God of the Battlefield: Part 2 - Page 6

Before we released God of the Battlefield: Part 1, we wondered if it was a wise decision. While no one could question the quality of the article Ver had written, we had to consider the risk of glorifying one of the most loathsome individuals in e-Sports history by releasing an article focused on only his positive aspects.

Thankfully, most of our readers reacted to Part 1 in an intelligent, discerning manner, and were capable of keeping Savior's in-game brilliance in perspective with his out-of-game crimes. While match-fixing still hurts Brood War to this day, and some shameless Savior apologists remain, we believe the majority of our readers are mature enough to appreciate Ver's work in in an appropriate way.

During 2006-2007, Ma Jae Yoon (aka Savior) was the best Brood War player in the world. Not only did he win multiple championships, but he dominated his opposition in a way that had never been seen for the Zerg race. His play captivated the hearts of countless fans, and even the staunchest critics were forced to admit that he was one of the greatest of all time.

His career began on a sharp decline in March 2007, after a loss to Kim Taek Yong (Bisu) in the MSL Final. Though he would retain the loyalty and support of many fans - and occasionally show them flashes of his past brilliance - he would never challenge for a title again.

In 2010, Savior was implicated in one of the most devastating events in e-Sports history, the pro-gamer match fixing scandal. Nearly a dozen progamers had received bribes to intentionally lose their matches, which were bet upon by a handful of shady parties on illegal e-Sports gambling websites. Korean courts found Savior guilty of being a broker, a middle-man between the gamblers and the bribed progamers, though it is suspected that he may have been more directly involved as well.

Savior was sentenced to one year in prison (this sentence has been suspended for 2 years; sentencing occurred in May 2010). Furthermore, all of the progamers implicated were given life-time competition bans by KeSPA (the governing body for BW e-Sports in Korea). GomTV has stated that the banned players are also barred from competing in their StarCraft II leagues.

Though Savior seriously undermined the institution of e-Sports through his despicable crimes, it is possible to separate his faults as a human being from his accomplishments as a player. Though he was rightfully banned from playing the game that brought him fame and fortune, it is undeniable that he was one of the most brilliant RTS players in history, and that he left a significant, lasting mark on the way the Brood War is played.


- Waxangel