Winner Bracket, 3rd and 4th place are moved into the first round of the lower bracket. Playoffs: Double-elimination Bracket: All matches are Bo5. Grand Finals are Bo7.
Prize pool: $20,000
So, if I get this right, it would be because a double group stage with single elimination is supposedly superior to a single groupstage with double elimination? I fail to see why it should be so.
Jesus god dammit, this Chiquita Evans better be the greatest NBA 2K player who ever lived and will ever live, what the hell, and she was the freaking 56th pick of the draft. I can't believe that I am actually annoyed at this.
For those of you who are busy and may not have time. I recommend both matches he played against TY in the homestory cup.
I don't want to spoil or ruin the drama so I'll just say this. There was a time, when Serral looked defeated. His body slumped, his eyes dark and sunken, his jaw seemed loose on his face and his head was in his hands.
The body language we all have seen, the body language of someone who is exhausted and fighting a hopeless battle and yet .....
Watch the bloody matches. The dude has the same tough mentality that inspired me to be a Jaedong and Flash fan.
If you aren't a convinced fan going in, you will be. How does a champion also manage to feel like an inspiring underdog? Cheers to you all who saw this amazing talent rise. You were wise to place your bet here.
On July 03 2019 00:39 DSK wrote: Our boy still has it!.
seriously.. i barely watch sc2 but this guy is so fucking good. i don't know the ceiling for this kid i think he's by far the best player in the world.
It still hurts. That throw where he had a massive bank advantage, and failed to build static defense and more lurkers...I'm still reeling from having witnessed it. Serral must've been so severely tilted by that. First time for everything, I guess. Serral's performance vs Showtime and Neeb looked almost flawless, too, which made that series vs Reynor all the more unexpected.
Despite the loss I mean, another finals. Absolutely crazy consistency from Serral, not really been another player like him in SC2 in that sense.
Considering Serral’s record against top Korean Zergs as well, Reynor is a hell of a mirror player, looking forward to these two duking it out against Korea’s best in GSL vs the World and Blizzcon
On July 16 2019 09:21 Wombat_NI wrote: Despite the loss I mean, another finals. Absolutely crazy consistency from Serral, not really been another player like him in SC2 in that sense.
Considering Serral’s record against top Korean Zergs as well, Reynor is a hell of a mirror player, looking forward to these two duking it out against Korea’s best in GSL vs the World and Blizzcon
yes I put him head and shoulders above any foreigner. sometimes people lose.. imagine that xD I think he is still the best player in the world. I know he hasn't gone to gsl, but as I have iterated in many posts, why the fuck should he? he can make more than any gsl player makes by playing foreign weekend tournaments. in my book he is the best player in the world.
On July 16 2019 09:21 Wombat_NI wrote: Despite the loss I mean, another finals. Absolutely crazy consistency from Serral, not really been another player like him in SC2 in that sense.
Considering Serral’s record against top Korean Zergs as well, Reynor is a hell of a mirror player, looking forward to these two duking it out against Korea’s best in GSL vs the World and Blizzcon
yes I put him head and shoulders above any foreigner. sometimes people lose.. imagine that xD I think he is still the best player in the world. I know he hasn't gone to gsl, but as I have iterated in many posts, why the fuck should he? he can make more than any gsl player makes by playing foreign weekend tournaments. in my book he is the best player in the world.
I wouldn’t if I was him, I’m a home bird at heart and from interviews it seems he is too. Quite a while away from friends, family and familiar places in a profession whose practicing is pretty solitary too. Quite possible he just plays worse in that environment, whatever he’s doing now obviously works for him.
Would be good to see one day as a fan, but outside of it being a personal ambition to tick that off there isn’t a real pragmatic reason to do it.
On July 16 2019 09:21 Wombat_NI wrote: Despite the loss I mean, another finals. Absolutely crazy consistency from Serral, not really been another player like him in SC2 in that sense.
Considering Serral’s record against top Korean Zergs as well, Reynor is a hell of a mirror player, looking forward to these two duking it out against Korea’s best in GSL vs the World and Blizzcon
yes I put him head and shoulders above any foreigner. sometimes people lose.. imagine that xD I think he is still the best player in the world. I know he hasn't gone to gsl, but as I have iterated in many posts, why the fuck should he? he can make more than any gsl player makes by playing foreign weekend tournaments. in my book he is the best player in the world.
I wouldn’t if I was him, I’m a home bird at heart and from interviews it seems he is too. Quite a while away from friends, family and familiar places in a profession whose practicing is pretty solitary too. Quite possible he just plays worse in that environment, whatever he’s doing now obviously works for him.
Would be good to see one day as a fan, but outside of it being a personal ambition to tick that off there isn’t a real pragmatic reason to do it.
This is what I suspect as well. Serral might get burn-out from being away from the comfort of family and home for too long.
It really tells a lot about his dominance that I almost couldn't believe it when he lost. It's absolutely unreasonable to expect him to win every tournament yet here we are.
The tournament is stupid. They invited 4 nobodies, and it's all Bo3 until a Bo5 final. For a prize pool that large, it's absolutely pathetic that they can't even manage Bo5's and then a Bo7 final. Worst tournament ever organized.
On July 21 2019 09:38 tigon_ridge wrote: The tournament is stupid. They invited 4 nobodies, and it's all Bo3 until a Bo5 final. For a prize pool that large, it's absolutely pathetic that they can't even manage Bo5's and then a Bo7 final. Worst tournament ever organized.
On July 21 2019 09:38 tigon_ridge wrote: The tournament is stupid. They invited 4 nobodies, and it's all Bo3 until a Bo5 final. For a prize pool that large, it's absolutely pathetic that they can't even manage Bo5's and then a Bo7 final. Worst tournament ever organized.
I was looking forward to a wc3 and sc2 wcg and got neither. oh well. plenty of other stuff going on. the only thing it cost me was about a week and a half of b2warcraft vods
On July 21 2019 09:38 tigon_ridge wrote: The tournament is stupid. They invited 4 nobodies, and it's all Bo3 until a Bo5 final. For a prize pool that large, it's absolutely pathetic that they can't even manage Bo5's and then a Bo7 final. Worst tournament ever organized.
On July 24 2019 22:21 Harris1st wrote: We need Serral to sign up for Nation War!
It's to cold for golf in November/ December anyway :D
He always did in the past so I'd expect him to do it this time, not to mention Finland had stronger players in the past while now only Serral's glory might lead them to victory.
Not a good day for him, must suck to lose in Finland. The series against TIME already didn't make him look good, the games against Stats were soso, he excelled at late game play but other than that he made too many mistakes, sadly.
Serral should stay with his brother, or anywhere else in Korea permanently after GSL vs the World. Europe just doesn't have the caliber of players he needs to practice against. Showtime and Neeb are not strong enough to consistently push Serral's ZvP to his limit. Serral is extremely talented, but this continent simply doesn't have what it takes to bring out his true potential. I'd also like to see Serral's Korean ladder MMR once again.
On August 05 2019 20:02 tigon_ridge wrote: Serral should stay with his brother, or anywhere else in Korea permanently after GSL vs the World. Europe just doesn't have the caliber of players he needs to practice against. Showtime and Neeb are not strong enough to consistently push Serral's ZvP to his limit. Serral is extremely talented, but this continent simply doesn't have what it takes to bring out his true potential. I'd also like to see Serral's Korean ladder MMR once again.
Serral rose to be the best player in the world last year without staying in Korea; his ZvT improved drastically this year playing on the EU server, and I doubt Heromarine&co can be seen as stronger than Neeb and Showtime(if anything, it's their macro style not resembling the aggressive one korean Protoss have, not the fact they are too weak that can affect Serral's ZvP training).
I would like to see Serral play in Code S and hopefully winning one, but he does not need to train in Korea, he already went beyond that; he needs instead to somehow regain the clutchness in decider games he had last year, he might have won four more tournaments in 2019 if he could be as efficient as he was in 2018.
Serral's level of play after his ascension went could vary from untouchable god(peaking at BlizzCon) to mere super top player(Montreal) last year as well, even if it was generally slightly higher and it didn't have the drop we could observe in mid March/April this year. What really is making the difference is that he won all the most important maps in 2018 while he now tends to lose the decider games in the hardest series.
On August 05 2019 20:02 tigon_ridge wrote: Serral should stay with his brother, or anywhere else in Korea permanently after GSL vs the World. Europe just doesn't have the caliber of players he needs to practice against. Showtime and Neeb are not strong enough to consistently push Serral's ZvP to his limit. Serral is extremely talented, but this continent simply doesn't have what it takes to bring out his true potential. I'd also like to see Serral's Korean ladder MMR once again.
Serral rose to be the best player in the world last year without staying in Korea; his ZvT improved drastically this year playing on the EU server, and I doubt Heromarine&co can be seen as stronger than Neeb and Showtime(if anything, it's their macro style not resembling the aggressive one korean Protoss have, not the fact they are too weak that can affect Serral's ZvP training).
I would like to see Serral play in Code S and hopefully winning one, but he does not need to train in Korea, he already went beyond that; he needs instead to somehow regain the clutchness in decider games he had last year, he might have won four more tournaments in 2019 if he could be as efficient as he was in 2018.
Serral's level of play after his ascension went could vary from untouchable god(peaking at BlizzCon) to mere super top player(Montreal) last year as well, even if it was generally slightly higher and it didn't have the drop we could observe in mid March/April this year. What really is making the difference is that he won all the most important maps in 2018 while he now tends to lose the decider games in the hardest series.
I’d still love to see it, but as you say I don’t think it’s necessary.
Historically people went to Korea to practice vs better players and also grind out their mechanically problems surrounded by players who were better mechanically.
Serral is already that good mechanically, and he’s already got as good as he is without needing consistent Korean practice anyway.
His strengths aren’t in mechanics anyway, his mechanics are monstrous but he really shines at making the right decisions all the time. He studies the game a lot and thinks about it a lot without just grinding, and then applies what he figures out and executes it well. His current approach seems to work rather well for him, he may as well keep it going. He usually brings something slightly new to a tournament, it’s pretty cool. He was using multiple lategame Nydus play vT at a tournament and it looked super strong, and I haven’t seen him use it the same way since.
Special benefits from being in Korea a lot partly because the better practice, also because he can trade builds and ideas with TY that he’s friends with.
It might go against Serral to practice a lot in Korea in fact. It’s a lot more exposure of his play to the pros there, and these pros practice and talk with each other. There aren’t obvious flaws in Serral’s game, but like any player there will be chinks in his armour and more exposure may see them found and exploited more readily.
On August 05 2019 20:02 tigon_ridge wrote: Serral should stay with his brother, or anywhere else in Korea permanently after GSL vs the World. Europe just doesn't have the caliber of players he needs to practice against. Showtime and Neeb are not strong enough to consistently push Serral's ZvP to his limit. Serral is extremely talented, but this continent simply doesn't have what it takes to bring out his true potential. I'd also like to see Serral's Korean ladder MMR once again.
Serral rose to be the best player in the world last year without staying in Korea; his ZvT improved drastically this year playing on the EU server, and I doubt Heromarine&co can be seen as stronger than Neeb and Showtime(if anything, it's their macro style not resembling the aggressive one korean Protoss have, not the fact they are too weak that can affect Serral's ZvP training).
I would like to see Serral play in Code S and hopefully winning one, but he does not need to train in Korea, he already went beyond that; he needs instead to somehow regain the clutchness in decider games he had last year, he might have won four more tournaments in 2019 if he could be as efficient as he was in 2018.
Serral's level of play after his ascension went could vary from untouchable god(peaking at BlizzCon) to mere super top player(Montreal) last year as well, even if it was generally slightly higher and it didn't have the drop we could observe in mid March/April this year. What really is making the difference is that he won all the most important maps in 2018 while he now tends to lose the decider games in the hardest series.
I’d still love to see it, but as you say I don’t think it’s necessary.
Historically people went to Korea to practice vs better players and also grind out their mechanically problems surrounded by players who were better mechanically.
Serral is already that good mechanically, and he’s already got as good as he is without needing consistent Korean practice anyway.
His strengths aren’t in mechanics anyway, his mechanics are monstrous but he really shines at making the right decisions all the time. He studies the game a lot and thinks about it a lot without just grinding, and then applies what he figures out and executes it well. His current approach seems to work rather well for him, he may as well keep it going. He usually brings something slightly new to a tournament, it’s pretty cool. He was using multiple lategame Nydus play vT at a tournament and it looked super strong, and I haven’t seen him use it the same way since.
Special benefits from being in Korea a lot partly because the better practice, also because he can trade builds and ideas with TY that he’s friends with.
It might go against Serral to practice a lot in Korea in fact. It’s a lot more exposure of his play to the pros there, and these pros practice and talk with each other. There aren’t obvious flaws in Serral’s game, but like any player there will be chinks in his armour and more exposure may see them found and exploited more readily.
Nicely summarized. He raised the bar of reasoning about the game
1x Blizzcon (2018) 2x GSL vs The World (2018, 2019) 5x WCS Tournaments 2x HomeStory Cup (Premier and Major)
3x 2nd Place WCS tournament 1x 2nd Place WESG 1x 3rd Place WESG 1x 3rd-4th Place Asus ROG Assembly 1x 3rd-4th Place IEM Championship 1x 6th-8th Place IEM Championship
+ other stuff, like
Few Aligulac all time records Korean ladder all time mmr record A plot of land in the home municipality of Pornainen (the First E-Sport athlete ever) Serral Open Golf tournament
+ other things...
Since little more than year and half ago.
Its all becoming to look seriously impressive. GG Joona! :D
Ooh... Forgot that, the most important achievement:
2nd place of tl.net's monthly power rank as his best.
The achieving the 1st place in the power rank has been proven to be more difficult achievement than making the history's first full grand slam in the Circuit, becoming the first ever 'foreigner' SC2 world champion, making the all time record offline winning streak and breaking and subjugating last two decades' worth of Korean dominance and hegemony...
...and still effectively continuing that same spell anyway, against all odds.
On August 18 2019 22:30 UnLarva wrote: 1x Blizzcon (2018) 2x GSL vs The World (2018, 2019) 5x WCS Tournaments 2x HomeStory Cup (Premier and Major)
3x 2nd Place WCS tournament 1x 2nd Place WESG 1x 3rd Place WESG 1x 3rd-4th Place Asus ROG Assembly 1x 3rd-4th Place IEM Championship 1x 6th-8th Place IEM Championship
+ other stuff, like
Few Aligulac all time records Korean ladder all time mmr record A plot of land in the home municipality of Pornainen (the First E-Sport athlete ever) Serral Open Golf tournament
+ other things...
Since little more than year and half ago.
Its all becoming to look seriously impressive. GG Joona! :D
I think he also has the longest streak at offline tournaments, longest streak vs Koreans and best win rate vs Koreans too.
On August 18 2019 22:30 UnLarva wrote: 1x Blizzcon (2018) 2x GSL vs The World (2018, 2019) 5x WCS Tournaments 2x HomeStory Cup (Premier and Major)
3x 2nd Place WCS tournament 1x 2nd Place WESG 1x 3rd Place WESG 1x 3rd-4th Place Asus ROG Assembly 1x 3rd-4th Place IEM Championship 1x 6th-8th Place IEM Championship
+ other stuff, like
Few Aligulac all time records Korean ladder all time mmr record A plot of land in the home municipality of Pornainen (the First E-Sport athlete ever) Serral Open Golf tournament
+ other things...
Since little more than year and half ago.
Its all becoming to look seriously impressive. GG Joona! :D
I think he also has the longest streak at offline tournaments, longest streak vs Koreans and best win rate vs Koreans too.
Serral - 'The Perpetual Loser/choker' - 13 Lost offline Matches since January 1st, 2018
08/03/2019 Serral FI Z 2–3 P KR Stats Assembly 2019 Summer Main Tournament 07/14/2019 Serral FI Z 2–4 Z IT Reynor WCS 2019 Summer Main Tournament 06/27/2019 Serral FI Z 0–2 P KR Stats HomeStory Cup XIX 04/07/2019 Serral FI Z 3–4 Z IT Reynor WCS 2019 Winter Europe Main Tournament 03/17/2019 Serral FI Z 3–4 T KR INnoVation WESG 2018 Main Event 03/11/2019 Serral FI Z 0–2 P US Neeb WESG 2018 Main Event 03/02/2019 Serral FI Z 2–3 Z KR soO IEM Season XIII World Championship 03/01/2019 Serral FI Z 1–2 T KR INnoVation IEM Season XIII World Championship 04/22/2018 Serral FI Z 0–1 Z KR soO O'Gaming Nation Wars V Playoffs 04/22/2018 Serral FI Z 0–1 Z KR soO O'Gaming Nation Wars V Playoffs 03/17/2018 Serral FI Z 0–3 T KR Maru WESG 2017 Main Event 03/04/2018 Serral FI Z 0–3 P KR Classic IEM Season XII World Championship 02/06/2018 Serral FI Z 1–3 Z CA Scarlett IEM Season XII PyeongChang Main Event
Winrates: 306–106 (74.27%) in games 110–13 (89.43%) in matches.
Reversed losing rates against Koreans during same time span:
99–52 (65.56%) in games and 35–9 (79.55%) in matches
Innovation, Stats, SoO, Maru and Classic being only Koreans capable to take offline match(es) vs Serral.
---
Zergs of the world are all and have been a quite a while Serral's pupils anyway, so losing ZvZ doesn't hurt Serral that much, Reynor and Elazer being the most prominent apprentices of The Overmind's European Dojo.
Note that sample sizes since Jan 1st, 2018 aren't anymore that small anyone could put anything about Serral's reign simply to fluke/luck/brackets etc.
9 Premier tournament victories to 13 lost offline matches (14-35 in Maps) in a time span of some 1.5 years: Un-precendented in the History of SC2.
I think it might finally happen guys, Serral Rank 1 Powerrank.
I can't really see how they would not give it to him this time. Clearly he should have been last month, idk how Dark got it... But this month all other contenders were in GSL v World and flopped hard. And there's nothing left in the calendar. The only possibility is they decide to delay or skip the Power Rank to include GSL or something and then just give it to whoever wins that.
On August 22 2019 05:44 Dave4 wrote: I think it might finally happen guys, Serral Rank 1 Powerrank.
I can't really see how they would not give it to him this time. Clearly he should have been last month, idk how Dark got it... But this month all other contenders were in GSL v World and flopped hard. And there's nothing left in the calendar. The only possibility is they decide to delay or skip the Power Rank to include GSL or something and then just give it to whoever wins that.
Your right. This is a rare moment of clarity. At least right now, Serral is clearly the best player and performing the best.
Dark won GSL in dominant fashion. I thought it was at least debatable before. Now ... Nope.
Serral just wrecked GSL. Will this be the first non-korean to hit number #1?
On August 22 2019 05:44 Dave4 wrote: I think it might finally happen guys, Serral Rank 1 Powerrank.
I can't really see how they would not give it to him this time. Clearly he should have been last month, idk how Dark got it... But this month all other contenders were in GSL v World and flopped hard. And there's nothing left in the calendar. The only possibility is they decide to delay or skip the Power Rank to include GSL or something and then just give it to whoever wins that.
Your right. This is a rare moment of clarity. At least right now, Serral is clearly the best player and performing the best.
Dark won GSL in dominant fashion. I thought it was at least debatable before. Now ... Nope.
Serral just wrecked GSL. Will this be the first non-korean to hit number #1?
He really absolutely should this time. Between timings and other claims I feel he’s been a bit unlucky not to hit that rank before, but currently, with an absence of opportunities for others like Dark to really make up for their failures at GSLvstW there’s really something off if he isn’t number one this time.
Serral seeing the new infested terrans vs battlecruisers:
On August 24 2019 00:56 tigon_ridge wrote: Artosis says he's the GoAT. Rotti says he's the GoAT. I say he's a WOLF in GoAT's clothing.
Maybe people can start analyzing it a bit if he wins another Blizzcon or something, but after recently checking out a bunch of the results of the top koreans we've had in SC2 over its history I really couldn't justify putting him at number 1 at this point personally... but I guess without the actual analysis and going through the stats this is especially pointless.
On August 25 2019 03:25 D-light wrote: Maybe people can start analyzing it a bit if he wins another Blizzcon or something, but after recently checking out a bunch of the results of the top koreans we've had in SC2 over its history I really couldn't justify putting him at number 1 at this point personally.
I can, which is good enough for me. I don't feel the need to convince others of my opinion.
There can only be one machine on the ladder. And it sure as hell isn't Alpastar! but tbh, keeping up with Serral for that long is quite a feat in itself
It's nice Serral will take a part to Starcraft2.fi V9 tournament, but I do not like the idea he will be playing -10% HP handicapped Zerg.
Protoss or Random without handicap would be much better, IMO. And if any sort of handicap is considered necessary, then it should be at least just a map per match for Serral without arbitrary settings to normal mechanics.
As Zhuge mentioned custom handicapped matches ruin the legitimacy of whole tournament as its something else than proper SC2.
If they really want to see how much Serral can be handicapped to make the Finnish field more even, then it should be arranged simply with a series of show matches, and possibly with even bigger HP handicap.
Serral playing Protoss would be the best option, considering recent balance debates, IMHO.
On September 29 2019 16:29 UnLarva wrote: It's nice Serral will take a part to Starcraft2.fi V9 tournament, but I do not like the idea he will be playing -10% HP handicapped Zerg.
Protoss or Random without handicap would be much better, IMO. And if any sort of handicap is considered necessary, then it should be at least just a map per match for Serral without arbitrary settings to normal mechanics.
As Zhuge mentioned custom handicapped matches ruin the legitimacy of whole tournament as its something else than proper SC2.
If they really want to see how much Serral can be handicapped to make the Finnish field more even, then it should be arranged simply with a series of show matches, and possibly with even bigger HP handicap.
Serral playing Protoss would be the best option, considering recent balance debates, IMHO.
I agree, after playing Random and Terran, he should be playing Protoss this year.
-10% hp would make him extremely vulnerable to cheeses. Even with his skills, it'll be hard if not nearly impossible to defend against any sort of cheese executed by even a diamond level player.
On September 29 2019 16:29 UnLarva wrote:As Zhuge mentioned custom handicapped matches ruin the legitimacy of whole tournament as its something else than proper SC2.
This. Also, Zhuge almost beat Serral in zvz bo3 in asus rog, so why not just let everything go as standard?
"Yes, you could say its the group of death, but it doesn't matter as I'm going to win the tournament, so its same when some particular opponent will get defeated." (rough translation)
"Yes, you could say its the group of death, but it doesn't matter as I'm going to win the tournament, so its same when some particular opponent will get defeated." (rough translation)
Confident Joona is confident.
In case you guys ever doubted, I am a true fan of Serral: I'm nearly as nervous as I am when my team I care plays in the Champions League's final; I might find it hard to sleep, fortunately I'm tired.
"Yes, you could say its the group of death, but it doesn't matter as I'm going to win the tournament, so its same when some particular opponent will get defeated." (rough translation)
Yeah to maybe be a bit more accurate "...but it doesn't matter as I'm aiming to win the whole tournament, so you have to win against all the other players on the way. So it doesn't really matter at which point of the tournament you beat them."
Serral will come back hungrier than ever, be sure of that. His class is immense, his skill is unmatched. He will come back and win again.
Yeah. Sorry (but not sincere apology) about that same old set of drunken jukebox. Serral rules.
He will come back and win again. Needs to do something with that young magnificent Italian usurper, tho. Losing games by psychology, no! Not against Reynor! No way, practice partner and all. Reynor just showed he wanted it more. And Dark against Serral would've been different thing, exactly because of those same things that made The God King to lose against his Vassal.
What ever, new patch coming, new process of adaptation. In that Serral was best Zerg of the World, in that he is likely be the best one in the future. Others will co-adapt with him.
I noticed that Serral was not invited to the Northern Europe qualifiers for WESG. That's very weird, I assume he will just be directly invited to the main event?
SC2 loving, Net meme tinkering folks should really get ready for the upcoming material from Serral's visit to The Finland's Independence day reception. Potential contrast between Serral The Night King (oh, how I hate that tag, lol, should get removed and obsoleted from all uses as soon as possible, and never appearing anywhere again there after. Its just Lame, unfitting f*ckery...) in a swimming pool at The Tropical spot in somewhere of surroundings of Berlin, Germany, and Serral The Supreme Zerg Overmind of The Principality of Pornainen, Finland, making a visit by invitation to the official Independence Day reception of The Republic of Finland at The Presidential Palace during evening of December 6th, likely wearing the code-obliged black coattail... Does some of ladies of the night ask him to dance with them? What kind comments he may give to reporters' interviews covering the celebrations live on TV for likely audience of some 3 million Finns (out of 5.5)? etc. etc. Photos and clips for meme-makers might contain some real pearls.
Maybe the President of The Republic Sauli Niinistö will give some advice in good strats and meta to his invited quest.
The tone and style of celebrations are going to be so far from what we've used to see in relation to Serral's achievements, that its very difficult to imagine how it may look.
On December 09 2019 08:22 D-light wrote: A solid performance in NationWars with a 24-2 record and the championship trophy.
Now onto WESG and IEM.
Finland must be super proud today to be on top of the world in this extremely difficult game. Congrats to Finland, AMERICA, Serral, themuszero, and especially Zhugeliang for pulling off the clutch win against soO. :D
"StarCraft 2 Finland hosts its annual anniversary tournament tomorrow on December 14, 2019 in Helsinki. Serral, and Team Finland, will be answering your questions posted in this thread roughly at 18:00 CET / 12:00 PM EST / 9:00 AM PST on the channel https://www.twitch.tv/starcraft2fi.
In the past the event has been purely in Finnish for Finnish audience, but now as Finland is the best SC2 country in the World (ranking by NationWars) it's our duty to be more inclusive for everyone. Our glorious NationWars team, the invincible Serral, the cunning ZhuGeLiang, and the persistent TheMusZero, will get together and answer questions posed by the whole StarCraft community in English.
To help us pick out the questions, please start your comments with your question, thank you!
The best question picked by Team Finland will get a PRIZE which is also picked (and signed) by Team Finland. This is your chance to grab a piece of the success of this team and country!"
On January 16 2020 02:11 silverkeops wrote: I hope one day we'll see Serral competing in GSL.
Not worth it. He's already got his hands full with other tournaments. On his down time, I'd rather he spends time relaxing with family and friends. I don't want him to get burnt out working too much, being in KR for 2 months for a prize pool that isn't even that big for how long it drags out. Those GSL tournaments are still single elimination only, which is so lame. Meh. I'm fine with how things are with Serral's schedule.
Edit: However, I do think him training in Korea now and then is a good idea. Staying too long, however, isn't beneficial. Balance is key.
On January 16 2020 02:11 silverkeops wrote: I hope one day we'll see Serral competing in GSL.
Not worth it. He's already got his hands full with other tournaments. On his down time, I'd rather he spends time relaxing with family and friends. I don't want him to get burnt out working too much, being in KR for 2 months for a prize pool that isn't even that big for how long it drags out. Those GSL tournaments are still single elimination only, which is so lame. Meh. I'm fine with how things are with Serral's schedule.
Edit: However, I do think him training in Korea now and then is a good idea. Staying too long, however, isn't beneficial. Balance is key.
It’s a new territory to conquer. Not worth his while in purely financial terms and the social sacrifices are huge too, so I don’t expect him to at all.
Still as a fan of Starcraft for so long it would be awesome to have a foreigner competing with a realistic chance of winning the thing, so I hope it happens one day.
On January 16 2020 02:11 silverkeops wrote: I hope one day we'll see Serral competing in GSL.
Not worth it. He's already got his hands full with other tournaments. On his down time, I'd rather he spends time relaxing with family and friends. I don't want him to get burnt out working too much, being in KR for 2 months for a prize pool that isn't even that big for how long it drags out. Those GSL tournaments are still single elimination only, which is so lame. Meh. I'm fine with how things are with Serral's schedule.
Edit: However, I do think him training in Korea now and then is a good idea. Staying too long, however, isn't beneficial. Balance is key.
It’s a new territory to conquer. Not worth his while in purely financial terms and the social sacrifices are huge too, so I don’t expect him to at all.
Still as a fan of Starcraft for so long it would be awesome to have a foreigner competing with a realistic chance of winning the thing, so I hope it happens one day.
Neeb won the 2016 Kespa cup. Kinda same thing as a GSL as far as I'm concerned. Done and dusted, I'd say.
On January 16 2020 02:11 silverkeops wrote: I hope one day we'll see Serral competing in GSL.
Not worth it. He's already got his hands full with other tournaments. On his down time, I'd rather he spends time relaxing with family and friends. I don't want him to get burnt out working too much, being in KR for 2 months for a prize pool that isn't even that big for how long it drags out. Those GSL tournaments are still single elimination only, which is so lame. Meh. I'm fine with how things are with Serral's schedule.
Edit: However, I do think him training in Korea now and then is a good idea. Staying too long, however, isn't beneficial. Balance is key.
It’s a new territory to conquer. Not worth his while in purely financial terms and the social sacrifices are huge too, so I don’t expect him to at all.
Still as a fan of Starcraft for so long it would be awesome to have a foreigner competing with a realistic chance of winning the thing, so I hope it happens one day.
Neeb won the 2016 Kespa cup. Kinda same thing as a GSL as far as I'm concerned. Done and dusted, I'd say.
It’s a good accomplishment for sure, it’s not quite winning a GSL though
On January 16 2020 02:11 silverkeops wrote: I hope one day we'll see Serral competing in GSL.
Not worth it. He's already got his hands full with other tournaments. On his down time, I'd rather he spends time relaxing with family and friends. I don't want him to get burnt out working too much, being in KR for 2 months for a prize pool that isn't even that big for how long it drags out. Those GSL tournaments are still single elimination only, which is so lame. Meh. I'm fine with how things are with Serral's schedule.
Edit: However, I do think him training in Korea now and then is a good idea. Staying too long, however, isn't beneficial. Balance is key.
It’s a new territory to conquer. Not worth his while in purely financial terms and the social sacrifices are huge too, so I don’t expect him to at all.
Still as a fan of Starcraft for so long it would be awesome to have a foreigner competing with a realistic chance of winning the thing, so I hope it happens one day.
Neeb won the 2016 Kespa cup. Kinda same thing as a GSL as far as I'm concerned. Done and dusted, I'd say.
It’s a good accomplishment for sure, it’s not quite winning a GSL though
I think you're giving that tournament much more prestige than it deserves. I dislike its format for a couple reasons: It advantages Koreans over foreigners by structure, and it's single elim garbage.
Serral's losses at Katowice are always the most heartbreaking, he's so good in the groupstages yet he always fall short. Will he win one before he gets bored of the game? On the other hand, maybe he won't retire before he gets to win Katowice!
In the last 365 days, Serral narrowly lost every time he got to the decider game in international tournaments: against soO at Katowice 2019, Inno at WESG, Reynor at BlizzCon and now Zest again; a stark contrast with the clutchness that earned him so many tournaments in 2018...
Serral is still the best player in the world or at worst one of the best, but I am growing a little worried that he might have lost his killer instinct.
Yea. He was in the dark with ZEST. This dude made some nice BO. Blocking hatch 3 times and he won 3 times. After Hurricane games i had a feeling that Zest will win and he did. It was a bit hesitant Serral, Zest droping in the main than Serral runing with slow banes back and forth. I guess he is not that bulletproof. I think he lost that games more than Zest won them. Just my humble opinion.
On March 02 2020 04:54 Sviru1 wrote: Yea. He was in the dark with ZEST. This dude made some nice BO. Blocking hatch 3 times and he won 3 times. After Hurricane games i had a feeling that Zest will win and he did. It was a bit hesitant Serral, Zest droping in the main than Serral runing with slow banes back and forth. I guess he is not that bulletproof. I think he lost that games more than Zest won them. Just my humble opinion.
Still I think he is THE best.
Yea, I think after getting the first expo blocked, he shouldn't sac an overlord trying to scout. It's too much econ hit. Serral scouted the SG with lings anyway. Serral was working with a 3-5 workers deficit for much of the start of the game, leaving him very little room for mistakes. Hatch block is a dirty tactic, but it was on Serral for allowing it to happen so many times. I hope he gains something from this match, but early ZvP is just extremely hard and unpredictable regardless for zerg.
Yea. The fact is Serral lost 5 of 7 ZvP. It looked bad and Serral was really mad. He knew he failed . Hope to see him again soon. It is a f#!#! shame that we can't see him stream or play some minor stuff. It's like watching Jordan playing one game in a month or worse.
On March 02 2020 08:48 Sviru1 wrote: Yea. The fact is Serral lost 5 of 7 ZvP. It looked bad and Serral was really mad. He knew he failed . Hope to see him again soon. It is a f#!#! shame that we can't see him stream or play some minor stuff. It's like watching Jordan playing one game in a month or worse.
I seemed like after game 3 vs Zest, Serral was somewhere else entirely
On April 03 2020 10:05 tigon_ridge wrote: Looks like we're not going to see many Serral vs the best players games this year. Very sad.
Though in the winners-interview Serral basically said he's going to be playing in some online tournaments at least when offline ones aren't going to be an option.
On April 03 2020 10:05 tigon_ridge wrote: Looks like we're not going to see many Serral vs the best players games this year. Very sad.
Though in the winners-interview Serral basically said he's going to be playing in some online tournaments at least when offline ones aren't going to be an option.
I pray he'll meet the top3 Koreans in those online tournaments. My Serral withdrawal symptoms have been flaring up severely lately, and this HSC just barely relieves it.
On April 03 2020 10:05 tigon_ridge wrote: Looks like we're not going to see many Serral vs the best players games this year. Very sad.
Though in the winners-interview Serral basically said he's going to be playing in some online tournaments at least when offline ones aren't going to be an option.
I pray he'll meet the top3 Koreans in those online tournaments. My Serral withdrawal symptoms have been flaring up severely lately, and this HSC just barely relieves it.
Serral hasn't won Katowice yet, he won't retire.
As for the koreans, Serral vs Maru would be interesting but it's overhyped and they always find the way not to make it happen, Dark is not that great in mirror and Serral has always beaten Rogue; however, Rogue is undefeated in offline bo7 and his ZvZ is great, I would love to see a rematch happening under those conditions.
Well it's not much, but it's a "Serral & Reynor" vs "Harstem, Elazer, & Lambo" archon match from the perspective of Harstem who's mainly macroing at home:
In the TSL 5 tournament Serral will play against the winner of Harstem vs Elazer on the 17th of May at around 20:00 CET
On April 23 2020 01:02 D-light wrote: Well it's not much, but it's a "Serral & Reynor" vs "Harstem, Elazer, & Lambo" archon match from the perspective of Harstem who's mainly macroing at home:
Man its so frustrating watching Serral play nowadays. At times his thinking seems crisp and he seems to dominate like he used to, but then again he has tendency to "throw" games more often and even seems to be prone to reverse sweeps. Like some people said in the TLS-thread, he seems to be very aggressive and trying out some weird strategies instead of playing standard. In addition he seems to try to "force" game to end too aggressively too, while either leaving behind in tech or going for some reason to ultras, which seem to be always wrong option especially in zvz.
Those all are things that Serral used to take advantage of towards his opponents, while he kept his head calm and played standard with excellent defense and impeccable scouting. Of course its good to throw a cheese or non standard builds in every once in a while to keep opponents in their toes, but why try to force them when his micro, macro and scouting is still mostly top class ? In addition, his MMR is still very high and what I have understood and the little I saw he still crushes in ladder like he used to.
Anybody has a theory what has happened ? I think skillwise he is mostly on point still, but does Serral overthink the game too much or has the oh so popular "pro-gaming-thinking" of "hey, I lost 2 drones, im so behind, have to all-in!!" got to him somehow ? Any thoughts ?
ZvZ has been played way more aggressively of recent, maybe due to the new maps? It's a general trend anyway. I fear that Serral may have some issues with ace matches now, no idea why he went for those builds tho. Maybe some pro Zerg who knows him well(Lambo, Elazer...) could have a proper answer!
On May 25 2020 04:47 Starcloud wrote: Man its so frustrating watching Serral play nowadays. At times his thinking seems crisp and he seems to dominate like he used to, but then again he has tendency to "throw" games more often and even seems to be prone to reverse sweeps. Like some people said in the TLS-thread, he seems to be very aggressive and trying out some weird strategies instead of playing standard. In addition he seems to try to "force" game to end too aggressively too, while either leaving behind in tech or going for some reason to ultras, which seem to be always wrong option especially in zvz.
Those all are things that Serral used to take advantage of towards his opponents, while he kept his head calm and played standard with excellent defense and impeccable scouting. Of course its good to throw a cheese or non standard builds in every once in a while to keep opponents in their toes, but why try to force them when his micro, macro and scouting is still mostly top class ? In addition, his MMR is still very high and what I have understood and the little I saw he still crushes in ladder like he used to.
Anybody has a theory what has happened ? I think skillwise he is mostly on point still, but does Serral overthink the game too much or has the oh so popular "pro-gaming-thinking" of "hey, I lost 2 drones, im so behind, have to all-in!!" got to him somehow ? Any thoughts ?
My thoughts are pretty simple - he's been the target of everyone especially EU pros so they've built entire strategies and builds against him just to survive with a do or die mentality. Because of this, he can never be too sure of what to expect and tries to be a step or two ahead. Part of being 1 or 2 steps ahead is to be more unpredictable. This works sometimes and other times it doesn't. I think he's currently in an experimental phase. Mechanics are still top notch, it's just the mind game that he's playing around with at the moment. So, not so much overthinking, but learning how to think to transcend to the next level.
On May 25 2020 04:47 Starcloud wrote: Man its so frustrating watching Serral play nowadays. At times his thinking seems crisp and he seems to dominate like he used to, but then again he has tendency to "throw" games more often and even seems to be prone to reverse sweeps. Like some people said in the TLS-thread, he seems to be very aggressive and trying out some weird strategies instead of playing standard. In addition he seems to try to "force" game to end too aggressively too, while either leaving behind in tech or going for some reason to ultras, which seem to be always wrong option especially in zvz.
Those all are things that Serral used to take advantage of towards his opponents, while he kept his head calm and played standard with excellent defense and impeccable scouting. Of course its good to throw a cheese or non standard builds in every once in a while to keep opponents in their toes, but why try to force them when his micro, macro and scouting is still mostly top class ? In addition, his MMR is still very high and what I have understood and the little I saw he still crushes in ladder like he used to.
Anybody has a theory what has happened ? I think skillwise he is mostly on point still, but does Serral overthink the game too much or has the oh so popular "pro-gaming-thinking" of "hey, I lost 2 drones, im so behind, have to all-in!!" got to him somehow ? Any thoughts ?
I don't mind the strategies as much, I think the problem are the mistakes he makes in execution and decisionmaking. He used to make only small mistakes if any at all. Has something changed? Maybe it's the online only? I don't know
Out of the top of may head:
In general: Serral is eating soooo much biles these days
Serral vs Reynor: Game 3: Running a bunch of lings in banes multiple times unforced Not killing the 3rd with roach pressure (would have equalized eco, maybe even favored Serral) Baneling control (reynors 2 banelings killing 6+ banes from Serral. happened twice i think)
Game 4: Double Infestation pit, delaying Ultras so much. Also not cheap
Game 5: Burrowd roaches did way to much damage. Losing his 4th for no reason Slow reaction time?
Edit: I guess he is not happy with his performance, as he himself is his most notorious critic at times.
Don't worry, there is always the next tournament Joona! Keep fighting! EZ4Ence!
I cannot find Serral's name in the upcoming StayAtHomestory Cup #2 (StayAtHomestory Cup/2). If I'm not mistaken he is the defending champ x3. Invites are not listed (if there are any), as I recall that was the problem last time around, i.e. giving out points being partially an invite-tournament. Does anyone know if he will attend?
On June 05 2020 00:39 Lazzarus wrote: I cannot find Serral's name in the upcoming StayAtHomestory Cup #2 (StayAtHomestory Cup/2). If I'm not mistaken he is the defending champ x3. Invites are not listed (if there are any), as I recall that was the problem last time around, i.e. giving out points being partially an invite-tournament. Does anyone know if he will attend?
On May 25 2020 04:47 Starcloud wrote: Man its so frustrating watching Serral play nowadays. At times his thinking seems crisp and he seems to dominate like he used to, but then again he has tendency to "throw" games more often and even seems to be prone to reverse sweeps. Like some people said in the TLS-thread, he seems to be very aggressive and trying out some weird strategies instead of playing standard. In addition he seems to try to "force" game to end too aggressively too, while either leaving behind in tech or going for some reason to ultras, which seem to be always wrong option especially in zvz.
Those all are things that Serral used to take advantage of towards his opponents, while he kept his head calm and played standard with excellent defense and impeccable scouting. Of course its good to throw a cheese or non standard builds in every once in a while to keep opponents in their toes, but why try to force them when his micro, macro and scouting is still mostly top class ? In addition, his MMR is still very high and what I have understood and the little I saw he still crushes in ladder like he used to.
Anybody has a theory what has happened ? I think skillwise he is mostly on point still, but does Serral overthink the game too much or has the oh so popular "pro-gaming-thinking" of "hey, I lost 2 drones, im so behind, have to all-in!!" got to him somehow ? Any thoughts ?
My thoughts are pretty simple - he's been the target of everyone especially EU pros so they've built entire strategies and builds against him just to survive with a do or die mentality. Because of this, he can never be too sure of what to expect and tries to be a step or two ahead. Part of being 1 or 2 steps ahead is to be more unpredictable. This works sometimes and other times it doesn't. I think he's currently in an experimental phase. Mechanics are still top notch, it's just the mind game that he's playing around with at the moment. So, not so much overthinking, but learning how to think to transcend to the next level.
If there’s ever a time for such experimentation it’s now, I’d agree with you there.
Not that he never mixed it up but Serral hit monster levels in playing straight up, playing for a macro game and winning in those macro games by mechanical excellence and consistently making the right decisions.
How much scarier is he if he has a whole bunch of other strings to his bow?
Part of why Dark had such a great year is that while being a monster in macro games, you also had to account for him being aggressive or outright cheesy.
Serral’s at a level and has enough money in the bank that he can tank a bit and experiment, his practice regimen and approach to the game has worked very well for him in the past.
Super excited to see him unleashed when the serious prestige tournaments are on the go again.
On May 25 2020 04:47 Starcloud wrote: Man its so frustrating watching Serral play nowadays. At times his thinking seems crisp and he seems to dominate like he used to, but then again he has tendency to "throw" games more often and even seems to be prone to reverse sweeps. Like some people said in the TLS-thread, he seems to be very aggressive and trying out some weird strategies instead of playing standard. In addition he seems to try to "force" game to end too aggressively too, while either leaving behind in tech or going for some reason to ultras, which seem to be always wrong option especially in zvz.
Those all are things that Serral used to take advantage of towards his opponents, while he kept his head calm and played standard with excellent defense and impeccable scouting. Of course its good to throw a cheese or non standard builds in every once in a while to keep opponents in their toes, but why try to force them when his micro, macro and scouting is still mostly top class ? In addition, his MMR is still very high and what I have understood and the little I saw he still crushes in ladder like he used to.
Anybody has a theory what has happened ? I think skillwise he is mostly on point still, but does Serral overthink the game too much or has the oh so popular "pro-gaming-thinking" of "hey, I lost 2 drones, im so behind, have to all-in!!" got to him somehow ? Any thoughts ?
My thoughts are pretty simple - he's been the target of everyone especially EU pros so they've built entire strategies and builds against him just to survive with a do or die mentality. Because of this, he can never be too sure of what to expect and tries to be a step or two ahead. Part of being 1 or 2 steps ahead is to be more unpredictable. This works sometimes and other times it doesn't. I think he's currently in an experimental phase. Mechanics are still top notch, it's just the mind game that he's playing around with at the moment. So, not so much overthinking, but learning how to think to transcend to the next level.
If there’s ever a time for such experimentation it’s now, I’d agree with you there.
Not that he never mixed it up but Serral hit monster levels in playing straight up, playing for a macro game and winning in those macro games by mechanical excellence and consistently making the right decisions.
How much scarier is he if he has a whole bunch of other strings to his bow?
Part of why Dark had such a great year is that while being a monster in macro games, you also had to account for him being aggressive or outright cheesy.
Serral’s at a level and has enough money in the bank that he can tank a bit and experiment, his practice regimen and approach to the game has worked very well for him in the past.
Super excited to see him unleashed when the serious prestige tournaments are on the go again.
Seriously! So excited, can't wait to see...during his interview after winning SAHSC2, he mentioned that he's been trying all-ins and it hasn't been working out great for him but he's going to continue working on them...but he's mostly happy that the current maps which promote a lot more standard play which he's most comfortable with.
On July 20 2020 23:58 Harris1st wrote: Serral has unstoppable activated again. The loss to Reynor has him really pissed of I guess ^^
Serral very seldom gets a loss-win deficit of 3 maps. He had one in 2018 vs Neeb in an online tourney, and then Innovation at HSC XX (before getting a 3-0 revenge vs Inno in the lower bracket). So ya, I'd imagine that loss to Reynor really lit his fire.
On July 20 2020 23:58 Harris1st wrote: Serral has unstoppable activated again. The loss to Reynor has him really pissed of I guess ^^
Serral very seldom gets a loss-win deficit of 3 maps. He had one in 2018 vs Neeb in an online tourney, and then Innovation at HSC XX (before getting a 3-0 revenge vs Inno in the lower bracket). So ya, I'd imagine that loss to Reynor really lit his fire.
He lost 1-3 to Inno, the previous one was against Maru at WESG.
On July 20 2020 23:58 Harris1st wrote: Serral has unstoppable activated again. The loss to Reynor has him really pissed of I guess ^^
Serral very seldom gets a loss-win deficit of 3 maps. He had one in 2018 vs Neeb in an online tourney, and then Innovation at HSC XX (before getting a 3-0 revenge vs Inno in the lower bracket). So ya, I'd imagine that loss to Reynor really lit his fire.
He lost 1-3 to Inno, the previous one was against Maru at WESG.
Indeed. I don't bother mentioning his pre-prime stats; there's no point.
Last I saw with him that someone uploaded to YouTube thankfully had him commentating and playing for a few hours. Frequently saying he was making terrible moves. Think he might have only dropped one game.
On July 21 2020 09:55 Wombat_NI wrote: Oh for some more Serral streams one day.
Last I saw with him that someone uploaded to YouTube thankfully had him commentating and playing for a few hours. Frequently saying he was making terrible moves. Think he might have only dropped one game.
Doesn't he have pretty bad Wi-Fi at home, meaning he can only stream from the ENCE office or something? I think that was one of the many reasons he streams rarely.
But yeah, I definitely watched the hell out of that stream. He only lost his last game to Clem iirc
Can someone please do a supercut of all the webcam footage of Serral yelling at the screen playing DH SC2 Masters 2020 Fall: Europe? It's incredible how emotional he gets.
On November 26 2020 20:06 Elche wrote: Why is it that all the other players fanclubs have such cool banners and Serral has that ridiculous abomination?
Lost to Clem three times though, and talked about each game for almost longer than it went afterwards. Sliding down in the chair lower and lower. Also, his chat is hmm.. representative of a popular stream, not in the best way.
Unpopular opinion time: I find it actually easier to be a fan of Serral with no "plot armour," who can and does lose more than he wins. Some of the recent losses were pretty sad, but the yesterday's games against Maru for example were so good even in defeat.
I wish Serral had found more use with Nydus and runbys but Maru kept him very busy. In a few of those games Maru had undefended bases and was mass muling them. A few lings could have done wonders there. But perfectly controlling a huge army full of casters and setting spores and stuff takes it's apm toll
This IEM couldn't have gone better. 10-0 in maps in his group, 8-0 in series overall Win vs Mary on LAN in BO5 Revenge sweep over Rogue Very close and back and forth grand final series vs Raynor Not only finally got his IEM trophy, but did that without any "gifts", by winning fair and square the hardest opponents in Dark, Maru, Rogue and Raynor in offline setting (so no asterisk to this win) This was a legendary run and damn so impressive. Cemented himself next to Rogue as the only 2 players ever to win both Blizzcon and IEM. And, lastly, so many of fake arguments by the haters were proven wrong, this makes it up for all the previous disappointments. Tears are real.
On March 06 2022 23:55 fLyiNgDroNe wrote: This IEM couldn't have gone better. 10-0 in maps in his group, 8-0 in series overall Win vs Mary on LAN in BO5 Revenge sweep over Rogue Very close and back and forth grand final series vs Raynor Not only finally got his IEM trophy, but did that without any "gifts", by winning fair and square the hardest opponents in Dark, Maru, Rogue and Raynor in offline setting (so no asterisk to this win) This was a legendary run and damn so impressive. Cemented himself next to Rogue as the only 2 players ever to win both Blizzcon and IEM. And, lastly, so many of fake arguments by the haters were proven wrong, this makes it up for all the previous disappointments. Tears are real.
On March 06 2022 23:55 fLyiNgDroNe wrote: This IEM couldn't have gone better. 10-0 in maps in his group, 8-0 in series overall Win vs Mary on LAN in BO5 Revenge sweep over Rogue Very close and back and forth grand final series vs Raynor Not only finally got his IEM trophy, but did that without any "gifts", by winning fair and square the hardest opponents in Dark, Maru, Rogue and Raynor in offline setting (so no asterisk to this win) This was a legendary run and damn so impressive. Cemented himself next to Rogue as the only 2 players ever to win both Blizzcon and IEM. And, lastly, so many of fake arguments by the haters were proven wrong, this makes it up for all the previous disappointments. Tears are real.
sOs would like a word with you
Ah ofc. Mr. Three World Championship Titles himself! Nice catch!
Kinda crazy to me that Serral is SO good people don't really bother with his fan club anymore. His dominance alone says it all I guess. The absolute GOAT.
On June 25 2017 08:26 ypslala wrote: i agree, Serral is incredibly talented. unbelievable. unreal. Serral will win a lot of tournaments in the future, i am 100% sure.
On June 25 2017 08:26 ypslala wrote: i agree, Serral is incredibly talented. unbelievable. unreal. Serral will win a lot of tournaments in the future, i am 100% sure.
Good call. Made me revisit the first few pages of this thread again. Got goosebumps reading the comments knowing what will happen
On June 25 2017 08:26 ypslala wrote: i agree, Serral is incredibly talented. unbelievable. unreal. Serral will win a lot of tournaments in the future, i am 100% sure.
Good call. Made me revisit the first few pages of this thread again. Got goosebumps reading the comments knowing what will happen
Yeah a real fun trip down memory lane, and some posters can be proud of their prescience!
Hey Serralinhos, I am currently rewriting my GOAT article and while collecting data I stumbled upon an astonishing and amazing anniversary: Serral, after being either rank 1 or 2 since December 2017/List 203, has been the rank 1 player on Aligulac since March 2022/List 314, meaning for 3 years straight. This utterly insane streak was only interrupted by lists 369 and 370, when Serral was marked inactive due to his military service, while being roughly 300 points ahead of Clem and Maru. This is truly an unbelievable feat and is probably only toped by Serral's ridiculous year 2024.
He participated in 4 Premier Tournaments and won 3 of them, placing 2nd in the one he did not win. He had a general match win rate of 88,68% and won 96,30% of his matches versus Koreans! For comparison: Clem and MaxPax came pretty close overall (admittedly while playing much more weeklies with a lot of fodder matches). Clem has 85,90% in general but is utterly behind against Koreans with 75,16%. MaxPax sports an even better 86,33% than Clem and 78,61% versus Koreans. herO has 76,17% and 77,23%, while Maru achieved 74,67% and 79,07%. Comparing Serral to his fellow top 5 players shows how absolutely god like he played last year. For nearly an entire year, he only lost to Clem and he did all that while not being able to practice as much as normally due to his military service. To be honest, I never came across a more dominant individual performance in E-sports over such a long period of time. Just wanted to quickly share these absolutely mind boggling findings. Cheers
On March 22 2025 07:12 PremoBeats wrote: Hey Serralinhos, I am currently rewriting my GOAT article and while collecting data I stumbled upon an astonishing and amazing anniversary: Serral, after being either rank 1 or 2 since December 2017/List 203, has been the rank 1 player on Aligulac since March 2022/List 314, meaning for 3 years straight. This utterly insane streak was only interrupted by lists 369 and 370, when Serral was marked inactive due to his military service, while being roughly 300 points ahead of Clem and Maru. This is truly an unbelievable feat and is probably only toped by Serral's ridiculous year 2024.
He participated in 4 Premier Tournaments and won 3 of them, placing 2nd in the one he did not win. He had a general match win rate of 88,68% and won 96,30% of his matches versus Koreans! For comparison: Clem and MaxPax came pretty close overall (admittedly while playing much more weeklies with a lot of fodder matches). Clem has 85,90% in general but is utterly behind against Koreans with 75,16%. MaxPax sports an even better 86,33% than Clem and 78,61% versus Koreans. herO has 76,17% and 77,23%, while Maru achieved 74,67% and 79,07%. Comparing Serral to his fellow top 5 players shows how absolutely god like he played last year. For nearly an entire year, he only lost to Clem and he did all that while not being able to practice as much as normally due to his military service. To be honest, I never came across a more dominant individual performance in E-sports over such a long period of time. Just wanted to quickly share these absolutely mind boggling findings. Cheers
thanks mate even though I have to admit I'm not suprised.
For other esports I don't really know about as outstanding individuals as serral. But since sc2 is in many aspects arguably the hardest game there is I find his performance to be even more mind boggling.
On March 22 2025 07:12 PremoBeats wrote: Hey Serralinhos, I am currently rewriting my GOAT article and while collecting data I stumbled upon an astonishing and amazing anniversary: Serral, after being either rank 1 or 2 since December 2017/List 203, has been the rank 1 player on Aligulac since March 2022/List 314, meaning for 3 years straight. This utterly insane streak was only interrupted by lists 369 and 370, when Serral was marked inactive due to his military service, while being roughly 300 points ahead of Clem and Maru. This is truly an unbelievable feat and is probably only toped by Serral's ridiculous year 2024.
He participated in 4 Premier Tournaments and won 3 of them, placing 2nd in the one he did not win. He had a general match win rate of 88,68% and won 96,30% of his matches versus Koreans! For comparison: Clem and MaxPax came pretty close overall (admittedly while playing much more weeklies with a lot of fodder matches). Clem has 85,90% in general but is utterly behind against Koreans with 75,16%. MaxPax sports an even better 86,33% than Clem and 78,61% versus Koreans. herO has 76,17% and 77,23%, while Maru achieved 74,67% and 79,07%. Comparing Serral to his fellow top 5 players shows how absolutely god like he played last year. For nearly an entire year, he only lost to Clem and he did all that while not being able to practice as much as normally due to his military service. To be honest, I never came across a more dominant individual performance in E-sports over such a long period of time. Just wanted to quickly share these absolutely mind boggling findings. Cheers
thanks mate even though I have to admit I'm not suprised.
For other esports I don't really know about as outstanding individuals as serral. But since sc2 is in many aspects arguably the hardest game there is I find his performance to be even more mind boggling.
On March 22 2025 07:12 PremoBeats wrote: I never came across a more dominant individual performance in E-sports over such a long period of time.
Just out of curiosity, what about Flash? I'm not really following BW, but if i recall, he also had an insane run before his last retirement.
To be honest, I never analyzed SC/Brood War in the same way that I did SC2. So take the following with a grain of salt:
Leaving aside the obviously flawed comparison because of the different competitive surroundings for both games and the differing eras, from what I can tell according to my limited understanding of BW, Serral's 2024 is completely unparalleled - by far.
Other statistics are pretty interesting to look at too. Flash has a career win rate of over 72%. Serral stands at 79,11%. These numbers are hard to compare, as Serral only went full pro 2017. If we take mid 2017 as a starting date, he is at over 85%. Even only looking at games versus the top Koreans, Serral has over 77%. The guy is simply built differently, as these numbers include many years of playing versus other players that are discussed as GOAT contenders such as INnoVation, Maru and Rogue. Both, Flash and Serral dominated several metas and adapted to changes that were mostly targeted at their play styles. They both were either the best or 2nd best player after gaining momentum, in each respective year they played the game. On Flash's Liquipedia page, it says that he has a 17 win streak in Pro League. Serral's longest winning streaks against Koreans in competitive SC2 are 27 (2024-2025), 19 (2023) and 18 (2018-2019). Comparing their Premier League titles: Serral has 27 (17 if you only count the ones with top Koreans included), Flash sits at 14. A lot of context is missing from these numbers, but for what they are worth, I hope they answer the question more or less.
On May 08 2025 13:58 CicadaSC wrote: Do you think he will be the favorite at EWC? Assuming he qualifies of course
Hmm. Hard to say... until lately, Serral was the guy to beat and has been the undisputed favorite going into each tournament for the past 3 years. I think, the first part has not changed. In regards to the latter, I believe he still is the favorite, but not undisputed anymore.
Clem's consistency seems to have gone up from former years, although he still didn't make groups at MC8 in January. Clem still loses to more players than Serral, but I think these two are the ones I'd bet my money on at the moment. Dark and MaxPax, who were able to beat Serral this year, will probably not participate. So the only four that could kick Serral out except Clem in the knockout stage in my opinion, are her0, Solar, Reynor and Shin with very little likelihood. Offline, no one except Clem was able to beat Serral since Solar in August 2023 in Riyad, so that says a lot about the Finnish offline beast (although her0 came pretty close last EWC).
I predict that either Clem or Serral will win, depending on the tournament structure with higher or lower ratios (if they make Bo7s in the quarter and semis, both of their chances will be higher, as more games mean less luck/cheese chances) and their knockout match will probably be the early final.
EPT![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/56jyI7K.jpg)
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ENCE eSports
DnS 2-1, but losing against 
VortiX and 
MarineLorD 0-2. (February 16th)![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/TMwwGgm.jpg)
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Serral showed really great games yesterday and great strategies againts Harshem.
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, hang out with the koreans, while Serral could only play ladder games and go home. It's more entertaining story than serious report. Details may be exaggerated, but the fact should be trustworthy.
Excited for tomorrows games, but Serral already showed what everyone wanted to see, the outcome of the finals doesn´t matter that much (at least for me). ![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/m8S7StT.jpg)
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StayAtHomestory Cup/2).![[image loading]](https://sportsbet.imgix.net/news/1A%20Sports/StarCraft-SerralNumberOne.jpg?w=1200&auto=compress,enhance,format)
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