by: Fionn

The Final Night in Mokdong

While this is the last night of the Up and Downs, this night has more meaning to it than any Up and Down group before it. These six players will be the final players to play in the Mokdong Studios, ending an era of its own. Wings of Liberty will be unofficially have its climactic close on Saturday with Symbol and Roro battling to see who will be the final WoL GSL champion, but this Up and Down group will be our chance to say goodbye to the studio that has brought us so much joy over the years.

6. CJ_Bbyong

Sitting at the bottom of our projected standings is Bbyong, ultimately one of the most unlucky players in Mokdong Studio's history. Making it to the third stage of Code A last season, Bbyong was only one Bo3 victory away from qualifying for Code S. Facing Polt in the third round, Bbyong lost, taking the first map, but not being able to take out the veteran Polt. That would turn out to be Polt's last appearance at Mokdong, as he surprised everyone by announcing he was leaving Korea, going to go learn English at the University of Texas at Austin, and give up his Code S seed. Instead of that spot to Bbyong, the guy Polt beat, it went to the foreigner Stephano, leaving Bbyong to get eliminated in the Up/Downs. Polt probably didn't mind that his spot went to one of his friends in Stephano, but had he handled the timing of his departure differently, Bbyong may very well have taken the Code S spot.

Being used less and less in Proleague, Bbyong has gone from one of the better Terran prospects on the KeSPA side to being an under utilized member of his team, only having three wins in his last ten games. His TvP is by far his strongest match-up, but neither Flying, nor especially Rain will make it easy for the CJ Terran. With nine straight losses to Zerg in a row, housing an ugly 28% win rate against the race overall, this group will not be easy with former GSL champion Sniper and KeSPA player soO to oppose him. Sadly for Bbyong, the most memorable moment for him in Mokdong may end up being that unfortunate loss to Polt.


5. Woongjin_Flying

Flying's greatest moment in Mokdong happened only a few weeks ago, when he beat Stephano 2-1 in the second round of Code A. Starting his Starcraft 2 career as one of the more promising Protoss players, Flying qualified for the first and only Wings of Liberty OSL tournament and reached quarterfinals, before losing to MC 3-1. Since that loss, his career has gone on a slope downward, getting used less in Proleague after a long losing streak in his team's matches. Stars has continued to be the strongest team in Proleague, but Flying still hasn't found his stride just yet, still sitting low on the team depth chart.

Flying is decent in PvZ and PvP, but has shown his best games against Terran, holding a 60% win rate. Bbyong and Byun are both strong against Protoss, so nothing will come easy for Flying on the night. He still should be favored over Bbyong, but he will have a hard time grabbing wins against the other top players in the group. If he had slipped into the Stephano group that only had four players in it, Flying could have been a favorite to make it out, but he's out of luck in this top heavy six player pool.


4. SKT_soO

He sent the best player in Wings of Liberty history to Code B. No surprise that soO's most memorable moment in the Gom studio would be that, only having a few matches to pick from. He was the player that sent Mvp down to Code B, making sure that we would not see the King of Wings in the first Code S season of Heart of the Swarm. soO was on a nine game win streak before losing two straight to Losira in the final round of Code A, losing the match 2-1 and having to go through the Up and Down matches to take his place in Code S.

Of the players in this group, soO is the one we have he least amount of information about. He doesn't stand out in any match-up stats wise, but isn't terrible in any of them either. He will be a tough opponent for the two Terran players to defeat, having already taken out Mvp in the first round of Code A. With a strong run of games before finally falling to Losira, he has a chance of qualifying, but isn't one of the three favorites to make it out. It would be a mild surprise to see him make it Code S, but he already killed the King of Wings, so who is to doubt the strongest Zerg on SKT?


3. ByuNPrime

Byun has the longest history in the Mokdong studios, having many great memories playing Starcraft 2 in the building. His greatest moment would still have to be his quarterfinal victory against Bomber, still one of the greatest upsets and comebacks in Mokdong history. Down 2-0 to the then-consensus best player in the world in Bomber, Byun looked like more fodder for the inevitable champion of the season. Having beaten Mvp in the Code A finals in his rookie season, Bomber was the hottest player in the world, getting praise from anyone who watched him play. Byun, pulling out a miracle comeback, fought back to win three games in a row after getting blown out on the first two maps, shocking everyone with his advancement to the semifinals.

Byun did not go on to win the championship that season, losing anticlimactically to Losira in the quarterfinals 3-0, but that series demonstrated the strength and heart Byun possessed. Making the semifinals twice in his Wings career, Byun never got to play in a final, losing in the round of four both times he made it. Looking towards Heart of the Swarm, Byun is still searching for his first major title, never grabbing a gold in his Wings career.

In most groups, Byun would be a favorite to make it out, but with a 5-5 record in his last 10, this is not the best condition we've seen the Prime Terran in. With two champions in front of him in the projected standings, it's going to be a tough fight to make it out for the lovable, but sometimes erratic Terran player. He might have never won the big one in Wings, but he can start Heart of the Swarm in position to become the first champion of the new expansion.


2. SKT_Rain

The former golden child of KeSPA, Rain didn't take Starcraft 2 by storm like most people thought he would when he dominated DongRaeGu in the finals of the OSL. His most memorable moment in Mokdong would occur in the semifinals of season four of 2012, playing against the King of Wings, Mvp, in quite possibly the most hyped up match it had ever seen. In the match between the SC2 legend and the most hyped up new player since Bomber hit the scene, the veteran won in a close 3-2 series, beating Rain in a climatic fifth set and making his sixth finals.

Rain would then decline his Code S spot for the next season to partake in MLG Dallas instead, ending outside the top five and then dropping to Code B when he returned to Korea with a loss to Dream in the first round of Code A. He's gotten back on track recently, making quick work of the Code A qualifiers and making it to the final round of Code A, but he was smitten by the old and new god of KeSPA, Flash. Flash trounced Rain in their anticipated match, taking a 2-0 series win and making it into Code S for the first time.

At his present strength, Rain is not a specialist in any match-up, but has a strong 60% winning rate in all three. One of his first wins in Code S was against groupmate Byun, showing Rain's potent PvT for the first time in the GSL. While he didn't rake in the championships like we thought it was possible after his OSL victory, he is still one of the better Protoss players in the world. With Flash and Fantasy already booking their tickets to the first Heart of the Swarm Code S season, Rain could make it a KeSPA all star affair if he can get through tonight's group.


1. MVP.Sniper

Seeing as Sniper's greatest moments came in Vegas, beating Ryung and then Hyun to win the Code S championship, we're going to have to go with this as his greatest accomplishment in the Mokdong studios:



He made a girl cry, made sure there would be no glory in death for SlayerS, and started his reign of terror in the GSL. It's not the best thing to be remembered for, but it will go down as a classic moment in Mokdong history. Eve the first woman to play in the GSL, was made to shed tears by the player who would go on to win Code S the next season.

Looking past his ladykilling tendencies, Sniper is still one of the best players in the world. Yeah, his success might be due to the Wings of Liberty imbalance towards Zerg, but it's hard to say that Sniper isn't one of the best WoL players right now. After tonight, when the switch is made to Heart of the Swarm, that might all change, Sniper having to play a new game where Zerg currently would be considered the consensus weakest race once again. But for one more night, he can still fly on the Wings of Liberty, so you have to give Sniper the nod as having the best chance to make it out.

His play isn't the most exciting, and he more than likely won't be bringing you game of the year candidates, but he gets the job done. Question marks will be following him into HotS, people wondering if he truly is a great, S-class level player, or if his championship and success was a by product of the balance at the end of Wings of Liberty. Love him or hate him, Sniper is one of the twelve Wings of Liberty GSL champions, and he should be a favorite to get out of this group.

Goodbye, Mokdong. It's been fun. See you all in Gangnam.