- I know that this is your fifth time at Gwangallii. Do you have anything special to share?
▲ BoxeR: I think I'm quite lucky. After I went to the military, SK Telecom didn't go to Gwangallii for two years, but as soon as I was released and joined them again, we went to Gwangallii for two years in a row. If you look at that, I think I'm extremely lucky.

- It's iloveoov's second time going to Gwangallii as a coach.
▲ iloveoov: I thought it would be difficult this year to make it to Gwangallii. That's because if you don’t make it there with a direct ticket by getting first place in the regular season, you need to struggle to get there like we did. I haven't counted exactly how many but it seems as if we played about 50 games during this post season. It was really difficult preparing for them to the point where we all got a lot more sensitive.



- I think SK Telecom showed a really strong side during the post season.
▲ iloveoov: The fact that we are climbing up from the bottom means that we always have to worry about being eliminated. Because we continually played in ace matches that looked like we could win or lose on our way to the finals, this has become an extremely strong weapon for us even though it was dangerous. Haven't we all won and lost? There isn't a single player who won every game this post season. And I think this "I lost" experience is extremely important. In case of Bisu, he had lost a game that he had won against Kal by going too far, and I think this has become a good medicine for him for the finals. Because no one has their guards down in regards to the game, we are more confident this year than we were last year.

▲ BoxeR: Because last year, we won the regular season and got a direct ticket, we prepared comfortably while waiting, but this time, we had to climb with extreme difficulty all the way up from the round of 6 playoffs. During this process, many players have sacrificed quite a bit because they prioritized the Proleague. They prepared and did everything without us asking them to, so I was quite proud of them.

- You've finally gotten a chance to duel KT again in Gwangallii after five years. There's a lot of expectations.
▲ BoxeR: KT has an negative jinx associated with them in the finals, and in the meanwhile, our team has quite a good winning record in the finals. Also, nearly everyone on our team has experience standing in the stage of Gwangallii, but on the other handAs the generation changed, KT lost a lot of the players who once stood in Gwangallii. There is a huge difference playing a game in front of the biggest audience.

▲ iloveoov: We're even more confident because it's KT. If we look at KT's record without Flash, their record is similar to the teams ranked in the lower half. From the perspective from our team, it feels as if we're playing a poorly ranked team, with Flash simply added on. Of course, there are players in KT that did well whenever they faced us, so that could be a twist, but there's only two things we see in KT. Flash is half, and the rest is the other half. In the end what's important is not our opponent but us not letting our guards down.

▲ BoxeR: I referred to the jinx before, but I hope KT isn't a team that would be swept by a jinx like that. I don’t want to hear anything like "There was nothing to eat in that really hyped up banquet". I hope there'll be plenty to eat in this hyped up banquet. Whoever wins, it should be winning through a really cutthroat series of close matches. I think that'll be the best for the fans, and even from our perspective, wouldn't the taste of victory be sweet only after beating a team that can put up a fight?

- While I can agree to an extent with iloveoov's "Flash is half of KT", but it sounds like it's just another iloveoov outburst. I remember last year's outburst, "SK Telecom needs to win for the development of eSports" was a statement that shook the industry even after the finals all throughout the year.
▲ iloveoov: I remember doing an interview with Fomos's reporter Shim Hyun, and after that interview went out, a lot of people angrily responded "So you're saying Hwaseung can't win because they aren't as popular and they don't have many fans?", but I didn't mean it like that. Because I ended it in one statement, I knew that there would be misunderstandings, but it was a lot worse than I had expected. The statement that "SK Telecom needs to win for the development of eSports" is still valid. During that time, how many players did Hwaseung have, and how many coaches did they have? In contrast, our team had a coach for every race, and the same thing with players. If it's under the same conditions, and the team who receives the smallest support and the greatest support face one another, if the team that has better paid players and the team that was better supported didn't win, isn't that something that is difficult to understand in the perspective of the corporation? If a team that has operation costs of 100,000,000 won beats a team that has operation costs of 1,000,000,000 won, what kind of idiot would invest 1,000,000,000 won in this industry? It's the same context as Airforce Ace, who doesn't receive a salary, not being able to beat a team sponsored by a corporation. I don't know how it would look to people who watch, but it could be an extremely serious problem for people who are heavily involved. I also said to people that "If we lose this game, we need to retire. This is a final that our lives depend upon". While the statement was meant to provoke, but it was also meant to burn the bridges so we have nowhere to retreat. If I made that statement and lost, how could I still be working and be honorable?



- Then we congratulate you for winning for last year, thankfully, or if we follow iloveoov's argument, "obviously". It's a bit result driven, but I think the fact that the two teams with the largest coaching staffs are in the finals supports your argument.
▲ iloveoov: I used to be a player but to be honest it's overwhelming just being in charge of the Terran lineup. I think coaching staff needs to be established on each team. There're a lot of issues with the current system. I've been arguing for a best out of seven in the regular season, and that's because the current best out of five system does not allow players who are at the bottom to go out to play. If all you need is two good players to win, why would we use new players? Coach's job does involve creating ace players, but it's also important to raise young players. But currently there aren't many opportunities to check a player's skill even though you know how skilled they are. This problem needs to be fixed before companies continue to invest in eSports.

- It looks like your bonjwa force hasn't died yet. So now, let's now go back to talking about the finals. KT has the "Ultimate Weapon", Flash. How do you rate Flash as a Terran?
▲ I had told Fantasy that "Your rival is Flash" a long time ago. In the long run, he needs to be able to beat Flash like I have beaten NaDa. Of course, I can only bring Fantasy to the front of the door. Whether or not the door opens is up to him.

- So Flash is really that great? Can I interpret it like that?
▲ I think he has the ideal mindset as a Progamer that I've been thinking about. There aren't many players who set strategic moves, and in the case of Flash, I think he's looking about 10 games ahead. He's different from players who receive quite a shock after losing one match. Even if he's not really like that, it's important that he made himself look like that. In the past, I have also experienced the so called "Fourth Dimensional Wall" [T/N: Insurmountable wall] when playing against certain players, but on the outside, I pretended that I lost accidentally and that I was strong. Because I kept playing like that, I was able to beat that opponent and overcome him. I like that part about Flash and I think his focus and adaptability is extremely good. If I had to pick a player that I want to develop outside of my team, you can say that Flash is rank 0. He's that tempting. Because I used to play Terran, I'm able to somehow rate him, and I don't know about other races but from what I see, I think that Flash has the best mindset as a player currently.



- Manager Park Yong Woon referred to the coaching staff as "Magic". What do you think?
▲ Boxer: I think that he meant it symbolically since the Gwangallii Finals are in front of us. From the perspective of the other team, I think is planting an image that we will somehow win.

- Out of the four "Magic" referred to, BoxeR was the only player in there. I don't think it's a purely positive thing to hear things like that as a player.
▲ BoxeR: Personally I wanted to play in a lot of games, but I didn't think it was something I could be greedy about. We talked about sacrifices made by the players earlier, and everyone is sacrificing something for the team. I also had to give up something for the team. The team went in the direction we want it to for now and there's one win left before the plan reaches fruition.

- There were a lot of things said by the fans regarding you not playing in the matches.
▲ BoxeR: If I look back the last ten years, I think this is the first time I've been criticized so much. "He's not playing in any matches", and so I only show up through miscellaneous news events. And it was really difficult when I thought that the fans that have trusted me are slowly leaving one by one. While there are a lot of things the fans were misunderstanding, I remained patient. Anyway, I wonder if I should show my ambition next season. If my life as a player ends like this, I'm left with a lot of disappointments. I'm ambitious to be successful as a Progamer in his 30s, and there are still a lot of thoughts about the matches in my head. But for now, what's important is that we win, not who gets to play. While I can't stop what the fans say, I sincerely hope they stop talking about retirement.

- We understand. Can you give us one last statement about the Gwangallii finals?
▲ BoxeR: First, I'm looking forward to it. We climbed all the way here from the round of 6 playoffs to the finals, and we will be the first team to win after going through it all. I think it'll be another stepping stone so that we can rule over as the strongest team after the "Over Triple Crown". It's an important point in time in many different kinds of ways, and personally I hope we win easily, but, because of everyone else, I hope we have a very dramatic series of close matches that the fans hope for even if it means we'll have to win with great difficulty.

▲ MBCGame's Manager Ha Tae Gi - SKT will win
▲ Hwaseung's Manager Cho Jeong Woong - If nothing extraordinary happens, SKT will win.
▲ WeMade's Manager Kim Yang Joong - SKT will be dominant. They will win 4:2
▲ Estro's Manager Kim Hyun Jin - SKT will be dominant. They will win 4:2
▲ CJ's Temporary Manager Kim Dong Woo - Carefully predicts SKT will win.
▲ Hite's Coach Joo Jin Cheol - SKT will win, 4:2.
▲ MBC Commentator Han Seung Yup - SKT will win 4:2

There are three reasons emphasized by people who are predicting SKT's victory. The first reason is that KT is at a disadvantage because they haven't played in a match for some time now. Manager Ha comments that "Unlike SK Telecom who has been constantly playing and has kept their game sense alive, I'm certain that KT will have lost a lot of their game sense". Indeed, he believes that KT is innately disadvantaged simply because it's been a long time since they played in a match, while SKT has been sharpening their blades, gaining valuable experience on playing under heavy pressure.

Speaking of experience, that's another thing. Hwaseung's manager Cho has pointed out that, SKT's lineup isn't that different from last year when they emerged victorious. Manager Cho and Hite's coach Joo emphasizes the fact that while SKT has stood in the stage at Gwangalli before, KT's players have little experience at such a big stage. This experience should tilt the balance in favor of SKT.

WeMade's Manager brings Flash on the table. Has Flash recovered from his Round 5 performance? He believes that SKT will win easily if Flash has not fully recovered. KT's success will depend on Flash. Jaedong has stated similar sentiments in a past article.

They do admit that there could be unexpected events. MBC's Commentator Han points out that if the "T1 Zergs" play on the field and are unable to obtain a single victory, this could change everything. Indeed, many of these predictions seem to count on the fact that the "T1 Zergs" will be able to perform and not just Hyuk away the entire team into defeat.



▲ Samsung's Manager January - The entry battles will be very cutthorat.
▲ Airforce's Manager Park Dae Gyung - Difficult to predict. If KT wins, 4:3. If SK Telecom wins, 4:2.
▲ MBC Commentator Lee Seung Won - Protoss line will be key, KT 4:2 or SKT 4:3

January emphasizes that there will be a fierce entry match even before the game begins. While she highlights maps such as Judgment Day could be painful for KT, she believes the key aspect would be the condition of Violet, Stats, and fOrGG and how well they perform, given that Flash automatically wins. Meanwhile, she believes that SK Telecom will mix in some unusual entries, with the T1 Zergs sent out to snipe the KT Protoss, or BeSt being sent out to snipe a Terran player. Meanwhile, she believes that because Bisu has been picky about his map entries, he'll be prone to sniping.

Meanwhile, MBC's Commentator Lee believes that the Protoss lines will be the key to success for either teams. That is, it'll depend on how well Stats and Violet is able to do against Best, Bisu, and Fantasy. These matchups will decide how the game flows.





▲ STX's Manager Kim Eun Dong - It'll be close, but KT will win 4:3
▲ Woongjin's Manager Lee Jae Gyoon - KT will win 4:3 after a close battle.
▲ OGN Commentator Kim Carrier: KT will win 4:3
▲ OGN Commentator Kingdom: KT will win 4:2

Woongjin's Manager argues that SKT has already revealed their full potential while playing through the post season games. KT, then, should have an advantage, not only do they know their opponents, but they have hidden themselves fairly well. He also responds to the comments that SK Telecom has an advantage due to being able to keep their game sense alive through playing games. He points out that, SK Telecom likely have picked up quite a bit of fatigue while climbing their way to the top, meaning that it's not an absolute advantage. Kim Carrier echoes this sentiment. SK Telecom had to pour everything into every single one of their games as they often went to Ace matches. KT not only had the chance to analyze their play, but will be better rested. The interesting thing is that Kim Carrier has switched his position from his initial prediction that SKT will win. How will the curse apply now?

Finally, Kingdom gives us a detailed run down on how believes the entries will be set.

Set 1 - New Heartbreak Ridge - Violet vs Hyuk
Set 2 - Polaris Rhapsody - Flash vs Bisu
Set 3 - Fortress - HoeJJa vs BeSt
Set 4 - Grand Line SE - fOrGG vs Canata
Set 5 - Match Point - Tempest vs Fantasy
Set 6 - Judgment Day - Stats vs s2
Set 7 - Fighting Spirit - Flash vs Fantasy or BeSt

Kingdom believes that KT will send out sniping cards in Sets 1, 3 and 5, while sending out players strong at the respective maps in Sets 2, 4, and 6 and control the pace of the games. In the meanwhile SK Telecom will send out Hyuk in the first set, as Hyuk has been doing poorly, and because Bisu has mostly been playing on Fighting Spirit, he'll be playing on the second set. The score will be 3:2 in KT's favor by Set 5, and either Stats or Flash should be able to finish the sets.

If this were any other day then KT could take this. Unfortunately for them, this is an actual PL finals. KT is born to get silver medals when it comes to these. In addition, their team doesn't have the actual experience when it comes to high-stakes matters like these. As spectators, we also get to see just which team has the worst zergs in the league as both KT Zergs and T1 Zergs are notorious for failure. Speaking of failure, we also have the potential for even more should Bisu play a PvT. Hopefully, this series isn't a borefest as it does have the potential for some exciting games. Best vs Flash PvT or Fantasy infused with Boxer/Oov TvT vs Flash should be just what the doctor ordered.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to say FU to KT for thumbs downing Outsider. Jerks. However, it wouldn't be fair to just criticize KT as T1 has also been thumbs downing Outsider during the playoffs so a plague on both their houses.

---

Now, let's get some real hype going on. Interviews are a great way to build hype and today is no exception. Today is even more special as we have a rematch in Roffles vs Carnivorous Sheep. Now, some of may notice Cheep's icon is STX but that is really all a lie as he is just a fake STX fan. (STX fans don't actually exist and his profile has KTF in it and not STX so he's clearly a KTF fan at heart.)

Hi guys! Tonight marks the culmination of a long and grueling PL season. Just how pumped are you two?

Carnivorous Sheep: T1 is scum. Yellow and Reach will secretly play for KT and crush Bisu and Fantasy. KTF is back to its former glory and I get to laugh at Roffles and every other T1 fanboy. Delicious tears incoming.

Roffles: Really pumped. This might be the last time we see PL Playoffs, so of course I'm excited. Plus, it's got two legendary teams scheduled. SKT, the legendary champions with our favorite heroes Oov and Boxer, and KT, legendary losers taking after the King of Silvers, Yellow.



Kim Carrier has predicted KT. Are T1 fans breaking out the champagne while KT fans wallow in despair?

Carnivorous Sheep: Kim Carrier also predicted Jaedong two MSLs ago, so pfft. Flash will learn from his mistakes and plant a heater in SKT's booth.

Roffles: Kim Carrier predictions make Konadora LR thread predictions look good. KT fans might as well give up, cause Kim Carrier's been right like a total of 2 times or something. Plus, these days he just tries to get it wrong to preserve his streak, so you know deep down inside he knows SKT's gonna win.

KT thumbs downed Outsider. To use Oov's own words, are they stumping the development of E-sports? After all, Outsider is the map that everyone loves and it always provides the greatest games.

Carnivorous Sheep: KTF would never do something like that. Stupid KTFlash...

But seriously it's a stupid decision. It's not like anyone on SKT has been practicing for Outsider, so they just sent Bisu the only time it was there. Might as have kept it there and forced SKT to devote time to practicing a new map. But I suppose KT was simply looking out for the interests of e-sports in their own way - Bisu losing in embarrassing fashion again would probably make some fanboys rage, so for the greater good, KT decided to spare Bisu the embarrassment. We're so nice.

Roffles: Plain and simple, KT sucks, doesn't like eSPORTS, and doesn't like great games. But to be honest, their lineup is full of losers, so it doesn't matter what map they pick cause they'll lose anyways.

Will we see T1 zergs hyuk themselves as per usual? Maybe we will even see Soo crushing Flash. One never can tell with T1 zergs. Will T1 even send out multiple zergs?

Carnivorous Sheep: T1 will probably send out 3 Zergs in the hopes of catching Violet or Hoejja or something like that. As for the results, well I don't think anyone can predict anything with certainty when Hyuk is involved. But then again I would love for the SKT Zergs to win so I can make fun of Roffles for SKZ1 again.

Roffles: Hyuk > Flash on Blue Storm. He'll make it happen again.

The ace map is Fighting Spirit. Should it get there, what can we expect? FS is a well-balanced map that has been overplayed so it's pretty hard to expect something new at this point. What can we expect at this point?

Carnivorous Sheep: Bisu to be sent out and then roflstomped by 216 Turrets from Flash. I predict Bisu to lose 14 Carriers to turrets alone. Bisu can probably be replaced with Best. I doubt they'll send fantasy, since he's a scrub who got raped by Bogus.

Roffles: Fighting Spirit's a pretty balanced map, which gives us a lot of possibilities. However, unlike KT, SKT has multiple Aces in Bisu/Best/Fantasy, and the latter two can definitely take games off KTFlash. KT on the other hand is pretty much a one man team with some boneheaded lackeys around their centerpiece Flash. But Flash has shown us that he's incapable of winning when it counts (0-5 R5 Ace Matches), so I don't believe it'll be much of an issue for SKT if it gets to an Ace match.



ForGG is an amazing 5-0 vs Bisu. To make matters worse, Bisu's pvt makes Bisu look like more of a giant pretender compared to other Protoss's PvT. Can we expect to see this record go to 6-0 should they meet up?

Carnivorous Sheep: I predict Bisu to lose at least one game, and 2 if he gets sent out twice. If one of them is sent out against Forgg, then yes, Bisu will be cheesed to death, and Roffles will say "fuck Terran." While I echo the latter sentiment, I will also feast on Roffles' tears.

Roffles: This won't be much of an issue cause KT's coach won't be good enough to snipe anyways. Using ForGG to snipe anyone is like using Rock to snipe someone. ForGG and Rock are equally as bad, but even bad players have their shining moments (Rock > JD).

Obviously, Boxer and Oov have been preparing something as this is the Grand Finals. When Boxer and Oov spend their time preparing, some amazing builds and strategies can happen. I'm sure that Oov himself has eaten multiple plantations worth of bananas while waiting for the Grand Finals. Any ideas on what builds they might think of?

Carnivorous Sheep: We'll probably see another carefully designed build involving one of everything, a lot of Valkyries, that dismantles the natural of some poor Zerg, and then proceed to lose to a batch of Mutalisks. Standard Boxer build imo.

Roffles: Who knows? Whatever they think of, all I know is at the end of the day, KT's gonna be crying cause once again they'll be stopped by the great legends Oov and Boxer. KT's never had success against SKT, and aside from Flash, they've given us no reason to believe that their Finals drought will end tonight. As long as SKT's masterminds are at the helm, KT shall always lose to SKT.

Finally, any words for each other? Last time, Roffles spanked Cheep pretty hard in both words and the games themselves. Are we going to see a repeat of that again? Is Cheep going to find a way to dodge after the finals are over? Will Roffles ever stop being so ngreez?

Carnivorous Sheep: Roffles is the true dodger here, the chobo still has yet to go dance. And SKT got lucky. By playing a Terran in both ace matches, they automatically gave themselves a 80% chance of winning right off the bat, cause Terran imba amirite? We'll get our revenge when Calm 3-1's fantasy and then wins another MSL. And this time, the spirit of YellOw/Reach/Ra/Chojja will descend upon KT and temporarily transform the failure that is KTFlash into the glory that is KTF to get our long deserved championship. SKT then mass suicides by drowning, and the world rejoices.

Roffles: I killed Cheep last time, it wasn't even funny. His team is complete garbage, and let's face it, they're not any good. Plus, I probably spanked him this time as well cause he doesn't even like KT. SKT is made of legends. KT is made of losers. Oov 5-0 Finals, Yellow 0-5 Finals. I believe that's all I have to say. SKT knows how to win. KT does not. KT's streak of second places shall continue on.

It's a privilege to be here, penning these words on the eve of another Proleague Grand Final. This time last year, myself and other SKT T1 fans waited with baited breath as our team played the series of their lives. Jung Laden, the young guerilla, stood up to the mighty Lee Jaedong in an ace match, the match of his life, and certainly the match of mine.


As this went down last year, I will readily admit that I was on my feet, simultaneously spamming IRC and screaming at my screen. Fantasy was doing it. He was doing it. On the grandest of stages, with everything on the line, the kid was proxying the greatest Zerg in the world. I thought my head would explode. It almost did.

Last year, my fandom erupted in a TLFE that extolled SKT T1, and rightly so. Now, a year later, I expect nothing but the best from SKT. When the playoffs started, I said SKT would win Proleague. They're in Pusan this evening to do just that. Good luck KT fans - you're gonna need all of it when you face our wrecking crew tonight!

That said, the PL coverage team has done a fantastic job putting this post together, and I'd like to congratulate all our writers, translators and artists for making this update, and all the updates this year, truly amazing. You guys own.

Here's to an evening of great games, good sportsmanship, and memories we will carry with us for years to come! That said, I do pity the fools who dare come to Pusan to face the very Masters of the Universe. Come and meet your fate. See you there, TL!

Gather round and huddle tight, children, find a comfortable spot and put on your listening caps. I am pangshai, and tonight, I will be relating a most interesting story. This story isn't all glitzy, razzle-dazzle hollywood, with lies, deceit, and treachery, but neither is it about unicorns, rainbows, or fantasy. It lacks the wisdom and analysis of statistics, forgoes the excitement and emotion of fresh news, and ignores the thrill and trepidation of a traditional battle report. Tonight, we have a story, a rendition of a simple, heart-warming tale of a man, his relentless dedication to his art, and burning passion for his craft.

To begin this story, it is important to first bring you through the events, from the humble beginnings of this season's proleague coverage to where we are now. Then, riptide helmed a small outfit comprising heyoka and I, and things were hectic, yet cosy, in our little corner of the newsroom. However, with our sights set on the unsatisfyingly elementary task of world domination, we expanded our numbers, and leadership of this motley crew even swapped hands multiple times, first passing on to me, then heyoka, and finally snowdrift. Alas, as much as I want it to be, this story is not about me, or any of the individuals listed.

Instead, this story is about the man who has been with us the entire time, working silently from the shadows, toiling hard behind the scenes, and because of this, is cloaked in mystery to the average TL netizen. This individual (you might be familiar with his name - it appears at the bottom of all proleague posts in immensely small font) is a true veteran of proleague coverage, surviving all 5 rounds of the season without breaking a sweat - to put it in starcraft terms, he is like Zeratul, wise, dependable, ancient, and he is none other than our gfx artist, Keit.


One thing about our gfx staff is that they don't quite get the recognition that they deserve. Oftentimes, the time taken to design the perfect banner, frontpage splash, or even bite-sized morsels within articles, is significantly greater than us laymen think, but the result is always the same - the picture complements the writing flawlessly, completing, and bringing the entire piece to life, much like dotting the eyes of a proverbial dragon. The work that the gfx staff produce is of top notch quality, absolutely amazing, and orgasm inducing.

If I may respectfully suggest, this probably goes doubly so for Keit, whose innovation and creativity astounds me weekly. His ability to turn vague ideas and short phrases into vivid pictorial representations far surpasses that of mere mortals, but what truly distinguishes him is the fact that he draws up a new frontpage image every week. That means over the course of the season, he's drawn no less than 40 images.

There is really plenty more to say about Keit, but you know, a picture is worth a thousand words. Thus, I present, the story of Keit, a recounting of the man's journey through the 09-10 proleague season in pictures. From the rustic charm of "Rumours of War" to the psychedelic colours of "The Great Equaliser," this album is pleasing on the eyes in more ways than one.

+ Show Spoiler +
Now, to share Keit's awe-inspiring work with everyone, the proleague coverage team has convinced/coerced him (like the slave drivers we are), to turn one of these images into a wallpaper. In the following poll, we have narrowed down some of the available options for voting, and the winner of the poll will be wallpapered. Before that though, let us all join in and collectively give a huge thank you to keit for contributing monumentally to proleague coverage this season. Keit, have I ever mentioned you're awesome?

+ Show Spoiler [Poll options] +