2011 Starcraft II Awards

From the TeamLiquid Editorial Panel

ESPORTS Awards. They're the kind of thing the cliché loving editorial staff at TeamLiquid has enjoyed producing for a very long time.

However, this year, it feels a bit different. It was one thing to sit in the peanut gallery and snark about players who didn't know you existed, let alone read your website. Now, we're coming to terms with the fact that people actually read our website, and some of them might even think we're some sort of authority.

As you can tell, we're not pretending these are these awards are the Oscars of ESPORTS, or that anyone will be listing "Winner of 2011 TeamLiquid Most Valuable Player award" on their resume any time soon. It's mostly for fun. At the same time, we did put a lot of thought into these awards, and tried to make them a little meaningful, and as fair as possible. Think of it as a sign of appreciation to the guys who brought us a great year of Starcraft II, from the guys at TeamLiquid who spent way too much time watching it.

Breakout Performance

There was no shortage of surprising runs in 2011, but I don't think anyone came completely out of the blue like ThorZaIN. If you had polled the community before the start of TSL3's qualifiers, you could've probably counted the number of people who thought ThorZaIN would qualify on one hand. If you polled the community before the start of the TSL about who would win, you could have added those people who picked ThorZaIN and still been on the same hand.

Again and again; against FruitDealer, against Tyler, against MC, against Kas, ThorZaIN was the underdog. In each series, he not only emerged victorious, but did so with a wide range of builds and styles. He was one of the first players to really grasp the strength of the 1/1/1, and he almost single-handedly caused Thors to be nerfed. It's pretty incredible actually, if you re-watch ThorZaIN's TSL games, you see him using strategies so solid that they're still in use. Simply put, in 2011, there was simply no first impression as stunning as ThorZaIN's. In SC2, there might never be.

- tree.hugger

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Map of the Year

Sometimes it might not seem like it, but SC2 mapmaking has come a long way in a year. Remember that GSL January featured cartographic highlights such as Delta Quadrant and Jungle Basin, and that Lost Temple had a cliff over the natural where Terran could auto-win? Those days are firmly behind us, thanks to maps like Daybreak. One of the most balanced maps statistically, Daybreak has a classic map design, reminiscent of Match Point from BW. With multiple passages, a semi-open middle, and expansion positioning that doesn't screw people over (see Zerg trying to get a fifth and sixth on Shakuras) Daybreak is fun for the whole family, and should provide valuable lessons for map-makers in the future.

What makes Daybreak the best map of the year, over equally balanced rivals such as Antiga Shipyard, is Daybreak's unique propensity to make for exciting games. One of our three games of the year was played on Daybreak, and the map has played host to countless other exciting matches since. Yet as good a map as it is, if trends continue, hopefully it'll simply be regarded as an average map next year. I hope that occurs.

- tree.hugger

Most Creative Player

Creativity comes in different shapes and sizes. It is one of those things that is highly appreciated by many, but none of us can really define what is and how it's done. All we do know is that it takes an immeasurable amount of something to keep developing your game, utilizing new strategies and entertaining the fans over the entirety of your career.

When I think back on the last year, and when the phrases "Oh my god," "I can't believe that just happened," or "This is absolutely unbelievable, how did he pull this off?" were said, the name 'KiWiKaKi' shines through with brighter Christmas lights than any New York City Christmas market. Do you remember back in January where he wiped out 3 bases of Evil Geniuses' Machine on Xel'Naga Caverns utilizing blink and recall without losing as much as a single Stalker? Do you remember the two base blink Stalker w/ double forge-play popularized in PvZ by this Canadian Protoss user? Do you remember the Mothership floating over The Shattered Temple in Atlantic City at the IPL3 against Stephano? I think we all do. Thank you, Jonathan Garneau, for your contribution in making 2011 a great year.

- Bumblebee

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Best (and worst) Strategy

I like to think there's a special place in hell for the 1/1/1.

For a good portion of the year, PvT devolved into ugly, unplayable coin-flip due to a one easily executed all-in. To start off, the build was pretty hard to stop even if you knew it was coming, with even a single micro mistake could mean instant death. Even so, if you were well prepared, you could come out pretty ahead. However, being well prepared for the 1/1/1 usually meant being horribly prepared for everything else. And so, Protoss ended up pretty much s***ing their pants the second they saw that first refinery.

Some pros went to some silly extremes to try and beat the 1/1/1. Saw a refinery? PHOENIX RUSH! Saw a refinery? Two base chargelot-rush without Robotics and HOPE HE DID THE NO-CLOAK VARIATION. Others played middle ground builds that lost to both 1/1/1's and non 1/1/1's. Basically, it was hell on earth.

Of course, as happens with any strategy that's used for too long, people adapted to the 1/1/1. They developed better rounded builds that could deal with the 1/1/1 and other builds at the same time, without giving up too much of an advantage. They figured out how to micro properly against the 1/1/1, without having their Immortals dancing around uselessly in the back while Stalkers got melted (well, Blizzard helped there). The 1/1/1'ers fought back by creating even trickier variations, but the pace of anti-1/1/1 developments was faster than that of 1/1/1 improvements. At present time, the 1/1/1 is a viable all-in that Terrans can use to keep their opponents guessing, but no longer a cornerstone of their game. Thank God.

- Waxangel

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Biggest News Story

All six stories commanded the absolute attention of the ESPORTS loving public, and generated countless forum posts and tweets worth of discussion. However, only the giant mess involving Naniwa, Nestea, MLG, and GSL managed to stop the presses for nearly a full week, extending its life as a story by throwing in a new angle every day. Starting with the probe rush alone, it was just about sportsmanship. Naniwa's Code S seed was 'revoked' the next day, throwing Korean pro-gaming culture and the appropriateness of GomTV's punishment into the argument. The day after that, the fine wording of the GSL/MLG League exchange program was brought into question, putting another twist in the tale.

The other reason we thought this story was the 'biggest' was because it forced the community to confront and talk about many aspects of ESPORTS that had been put aside for too long. The meaning of professionalism and sportsmanship in pro-gaming, the need for clear tournament regulations, the damage caused by tournament systems allowing 'pointless' games, the appalling lack of transparency and communication from the two most important organizations in Starcraft II ESPORTS: these were things that might have otherwise gone unnoticed and unresolved. Hopefully, they will be addressed in 2012.

- Waxangel

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Ceremony of the Year

Ceremonies are amazing. They show imagination, emotion and personality. This year we saw many great ceremonies from Taeja all killing ZeNex and then proceeding to shoot his team with a plastic gun to Dimaga's unfiltered joy after winning Assembly Summer and screaming to the heavens while raising his hands in the air. Though, when it comes down to it, the award can go to only one man. When we saw that he was robbed at the GSL Awards Show for best ceremony, we decided that he wouldn't get robbed twice in the category.

MC, not only with the Murloc costume, but with many other ceremonies over the year, has entertained and made him one of the biggest stars in e-sports. So let's all thank Min Chul for keeping Starcraft fun and proving that it is okay to dance after winning a video game. Keep on dancing in 2012, MC. Keep on dancing.

- Fionn

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Most Entertaining Player

It's almost entirely unintentional, but IdrA is the most entertaining man in ESPORTS. As we looked back at the most memorable, shocking, and just plain laugh out loud moments from 2011, we realized that over half of them involved Greg Fields. GGing early against HuK's hallucinated Void Rays, calling numerous Code S players terrible without flinching, being the target of several hilarious ceremonies, being given a new name by the Emperor, GGing early against a Command Center killing MMA, flipping off MC from the audience, inadvertently stealing girlfriends from Canadians, GGing early against solitary cloaked Banshees... You get the picture. Just by being himself, without any extra effort, IdrA was the player that entertained us the most.

We considered MC as a candidate for a second, as he's a funny guy who understands the value of theatrics. But would he have been even half as entertaining without his muse, the Gracken? On the other hand, IdrA wouldn't have missed a beat without the president. As long as there's cheese, freedom of speech, Shakuras Plateau and the F10 & 'N' keys, we suspect IdrA will be winning this award for years.

- Waxangel

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Most Revolutionary

It's hard to overstate the impact that Stephano had on SC2 in 2011. Coming from nowhere to become the best foreign Zerg, the Frenchman completely changed the way that Zergs and foreigners thought about the game in the process. First gamed out on the European server, the dynamic ling/upgrades/infestor style of play quickly became Stephano's hallmark, as he simply played it significantly better than anyone else. His superb map vision and sense of timing proved that Zergs did not need to live in constant fear of their opponents until hive tech, but could instead aggressively challenge Terran and Protoss in all stages of the game with proper execution.

Perhaps of even greater impact, however, was Stephano's contribution to the foreigner/korean dynamic. By not just defeating, but by thrashing an A-list Korean line-up at IPL3, Stephano showed that the emperor had no clothes; that Koreans could be beaten, and beaten badly. What followed IPL3 has been the most successful period for foreign Sc2 players since Dreamhack Winter 2010. And it's in no small part thanks to Stephano's two revolutions.

- tree.hugger

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Rivalry of the Year

In a world where teams often take a backseat to individual player:fan relations, and one where team leagues get little attention, it can be difficult to draw direct parallels between organizations. Nevertheless, through 2011 two teams managed to elevate their game to the head of the pack, finding themselves next to each other in the limelight at all moments.

Evil Geniuses and Team Liquid, both powerhouses with fans and media, found themselves at the forefront of the foreign scene this year. As the only two foreign-based team with players in Code-S, comparisons were plentiful from the year's start. Later, each would go on to become the first teams to sign Korean gamers under their banner, making it that much harder to resist contrasting their strengths. Theses analogies became inescapable after one high-profile team change in particular, ensuring the two team's fate would forever be entwined.

With the year concluding with PuMa and HerO trading wins in the finals in back-to-back weekends at DreamHack Winter and NASL, it cemented their place as the rivalry of the year. With these two teams pushing one another at every turn, we can only hope 2012 continues to push the limits.

- Heyoka

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Worst Drama

• Some translator trashes every ESPORT outside of Korean Brood War, 'quits' ESPORTS after getting called out by some guy who casts games and some other guy who cut his hair.

• Some guy makes a post about a girl supposedly manipulating him steal a headset and some other girls who knew this girl show up to defend her.

• Some guy who streams a lot gets DDOS'd by some kid, and he ends up fighting his dad or something; now they're going to be on some TV show or whatever.

• Some woman can't deal with people on the internet saying some mean things about some gold-league girl she hired for her pro-gaming team, so she threatens to take legal action or something.*





We're all losers for following this s***.

*Please don't sue us for this, Jessica.

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Team of the Year (Korea)

This was a tough one. It came down to two teams: Incredible Miracle and Slayers. In terms of team champions, Slayers won that debate with two championships in GSTL to only one of Incredible Miracle. When it came to overall individual championships on the team, IM dwarfed their counterparts with five GSL championships to only two for Slayers. The award was finally given to Incredible Miracle after you look at how dominant their best three players were this year compared to Slayers top players. Nestea and MVP were by far the two most decorated players in 2011, taking home five combined GSL titles and MVP picking up several other trophies along the way. Their third best player, Losira, also proved to be one of the top three Zergs all year long, getting to a final of a GSL and only losing when he had to face his teammate Nestea.

Slayers on the other hand, in terms of singles titles, relied solely MMA. MMA took home two GSL crowns (October and Blizzard Cup), a MLG title at Columbus, and was the main reason his team was able to take home two GSTL titles with his amazing closing ability in tight situations. Going in 2012, Slayers looks like they might overtake with Incredible Miracle with the emergence of players like Brown, Puzzle, Ganzi, and Taeja, but for this year, Incredible Miracle will happily take the title of strongest team, housing the most trophies of any team so far in Starcraft 2 and having the most prize money as well.

- Fionn

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Team of the Year (International)

Additionally, we the Team Liquid writers, are giving ourselves an honorable mention for 'award cop-out of the year.'

When you looked at who took home championships this year, there were only non-Korean two teams in the discussion. However, it was it was extremely hard to weigh EG and TL's achievements against each other. For Liquid: Assembly Summer, GSL RO4, DreamHack Summer, DreamHack Winter, Blizzcon EU, and HomeStoryCup3. For EG: IPL1, IEM Cologne, IEM Guangzhou, MLG Orlando, GSL RO8, and ASUS ROG Stars. Those are just championships; there are also a ton of high finishes we haven't mentioned.

Outside of tournament performances, both teams did amazing jobs promoting their teams and creating huge fan followings. Whether you checked player stream numbers or what kind of t-shirts fans were wearing at events live events (honorable mention to team Dignitas for their hoodie, arguably the best piece of apparel in all of ESPORTS), you could easily tell that the two teams had the lion's share of fan support.

In the end, it was just too close to call. In this category, we award the sole tie. That, and we don't want to pick TL and get yelled at by our readers for bias, or pick EG and get yelled at by our readers for meta-bias.

- Waxangel

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Non-Player Personality of the Year

We're fast approaching the point where we should rename this award the "Day9 Award for Best Non-Player Personality," but until then… Sean Plott is a man who, for a large majority of the Starcraft community, should need no introduction.

As a long-time player, broadcaster and analyst, his pedigree is practically unmatched, but what cements this award for Day9 has been his boundless enthusiasm, an unfettered passion that has seen him grow from an esports personality to something approximating "cult leader" status. His excitement is infectious, and the devotion he engenders fanatical – as anyone who's seen his ability to command a roomful of people to do the fusion-core-dance will attest.

Day9 rides atop the crest of a wave of esports adulation, and it's hard not to be swept up in it.

- SirJolt

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Tournament of the Year (Korea)

I've watched every single GSL from the time Idra stepped into the gigantic train-like booth to possibly the greatest game in Starcraft 2 history when MMA took down DongRaeGu in the eventful seventh set of their series to win the Blizzard Cup. I can say without doubt the best GSL, from start to finish, from Code S to Code A, was the November edition.

It might not have had the best production value or K-Pop girl player intros, but what you did get was wall to wall great games every single night. With the new format in place, you got to see more of your favorite players and the rise of some new talent to keep an eye out for in 2012. Topping it all of was the sensational semifinal between Leenock and MVP, going to the fifth set and pushing both players to their limits before the young Zerg from FXO could take home the ticket to the final.

Now, usually in GSL finals, the games would either be one-sided or a three minute cheese that goes right or wrong, but what we got to the November finals between Jjakji and Leenock was a spectacular array of games. We saw brilliant timings from Jjakji, Leenock's use of baneling landmines, and long macro-oriented games played by both. Jjakji showed us a few new ways to play TvZ and Leenock proved that he is definitely coming after the title of Best Zerg in 2012. No, the series didn't last seven games, but it was a perfect sendoff to the best GSL of 2011. From the fans, to the players, to the casters, it was a tournament that no one should ever forget.

- Fionn

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Tournament of the Year (Europe)

It shouldn't come as much surprise that many of the best tournaments of the year came last. As the scene expanded, as event upon event competed and innovated to stay ahead of the pack, the quality of SC2 events went skyrocketing through the roof. As the last major LAN of 2011, Dreamhack Winter set the standard that all LANs will be judged by in 2012. The players were superb, the games delivered, and the story-line played out better than the organizers could have possibly dreamed.

But what this tournament will be remembered for is the best finals production of any tournament in the world. Subtract one of the most miscast hosts in history, and you've got the famous ESPORTS couch, six of the best casters in the world, two of the best players in the world, a ton of good graphics and camera shots, some silly yet fascinating gimmicks like the pulse meter, and—oh yeah—a hockey stadium stuffed with thousands of pumped up fans. There's no doubt; Dreamhack Winter showed us the brightest future for SC2 yet.

- tree.hugger

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Tournament of the Year (USA)

If you look back at MLG Columbus, a tournament that was held just six months ago, you can't help but think it's awfully dated. I mean, you call that HD? There were no bells and whistles and to keep you entertained either, just games followed by down time, followed by games, followed by excruciating down time and so forth. Hell, Starcraft wasn't even on the main stage.

Even so, it was the best, and most important tournament of the year. In the big picture, it was the tournament that heralded the arrival of ESPORTS in America. After much trial and error, MLG finally figured out what key components it needed for its Starcraft II brand, and delivered them without error: Two reliable streams, high caliber players from around the world, and room for a crowd to gather. For the first time, American fans got a truly solid product.

That was all it took. Finally having an exhaust for their pent up passion, American fans went insane over pro-gaming like they never had before. It was the birth of the ESPORTS weekend: where fans devote all their time going to, or streaming a tournament for three days, because it's so much fun you don't want to miss any single detail. Weekends where time just stops, and the actions of two hundred gamers in a small American city become the center of the universe.

No, it hasn't aged well. The production is worse, the play is six months worse (an eternity in developing strategies and skill), and everyone involved – casters, players, cameramen, etc – just look less experienced.

But nostalgia is hard to shake. No matter what comes in the future, we'll never be able to recreate that "Oh my god, THIS is what we've been waiting for" feeling. But at least we have that feeling to aspire to, in the next year, the next, and the next. And for that, MLG Columbus was the best American Tournament of 2011.

- Waxangel

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Game of the Year

Nominees:
Jjakji vs. Leenock - GSL November Finals Game One
TOP vs. MVP - GSL August Finals Game One
Stephano vs. KiWiKaKi - IPL3 RO32 Game Two(31:00)
ThorZaIN vs. MC - TSL3 RO8 Game Four
MMA vs. DongRaeGu - Blizzard Cup Finals Game 7
NesTea vs. sC - GSL May Semifinals Game Five





This year we saw long games, short games, bad games, and boring games. We saw the best of the best and some of TheBestfOu the worst of the worst. After sitting through a million hours of games this year (no hyperbole needed), we had to narrow down the list of best games to only a few. It was a hard decision between what was left, but there was one game that stood above all others when it came to the story it completed, the high level play involved, and the rivalry it advanced. DongRaeGu and MMA played to the best of their abilities at the height of pressure. When going down 0-3 in the series, it looked like DongRaeGu was dead in the water. I thought he was playing some of the worst games in GSL finals history. Then, like a flip had been switched on, DRG came roaring back with three straight victories on maps he wasn't supposed to win on, forcing the finals to go to a deciding set.

MMA could have crumbled, but he didn't. DongRaeGu could have fallen apart after having to give it his all to get back into the series with three hard earned wins, but he didn't. They both played to the best of their potential, wanting to take home the championship in the tournament of champions.

You couldn't ask for a better game with a better story. When Boxer set out to create Slayers, he wanted to build the team around two players: MMA and DongRaeGu. MMA became the crown jewel of Slayers, but DongRaeGu on the other hand was more worried about school and didn't accept the offer to try out for the team. In the end, DRG ended up on MVP after the coach promised that if the progaming gig didn't work out he would pay his way through university.

MMA prevailed in the end, but the fans chanted DongRaeGu's name all the same, showing respect for how valiantly he fought back from being behind three games against one of, if not the best, Terran in the world. All in all, this game and series reassured myself why I am a journalist for e-sports and love writing about it. It made me cheer and keep my eyes glued to the computer screen for thirty straight minutes, wanting to know whose will would be stronger in the end. When the battle was done and Slayers converged on the stage, lifting their champion on the stage, I clapped. Not only for MMA, but for DongRaeGu and the amazing game they just showed us.

I hope you clapped, too.

- Fionn

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Player of the Year (Korea)

If only we had an award for least surprising result. With other possible contenders NesTea and MC slipping by the wayside in the second half of the year, giving this to MVP is little more than a formality. The year began with MVP dominating GSL January, blowing through the field while losing just one game in the process, and continuing through the years with wins at MLG, WCG, and a second Code-S.

The real story with MVP were the few times he found himself struggling, once falling to Code-A after a rough patch of up-and-down matches. While he went on to mostly cruise through Code-A, he ultimate fell to Bomber 2-4 in the finals, a spot that remains one of his two second place finishes. The other, perhaps more spectacular, being a loss to MMA in GSL Code S October, during the Blizzcon weekend where he seemed destined to take two titles with a single trip.

When a player's more notable achievements are not the times he won, but the times when he somehow missed capturing victory, it becomes easy to mark him as the most accomplished player of that period. MVP is a player whose name has become so synonymous with success that it is a genuine surprise when he enters tournaments and fails to win them, a man who has conquered every land Starcraft 2 has to offer with seeming ease and grace that make it looks as if he is expending no effort at all. There isn't much else to say, MVP is hands-down the best and it is absolutely unthinkable to give this award out anywhere else when looking at the scope of events through the past year.

- Heyoka

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Player of the Year (International)

It was a year where white dudes were owned by Koreans, and the supporters of the so called "foreigners" found hope to be an awfully scarce commodity. Jinro could not repeat his early success, IdrA left Korea, and the dozen or so other foreigners that traveled to Korea got their butts kicked by the brutal gate-keeper known as Code-A. On the other hand, the Koreans developed an unhealthy appetite for foreign currency, and they prowled the world in ravenous packs in search of dollars and Euros.

But even in such treacherous times, there was one shining beacon of hope: Chris Loranger. He didn't just turn the tables on the Koreans. No, they were flipped -- and Kimchi was spilled.

In March, HuK showed coach Choya that he should leave playing to the players by replacing him in Code S. In May, when MMA was trying to prove his skill went beyond GSTL, it was HuK who swatted the crown prince down from the up-down matches with an emphatic 2-0 rejection. HuK even took up legend killing for a day, defeating oGs.Nada for a personal best top eight finish.

Of course, his exploits outside of Korea were famous as well. He won championships at HomeStoryCup 3, DreamHack Summer, and MLG Orlando, defeating a Korean player in two of the finals. Each victory helped bridge an ever widening Korea-World gap, as well as protecting valuable foreigner money (although, he did take it back to Korea, spend it in Korea, pay taxes in Korea and support the Korean economy in general. Gamsa hamnida!).

Admittedly, Stephano and NaNiwa put up some very impressive performances in the later half the year, and you can definitely argue the case that they hit higher peaks than HuK. NaNiwa beat six GSL gold medals' worth in Mvp and Nestea over the course of a few hours, while Stephano's two week IPL3/ESWC double-crown might have been harder than HuK's HSC3/DHS. However, as hard as it is to burn so brightly over a short period, it's even harder to keep the fire alive over an entire year.

What makes all of these feats even more impressive is that HuK did this with what must have been the most ridiculous schedule in ESPORTS history. I recall that at one point this year, I calculated that he had done two laps of the world in a ten day stretch. Considering that most Koreans don't go anywhere, and have pretty much every single hour, every single day of the week available to them to practice, it's almost a miracle that HuK did as well as he did. He could have complained, he could have asked for a break, but instead he took on the burden of carrying our hopes (and EG contract requirements) and trudged on until the end. Thank you, HuK. I wish we had more to give you than this silly award.

- Waxangel

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