As seems to be customary by now, we arrive at the MSL finals with the two most dominant players in recent memory set to further expand their rivalry. It’s certainly not coincidence that Flash and Jaedong are playing in their third consecutive MSL finals, and the outcome is likely to be as difficult to predict as that of the others were. As both players have mentioned in interviews, they split the last two MSLs and aim to settle the score this time around. But that’s just the beginning of what they’re playing for. Jaedong, of course, stands to get revenge for the embarrassing 0-3 loss last season – a score that was clearly not indicative of his actual skill level. On the other side, Flash has to back up the two teamkills he was forced to commit on his way here. Only adding to this pressure, both players have important OSL matches the day before the finals to practice for.

But this still promises to be an amazing match. With their tough semifinal challenges out of the way, and quite a few impressive games behind them as a result, it’s clear that each is in great condition. Despite Flash’s shaky Proleague play earlier this summer, he was able to pull it together and ever since the PL finals has looked like his usual unstoppable self. Jaedong has been in arguably better shape (enough so that even that dastardly Plexa had to put him back atop the PR!), and there’s certainly something to say for being the only Zerg able to handle Terran players’ trickery on this current map pool. If his many games against Sea and Light are any indication, Jaedong should perform well versus anything Flash has prepared. Look for Flash to go up early though: 2-0 is pretty likely considering the first two maps. From there on you have to believe Jaedong will find it in him to turn on his death glare and take the series the distance, eventually winning in five. Considering Jaedong’s inspired ZvT play on Triathlon, and Flash’s perfect record on the map, it promises to be the game to watch for.

- This is the 3rd MSL against Jaedong.
▲ I'm trying to relax. Playing with Jaedong hyung is very fun. Jaedong said in his interview that he'll prepare as a challenge, so I think I will do the same. In a rivalry, letting the guard down leads to losing.

- It's the 3rd Lee-Ssang-Rok in a row.
▲ MBCGame probably didn't know it would turn out like this. I hope the fans don't criticize making brackets based on rankings too much.

- You lost in the WCG Korea Finals
▲ I lost but I didn't feel bad. Since I would go to LA either way, I could play without any pressure. I didn't play well and lost, but I gained confidence through those games.

- You look especially happy when you play against Jaedong
▲ I think it's because he's a player I respect. I get more excited than when I play against other players. It's fun preparing a match thinking about the rivalry.

- You two are 1:1 in the last 2 finals
▲ I don't want to put everything on the line. We put everything on the line in the two past finals and the player that lost lost everything. I don't want it to be like that this time. Since we'll meet each other more in the future, I want to play without any pressure.

- Are you confident that you'll win?
▲ I think it's 50-50. I have momentum, but Jaedong has more experiences in the matchup. I don't think there's much difference in our momentum anyway, so I think it will be 50-50. When we play against each other it's always 50-50.

- People say the maps favor Terran
▲ That is true, but I don't think it will apply for this finals. Jaedong beat Terran players to get to the finals, and I think maps are no longer a factor between us.

- Wouldn't it be difficult playing right after you get back from OSL match in Busan?
▲ It happened because I'm doing well. That's why I'm happy about it. I want to play with a positive mindset.

- The OSL finals will be in Shanghai
▲ I really want to go. I usually don't complain about maps, but Flight-Dreamliner is really difficult. I already half gave up on making it to the finals since I'm going in with one loss thanks to that map. I'm glad I met a Terran in the round of 8. I would have lost right away if I was playing against Jaedong.

- A word to your fans
▲ I usually say before a finals that I don't want to lose, but this time I want to enjoy it. I learned that my skills are shown 200% when I enjoy the games that I play through the semifinals. I learned how scary a player that enjoys playing can be. I think this finals is also a part of my evolution. My goal is to be remembered as the best player at the end of e-sports, so I will play this finals without any pressure.

Source: http://www.fomos.kr/board/board.php?mode=read&keyno=110168&db=issue&cate=&page=1&field=&kwrd=

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- How do you feel about meeting Flash again in the finals
▲ I don't particularly feel anything (laughs). I'm thinking, "Again?". I was expecting it somewhat after seeing the Ro8 brackets. I thought I would have a hard time this season getting to the finals, and now that I'm here, I'm up against Flash as expected.

- Truthfully, the last finals was disappointing.
▲ I tried to enjoy the WCG games. I agree that the past MSL finals have been disappointing. Everyone had great expectations, but the games did not meet them. I want this finals to be different. I want it to have great, fun games. Last season, because I lost so easily... (laughs). I will try my best this time to win with style.

- You seem to be in so many individual league finals. What's your secret?
▲ I don't know. There is no secret. I have my own know-how's, but nothing special. I just practice really hard, and try harder than anyone else, without slacking. I think my hard work is showing. My only secret is to consistently work hard.

- There were a lot of things to be earned last finals, but you didn't win.
▲ 6 individual titles, and the MSL golden badge were on the line. It's true that I should grasp this opportunity. I want to play without regrets. A finals without disappointments.

- You must have felt bad after losing 0:3 last season
▲ I was very disappointed. I think Flash tried harder than me that time. I was able to get rid of the disappointment quickly thinking that. I was sad that I was not able to meet my fans' expectations. I don't want to disappoint them again.

- What has changed since then?
▲ If I had to name one, I wasn't in OSL that season (laughs). Last season Flash was in both finals. This time, we're in almost the same situation. I can't feel any difference between us. We both have to go down to play the OSL match the day before too (laughs).

- You won against Light in the semifinals, but it wasn't an easy match.
▲ I won the match, but I lost to him in the long match. I need to improve my late game management. I need to make less mistakes and change myself. I learned a lot from the semifinals match, even though I won.

- Long matches against Flash will be tough
▲ Lately, it is very difficult as Zerg to play long matches against Terran since Terran can use many different variations of play. As a Zerg, it's very difficult to practice. The matchup has changed a lot. I need to concentrate my practice on that. Since Flash has better late game than other Terrans, it won't be easy.

- Polaris Rhapsody is played for 1st and 5th set.
▲ I played a lot of Terran players on Polaris Rhapsody. I practiced hard every time, but I met the best Terran this time. I'll need to practice with a new mindset. I'm a little worried, but I will use the remaining time wisely and use my experience to prepare.

- Have you talked about MSL when you met Flash in WCG Korea Finals?
▲ We usually don't talk about the game. We talk a lot about other issues.

- You're playing in OSL Ro8 the day before at Busan.
▲ I'm not worried, since Flash is in the same situation. I'll need to concentrating on keeping a good condition.

- Your determination for the MSL Finals?
▲ I think a lot of people are predicting Flash to win. I think this is better for me. It's less pressure. I think I can show a game better than the expectations. I disappointed my fans last season, so I want to play better than their expectations this time.

Source: http://www.fomos.kr/board/board.php?mode=read&keyno=110169&db=issue&cate=&page=1&field=&kwrd=

Polaris is a map that gives Terrans many options and no early disadvantages, and thus has been a favorable home to Terrans so far due the very favorable strategical situation. The map is by no means depleted of potential ideas, so rather than worrying about a possible imbalance, the question is, can Jaedong find the answers to the large quantity of strategies that Flash might employ?

As this is a 2 player map, Flash will most likely make use of the ability to safely go 14cc. Flash has opened both straight up mech and a Valkyrie -> bio -> mech transition in his only two games here, but these are by no means the only option he has. Considering this is game 1 of the finals, Flash will likely employ a one-time use stratagem or new idea to seize the initiative.

Jaedong's preference on Polaris against bio -> mech, when not trying to allin Light, is to make a semi-allin timing attack when the Terran is still converting into mech and trying to secure the 3rd and 4th bases. It worked against Flash's sloppy play but failed against Sea: the reason is mostly because oftheir choice of expansions. What most effects Polaris is how the Terran chooses to expand. The 2 corner expansions are harder to hold and harder to take, so if the Terran can take them midgame and not fall too far behind, he will have an ironclad lategame advantage in being able to take and deny his 5th/6th. With the opposite approach, the Terran has a flawless middlegame but can run into serious issues trying to take the double gas expansion. Plus it is completely infeasible to deny it until very late as it is simply so far away. Against Flash's more vulnerable midgame position, Jaedong's timing attack worked well, while it couldn't breach Sea's defenses at the strongest area.

The most likely scenario is that Jaedong is either unprepared to fight against a new idea. It is possible that Jaedong will try to catch Flash off guard like he did Light, but that is doubtful given his overall history against Flash and his respect for Flash's defense.


While nowhere near the monstrosity the original was, Odd Eye is still far from easy for Zergs. The biggest obstacle Jaedong faces on this tough map is the sheer range of strategies Flash can use fueled by a safe 14cc. Anything is more than viable for Terran here, so whether he will exploit the weakness Jaedong showed against Light and open mech, choose one of a dozen possible transitions, an aggressive midgame bio build, or sticking with bio is totally unclear. Overall, Jaedong seems to feel most comfortable taking a risk, but via an allin, early on or in the midgame trying to get a comfortable position for later on. If the Zerg can seize that advantage they do end up in quite a good position for the mid-late game. It's unlikely he can trick Flash like he did Sea given the former's game sense or with the aggressive hydra attack he attempted against Light, but Jaedong might have another ploy up his sleeve.

In the event of mech play or a transition, Jaedong has the interesting option he showed against Midas of defending with lurker/swarm while going for early drops. With Flash's preference for defense over a timing attack it is unlikely the outcome will be the same, but the threat of the quick drop is not negligible at all and he might be able to use it to improve his overall position.


In contrast to PR and Triathlon, Fighting Spirit has been played out and explored to its boundaries. Flash might change his plan, but more than likely he will either try to seize some kind of midgame advantage like their OSL game half a year ago, or just play a standard timing attack into that he surely feels confident in after his win on Grand Line. A bunker rush would hardly be a surprise either, though Jaedong seems to have felt similarly and therefore 9 pooled the past two games against Flash here.
OPEN
Thus it is more likely that we will see something different from Jaedong to either avoid the late game strength of Flash or seize an advantage before it reaches that stage. Crazy Zerg is a possibility, though a very risky one. Spawns are also quite important, for Zerg options radically change depending on whether they can abuse short muta distance by spawning counterclockwise from the Terran or can safely reach hive without too much damage if cross positions.

In the not too unlikely situation of Flash being up 2-0, it's quite likely given Jaedong's history that he will go allin as he has done against ForGG, Fantasy, and Flash in this very same situation. Taking into account the outcome of the last final it is safe to say Flash understands Jaedong well enough to be prepared for any such event.


While the degree of imbalance on Triathlon is uncertain for it has not yet been fully explored, Triathlon is extremely uncomfortable for Terran players. Effort and Jaedong have clearly demonstrated against Light, Midas, and Sea that opening mech or doing allin timing attacks simply do not work here: the now standard Zerg approach of a fast 3 hatch into 4 gas muta (vs mech) or fast hive (vs bio) is simply too powerful. Similar issues exist when trying any kind of normal bio play, which is why so many Terrans have resorted to mech openings despite the obvious disadvantages. 3 player maps are naturally unfavorable for Terran due to inability to split the map and the ease that Zerg and Protoss can take the 3rd main. Whatever Flash does, he cannot let the game reach such a point where Jaedong is able to seize firm control over the 3rd main and its expansions.

So what can Terrans do? Obviously Flash's disguised timing attack in the last final is a one or two time use strategy, not a sustainable approach. Standard TvZ strategies are completely useless because almost all of them are based off of the layout of normal maps, which limits Zergs to 2 gas early on, and 3 gas up until swarm.

Amusingly enough, one of the more interesting possibilities against the fast 4 gas strategy would be the forgotten Fantasy build as it really punishes the vulnerable island, can be disguised well enough, and best of all, would be totally unexpected. However, it is unlikely that Flash would choose this option given his general neglect of SKT1 strategies.

Another potential option would be to double expand off of 1 barracks. Both mech, while first getting at least Valkyries or Vessels, or bio with a possible mech transition would be possible. But again, the deadline of the 3rd main is always looming over the Terran's shoulder. Time is not on their side here. Whatever Flash chooses, he must have a plan to achieve a decisive advantage before it goes that late.

Otherwise, Flash will likely choose a twisting, difficult to discern strategy in order to confuse Jaedong of his intentions like last time. Jaedong will certainly be more prepared for it than last time, but Flash still has many different options open to him so the outcome is not set in stone.


If it does reach game 5, Flash will most likely try for a safer mech or bio -> mech strategy and ensure a safe midgame by taking the side expansions first while Jaedong is anyone's guess. He typically likes to choose aggressive or allin builds in deciding games, so a ling heavy 2 hatch muta would be hardly a surprise. But depending on how he won game 1, he also might feel confident enough taking Flash into the later stages of the game. In general game 5's, especially with Jaedong, are difficult to predict given how much they are affected by the rest of the series.

If Flash dropped games due to unforced errors, Jaedong's resiliency and flawless play will likely come on top.


If Jaedong equalized with excellent strategies and plans, especially outside of Polaris, Flash's superior defense and lategame play will be the most decisive factor:

Flash at his peak has such an understanding of the game that nobody can stand before him. With his natural abilities augmented with the superb Hery as coach, Flash is an extremely dangerous threat even on purely psychological and strategical terms. With the deep understanding and decision making of a computer and the game sense of a maphacker, Flash has consistently remained the scariest opponent in the modern age when at his peak. And unlike in the past, Flash has the mindset and the strength to continuously remain at his peak no matter what hardships he faces.

Flash may be solid all around, but his enormous superiority in understanding of the game essentially means his chances of winning continually rise the longer the game goes. While so many late game positions are uncharted for everyone else, Flash has shown a consistent ability to understand and instantly make the correct decision to extremely complicated problems. Furthermore, he also shows the complementary skill of being able to forsee dangerous situations and steer onto the correct path in time. Naturally Flash's opponents would prefer to gain a decisive advantage or victory before the late game, but unfortunately for them, Flash also sports the best defense by a large margin.

Finally, the current state of the game favors Terran immensely. Their strategical knowledge is far ahead of Zergs at the moment and despite Jaedong winning WCG Korea and advancing to the MSL finals against a slew of Terrans by pulling wins out of a hat, the situation is unchanged. Terrans have so many established variations that Zergs do not have adequate refutations against and they have a large number of unexplored possibilities to be exploited. The strategic initiative, like in the last two finals, is completely in Flash's favor.


While Flash in the past year has developed his mental strength to such a level that he is able to consistently remain in peak form for far longer than before and survive severe blows, new deficiencies have appeared sporadically in his play. Flash has always suffered from occasional oversights that contributed to a large number of his losses and disadvantageous positions. But these always resulted from his questionable multitasking, which was never his strong point.

But as of late Flash has shown a problematic lapse in his otherwise untouchable tactical and defensive acumen. This issue probably first was demonstrated against Calm on Heartbreak Ridge, where an obviously poor defensive setup led to an easy loss to muta/ling. Then right afterwards against Movie, his decision to split the map on Eye of the Storm was clearly out of place and led to an easy loss against a much inferior player.

Even putting aside his amateur level performance against Jaedong on Match Point in their first finals to frozen hands, the fact is he blundered horrifically multiple times, each one unforced, in game 3. It would be understandable if he messed up while using a new strategy he didn't understand, but he made several gross errors while employing his very own strategy! Then add in Flash's obvious mistakes in throwing away the 3rd and 5th sets against Effort with very uncharacteristically poor defense in basic positions, and you really have to wonder just which Flash will show up against Jaedong. We already have a bit of an answer there in the WCG match against Jaedong on Fighting Spirit, where of all things Flash couldn't defend his ramp against a 9 pool. While Flash may have conducted the series near perfectly in the last finals, there is still that nagging doubt that he might give away games and possibly the series for the silliest of reasons.

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Obviously, Jaedong's mechanics are his most potent weapon. However, I want to bring special attention to something that is normally overshadowed by his mechanics and 'angry glare.' Jaedong has the incredibly unique ability to nearly always play at his best in any important match. While others may have also been able to do so for a short period, Jaedong has combined his consistent top form such long-term resiliency that perhaps only Nada and Savior, if even them, can boast of.

In addition, Jaedong's supreme mental strength and consistency likely creates a problematic mindset in his opponents. They must know deep down that Jaedong isn't going to give them any chance to seize, while any mistake they make will be exploited to the maximum. This hypothesis is supported by nearly all of Jaedong's big ZvT wins. In many of them he was outclassed either strategically or in overall decision making, yet again and again he pulled through. Canata, Fantasy 2x, Sea, Light 2x all showed superb strategies and mid-late game play but collapsed in the most ridiculous fashion; most of them to unforced blunders. Canata's suicidal marine squad, Fantasy voluntarily doing a build order loss when he knew exactly what was coming, Fantasy having a won position vs 4 pool yet failing to defend at the final moment, several defendable wall breaks, Sea being unable to get his turrets up in time against normal muta timings; the total list is even longer.

These Terrans probably did not all self-destruct for the same reason, but what is certain is that Jaedong does not make those egregrious blunders everyone else does. And when his opponents do show a weakness, Jaedong is absolutely merciless in exploiting it.


Jaedong is coming into this series having played 2 bo5's against Sea and Light in the MSL, as well as 2 bo3's against Hiya and Light in WCG. Jaedong may have gained invaluable practice, but in exchange he has suffered the much more severe penalty of having his strategies exposed and used up. On the other hand, Flash has not played a single TvZ series against anyone besides Jaedong, so most of his arsenal is still a secret.

Furthermore, the games against Sea, and especially Light showed that Jaedong is clearly deficient in decision making and overall understanding in the mid-late game to top Terrans. While his mechanics remain as top-notch as ever, his always decent, but rarely superb, decision making is an outright weakness right now against the best Terrans. Unfortunately for Jaedong, Sea and Light are both mechanically superior but far inferior to Flash in terms of defense, decision making, and game sense. If he can't handle Light without resorting to parlor tricks, how can he handle Flash?

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Flash and Jaedong both plan series differently. Flash tries to plan for the entire series as a whole, while Jaedong plays more on a game to game basis and often improvises. Overall, Jaedong cannot control the overall series like Flash, but he is more versatile and able to adapt to any situation with ease.

Last season's finals we saw Flash's abilities at work: starting with the first game he used a deceptive semi-allin that came out of the blue, allowing him to seize the initiative for the match and keep Jaedong guessing. His builds in set 2 and 3 cunningly played off of his success in the first set, and every game, Jaedong guessed wrong and thus picked an inappropriate plan. One could reasonably claim that the entire series was won by strategy alone. That was hardly the first time either for Flash, as his fans surely remember the 3-0 thwomping of Stork in similar fashion. Most of his other series have worked in a similar fashion, although it is not always as obvious.

Jaedong is takes the total opposite approach. His deep experience and mental strength give him considerable stability and the ability to overcome crushing defeats. So while he may come into the series with a plan, he can trust in himself and improvise on the spot without feeling out of sorts if his plans do not work out. Jaedong also tries to seize control of the series at various points by going allin, but whether that sort of play will work against Flash is questionable.

#1 There is always an enormous amount of hype when Jaedong and Flash meet in any situation, especially a finals, but the games don't always live up to the expected quality. Given this past, do you think this series will live up to the hype?

Atrioc: As a matter of fact, I do, but I know for a fact it will never be in the way everyone hopes. Lets be honest, most likely, given the razor sharp skill and preparation of these two players, it wont be some 3-2 nail biter with 50+ minute epic games every match. The slightest advantage from a build order can mean the end of a game, let alone any mistakes. What we will definitely witness, however, is likely the highest level Starcraft ever played. These two are at the cutting edge of the SC world, the absolutely dominant masters of their respective races who know the matchup inside and out, and have practiced their hearts out for this finals. Every decision they make in game will have been polished to perfection - and in a situation like that, regardless of who wins that or how quickly, you cant help but be awestruck.

Smix: There have been series where JvF was a disappointment (3:0 shutouts boo) but I feel like this only hypes up future series - the potential epicness of the games these two players can deliver is just shiver worthy. Jaedong and Flash have been ranked 1st and 2nd for so long now - they're like the Harvard-Yale-Princeton of Starcraft (except it's two players...) where I can't imagine them sinking in ranking any time soon. With such enormous fan bases for both players, I think everyone is hoping that this series will be incredible... especially with the close 3-2 semifinals wins they both had, I'm hoping the finals will live up to the hype even more.

#2 The last MSL finals Flash shut Jaedong out in a convincing 3-0. How does that factor in this time around?

Smix: Honestly, I don't think it plays a big factor, especially after weighing in Jaedong's more recent WCG final win. Both players are used to the finals stage and talk about how they respect the other player all the time. They've been pretty neck and neck up until now trading wins back and forth; plus, both players are the type to practice even harder with losses.

Atrioc: I've said this before and I'll say it again: As a Jaedong fan, I'm never more confident in his abilities than in the match AFTER he got owned. He lost to Stork right before beating him in the OSL finals, lost to Hwasin before giving him a 3-1 domination in Arena, was crushed by Bisu in proleague before taking him out 3-2 in the GOM Special Match, etc. etc.
The man's near infinite motivation to practice is spurred to greater heights with an important defeat, and he returns from every loss quite simply that much stronger and more knowledgeable than before. Therefore, when I think about him losing 3-0 last season in such a hyped finals, all I see that giving Jaedong is the burning motivation to never let that happen again.

#3 There is talk about the maps favoring Terran, especially with Polaris Rhapsody being played twice. How important will this be?

Atrioc: I cant lie that its not frustrating that there hasn't really been a Zerg friendly map (for ZvT) in the MSL since the disastrous (sponsorship wise) Calm vs Kwanro finals, and doubly frustrating that JD has been saddled with 2x Polaris Rhapsody yet again, but there is nothing more annoying than fanboys who cant shut up about the maps when they don't help their favorite player, so lets all just be honest and admit that these players are skilled enough to take each other out anytime regardless of the map.

Smix: Jaedong has said multiple times in interviews how he doesn't care much for map imbalances, as long as practice is put in. I'm sure Jaedong is aware of the talk and will practice like crazy to compensate. It'll be interesting to see what results.

#4 Jaedong defeated Flash 2-1 in the recent WCG finals, is this a sign of things to come?

Atrioc: I'd like to hype this up and say Jaedong is gonna ride this success to victory, but not only would that contradict what I said earlier but a quick glance at the games themselves shows just how little value they really had: none of them seemed particularly practiced for, especially on Flash's side, and there was essentially nothing at stake so they had none of the drama and pressure that bring out the best in JD anyway. I put very little stake in those wins.

Smix: Like I said earlier, they trade wins all the time. They consider each other rivals and enjoy how the other pushes them to be even better - I think that's why a lot of people love the Jaedong/Flash rivalry. The best pushing the best... doesn't get much better than that.

#5 In short, who will win this series and why?

Smix: If you couldn't tell already, I respect Jaedong a lot. I think he's an amazing player and expect nothing short of the best from him. However, at the end of the day I am a Flash fan, so I hope he'll take the series. I'm sure after losing 2-1 in the WCG finals, Flash is working even harder to take this MSL finals. He's shown time and time again that his desire to win never wanes. So while I don't want a 3:0 shutout, I'm hoping Flash wins 3-2.

Atrioc: Flash fans are lucky Smix is so manner that I would feel bad going all out here. I guess I can spare a compliment or two for the Ultimate Weapon by saying that he, out of every Terran out there, is least likely to be completely embarrassed facing the Tyrant in a Bo5. I guess. Maybe. The point is, in this decisive MSL showdown to determine who wins this Bo3 of Bo5 finals, Jaedong is going to bring too much force for Flash to handle. A win here makes him the most successful player of all time, so prepare yourselves Teamliquid to watch history in the making.