It has been over six months since the Super Tournament was rocked to its core when Polt rolled through some of the best players in Korea to take home the $100,000 prize at the GSL Super Tournament. Polt's never been able to recapture that past glory, and he's had his share of ups and downs since. In fact, he went through one of his worst stretches in recent weeks, getting eliminated from Code A and captaining the hopelessly undermanned Team SCV Life to an elimination from the GSTL as well.
However, by winning the championship at ASUS ROG Assembly Winter, Polt proved that he belongs in Code S, the world's toughest competition. Not only does he belong there, but there's a real way back in. Here's a relevant quote from an interview with GSL director Mr. Chae.
The Code S seed isn't just for foreigners. To be exact, it's a seed we offer in consideration of foreign tournaments. You can think of it as similar to the Code S seed available to the MLG winners last season. However, compared to last year when we only gave Code S seeds to MLG winners (regardless of their nationality), this year we're going to consider many foreign tournaments together when awarding this seed. The players could be Korean players or foreign players.
Alright, Mr. Chae. Let's be real here. Polt has to get one of the two Code S sponsor seeds, right? Let's break it down in detail.
Polt faced very tough competition at Assembly.
On his way to the championship, Polt went through Taeja and HerO – two very good players who are awaiting the final round of Code A matches, and seem to have a good shot at making it into Code S next season. He then defeated Lucky, an underrated player who played in Code S this season, and finally Stephano, considered by many to be the best foreigner in the world. Not only were they all skilled, Code S class opponents, but they forced Polt to prove himself in every single match-up. While Polt definitely has a best match-up in TvP, there was no bracket luck for him at Assembly. In detail:
vs. Taeja: Once more, Polt showed that his marine-tank play is still in a class of its own. With both players going for marine-tank in all three games, Polt was able to take the advantage, using better positioning and early expansions to gain big leads in the first and third games, taking the series and making it to the quarterfinals.
vs. Hero: Polt's TvP is still awesome, and he proved it by beating HerO for what seems like the umpteenth time in the past few months. Hero didn't play particularly well, but he didn't play terribly either. Polt was able to stop him at every corner, engaging the Protoss army on his own terms and winning each time the two forces clashed. He held off two-base gateway push easily to reach the semi-finals.
vs. LuckyWow. If you are reading this and haven't checked out the Polt vs. Lucky series, do yourself a favor and watch them now (around the 07:00:00 mark). TvZ was considered as Polt's weakest match-up coming into the tournament, but you might consider it to be the strongest now, just because of this series.
With the recent nerf to ghosts, a lot of people were wondering how Terran would be able to stop the combination of brood lords and infestors. Polt showed that late game Zerg had another weakness outside snipe: its immobility. Polt went to work all around the map, dropping everywhere and taking out tech buildings and expansions Lucky couldn't afford to lose. Lucky was constantly stuck in awkward spots where his army was halfway between attacking and defending, unable to do a satisfactory job at either. This gave Polt enough breathing room to get enough vikings and thors to simply brute force the Zerg to death, despite having a less efficient composition.
vs. Stephano: Polt refused to die in this series. Stephano had just thrashed PuMa 3 – 0 in the semi-finals, and he was hungry for more Korean blood. He took an early advantage in many of the games in the finals, but Polt was just too tenacious. Polt made sure he only fought where he wanted to, and that every engagement would go as efficiently as possible. Though Stephano's exploits are becoming the stuff of legend in the international community, Polt showed Stephano that there was more step for him to take.
Foreigners have disappointed historically
There's a big difference between wanting to see foreigners play in GSL, and wanting to see them [i]win[i/] in GSL. After seeing IdrA drop out of the GSL entirely in only a few weeks, NaNiwa go 0 – 10 in the GSL, and SaSe go 1 – 6, I think we know that difference very well. While Sen did a little better by qualifying for the up-down matches, we all know his Code S games were not at the required level.
The seed criteria should apply equally to Koreans in a purely merit based system. It might be tempting to go for NaNiwa and HuK based on MLG Winter Arena, but players like viOLet and Polt actually took first place at their respective tournaments. Having players that you know can play at the Code S level is better for the quality of the league overall, than taking a gamble on foreigners and hoping something will happen.
Strong performances in multiple online tournaments
Polt not only won Assembly, but he's spent the last few months touring the international online circuit and getting great results there as well. He secured a ticket to IPL4 very recently, winning a gigantic, open online qualifier. He went through a crazy line-up of Inca, HerO, Dream, TheStC, Creator and Bomber to win the entire tournament and book his trip to Las Vegas. Add his qualification to the third season of the NASL, his two 700 euro Millennium Cup victories (beating Thorzain 3-0 in both finals) and the various wacky European tournaments he enters at the dead of night, and he is heads and shoulders above every other non-Code S player, Korean or non-Korean when it comes to international tournament results in the past few months.
"But he just fell out of Code A! Why give it back to him right away?"
Well, maybe that's a straw man question. I think fans of Starcraft II will be very aware of the historical precedence here.
MMA? Fell out of Code A against Puzzle in a blowout. Went to MLG Anaheim, got 2nd place to MVP, and got the Code S seed. A few months later won the GSL, the Blizzard Cup, and is considered one of the best players in the world. No one would say he didn't deserve his spot.
MC? Fell out of Code A against Monster in sloppy fashion. Went to MLG Orlando, got 2nd place to Huk, and got the Code S seed. A few months later and he has been in the Blizzard Cup and GSL 2012 Season One top eight, proving that he deserves to be in Code S.
DongRaeGu? Never qualified through Code A to make Code S. Went to MLG Raleigh, got 3rd place behind Bomber and Coca, and got the Code S seed. A few months later and he is in two straight finals, going for his first GSL championship against Genius on March 3rd.
All three players were given seeds into Code S. They have all proven that anyone can get unlucky and find themselves outside of Code S, and will reward you if they are given a second chance. Don't you think that if the opportunity were there, the Polt we saw at Assembly could be a force in Code S?
No, Polt isn't a massively popular foreigner whose participation could be converted into a few thousand ticket sales. What he is, is an excellent player who has proved he can not only compete in the GSL, but can compete at its highest level.
Mr.Chae, don't get caught up in names. Your league might be called "Global," but that's far from the reason it's successful. Tournaments outside Korea desire your players and their borrowed credibility for one reason: they are the absolute best Starcraft II players. Fans buy yearlong tickets without second guessing you for one reason: you have the absolute best Starcraft II players. The international seed should not be a short-sighted marketing device, but a way to catch the rare player who falls through the cracks, and maintain the GSL's elite reputation.
On February 27 2012 19:43 human_ko wrote: does polt acquire code S seed or is this thread about him deserving to acquire it?
Him deserving it.
He should acquire it as well, though.
I don't know though. Even in the GSTL Polt has been having a rough time, and the fact that he is a Terran player probably won't help him.
GSTL is a different beast from GSL. Some players excel at it due to the sniping nature and unpredictably, and others, like Polt, are really good at planning for an opponent and knowing how to use a map to it's fullest for an opponent. For example, Leenock's not the best at GSTL either, but he does extremely well in regular tournament competition.
I fully agree. BUT if Stephano could be convinced to play in the GSL I would give him one seed. In my opinion he has proven himself enough in not only this recent ROG but also, if not even more, in the Blizzard Cup.
violet does not play in korea right ? so is he considered as a korean or as a foreigner ?
Nice article I think it's really true , but does it not hide another problem , like , " GSL too much players ? too much competition ? "
I have not a clue about the economy of GSL but they might create " fews " tournament and then regroup all the finalists together ( but maybe too much tournaments then :/ ).
But after seeing him at Assembly, and seeing his list of achievements over the past few weeks, and taking into consideration the fact he's a freaking former GSL Code S CHAMPION to boot, It's obvious to me that there isn't anyone else in the world right now that deserves a seed more than Polt.
Polt does deserve it, but I actually dont think he will gett it.
This is why: - I think GomTV really prefer to give this to a "foreigner". - Polt just got knocked out of Code-A in "fair" games, he has not showed great games in GSTL either. - He is not a fan favourit (Like MKP, MC, Idra etc.) - He is Terran...
Fionn supporting Polt is one of the most awesome things going on in this site. I support Fionn supporting Polt. But I hope the curse is only brought upon the guys you predict upon and not cheer for.
onyl thing you lacked was his 2-0 loss to BlinG :p
but against Stephano his excellent positioning is was Stephano drove crazy, he had advantage in all of the games, but he couldn't finish Polt due to Polt have superb unit placements and hatch sniping
On February 27 2012 20:24 Notfragile wrote: Fionn supporting Polt is one of the most awesome things going on in this site. I support Fionn supporting Polt. But I hope the curse is only brought upon the guys you predict upon and not cheer for.
Great article!!
Well, we'll see soon if the Fionn curse also affects code S seeds (though I hope not).
It's almost sad that some people think that a player's race should be a factor in who deserves Code S. If we're not gonna invite foreigners because we want them in on merit, we shouldn't have an ideal of race quotas that contradicts that very ideal of meritocracy.
He deserves it for that game against lucky alone. And add to that the fact that he beat several other world-class koreans as well as several world-class foreigners, he definitely deserves a Code S spot.
While Polt is not a foreigner, I think it would be rather easy to make an argument for him being one of the most popular Korean players. He has the most consistently popular Korean player stream, rivaled only by fOrGG/Fin. He has always been recognized for his skill by anyone familiar with him, but due to his mild personality, he never became very popular. I don't think this will be the case after his performance at Assembly. Polt has been one of the top 5 anticipated players for me to watch at GSL for quite some time now. He doesn't have any fancy styles like MKP, however plays extremely solid strategies in every match up with meticulous control. I am likely biased here, but I feel comfortable saying right now Polt is an obvious choice for a Code S seed.
I find it very bad taste of the most recent news items in TL seem to always dismiss foreigners or bash on huk/naniwa/idra/sen because of the seeds.
It's quite embarassing why the writers always choose that aproach.
If GSL wants to give them to foreigners why would you try and deny the value of those players and that particular choice of gom? If it's good for gom(sell more tickets) and it's good for the players and god know that 2 or 3 koreans not giving a chance of getting the seed(even if it's unfair), it's just 3 less in 32 code and even more in code A..
Korean SC2 scene is not in danger but the foreigners are, we are the ones needing to improve no them.7
Naniwa just beat nestea for instance isn't he CODE S material? even if he does poorly in GSL, it's not easy you know?
On February 27 2012 23:01 shell wrote: I find it very bad taste of the most recent news items in TL seem to always dismiss foreigners or bash on huk/naniwa/idra/sen because of the seeds.
It's quite embarassing why the writers always choose that aproach.
If GSL wants to give them to foreigners why would you try and deny the value of those players and that particular choice of gom? If it's good for gom(sell more tickets) and it's good for the players and god know that 2 or 3 koreans not giving a chance of getting the seed(even if it's unfair), it's just 3 less in 32 code and even more in code A..
Korean SC2 scene is not in danger but the foreigners are, we are the ones needing to improve no them.7
Naniwa just beat nestea for instance isn't he CODE S material? even if he does poorly in GSL, it's not easy you know?
I understand the point that foreigners are the one that need to improve to keep the snowball rolling... but then again, this guys aint playing for Code B or some other "minor" league;
Code S is the the league, if you get 0-10ed there, it ain't place for you. And Code S for hell sure aint place for practice. It's like saying for someone to go practice in Premier League. You practice to get to play in Code S!
Well done TL, Polt indeed make me happy this weekend for many reasons and I would love to see him in code S. And really if you didnt see the Polt vs Lucky games... go see them.... NOW.
On February 27 2012 20:11 Vindicare605 wrote: Absolutely agreed Fionn.
I know you're a Polt fanboy, but I'm not.
But after seeing him at Assembly, and seeing his list of achievements over the past few weeks, and taking into consideration the fact he's a freaking former GSL Code S CHAMPION to boot, It's obvious to me that there isn't anyone else in the world right now that deserves a seed more than Polt.
He's earned it.
Unless FruitDealer will somehow win IEM World Championship. Even more respectable tournament + fomer GSL Champion as well
On February 27 2012 23:01 shell wrote: I find it very bad taste of the most recent news items in TL seem to always dismiss foreigners or bash on huk/naniwa/idra/sen because of the seeds.
It's quite embarassing why the writers always choose that aproach.
If GSL wants to give them to foreigners why would you try and deny the value of those players and that particular choice of gom? If it's good for gom(sell more tickets) and it's good for the players and god know that 2 or 3 koreans not giving a chance of getting the seed(even if it's unfair), it's just 3 less in 32 code and even more in code A..
Korean SC2 scene is not in danger but the foreigners are, we are the ones needing to improve no them.7
Naniwa just beat nestea for instance isn't he CODE S material? even if he does poorly in GSL, it's not easy you know?
I think IdrA and Sen deserve the criticism. They were both given seeds for Season 1 just because of the fact that they were former Code S superstars and clearly, one of them was supposed to replace NaNiwa, who had his wrongfully taken away over a probe rushing incident that was in a tournament not even fucking related to a regular GSL season.
As much as Mr Chae would like to spin the fact that "NaNiwa qualified for the Blizzard Cup through the League Exchange Program, not for the next GSL Season", the league exchange program explicitly states Code S seeds, and the Blizzard Cup didn't even reward as much money or prestige as a typical GSL season did.
Now look at IdrA's "group of death" which contained NesTea and Mvp. I think if NaNiwa got the seed instead of IdrA, AS PLANNED, he would have taken the group and made it to the Ro16 with ease. After all, he has beaten the "God of Zerg" three times in MLG.
IdrA's been playing awfully lately. In the same season as he was given a Code S seed, he won only one game (against Lucky) and was knocked out of the GSL entirely in three straight series, whilst whining that ZvP is a broken matchup in interviews (when only one of his opponents was a Protoss.)
I mean I can get knocked out of the GSL in a complete and utter roflstomp too. Why didn't I get the Code S seed?
Similarly, in the Winter Arena, IdrA only won 1 game in the whole tournament and that was against Oz. He then proceeded to get 2 - 0'd by NesTea in the first LB round.
On the other hand, Sen hasn't done so badly. He's at least still in Code A (for now) but his move to the TeSL might have put him out of shape. At least the TW and KR ladders are twinned with each other though.
Well of course Polt deserves a seed. You don't need to make an argument for that, as that is plain to see. But Puma and Hero also deserved the seeds, but got nothing. You need to make an argument to GOM on why it would be to GSL's long term benefit to have Polt instead of a foreigner.
On February 27 2012 20:19 Atoissen wrote: Polt does deserve it, but I actually dont think he will gett it.
This is why: - I think GomTV really prefer to give this to a "foreigner". - Polt just got knocked out of Code-A in "fair" games, he has not showed great games in GSTL either. - He is not a fan favourit (Like MKP, MC, Idra etc.) - He is Terran...
45k viewers were watching him hammer stephano. i bet you he's made more than 1 fan in the event
I really REALLY dont agree with this write up AT ALL. What about Hero winning dreamhack? Puma winning NASL.
WHERE DOES Gsl get their money or income from. "FOREIGN FANS" Therefore Bring a foreigner into the ring. Bring someone who is 'foreign' and make money. Gsl is smart, i think Polt should NOT get Code s.
Is it really like that that polt isn't popular at all? In my eyes he's one of the very best koreans and seeing players like him participating in the gsl makes me want to buy the gsl season ticket and NOT players like naniwa, huk, idra, sen etc who go there just to emberass themselves. I'm a fan of skill and not a fan of nationality and foreigners don't have skill and more so determination it seems.
I really REALLY dont agree with this write up AT ALL. What about Hero winning dreamhack? Puma winning NASL.
WHERE DOES Gsl get their money or income from. "FOREIGN FANS" Therefore Bring a foreigner into the ring. Bring someone who is 'foreign' and make money. Gsl is smart, i think Polt should NOT get Code s.
after the pathetic showing of this season? I think most of us would agree that foreigners are a waste of space in GSL with exceptions to HuK and maybe nani who can compete with the best. foreigners tune into GSL not for foreigners, they do it because they look up to the koreans who are the best players in the world by far.
I really REALLY dont agree with this write up AT ALL. What about Hero winning dreamhack? Puma winning NASL.
WHERE DOES Gsl get their money or income from. "FOREIGN FANS" Therefore Bring a foreigner into the ring. Bring someone who is 'foreign' and make money. Gsl is smart, i think Polt should NOT get Code s.
after the pathetic showing of this season? I think most of us would agree that foreigners are a waste of space in GSL with exceptions to HuK and maybe nani who can compete with the best. foreigners tune into GSL not for foreigners, they do it because they look up to the koreans who are the best players in the world by far.
But GSL knows that it cannot survive solely on the Korean fanbase. It needs the international scene. Now most of us would not mind if the GSL Code S was all Korean, but what about someone new to the scene? They would have a hard time connecting to the players, especially since Korean names are not that diverse, both in real life and game id (MVP, MMA, MKP, MC). Of course the best players should get the seed, but the GSL will do what it needs to do to thrive, and that might be to give a foreigner one of the seeds.
On February 27 2012 23:01 shell wrote: I find it very bad taste of the most recent news items in TL seem to always dismiss foreigners or bash on huk/naniwa/idra/sen because of the seeds.
It's quite embarassing why the writers always choose that aproach.
If GSL wants to give them to foreigners why would you try and deny the value of those players and that particular choice of gom? If it's good for gom(sell more tickets) and it's good for the players and god know that 2 or 3 koreans not giving a chance of getting the seed(even if it's unfair), it's just 3 less in 32 code and even more in code A..
Korean SC2 scene is not in danger but the foreigners are, we are the ones needing to improve no them.7
Naniwa just beat nestea for instance isn't he CODE S material? even if he does poorly in GSL, it's not easy you know?
I think IdrA and Sen deserve the criticism. They were both given seeds for Season 1 just because of the fact that they were former Code S superstars and clearly, one of them was supposed to replace NaNiwa, who had his wrongfully taken away over a probe rushing incident that was in a tournament not even fucking related to a regular GSL season.
As much as Mr Chae would like to spin the fact that "NaNiwa qualified for the Blizzard Cup through the League Exchange Program, not for the next GSL Season", the league exchange program explicitly states Code S seeds, and the Blizzard Cup didn't even reward as much money or prestige as a typical GSL season did.
Now look at IdrA's "group of death" which contained NesTea and Mvp. I think if NaNiwa got the seed instead of IdrA, AS PLANNED, he would have taken the group and made it to the Ro16 with ease. After all, he has beaten the "God of Zerg" three times in MLG.
IdrA's been playing awfully lately. In the same season as he was given a Code S seed, he won only one game (against Lucky) and was knocked out of the GSL entirely in three straight series, whilst whining that ZvP is a broken matchup in interviews (when only one of his opponents was a Protoss.)
I mean I can get knocked out of the GSL in a complete and utter roflstomp too. Why didn't I get the Code S seed?
Similarly, in the Winter Arena, IdrA only won 1 game in the whole tournament and that was against Oz. He then proceeded to get 2 - 0'd by NesTea in the first LB round.
On the other hand, Sen hasn't done so badly. He's at least still in Code A (for now) but his move to the TeSL might have put him out of shape. At least the TW and KR ladders are twinned with each other though.
MLG is more reliant on fundamentals than preparation. It's still a combo of both but mostly fundamentals. It's the opposite with GSL. With prep time players can better achieve their potential. Do note that DRG was the only Zerg to beat the top protoss.
On February 27 2012 20:19 Atoissen wrote: Polt does deserve it, but I actually dont think he will gett it.
This is why: - I think GomTV really prefer to give this to a "foreigner". - Polt just got knocked out of Code-A in "fair" games, he has not showed great games in GSTL either. - He is not a fan favourit (Like MKP, MC, Idra etc.) - He is Terran...
45k viewers were watching him hammer stephano. i bet you he's made more than 1 fan in the event
On the other hand I would like the seeding system to be more transparent (like it was last year).
I would love to see Stephano in the GSL but he repeated it multiple times; staying in Korean for more than one month for only one tournament is not for him.
On February 27 2012 19:45 Aunvilgod wrote: I fully agree. BUT if Stephano could be convinced to play in the GSL I would give him one seed. In my opinion he has proven himself enough in not only this recent ROG but also, if not even more, in the Blizzard Cup.
Stephano deserves the GSL spot, but he didn't prove anything in the blizzard cup.
It would be almost be criminal to not give Polt a seed after what he's achieved this year. I was always a fan of his bio play, but after witnessing it on the big stage of an important tournament (I didn't see the super tournament), I have become a diehard fan and will always support him the same way I do with MKP.
Polt took 1st place at ASUS, he had to claw his way trough opponents of every race to do so, and good opponents at that and he won in convincing, but more importantly in spectacular fashion, I haven't been so excited to see a someone play since Bomber was on fire and destroying Raleigh. On top of ASUS he won the qualifier for IPL 4, going trough even more good opponents, and also several dailies.
I can't think of anyone else that deserves this more then Polt, even if he is Korean.
And for the record, I don't tune into a tournament just to see my favorite players, I tune in to see quality games, and I don't care who delivers it, that is why I love and respect the GSL, because it is THE tournament to follow if you want to see the highest level of play. If the players impress me with outstanding games via micro, macro and decision making, then I don't care if they are Korean or Martians, I just want to see the best of the best. I am quite sure that there are also a lot more people like me, who care for the quality more then they care for their favorite player, obviously they will root for their favorite player, but they will continue to watch even if he is knocked out in the RO32.
Now, unless any of you actually show me some cold hard numbers, that indicate viewership for a specific day, or for a season grew, as a consequence of having some foreigners in Code S, then I'll just say bullshit. I'm tired of all this ignorance being spat around, people automatically assuming foreigners = vipers, without any data to back them up.
asolutely agree. A player like IdrA should not to be considered for a Code S seed if there are amazing players like Polt or viOlet who have earned it so much more.
Koreans shouldnt rly get these seeds.. for foreigners to actually go there to compete costs a LOT of money. And its also benefical for gom to have them in their competition? Ppl who want to see Polt already own a GSL ticket. I doubt there is anyone who would buy a GSL ticket just coz Polt got invited.
Polt looked amazing this tournament. His micro was ridiculous. Even in a game that he lost, vs TLO, he looked like one of the best in the world. He held TLO for like 10 minutes with a handful of marines and a few scvs with his insane micro. The game was clearly unwinnable but he really put on a great show, it was like a Terran campaign mission vs a zerg swarm on Ultra Super Brutal difficulty, so fun to watch. Everyone should watch that game, I was pretty convinced Polt was going to win the tournament after it, even though he lost that particular game.. to TLO, lol.
In the rest of games vs TLO and zerg in general his unit movements were really impressive. Versus the mass ling strategies, every single time Polt managed to find the perfect spot against some cliff maximize his cost effectiveness, he literally refused to get surrounded by mass lings a single time and if he did, instant pickup in medivacs without losing anything.
I honestly never liked watching Polt for some reason, I don't really know why, now I'm a fan.
On February 28 2012 03:04 careohx wrote: Koreans shouldnt rly get these seeds.. for foreigners to actually go there to compete costs a LOT of money. And its also benefical for gom to have them in their competition? Ppl who want to see Polt already own a GSL ticket. I doubt there is anyone who would buy a GSL ticket just coz Polt got invited.
Polt is my favorite player, due to his stream. He is the only Terran player of his caliber who has been streaming consistently (forGG, Puma, and Supernova just started), and if you actually watch his play, it's damn near perfect in terms of precision micro and decision making. He's always hoovering inside the Top-15 on Korean Ladder. I would absolutely pay to watch him play. Watching him win the ASUS ROG was one of my sc2 viewing highlights.
From a merit standpoint, Polt totally deserves a Code S spot. Unfortunately, I think GomTV would rather pander to the foreign fanbase and throw in some random foreigner to get roflstomped. The only foreigners I can think of that are anywhere near Code S level are Stephano (whom Polt just beat), Naniwa, and maybe Huk (if he can return to form).
Completely agree. I have loved Polt's play for a long time.. one of the best streams on TL as well. Ridiculously impressive at ROG. Smooth and well thought out builds with incredible map awarness and unit positioning.
I like the article since Polt isn't just a random terran who by accident won this tournament. With few exceptions I don't like terrans to win, but Polt is one of those exceptions. Polt is smart.
If you agree with this article, I would also consider tweeting at Mr. Chae to show your support for Polt and let him know you want to see him in Code S! Here is Mr. Chae's twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/WoWnStarcraft
however i think code S seed should not be given out
I mean, naniwa can be justified by the just code s player lucky besting him both times. It's like if it was say coca dropped down when huk qualified everytime. Can you really blame that? It's not like he was JUST knocked out.
Anyhow yes i think less code S seed more code a and up and down.
I remember before the Super Tournament, I was thinking people were underrating Polt - he made it pretty far in GSL Open 3 after all - and being blown away by his play. His micro is great, but more importantly, I love his sense of when he's ahead and the way he chooses to take advantage of that. Rather than getting more ahead with macro, he gets more ahead with aggression, by engaging in constant, cost-effective engagements... few players are more exciting than that.
Sure, he didn't do so hot in his GSL games lately, but he'll be back, one way or another.
Polt is the absolute man. Favorite player for sure. Hes had my attention since the first time I saw him spread and stim just marines into a tank line and rape it even though it looked suicidal. The real strength of Polts play are his tactics imo. His marine/tank during assembly was filthy. His fantastic (and always safe!) tank positioning and ability to establish and then hold beachheads (think of that game in the finals where he only made 2 CCs and had to float them around) was astounding. Im pretty sure that if there were any serious military commanders that were SC fans they would value his play highly. Plus the guy streams, what a beast.
PS - forgot how disgusting his micro was on holding that one baneling bust from Lucky on ANtiga. Had to rewind that.
This Code S seed must go to Polt, seeing as he has been having so much success recently. His control and decision making easily top out as one of the best in the pro-scene. Mr. Chae, please give Polt this seed he deserves.
On his way to the championship, Polt went through Taeja and HerO – two very good players who are awaiting the final round of Code A matches, and seem to have a good shot at making it into Code S next season. He then defeated Lucky, an underrated player who played in Code S this season, and finally Stephano, considered by many to be the best foreigner in the world. Not only were they all skilled, Code S class opponents, but they forced Polt to prove himself in every single match-up.
This is wrong and should definitely be changed, the only S class players that Polt faced were Taeja and Lucky. HerO and Stephano have never been in Code S.
Edit: Calling HerO S class because he's almost at Code S is arguable I suppose, but Stephano, a non-GSL player, shouldn't be called S Class unless it means absolutely nothing at all to call someone S class.
Idra will probably be seeded again into code S.. Mr.Chae has said before, his favorite player is IdrA (he said it either at the charades show with tastosis or the pre-game shows this season, memory fuzzy)
On his way to the championship, Polt went through Taeja and HerO – two very good players who are awaiting the final round of Code A matches, and seem to have a good shot at making it into Code S next season. He then defeated Lucky, an underrated player who played in Code S this season, and finally Stephano, considered by many to be the best foreigner in the world. Not only were they all skilled, Code S class opponents, but they forced Polt to prove himself in every single match-up.
This is wrong and should definitely be changed, the only S class players that Polt faced were Taeja and Lucky. HerO and Stephano have never been in Code S.
Edit: Calling HerO S class because he's almost at Code S is arguable I suppose, but Stephano, a non-GSL player, shouldn't be called S Class unless it means absolutely nothing at all to call someone S class.
Every player Polt faced on his road to the finals is either one round away from qualifying for Code S and/or has shown himself capable of beating Code S players. S class has nothing to do with Code S anyway.
On his way to the championship, Polt went through Taeja and HerO – two very good players who are awaiting the final round of Code A matches, and seem to have a good shot at making it into Code S next season. He then defeated Lucky, an underrated player who played in Code S this season, and finally Stephano, considered by many to be the best foreigner in the world. Not only were they all skilled, Code S class opponents, but they forced Polt to prove himself in every single match-up.
This is wrong and should definitely be changed, the only S class players that Polt faced were Taeja and Lucky. HerO and Stephano have never been in Code S.
Edit: Calling HerO S class because he's almost at Code S is arguable I suppose, but Stephano, a non-GSL player, shouldn't be called S Class unless it means absolutely nothing at all to call someone S class.
Every player Polt faced on his road to the finals is either one round away from qualifying for Code S and/or has shown himself capable of beating Code S players. S class has nothing to do with Code S anyway, so please stop embarrassing yourself when you criticize other people.
Okay, I'm not sure if you totally understand what S Class means either. It doesn't come from SC2, it comes from BW. Players like Flash, Jaedong, etc. are considered S Class because they are the best of the best--players that do well at the highest levels of competition. It's hard to say exactly what S class is. You don't have to be Jaedong to be S-Class, but you need to be competitive with Jaedong. S Class has always meant "among the best" essentially, as far as I've understood it.
Now, SC2 is a newer game and the scene is much more diverse because of international tournaments. But it's safe to say that if you haven't even been in Code S yet, you're not S class in SC2. You might be a good player, but people never used to call "good" players S-class. That was always reserved for people with consistent results in the MSL and OSL, even if they never won it.
edit: The other thing is that according to your definition pretty much everyone is S-Class. If I sixpooled MVP and somehow won, according to your definition I would be S-Class.
On February 27 2012 22:38 Asha` wrote: This feels like a blog masquerading as news =p
I guess it is like an editorial. I think Polt deserves a seed, but I fear that a lot of members in the community are over reliant on community opinion leaders. They might blindly read and agree, thus adversely affecting the overall discussion on a very important issue (though we don't technically have control over the recipient of the seeds).
I think this would have been better if it were part of the larger article discussing seeds.
Wow. That was borderline threatening. Makes sense, though. No one, and I mean no one, can reasonably deny that Polt is now one of the very best in the world. Heck, all you need to do is compare Stephano's results against Puma versus his results againt Polt. Also, I'm tired of feeling like I got stabbed in the gut everytime some foreigner goes to the GSL and gets systematically dismantled. I want to maintain my delusion that the foreigner scene can at least compare to the Korean scene. I don't, and won't, buy tickets to see some foreigner lose. Sure, maybe a foreigner will come out fighting and maybe leave the group stage or something, but with that attitude, I would be much better off buying lottery tickets.
On his way to the championship, Polt went through Taeja and HerO – two very good players who are awaiting the final round of Code A matches, and seem to have a good shot at making it into Code S next season. He then defeated Lucky, an underrated player who played in Code S this season, and finally Stephano, considered by many to be the best foreigner in the world. Not only were they all skilled, Code S class opponents, but they forced Polt to prove himself in every single match-up.
This is wrong and should definitely be changed, the only S class players that Polt faced were Taeja and Lucky. HerO and Stephano have never been in Code S.
Edit: Calling HerO S class because he's almost at Code S is arguable I suppose, but Stephano, a non-GSL player, shouldn't be called S Class unless it means absolutely nothing at all to call someone S class.
Every player Polt faced on his road to the finals is either one round away from qualifying for Code S and/or has shown himself capable of beating Code S players. S class has nothing to do with Code S anyway, so please stop embarrassing yourself when you criticize other people.
Okay, I'm not sure if you totally understand what S Class means either. It doesn't come from SC2, it comes from BW. Players like Flash, Jaedong, etc. are considered S Class because they are the best of the best--players that do well at the highest levels of competition. It's hard to say exactly what S class is. You don't have to be Jaedong to be S-Class, but you need to be competitive with Jaedong. S Class has always meant "among the best" essentially, as far as I've understood it.
Now, SC2 is a newer game and the scene is much more diverse because of international tournaments. But it's safe to say that if you haven't even been in Code S yet, you're not S class in SC2. You might be a good player, but people never used to call "good" players S-class. That was always reserved for people with consistent results in the MSL and OSL, even if they never won it.
edit: The other thing is that according to your definition pretty much everyone is S-Class. If I sixpooled MVP and somehow won, according to your definition I would be S-Class.
Your explanation of S Class is wrong. It's not "players like Flash and Jaedong" who are considered S-Class, it is literally Flash, Jaedong, Bisu, and Stork. Players from Best to Baby to Last are doing quite well at the highest level of competition, but no one considers them to be S-Class right now. Even Fantasy never really earned that prestige because he is considered too flaky.
The only player who was possibly S Class in SC2 was MvP and that was during a very specific time period (end of December to GSL March group stages). It was far too short to earn the name.
Being in Code S doesn't even mean that much in terms of separating talent. Before the complaint was that the old system kept middling players in Code S for too long; now people complain that the path can be too easy and random.
"Showing yourself capable of beating Code S players" is a consistent trait, not an outlier.
If you bothered to read the snippet you quoted, you'd realize that the OP says "Code S class opponents" and not "S-Class opponents". So you are complaining about a completely irrelevant topic for the sake of complaining.
On his way to the championship, Polt went through Taeja and HerO – two very good players who are awaiting the final round of Code A matches, and seem to have a good shot at making it into Code S next season. He then defeated Lucky, an underrated player who played in Code S this season, and finally Stephano, considered by many to be the best foreigner in the world. Not only were they all skilled, Code S class opponents, but they forced Polt to prove himself in every single match-up.
This is wrong and should definitely be changed, the only S class players that Polt faced were Taeja and Lucky. HerO and Stephano have never been in Code S.
Edit: Calling HerO S class because he's almost at Code S is arguable I suppose, but Stephano, a non-GSL player, shouldn't be called S Class unless it means absolutely nothing at all to call someone S class.
Every player Polt faced on his road to the finals is either one round away from qualifying for Code S and/or has shown himself capable of beating Code S players. S class has nothing to do with Code S anyway, so please stop embarrassing yourself when you criticize other people.
Okay, I'm not sure if you totally understand what S Class means either. It doesn't come from SC2, it comes from BW. Players like Flash, Jaedong, etc. are considered S Class because they are the best of the best--players that do well at the highest levels of competition. It's hard to say exactly what S class is. You don't have to be Jaedong to be S-Class, but you need to be competitive with Jaedong. S Class has always meant "among the best" essentially, as far as I've understood it.
Now, SC2 is a newer game and the scene is much more diverse because of international tournaments. But it's safe to say that if you haven't even been in Code S yet, you're not S class in SC2. You might be a good player, but people never used to call "good" players S-class. That was always reserved for people with consistent results in the MSL and OSL, even if they never won it.
edit: The other thing is that according to your definition pretty much everyone is S-Class. If I sixpooled MVP and somehow won, according to your definition I would be S-Class.
Your explanation of S Class is wrong. It's not "players like Flash and Jaedong" who are considered S-Class, it is literally Flash, Jaedong, Bisu, and Stork. Players from Best to Baby to Last are doing quite well at the highest level of competition, but no one considers them to be S-Class right now. Even Fantasy never really earned that prestige because he is considered too flaky.
The only player who was possibly S Class in SC2 was MvP and that was during a very specific time period (end of December to GSL March group stages). It was far too short to earn the name.
Being in Code S doesn't even mean that much in terms of separating talent. Before the complaint was that the old system kept middling players in Code S for too long; now people complain that the path can be too easy and random.
"Showing yourself capable of beating Code S players" is a consistent trait, not an outlier.
If you bothered to read the snippet you quoted, you'd realize that the OP says "Code S class opponents" and not "S-Class opponents". So you are complaining about a completely irrelevant topic for the sake of complaining.
Haha, you're right I did misread it as S class. I think it's because people often say Code S but not Code S Class so I made that mistake.
But no, you're wrong about me complaining just for the sake of complaining. If you follow the argument in the OP, you'll see why I brought up my complaint. I thought that the description of the strength of Polt's opponents is too exaggerated. Since the OP is about Polt being seeded directly into Code S based on the strength of the Assmebly victory, you can see why it's relevant to challenge that kind of description of his opponents.
Like I said, I misread it as S class and not code S class. There is a big different between beating two S class players and four S class players in one tournament. But if we're talking about Code S level players and not S class players, even then I'm really doubtful that Stephano could get past the first round of Code S even if he tried multiple times. I know that Stephano has beaten Code S players, but never in the Code S format.
My overall opinion is that they should limit the amount of invitational seeds in general and especially to Code S. I'm not sure that a tournament like Assembly, or some of the IEM events (Waxangel mentions this in his article) are really difficult enough to warrant letting someone into Code S (Code A is more reasonable to me).
I am actually very surprised TL allowed Fionn, the #1 Polt, to write a plea for Polt for Code S instead of having an actual normal review of the tournament.
polt played stupidly well TvZ in asus rog better than i have ever seen anyone play that matchup BY FAR! what every other good terran would have done polt did it WAY BETTER.
I'll add that even though Polt isn't as popular as some top Koreans and foreigners, he streams fairly often and there is generally quite strong concurrent viewership. Combined with his recent high profile victories in foreign events like Assembly, I think he may have more of a foreign following than people give him credit for.
I do hope Polt gets the seed, for the simple fact that if it is instead given to, say, HuK, I think HuK would get knocked out in the first round. Stephano won't take it, and Naniwa, while potentially Code S caliber, hasn't had the recent results to warrant a seed nor have his past results in the GSL been strong.
I love Polt because he stubbornly refuses to give up on bio. It can be depressing to see him lose sometimes, especially when battling against entrenched mech, but it also makes it more inspiring when he wins.
On February 27 2012 19:43 human_ko wrote: does polt acquire code S seed or is this thread about him deserving to acquire it?
Him deserving it.
He should acquire it as well, though.
I'm pretty uncomfortable about foreigners or koreans getting Code S seeds through foreign tournaments. I think that Korean tournaments shouldn't be as integrated because it perpetuates the superiority of all that is korea. Maybe that is good or bad, but I think it discourages foreign growth for individual players and the scene.
First of all, Polt is a beast, and I wouldn't mind him getting the Code S spot. But I would like to see new blood in code S as well, maybe Ret or Stephano?
On February 28 2012 10:56 FidoDido wrote: Idra will probably be seeded again into code S.. Mr.Chae has said before, his favorite player is IdrA (he said it either at the charades show with tastosis or the pre-game shows this season, memory fuzzy)
Idra will not be seeded into Code S. GSL will not make a mockery of its own tournament. The guy went 0-3 in matches and has not had any notable tournament success in months. Just because Mr. Chae likes him is not enough.
I believe all Code S winners should be given a chance to play for a seed, rather than playing out of Code A instead of getting a seed for free. The fact that we see all these heavy hitters getting knocked out of Code S is a good thing, favoritism shouldn't be a factor. The fact that these GSL winners are struggling to stay in Code S depicts the reality that Korea has an immense amount of talent and skill. You want the best to win, and not give an easy path to past winners just because they did well.
Giving Polt a code S spot is a big deal. It would mean that GSL doesn't say "Hey guy, you're the best player in the world".
If they don't give a code S spot to Polt, GSL is unaware about the scene.
If they do, they fit with the foreigner feeling and the reality of the worldwide scene, but it means also that Code "B", A and S doesn't make any sense, and that the winner is not the best.
Is it about the game or about GSL in itself? I don't know. But MVP in code B and Polt even not in code A....I think you can get something about my thought, there's something wrong in the country of the quiet morning.
The difference between giving the Code S seeds to foreigners instead of Polt is that Polt was already in the tournament and simply failed at this particular round, instead of a foreigner who was not in the last season coming to korea specifically for the GSL. Giving the spot to anyone who competed (but failed) last season is rewarding failure. If Polt (or IdrA for that matter) wants to get into the next season's GSL they should qualify for A. Code S seeds should go out to someone who was not competing in last season's GSL.
EPT
It has been over six months since the Super Tournament was rocked to its core when Polt rolled through some of the best players in Korea to take home the $100,000 prize at the GSL Super Tournament. Polt's never been able to recapture that past glory, and he's had his share of ups and downs since. In fact, he went through one of his worst stretches in recent weeks, getting eliminated from Code A and captaining the hopelessly undermanned Team SCV Life to an elimination from the GSTL as well. 
(though I hope not).
