[HSC 4] Day 1 Live-Thread - Page 3

I was and am a big fan of the HSC and Take, so I was very excited when I accidently stumbled over the news that a new HSC is coming up soon (and glad to see it advertised on TL now). However, I have to say that I am a little disappointed by the absence of so many player personalities. I feel that the community has in a certain way let down Take, and I wonder why… HSC3 was unanimously seen as the coolest tournament, it was achieving insane viewer numbers for a semi-professionally organized event and it was a great platform for every pro-player to build and expand a real fan base.
The last cup showed some high-level SC2 action, although it turned out too Protoss-heavy in the end, but it was still one of the most memorable events in the scene, because itlived from a crazy mix of very particular personalities that made the SC2 scene so enjoyable:
White Ra, - the warm and caring grandpa “BBQ” Toss, proving that the scene is not only for pre-puberty kids
HuK – an ambiguous Dr Jekkyl / Mr Hyde type showcasing both the most friendly personality and a ruthless, cold, selfish killer instinct
Idra – the North American Darth Vader of SC2, but using the last HSC to show a nicer side of himself and a sense of humor
Naniwa – the introvert, enigmatic, almost autistic Starcraft-God, fighting his inner demons
Tarson – the Polish party animal, representing the dream that you do not have to be a pale, super-disciplined nerd with no life to be able to steal a win or two from the best
TLO – The scene’s most recognizable, liked and tragic figure –a friend that you would like to hang out with for most of the community
While most of the HSC 4 line-up undoubtedly have the gaming skills to make for high-level games – only a few bring the personalities that made HSC so much fun:
Dimaga, the always smiling, cheeky genie from the bottle
MC –the Kim Jong Un of the scene, playing an arrogant egomaniac in the body of a slightly clumsy, chubby sweettooth, but transpiring as an friendly, very witty and courageous individual
To be honest it were the stories with and around these guys in particular that kept me watching HSC2 and 3 (as well as Rotterdam cheesy jokes and insane positive energy).
It is never easy to bring a good line-up that satisfies everyone, and I think it is still a good line-up skill-wise (even though some of my favourites, like Mana or Kas, are not on board) and it will be good to see some new Korean faces mix with the mostly European crowd.
However, I feel a little disappointed that so many of the personality players of the scene are not attending the party –I wanted to believe that they enjoyed the previous HSCs as much as I did and would not miss the next one for trivial reasons like “needing to practice” or “not wanting to travel”… and I feel sorry for Take, who put so much effort in this, proved an insanely talented and passionate organizer, collected a mind-blowing prize pool for such a privately organized event and is being let down by the actors that he needs to make his sc2 soap opera work…

Well, there is not much one can do, other than giving it a chance I guess – maybe some of the new players that we do not know much about will take the opportunity to show their personalities and build their fanbases… I will definitely still watch the cup, and I wish Take and the HSC all the best, but I am a bit concerned that it might not live up to the dreams and expectations – I certainly hope to be wrong!