With the Proleague Finals fading rapidly into the past, it is time to cast our eyes forward once again to the OSL. The OSL is, and always will be, the tournament every Progamer wants to win. Yes, on camera it’s all about Proleague, but at the heart of it – OSL titles define champions. Without one, your career means little more than any other progamers and you will be forgotten quickly. For instance, who remembers Midas? Midas was once the best Terran in the world and could go toe to toe with Savior in his prime. Midas never won an OSL and has faded into obscurity and his great skill gone unappreciated.
There are four players left in the OSL. Three of which have the opportunity to forge themselves an OSL legacy, and one which has the chance to become an OSL legend. In one semifinal we have Type-b vs YellOw[ArnC] where the victor will be the first HITE player in a final since Casy. In the other we have the best on-paper matchup all season; a rematch of last season’s final between Fantasy and Jaedong. This matchup is just oozing with drama and suspense – everyone is looking forward to Friday for this series.
But nevertheless, the players have made it this far into the tournament and deserve a proper biography to introduce them.
YellOw[ArnC], Yarnc, Fake Yellow, MS – whatever you want to call him – has been one of the top Zergs this year. Yarnc made his OSL debut in Shinhan 1 where he defeated OOv, last season’s champion, on 815 using out of this world Mutalisk harass off of one base. The game caused an incredible commotion about the young Zerg and he was hyped as one of the next big things. Winning that game against OOv placed him third in the group and got him a wildcard spot – where he defeated July to advance to the Ro16. He then beat sea in an incredible best of 3 series. Yarnc lost in the Ro8 to JJu but nevertheless, the kid’s ZvT was phenomenal.
Unfortunately, Yarnc faded away after that splendid display. While he was considered one of the better Zergs during this time he never really made an impact on the scene. It was not long before he was overshadowed by his twin brother Luxury. Luxury’s play was significantly more refined and polished than Yarnc, and indeed, assisted Jaedong in pioneering the “crazy zerg” ZvT style back in 2007/08. Another interesting fact is that Yarnc has never outperformed his brother when they played in the same league.
Yarnc’s play then took a large turn. Formerly, Yarnc’s ZvT and ZvZ were excellent but his ZvP was abysmal. With the rise of Destination and the 5 Hatch Spire-Hydra build Yarnc’s ZvP actually began to look solid. His play looked far more convincing than his brother’s, yet Luxury managed to win an MSL (yes, the calibre of players was terrible, but it still counts). Yarnc now has a chance to prove himself the dominant twin in Bacchus S2 OSL. The kid oozing potential 3 years ago has finally matured into a beast of a Zerg – and his performance in this tournament is a credit to his new found skills.
Honestly, Yarnc came through the most difficult group known to mankind. He had Effort, Flash and Jaedong to battle it out with – and he came out on top. Against every odd, Yarnc made it. He then crushed go.go with relative ease and has now made the semifinals. This performance is long overdue, and personally, I will be cheering my heart out for Yarnc.
Reporter - one of you will go to the final. Of course each of you wanna do that. But beside yourself, which player do you see going to the final?
Type-b: Leta. Yarnc: Go.go. Go.go:Yellow Leta: me… Type-b: beside yourself! Leta (looking at Type-b): Type-b. Type-b: be honest. Leta: still Type-b.
Translation thanks to sky_slasher
There is something peculiar about type-b. While there have been many gamers in SC's long history, none have behaved quite like type-b. Anyone who followed the Dragon Ball Z series will be familiar with Cell. Cell was an villain who defeated others and stole their strength by draining their energy with his tail. Every time he defeated someone he became more powerful, to the point where he was basically unstoppable.
Type-b is Starcraft's equivalent of Cell. He has been a progamer for about 3 years now and has done next to nothing in his career. His sole claim to fame is reaching the Ro32 in Arena MSL - where he lost 0-2 in his group in unnoticeable fashion. But this season, things have been going his way. In OSL Round 1 he defeated Pure and Best to advance from his group. His victories were marginal, but it was clear that each game he was improving his skills.
In the Round of 16 he was placed in a tough group comprising Backho, Stork and Fantasy. Type-b was not expected to advance from this group. But his improved ZvP was able to defeat Stork and Backho. He couldn't beat fantasy, but that is to be expected. In the Round of 8 he was paired up against Leta and was the major underdog. However, type-b showed that he isn't a machine and that he can think on his feet and defeated Leta in impressive fashion. Thus earning himself a spot in the semifinals.
In a way, type-b's Bacchus S2 run is reminiscent of Flash's Bacchus S1 run where Flash lost to Stork in the group stage, but advanced anyway. He met Jaedong in the Round of 8, whom he defeated. Both have been the underdogs during their run, and now type-b's skill is coming to light. After defeating Leta his confidence will be high, and he will be able to give his semifinal match his all since he has no Proleague commitments.
Type-b is also a candidate for walking the Royal Road. While this is incredibly unlikely given the competition on the other side of the bracket, these unknown rookies have shown us time and time again that anything can happen on the big stage.
I do want the title, but what I desire the most is the Royal Roader. I can win a title later, but the Royal Roader comes once. Considering that, I wanna win even if my opponent Leta is the best at the team. What I consider important as a progamer is not money but reputation. So I do want the glory of the Royal Roader that I’ve always considered is prestigious.
Translation thanks to sky_slasher
I'll be honest, last week I thought that having to write something about Jaedong would be difficult because, well, we've heard it all before. Jaedong is a two time OSL champ, candidate for the Golden Mouse, #1 Ranked on KeSPA, destroyer of worlds, souls and kittens, and the backbone of the Hwaseung OZ team. This man has climbed almost every Progaming mountain there is to climb. He's won the Proleague, OSL, MSL, GOM, Korean e-sports Festival, and Korean WCG. Yet this week will be the hardest week of his career. This week, there is more to write about Jaedong than I could have ever dreamed of.
Jaedong doesn't like losing. This is painfully true in from the his games. For instance, when he lost to Flash in Bacchus OSL - he crushed him in the MSL in a Best of 5 the week later. When Effort defeated Jaedong in ZvZ and the world began to doubt, Jaedong picked him for his OSL group and crushed him mercilessly. And then again in Proleague. And then again in the super ace match between Oz and CJ - crushing Effort's spirit in the process. Revenge for Jaedong has never eluded him - and there are few reasons to doubt why he would not take revenge this time.
For, you see, Jaedong has carried Hwaseung the entire season. However, against SKT1 Jaedong lost three times - singlehandedly causing his team to lose the final. For instance, if he had won his game against Hyuk then Oz would have made it to the super ace match. If he had won his game against Fantasy in the Ace match, then Oz would have made it to the super ace match. While his fans will try and come to his aid and say that is unfair to blame the team's loss squarely on Jaedong; but in reality that's what Jaedong is doing to himself.
Rewatch the moments after Fantasy's rush crushed Jaedong. I have never seen Jaedong look like that before. His face has an expression of utter depression, like he had been totally crushed. Not even when he lost to fOrGG did he have that expression on his face.
This week will be the ultimate test for Jaedong. He must literally pick himself up out of the gutter and play his hardest once again to take revenge for his losses on the weekend. After months of being over-booked and the talk about Jaedong not being able to handle the pressure, this is the last thing he needs. Could this culmination of pressures finally break Jaedong? This writer thinks that the time has come for Jaedong to take a rest.
Fantasy must be feeling good after such an amazing weekend. He took down his OSL semifinal opponent, twice, on a stage larger than the one for the OSL final. He finally got a true revenge on Jaedong after his loss in Batoo - and now it's time for him to hammer the message home. Fantasy has not lost to Jaedong since Batoo - and there is no reason to suggest why he would start losing this week.
There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, iloveoov realises that the OSL is incredibly important for Fantasy. He noted in his Proleague Finals interview that the next SKT goal is to win a league - and with Fantasy in such good position and team morale on an all time high, they will be powering everything they can into this Terran genius. With SKT's support (since they literally have nothing else to do) Fantasy should be well prepared for every possible situation that could arise (while Jaedong still has to prepare for the MSL as well).
Fantasy showcased a new element of his play over the weekend. This element was that of Boxer. Boxer influence on Fantasy is now apparent - and Boxer is one of the greatest TvZ players of all time. Not only does Fantasy have the genius of oov at his disposal, but he also has the infinite wisdom of Boxer. Indeed, it was Boxer's strategy that allowed Fantasy to take the Proleague Ace so easily. With so many weapons at Fantasy's disposal there isn't a Zerg alive that wouldn't be scared of him.
Furthermore, with his recent success, Fantasy has momentum. And momentum is an excellent thing to have in SC. When you have momentum you just keep winning games regardless of whether you deserved to or not. Combine this with the fact that he just destroyed Jaedong twice on the weekend and you have one confident player.
I could rave on about Fantasy and his brilliance for hours. But I'll leave you with this. No Terran has influenced the modern strategy of Starcraft moreso than Fantasy. He changed the way TvZ was played at a fundamental level. If there is any justice in the universe, he will be rewarded with an OSL victory.
There isn't much you can say about an intra-team ZvZ, and similarly there isn't much the players can do about it either. With all the practice they do against each other, their ZvZ styles are known so well to their opponent. In addition to this, ZvZ is just a linear matchup that really, there can't be any surprises. Whoever the dominant player is in practice will take this series.
From interviews it seems like Yarnc is that dominant player. This isn't really surprising seeing as he is the more experienced player and has a pretty wicked ZvZ when he needs it. Thus we should expect Yarnc to run away with this series. Can we dismiss type-b entirely though? Of course not. There is so little known about him, and he is so modest in his interviews, that it's impossible to tell if the Yarnc > Type-b claim is true. I would be fairly certain, though, that Yarnc will take this series.
Ah, and now for the main event. Fantasy has to be happy with this map pool. Heartbreak is a great map for Terran vs Zerg and indeed, is one of the maps that Fantasy has beaten Jaedong on post-Batoo OSL. This is followed up by Outsider - where Fantasy just recently beat Jaedong in Proleague. Holy World is a bit of a wild ard match, but RotK is a great map for Terran. The pool is capped off by Heartbreak; an excellent map for fantasy to seal the series.
It is going to be interesting to note how Fantasy uses his 2rax/1forward strategy that he used in both games this weekend. The build is excellent at countering Jaedong's 2hatch muta since it force the Zerg to invest heavily in defenses leaving the Zerg's economy in wrecks. The two rax pressure seems to be working quite well for other Terrans as well. In addition to this, Fantasy has his classic mech build up his sleeve, and we all know how good that is. Jaedong really needs to change things up to win this series. He can't simply rely on 2hatch muta for him to get by. Fantasy has every counter to that build burned into his memory after losing to in in Game 5 of the Batoo Finals. Can Jaedong change it up with all the added pressure this week? We'll find out on Friday.
There is also lots of history to be made in this semifinal. Should fantasy win he will be the second person ever to reach three consecutive OSL finals. The other player to accomplish this feat was Boxer. Fantasy is already a member of the exclusive back-to-back silvers club (along with Stork) so losing a third time in the finals is simply not an option. Should Jaedong win the finals he will be the third player ever to have won an OSL, then make the finals of the next one. The two other players are Boxer and Nada. Also, if Jaedong wins it will be the first ever ZvZ OSL final. In addition to that, if Jaedong wins the finals then he and Boxer will be the only two people to win back-to-back OSL golds.
Yes, this semifinal match is going to be great
So with some amazing semifinal lineups this weekend, be sure to tune into the OSL this week. Since there were no OSL games last week due tot he Proleague Grand Finals, both semifinals are being played this week. Semifinal A - Yarnc vs Type-b will be played at 18:30 KST on Wednesday while Semifinal B - Fantasy vs Jaedong will be played at 18:30 KST on Friday. Be sure not to miss these games because they do have the potential to be some of the defining series of this generation of gamers.
If you missed Bisu vs Iris, this is your chance for redemption!
Plexa
Thanks to sky_slasher for his interviews; excerpts taken from http://koreanprosc.com/?p=494 Thanks to Silversky for all the art. He's a beast!
Can't wait for Friday. Come to think of it, while we are here whoring TL forum, Boxer, oov and fantasy are actually discussing their strategy to win Jaedong.
jaedong vs fantasy has the potential to be the series of the year, i hope it delivers... jaedong can certainly take it, but who knows, i can see it going 3-0 in either direction, just depends what the players bring! so excited
[Yarnc]'s play looked far more convincing than his brother’s, yet Luxury managed to win an MSL (yes, the calibre of players was terrible, but it still counts).
I think a zerg player running through Hwasin, Leta(great series!)], ZerO, and JangBi at that time was pretty good, personally.
Even though I'm really hoping for a Yarnc-Fantasy final, as long as the JD-Fantasy series goes 5 games, I'll be pretty satisfied, regardless of the outcome.
On August 10 2009 23:15 Plexa wrote: No Terran has influenced the modern strategy of Starcraft moreso than Fantasy. He changed the way TvZ was played at a fundamental level. If there is any justice in the universe, he will be rewarded with an OSL victory.
Word. This is Fantasy's time, this is his place, and he is finally going to take what is rightfully his.
Nice write up Plexa, and of course awesome graphics as always from Silversky.
Haha, it's so true. Losing Batoo really pissed fantasy off. It may be premature, but I smell epic rivalry.
On the one hand, fantasy has decided "Never again...", and on the other, JD is in his familiar state of vengeful bloodlust. There hasn't been a semifinal this epic since Stork vs BeSt for all the marbles, iirc.
Am I the only one who is sick of articles raving about oov and boxer's influence on fantasy? Any time fantasy does anything remotely creative it's all whoa shit look at how boxer has been teaching him. It's especially egregious given that we know very little about actual team dynamics due to the language barrier. Not everything that happens in SKT is the result of boxer or oov and if any other player had done what fantasy had done nobody would think twice about it.
DAMN I like all the players in the semis. So no matter who makes it to the finals, I'm gonna be happy. Unfortunately, I just don't know if Yellow[arnc] or Type-b have what it takes to take on Fantasy or Jaedong.
Cell was an villain who defeated others and stole their strength by draining their energy with his tail. Every time he defeated someone he became more powerful, to the point where he was basically unstoppable.
No Terran has influenced the modern strategy of Starcraft moreso than Fantasy.
Maybe in TvZ. While Flash isn't as strong in TvP as Fantasy, I'd say him almost completely obsoleting carriers (as opposed to strict counters builds to whatever Jaedong is doing) is an equivalent or moreso shift in modern starcraft.
Other than that (I know it's a hype article so hyperbole is a bit needed), fine article.
On August 11 2009 00:42 Crunchums wrote: Am I the only one who is sick of articles raving about oov and boxer's influence on fantasy? Any time fantasy does anything remotely creative it's all whoa shit look at how boxer has been teaching him. It's especially egregious given that we know very little about actual team dynamics due to the language barrier. Not everything that happens in SKT is the result of boxer or oov and if any other player had done what fantasy had done nobody would think twice about it.
This is so true.
Why can't Fantasy get any credit for his own accomplishments. Okay, so his seniors and coaches help, but it's not like Boxer and Oov are the only Terrans capable of creative play, ever. Jesus Christ.
On August 11 2009 00:39 sh02hp0869 wrote: Hahah Jaedong will kill Fantasy. Fantasy can only win if Jd slips up or if out smart JD. He can never beat him straight - and in a best of 5? no way!
hahaha poor fantasy fans... so angry that he still has no titles
I liked fantasy before he developed a rivalry with my favorite player, and I still like him and his creative plays, but fantasy fans are getting almost as annoying as beesuit fans :\
Jaedong has 7 golds and 2 silvers. fantasy has...... 2 silvers. The last time jaedong lost a best of 5 was against his teammate, forgg.... in 2008. fantasy is going to get crushed (again). sorry but it's true.
and what is this bullshit about fantasy "claiming" "what's rightfully his"? it's not 'rightfully' yours unless you win. period. cmon riptide. your bias is showing.
edit: plexa, in your summary at the bottom you left out that if Jaedong wins the OSL gold, he'll join the exclusive club of people with a golden mouse (you did mention he's a "candidate" above)
Plexa, in your bit about type-b you said that reaching the arena MSL Ro32 was type-b's best starleague run, but what about reaching the Ro16 of the ClubDay MSL? Also don't forget that he played Yarnc there and Yarnc won 2-1.
lol if it were only because of boxer and oov, then SKT would have like 3 fantasy by now (Canata, midas anyone?). So ya, fantasy is good because he's good, and Boxer and oov's coaching makes him better.
i'm rooting for fantasy in this semi ... jaedong is a Bo5 monster, no question on that, but i do have a feeling that fantasy will be able to cheese his way through a game or two. 2-port wraith + bunker rush maybe? =P
On August 11 2009 00:42 Crunchums wrote: Am I the only one who is sick of articles raving about oov and boxer's influence on fantasy? Any time fantasy does anything remotely creative it's all whoa shit look at how boxer has been teaching him. It's especially egregious given that we know very little about actual team dynamics due to the language barrier. Not everything that happens in SKT is the result of boxer or oov and if any other player had done what fantasy had done nobody would think twice about it.
He himself has given credit to both boxer and oov, so it's not that strange. I mean, in the PL finals interview he claimed he didn't talk too much with boxer before the match to not make it too obvious what he would do. ~~ Besides, his so-called revolutionary TvZ with valk -> mech was basically just a variation of a build done by boxer (valk -> biomech) a week before his first match using it.
It might be tiresome, but there's no denying that oov's protege has been massively influenced by both oov and boxer.
Anyway, personally I'm hoping for JD winning it all. Doing so would give him one of the greatest accomplishments in SC history; back-to-back finals, OSL golds, as well as golden mouse. That kid deserves it, after carrying his whole team to PL-finals, basically on his own, and then losing it quite anticlimactically.
On August 11 2009 00:42 Crunchums wrote: Am I the only one who is sick of articles raving about oov and boxer's influence on fantasy? Any time fantasy does anything remotely creative it's all whoa shit look at how boxer has been teaching him. It's especially egregious given that we know very little about actual team dynamics due to the language barrier. Not everything that happens in SKT is the result of boxer or oov and if any other player had done what fantasy had done nobody would think twice about it.
This is so true.
Why can't Fantasy get any credit for his own accomplishments. Okay, so his seniors and coaches help, but it's not like Boxer and Oov are the only Terrans capable of creative play, ever. Jesus Christ.
Boxer: The first time I thought up of this strategy was when we were playing simulated games after Hwaseung defeated CJ and sealed their place in the Grand Finals. I defeated Hyuk with this strategy and felt that it was such a good strategy. Even til then, Coach Park did not really support the strategy, but when I showed it for him to see personally, he was impressed. Hence, I told Fantasy about the build.
Not to mention Fantasy specifically mentions that (at the proleague Grand Finals) he faked not talking to Boxer so that Hwaseung wouldnt think he prepared a risky/aggressive build and instead pretended to talk to iloveoov so they would think he prepared a macro-oriented one.
AND iloveoov said his goal when he became a coach was to "guide a Terran player to an individual win"
*edit* To clarify: I dont think this is a bad thing though. Its just stupid to deny it. Fantasy is easily the most exciting Terran around these days - as someone who plays TvZ / ZvT (ret style!), Fantasy's win on Day 1 against Jaedong was so amazing that I didnt even feel bad that my team was losing.
I love the JD fans who say that Fantasy can't beat JD straight up.
Not to nitpick or anything, Fantasy has only 'rushed' JD once and JD was going for fast mutas so it was JDs fault. Every other game they've played, Fantasy has always opted to play JD straight up; and we know who is leading the series =)
On August 11 2009 01:56 Railz wrote: I love the JD fans who say that Fantasy can't beat JD straight up.
Not to nitpick or anything, Fantasy has only 'rushed' JD once and JD was going for fast mutas so it was JDs fault. Every other game they've played, Fantasy has always opted to play JD straight up; and we know who is leading the series =)
On August 11 2009 01:56 Railz wrote: I love the JD fans who say that Fantasy can't beat JD straight up.
Not to nitpick or anything, Fantasy has only 'rushed' JD once and JD was going for fast mutas so it was JDs fault. Every other game they've played, Fantasy has always opted to play JD straight up; and we know who is leading the series =)
We know who won the OSL.
We know won the PL?
Moot point. The week after the OSL Fantasy destroyed JD on heart break and the OSL series went 3-2 so it was anything BUT convincing.
On August 11 2009 01:56 Railz wrote: I love the JD fans who say that Fantasy can't beat JD straight up.
Not to nitpick or anything, Fantasy has only 'rushed' JD once and JD was going for fast mutas so it was JDs fault. Every other game they've played, Fantasy has always opted to play JD straight up; and we know who is leading the series =)
It will be interesting to see how things turn out. The winner of the second semi-final is particularly important. If Jaedong wins, then it does not matter who wins the first semi-final since both Yellow and type-b have little chance of beating Jaedong (in spite of his recent setbacks). However, if fantasy wins, then it becomes more important who wins the First semi-final. If Yellow wins, fantasy might still have a very difficult time in the finals and could potentially even lose since Yellow is well-known for his ZvT.
Overall, a Yellow vs. fantasy final is the best-case scenario (even though I am a Jaedong fan). Both of these players have desperatly wanted an individual title for a very long time now. Yellow is desperate to overcome his brother, while fantasy is desperate to beat JangBi in their King of Silver race. If such a final occurs, then both are certain to give it their all in a bit to take the title.
By the way, even if Bisu never wins an OSL title, I seriously doubt he will ever truly be forgotten. Infact, it is interesting that sometimes, titles have little meaning in if people remember the player or not. For example, V-Gundam is quite a famous Terran player, even though he never won a single title. Mind, on the other hand, won an MSL (against Bisu, no less), but has preety much dropped off the radar since.
If it didn't make me feel like millions of larvae were trying to burst from my stomach for thinking it I'd say I almost hope Fantasy beats JD. It would be humiliating for him, hopefully deeply so, if he is forced to face and inevitably bow to Yarnc's TvZ. That said, when Fantasy wins a game I die a little inside and bastard's doing well enough that I don't have it in me to hope he takes out Jaedong.
On August 11 2009 02:25 Tom Phoenix wrote: By the way, even if Bisu never wins an OSL title, I seriously doubt he will ever truly be forgotten. Infact, it is interesting that sometimes, titles have little meaning in if people remember the player or not. For example, V-Gundam is quite a famous Terran player, even though he never won a single title. Mind, on the other hand, won an MSL (against Bisu, no less), but has preety much dropped off the radar since.
To support your argument: a lot of people don't know who Casy, Synch, and (to a lesser extent) GGPlay are.
This osl is probably Yarnc's - he's the best ZvT'er, especially against mech, and can't even be discounted in a zvz series against JD (One of the only 2 or 3 zergs this is true of).
Jaedong will Light fantasy's soul on Fire with his death stare, feel bad for him, and lose the First 2 games of the series, again, just to make it fun to watch because deep down he's actually a very Nice torturer of souls who wants SC fans to see a good series.
Lol @ those who say this OSL is lame. Every player has a goal here.
Yarnc: finally shine for the first time in 3 years Type-b: same, but this is his Royal Road so this is especially important Jaedong: golden mouse, revenge for PL Fantasy: finally a gold medal, and not another "king of silver", revenge for previous OSL
I like how all of Fantasy's listed talents aren't actually his... Jaedong has something Fantasy lacks, skill and this is a bo5. Jaedong will once again reassert his dominance for the doubters
On August 11 2009 00:42 Crunchums wrote: Am I the only one who is sick of articles raving about oov and boxer's influence on fantasy? Any time fantasy does anything remotely creative it's all whoa shit look at how boxer has been teaching him. It's especially egregious given that we know very little about actual team dynamics due to the language barrier. Not everything that happens in SKT is the result of boxer or oov and if any other player had done what fantasy had done nobody would think twice about it.
What I find ironic about Fantasy is that even though he is Iloveoov`s protegé, his actual gameplay is more remiscent to NaDa`s Tornado Terran style then the gameplay of either Boxer or Iloveoov.
I guess beacuse of Boxer and Iloveoov, it is hard for an SKT1 Terran to make a name for himself without his fame being at least somewhat attributed to either of the two. Even Canata, the "lesser" protegé, is considered a product of Iloveoov`s efforts.
I really hope Fantasy will advance to the finals. Not because I like him particularly much, but because ZvZ is boring as hell no matter how technical and brilliantit is at heart.
On August 11 2009 04:49 rockon1215 wrote: Will someone please tell me what a royal road is? I'm really dying to know
A Royal Roader is someone who wins a (specific) individual title on their first try. Some of the best players in StarCraft were Royal Roaders, hence the reason why many progamers desire to be able to execute such a feat.
On August 11 2009 03:43 n.DieJokes wrote: I like how all of Fantasy's listed talents aren't actually his... Jaedong has something Fantasy lacks, skill and this is a bo5. Jaedong will once again reassert his dominance for the doubters
So wrong on so many levels. Fantasy has patience which is something most pro-gamers, lack. His defense game sense right now is unmatched; watch his games against JD on Heartbreak ridge and Outsider and tell me otherwise.
On August 11 2009 04:50 iSiN wrote: Jaedong is going to go nuts to beat fantasy after this weekend. I expect some kind of crazy build to counter the 8 rax. Hydra ling maybe?
8rax already has a counter, but it doesn't matter, the build isn't a 8rax build and it wasn't dedicated to bunker rushing - it was meant to either punish a FE/Fast Muta build or to hurt a zergs economy.
On August 11 2009 04:49 rockon1215 wrote: Will someone please tell me what a royal road is? I'm really dying to know
A Royal Roader is someone who wins a (specific) individual title on their first try. Some of the best players in StarCraft were Royal Roaders, hence the reason why many progamers desire to be able to execute such a feat.
I have so many conflicting views on this OSL. I was originally rooting for Yarnc to take it all especially since he's so deserving of a title after his long career. Undoubtedly, Yarnc has a much better chance against Fantasy than against Jaedong b/c his ZvT is so elite and refined and Jaedong's ZvZ is the best in the world (I'm going to ignore all Hyuk comments). But after seeing what happened to Jaedong last week was truly crushing. I pray that Jaedong takes the opportunity to shred Fantasy into pieces and somewhat avenge his Oz teammates after a crushing but hard fought loss against SKT1. In the end if either Yarnc or Jaedong gets the gold I will be happy. But for the love of god, Jaedong, pummel Fantasy into the ground...
Great writeup! Only one question - didn't Jaedong beat Flash in MSL first before Flash came back and beat him in Bacchus? Or are you referring to the first game of the BO3, followed by the MSL, followed by games 2 and 3 of the BO3?
Plexa is awesome, I just love your articles man. I also think this OSL belongs to Fantasy, everything is pointing at his direction atm. I really really hope JD can get himself together, it would be too much for me to lose him... I already lost savior and that hurt(s) like hell.
The thing is, if JD recovers mentally for the semis and THEN loses to Fantasy... That could have serious consequences. Whatever happens, we are going to see one hell of a match.
Plexa...I came...amazing write up as usual, Jaedong/Fantasy summarizes some of my feelings around the recent events. I am slowly converted to the belief that Fantasy with oov and Boxer behind his back can become the greatest TvZ player of all time...I mean I have never seen someone crush Jaedong's spirit like that...it's JAE FUCKING DONG!
I can still vividly remember By.Fantasy and By.Flash when they started breaking into the scene and I remember watching their replays, their plays just had that magic and instinct to it you knew they where destined for something great.
I'm a zerg player and a long-time Jaedong fanboy but I have a lot of respect for Fantasy. Game 1 in the PL was epic and I think it demonstrates this rivalry perfectly.
Jaedong/Fantasy could become the most epic SC rivalry ever. Jaedong is in my opinion the most skilled player in the game. The way he plays and how he controls his units is simply amazing. There's no other player that so often makes me think "how the hell does he do that?" His attitude and work ethic is that of a true champion.
It's true that having oov and Boxer to help him makes a dfifference but the people saying Fantasy is not a great player are off base. It's not just the builds. He's a very smart player. He's patient and has great game sense. He's very good at reading the situation and reacting to his opponent intelligently.
This bo5 is going to be epic. ZvT has always been the most interesting matchup and these players represent their races so well. Jaedong is the raw, merciless ferociousness of the zerg. Fantasy is smart, patient and calm like a veteran space marine. This is a battle between a warrior and a monster.
Whoever wins, this isn't going to be over between these guys.
zvJ grand finals will be so lame... but i really want jd to win.... but zvJ grand finals will be so lame... but i really want jd to win.... but zvJ grand finals will be so lame... but i really want jd to win.... but zvJ grand finals will be so lame... but i really want jd to win.... but zvJ grand finals will be so lame...
[Yarnc]'s play looked far more convincing than his brother’s, yet Luxury managed to win an MSL (yes, the calibre of players was terrible, but it still counts).
I think a zerg player running through Hwasin, Leta(great series!)], ZerO, and JangBi at that time was pretty good, personally.
Even though I'm really hoping for a Yarnc-Fantasy final, as long as the JD-Fantasy series goes 5 games, I'll be pretty satisfied, regardless of the outcome.
Yeah, I don't get this flamebaiting. The rest of the article is nice though.
poor jaedong, he might have burned out, and understandably so. Carrying an entire team on your back to the PL finals is no small feat, and obviously it comes at no small price. Maybe his disappointment at having done the nearly impossible and failed on the last steps will shake his foundations enough for fantasy to make his claim for fame.
I really think this is Yarnc's OSL. I am reasonably sure Fantasy will beat Jaedong, and then I think Yarnc's ZvT mastery and unpredictability will overwhelm the young terran.
Dude, Fantasy is fucked. I'm positive Jaedong will sprout horns out of his back and start spitting acid spines into Fantasy's booth once he puts him down 3-0.
Jaedong's got balls, he can lose a few and it won't matter to him. I suspect his depression at PL finals was a show, to make Fantasy overconfident! Remember last OSL? Jaedong lost 2 games, his mother is pretty much having a seizure of sadness and then Jaedong just calmly thinks "oh yeah, that's right, I kinda gotta win these finals and smack down this upstart". And you know what happened? Know what's gonna happen AGAIN!
As for comments that Fantasy never beats Jaedong in a straight up game means that fantasy cannot MnM him to death, which is true. But when does Fantasy use bionic SK Terran style to win his games...
On August 11 2009 00:42 Crunchums wrote: Am I the only one who is sick of articles raving about oov and boxer's influence on fantasy? Any time fantasy does anything remotely creative it's all whoa shit look at how boxer has been teaching him. It's especially egregious given that we know very little about actual team dynamics due to the language barrier. Not everything that happens in SKT is the result of boxer or oov and if any other player had done what fantasy had done nobody would think twice about it.
+1. I for one think that oov and boxer get waaaaaaay too much credit. Fantasy is the one behind the mouse.
AAHHH. I ant make up my mind, JD of Fantasy??? that is the question. Both deserve it (perhaps fantasy deserves a bit more), and I like both players some much why cant they both win! ether outcome for me is gonna make me fill sorry for the loser.
Fantasy and Jaedong play such incredibly high-stakes games against eachother. OSL finals, PL finals, and now OSL semis? One man going for the Golden Mouse, the other hungry to earn a win after making the finals twice in a row and falling just an inch short? Everything that was ever great about SKT Terran against the fastest, fiercest, and best Zerg of all time?
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Find out on Friday
JD vs fantasy is basically the finals. Whoever wins is the heavy favorite. That being said, I wouldn't say no to either 2 zvz finals (osl/msl) or watching type B walk the royal road.
On August 11 2009 03:43 n.DieJokes wrote: I like how all of Fantasy's listed talents aren't actually his... Jaedong has something Fantasy lacks, skill and this is a bo5. Jaedong will once again reassert his dominance for the doubters
So wrong on so many levels. Fantasy has patience which is something most pro-gamers, lack. His defense game sense right now is unmatched; watch his games against JD on Heartbreak ridge and Outsider and tell me otherwise.
Regarding the PL finals I'm pretty sure that oov didn't tell Fantasy to save up 12 tanks to win and rough out the swarm
Fantasy's mechanics and micro may not be on par with JD, but his creativity and game sense are a direct counter to JDs brutality.
Wow patience...that so awesome. What your telling me is basically Fantasy is a camper without the Flash like macro... how can you not root for that... I've seen all the games and every time Fantasy wins its in a gimmick, on hb in pro-league JD stuck to hard to mutalisks and was unable to scourge each and every valk (something like that, it's been a while). In the outsider game, the whole strategy failed, the fast tech to guardians was awful, only by herculean feats of skill was Jd able to bring that game to within a inch of victory. Fantasy saved up his 12 tanks because everything he brought out got absolutely ravaged (so many gosu dead vessels), that's not exactly brilliance. Fantasy has excellent unit balance, he always has whatever he needs at the right times, I will attribute that one talent to his TvZ, beyond that he's mediocre
On August 11 2009 00:42 Crunchums wrote: Am I the only one who is sick of articles raving about oov and boxer's influence on fantasy? Any time fantasy does anything remotely creative it's all whoa shit look at how boxer has been teaching him. It's especially egregious given that we know very little about actual team dynamics due to the language barrier. Not everything that happens in SKT is the result of boxer or oov and if any other player had done what fantasy had done nobody would think twice about it.
Have you read the interviews from the proleague finals?
lol, nice way to use Yellow as a scapegoat to mask your obvious and ignorant Terran favoring bias Plexa. It's an unfortunate trend with the mods here. I really don't see why that is though. What is there to like about Terrans? They're annoying, weak, little trigger-happy, hamburger-eating Americans who excel at sitting in one spot or ending games rapidly. And if you use average win percentages at virtually every player level as a guide, they're overpowered as well.
On August 11 2009 11:51 Gormaol wrote: lol, nice way to use Yellow as a scapegoat to mask your obvious and ignorant Terran favoring bias Plexa. It's an unfortunate trend with the mods here. I really don't see why that is though. What is there to like about Terrans? They're annoying, weak, little trigger-happy, hamburger-eating Americans who excel at sitting in one spot or ending games rapidly. And if you use average win percentages at virtually every player level as a guide, they're overpowered as well.
On August 11 2009 11:51 Gormaol wrote: lol, nice way to use Yellow as a scapegoat to mask your obvious and ignorant Terran favoring bias Plexa. It's an unfortunate trend with the mods here. I really don't see why that is though. What is there to like about Terrans? They're annoying, weak, little trigger-happy, hamburger-eating Americans who excel at sitting in one spot or ending games rapidly. And if you use average win percentages at virtually every player level as a guide, they're overpowered as well.
And no, I'm not an American :p
Honestly, Yarnc came through the most difficult group known to mankind. He had Effort, Flash and Jaedong to battle it out with – and he came out on top. Against every odd, Yarnc made it. He then crushed go.go with relative ease and has now made the semifinals. This performance is long overdue, and personally, I will be cheering my heart out for Yarnc.
On August 11 2009 14:35 NeverGG wrote: XD I love those banners made with my photos Gorgeous article - I'm looking forward to the conclusion of this OSL.
One can only hope JD isn't too demoralized after the PL finals and will take this and the MSL to become one of the legends. It would be a good way to end SC1 progaming.
On August 11 2009 00:39 sh02hp0869 wrote: Hahah Jaedong will kill Fantasy. Fantasy can only win if Jd slips up or if out smart JD. He can never beat him straight - and in a best of 5? no way!
Because if you don't slip up or get out-smarted that means you've played a perfect game. You obviously don't lose when you've played a perfect game.
Pretty sad that you don't think that Fantasy has played straight-up and beaten Jaedong. :/
On August 11 2009 03:43 n.DieJokes wrote: I like how all of Fantasy's listed talents aren't actually his... Jaedong has something Fantasy lacks, skill and this is a bo5. Jaedong will once again reassert his dominance for the doubters
So wrong on so many levels. Fantasy has patience which is something most pro-gamers, lack. His defense game sense right now is unmatched; watch his games against JD on Heartbreak ridge and Outsider and tell me otherwise.
Regarding the PL finals I'm pretty sure that oov didn't tell Fantasy to save up 12 tanks to win and rough out the swarm
Fantasy's mechanics and micro may not be on par with JD, but his creativity and game sense are a direct counter to JDs brutality.
Wow patience...that so awesome. What your telling me is basically Fantasy is a camper without the Flash like macro... how can you not root for that... I've seen all the games and every time Fantasy wins its in a gimmick, on hb in pro-league JD stuck to hard to mutalisks and was unable to scourge each and every valk (something like that, it's been a while). In the outsider game, the whole strategy failed, the fast tech to guardians was awful, only by herculean feats of skill was Jd able to bring that game to within a inch of victory. Fantasy saved up his 12 tanks because everything he brought out got absolutely ravaged (so many gosu dead vessels), that's not exactly brilliance. Fantasy has excellent unit balance, he always has whatever he needs at the right times, I will attribute that one talent to his TvZ, beyond that he's mediocre
GG I cannot see how you are so stupid. I just honestly can't comprehend a stupidity so great as yours. Patience =/= camping. Patience = knowing when to do what and not panicking when the shit hits the fan.
HBR game Fantasy didn't even need those valkyries. Watch the game FFS.
I see what you're saying, and all I'm getting from it is that JD sucks. Great!
Fantasy's macro was great and he was able to go toe-to-toe with JD in the middle of Outsider. You're pretty dull to think that he got absolutely ravaged. The only thing that got ravaged were his SVs, which did their job in taking out JD's defilers.
I think you're still bitter about Fantasy beating JD because your post is so ridiculously biased. I just couldn't help but play devil's advocate.
It's pretty stupid that a lot of haters try to put Fantasy down by saying that BoxeR and iloveoov did all the work. Imagine that there's a man who has to walk on some narrow planks that wind left and right and eventually end up somewhere. Problem is, the man is blind so he can't navigate around without falling off. There's another man that helps the blind man --- guess what, not by telling him take one step, turn right now, take two steps, turn left now, etc, etc --- but by telling him to walk slowly, use his foot to feel the edges, and to spread his arms out to balance himself. If the blind man managed to complete this feat, would anyone say, "wtf the other guy helped him get to the end, he did all the work and the blind man did nothing!" Seems pretty stupid and ridiculous doesn't it? The more I look at it, the more ridiculous I find it. It seriously just blows my mind how stupid the argument that BoxeR and iloveoov deserve the most credit is. All they did was help Fantasy practice and give him tips and advice, as did the "other man". BoxeR and iloveoov can't take so much credit, as neither can the "other man".
It's stupid to argue Fantasy doesn't have skill. What would be interesting is whether he'd still be the favorite if the roles were switched, and Jaedong had two amazing Zerg minds dissecting every element of Fantasy's game.
Also, sweet writeup, can't wait. I just want Jaedong to crush :-/
Of course Jaedong will put up a fight but if he loses the first game then he'll be shaken, you just don't pick yourself up from a 3 game losing streak and be able to play solid again. Not to mention that that 3 game losing streak was your team's chance to winning the ProLeague, 2 of those 3 games were against the same player, and one of those games that he lost was his best match up - not to mention he lost to a T1 Zerg. Maybe Jaedong can pull this one out, but he really needs to pick himself up good.
I thought I couldn't get more hyped not only for JaeDong putting fantasy in his place and also seeing YArnC possibly get a title to his name as I think he deserves, but you managed to - not bad for a kiwi. Nice work Plexa.
On August 11 2009 03:43 n.DieJokes wrote: I like how all of Fantasy's listed talents aren't actually his... Jaedong has something Fantasy lacks, skill and this is a bo5. Jaedong will once again reassert his dominance for the doubters
So wrong on so many levels. Fantasy has patience which is something most pro-gamers, lack. His defense game sense right now is unmatched; watch his games against JD on Heartbreak ridge and Outsider and tell me otherwise.
Regarding the PL finals I'm pretty sure that oov didn't tell Fantasy to save up 12 tanks to win and rough out the swarm
Fantasy's mechanics and micro may not be on par with JD, but his creativity and game sense are a direct counter to JDs brutality.
Wow patience...that so awesome. What your telling me is basically Fantasy is a camper without the Flash like macro... how can you not root for that... I've seen all the games and every time Fantasy wins its in a gimmick, on hb in pro-league JD stuck to hard to mutalisks and was unable to scourge each and every valk (something like that, it's been a while). In the outsider game, the whole strategy failed, the fast tech to guardians was awful, only by herculean feats of skill was Jd able to bring that game to within a inch of victory. Fantasy saved up his 12 tanks because everything he brought out got absolutely ravaged (so many gosu dead vessels), that's not exactly brilliance. Fantasy has excellent unit balance, he always has whatever he needs at the right times, I will attribute that one talent to his TvZ, beyond that he's mediocre
It's unfortunate that Jaedong has these kinds of fans because he deserves much better.
Hoping for a Yarnc v Fantasy final, I want either of them to win this OSL. Though of course, I really want Fantasy to take this OSL. Gogogo League Terrorist!
JD and Fantasy will goto 5, and JD will win it. For the record, I think fantasy is the best terran anyone could ask for in a BoX. Time for another Golden Mouse club member.
In the proleague fantasy had the mental edge the entire time, SKT is the better team on paper and though the pressure was high, it was certainly manageable. As soon as JD runs over him in one of these games its going to be a crash and burn, just like last time MARK MY WORDS.
This is best summed up by using simple substitution with a well known metaphor:
Fantasy: Hey JD, how about them pro league finals, <crashing plane SFX go here> crashed and burn, huh JD. Jaedong: Hey Fantasy...sniff...You stink.
[B]On August 10 2009 23:15 Plexa wrote: Also, if Jaedong wins it will be the first ever ZvZ OSL final.
Progamer Korea Open, which is the first OSL, (well, kinda) had a ZvZ final - Freemura vs TheBoy
The Tooniverse StarLeagues qualify as the first OSL`s, since Tooniverse belongs under the same television network as OnGameNet. Considering that gaming was stigmatised even in Korea back in the late 90`s, I seriously doubt the Progamer Korea Open was ever televised or even recorded.
On August 11 2009 00:39 sh02hp0869 wrote: Hahah Jaedong will kill Fantasy. Fantasy can only win if Jd slips up or if out smart JD. He can never beat him straight - and in a best of 5? no way!
Slips up? or out smart?... Both are a part of straight game... LOL?
Cell was an villain who defeated others and stole their strength by draining their energy with his tail. Every time he defeated someone he became more powerful, to the point where he was basically unstoppable.
I forget, how did Cell die again?
Excellent writeup.
spirit bomb i think.
jaedong will win this osl. hell come back from 0-2 and win 3 games straight like he did last time.
Whoever wins Fantasy v Jaedong will win the finals 100%, making for one of the worst possible finals in recent memory (calling it now).
Well I can see your point with Type-b, but I wouldnt be so harsh with fake Yellow he has an amazing ZvT and quite good ZvZ, It would made an amazing final against either Fantasy or JD (as good as a ZvZ can be)
In my opinion, Jaedong should be able to beat Fantasy. The thing is, Fantasy is evolving like mad. It's true that Boxer and oov deserve some credit, but there's only so much you can teach a person. Eventually Fantasy will reach a point where his wins will be his and his only. Fantasy will try to stay one step ahead of Jaedong, but if Jaedong doesn't overreact, then he will win.
But what I'm rooting for is Yarnc or type-b to take the whole thing. I'm a big Jaedong fan, but I'm a sucker for "underdog" stories. Keepin' ma fingers crossed for some good matches~
EPT![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/JWD/bacchus_osl_s2/titlesmall.jpg)
YellOw[ArnC], Yarnc, Fake Yellow, MS – whatever you want to call him – has been one of the top Zergs this year. Yarnc made his OSL debut in Shinhan 1 where he defeated OOv, last season’s champion, on 815 using out of this world Mutalisk harass off of one base. The game caused an incredible commotion about the young Zerg and he was hyped as one of the next big things. Winning that game against OOv placed him third in the group and got him a wildcard spot – where he defeated July to advance to the Ro16. He then beat sea in an incredible best of 3 series. Yarnc lost in the Ro8 to JJu but nevertheless, the kid’s ZvT was phenomenal.
I'll be honest, last week I thought that having to write something about Jaedong would be difficult because, well, we've heard it all before. Jaedong is a two time OSL champ, candidate for the Golden Mouse, #1 Ranked on KeSPA, destroyer of worlds, souls and kittens, and the backbone of the Hwaseung OZ team. This man has climbed almost every Progaming mountain there is to climb. He's won the Proleague, OSL, MSL, GOM, Korean e-sports Festival, and Korean WCG. Yet this week will be the hardest week of his career. This week, there is more to write about Jaedong than I could have ever dreamed of. 
Fantasy must be feeling good after such an amazing weekend. He took down his OSL semifinal opponent, twice, on a stage larger than the one for the OSL final. He finally got a true revenge on Jaedong after his loss in Batoo - and now it's time for him to hammer the message home. Fantasy has not lost to Jaedong since Batoo - and there is no reason to suggest why he would start losing this week. ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/189.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/195.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/6.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/players/211.jpg)
Plexa
and that hurt(s) like hell.
