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[GSL] GSL vs. The World - Team Match & Finals - Page 62

Forum Index > StarCraft 2 Tournaments
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Poopi
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
France12980 Posts
August 05 2018 13:23 GMT
#1221
On August 05 2018 22:21 Noonius wrote:
I'm feeling pretty good about my LB's

[image loading]

I voted Serral as the way as well I was 3 but unfortunately I voted for team Maru so I might not go 1st
WriterMaru
KingofdaHipHop
Profile Blog Joined October 2013
United States25602 Posts
August 05 2018 13:51 GMT
#1222
Serral the absolute mad man, this is your year man
Rain | herO | sOs | Dear | Neeb | ByuN | INnoVation | Dream | ForGG | Maru | ByuL | Golden | Solar | Soulkey | Scarlett!!!
neutralrobot
Profile Joined July 2011
Australia1025 Posts
August 05 2018 14:00 GMT
#1223
I missed Serral vs Stats, but i think Serral has well and truly proven himself now, which is cool. Even so, I think there are question marks about exactly where he stands relative to top Koreans. I think it's fair to say now that we know he's truly in their league. He beat Maru fair and square, but he also seems to be a more consistent player than Maru, who right now is not at his absolute peak and probably won't power back up again until the GSL Ro8, assuming he has another season of peak form in him. I think peak form Maru would still be very likely to take out Serral, especially in a tournament with good prep time. And other Korean pros might do better against him as they play more against him. Hard to say for sure where exactly he would sit, but it seems like it'd probably be top 5 somewhere. Very impressive.
Maru | Life | PartinG || I guess I like aggressive control freaks... || Reynor will one day reign supreme || *reyn supreme
AzAlexZ
Profile Joined September 2016
Australia3303 Posts
August 05 2018 14:08 GMT
#1224
On August 05 2018 20:29 jinroairwings wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 05 2018 20:27 True_Spike wrote:
Good fucking god, we've never had a foreigner so good as Serral is now.


I would say Stephano was more dominant against Koreans. Also, Jinro made round of 4 GSL. Serral did not.

Jinro also never won a tournament in Korea.
Next
Faker is the GOAT!
buffzerg33
Profile Joined May 2017
96 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-08-05 14:42:50
August 05 2018 14:42 GMT
#1225
Serral is best foreigner all time easy. Games before Kespa join SC2 doesn't even count. Also year after year Koreans actually getting better and better and gap is not closing, it's even bigger. Just watch Neeb vs Dark or Maru vs Showtime, foreigners looks like noobs in those games. And then.... Boooom - Serral making them look like they are noobs......So happy we got him.
He is true King of SC2
djack0666
Profile Joined March 2011
Belarus219 Posts
August 05 2018 14:51 GMT
#1226
GG SERRAL!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE BEST!!!!!!!!!
"... of wolf and man!"
Charoisaur
Profile Joined August 2014
Germany16084 Posts
August 05 2018 14:55 GMT
#1227
On August 05 2018 23:42 buffzerg33 wrote:
Games before Kespa join SC2 doesn't even count.

but games after Kespa left SC2 do count?
Many of the coolest moments in sc2 happen due to worker harassment
FuRong
Profile Joined April 2010
New Zealand3089 Posts
August 05 2018 14:57 GMT
#1228
This was the first SC2 tournament I have followed closely in quite some time, and it was awesome to watch.

I think the takeaways from this tournament are:

1) Serral proved that he belongs among top-tier Koreans and that his Aligulac rating is not overinflated.
2) Being competitive among top-tier Koreans is already a great feat, and the fact that he won all his matches and the tournament is icing on the cake.
3) Although his run was super impressive, one tournament is still just one tournament and we will need to see more matches over an extended period of time to reach any decisive conclusion on where he ranks among the top-tier players
4) Serral also demonstrated great mental fortitude to come back from 0-2 down after failing against cheese in game two, and then to come back again after game five when he threw everything he had at his opponent and still lost
5) Some of the other top-tier foreigners are able to take games or even series off top-tier Koreans on their day
6) However, in general the top-tier Koreans are still well above the top-tier foreigners, leading to some embarrassingly one-sided series
Don't hate the player, hate the game
buffzerg33
Profile Joined May 2017
96 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-08-05 15:34:02
August 05 2018 15:32 GMT
#1229
Kespa as organization left, but players not. Those who were actually good, stayed and put SC2 to another level. Games now days are waaaaaaay better from wol/hot. Watching Serral is like watching robot. He just owned Inno Dark and Stats plus won all wcs-s. He is at top of SC2 world atm.
nanaoei
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
3358 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-08-05 15:45:30
August 05 2018 15:39 GMT
#1230
On August 05 2018 20:38 ChaosArcher wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 05 2018 20:29 deacon.frost wrote:
On August 05 2018 20:28 Proko wrote:
On August 05 2018 20:26 IshinShishi wrote:
those last two games were pretty low level, legit not hating, welp.


sure, not hating. He just played a showmatch v. the #1 terran and then a 7 game marathon match vs. a god-tier toss and you're complaining about low-level play

Well the games were low. Archon chargelot, mass roach, mass roach, bad scout... but that's PvZ


I really, really wonder if some of these high post accounts on TL are actually enjoying Starcraft or are just perma salty persons who are too dead inside to move on from the game and are just staying here to bitch about freaking everything...


something that makes starcraft so great, is that even someone who has barely played the game can critique a game or say something meaningful about it; like, oh, he should have made more workers! he could have managed his army better, he needed to protect his spellcasters!

but well.. that's also part of what makes it so difficult to come to places like TL.net to read impressions of the games.

there is no doubt in my mind that both players made adjustments worthy of a great BO7 during their overall set against each other. even if they are using common builds on well known maps, they are done well and executed well under high pressure situations.

one of the many things stats had to adjust starting G4 was where his phoenix first rids the overlord. he starts denying the easy scout and makes his opener more ambiguous.

serral himself stops sacrificing production to contest stat's third because stats is opening safely every single time OR opens in a way that dissuades taking the risks to try it (see, 2 oracle opening, keeping 2 adepts at home. serral often keeps his first 2 sets of lings or simply the one set he uses to scout with until the 8th minute mark. this is something -many- players cannot claim they can do.
his greed and ability to jetpack his economy to 3 base aggression is based on little moves like these.

those examples, ofc, are small adjustments but made a difference throughout the games, not to mention the larger decisions and specific tactics used throughout the series.
i just cannot understand the need to call them low-lvl games. if you played the game or understood even a little, you would know that they are anything but low-lvl.
i think those of you saying this need to reassess what you're watching for in games and seek a different word. maybe "flashy", or something else.

for you to say that you didn't enjoy the games is one thing, but to say that the play is poor is completely beyond me. all that tells me is that your investment in the game is shallow.
*@boesthius' FF7 nostalgia stream bomb* "we should work on a 'Final Progamer' fangame»whitera can be a protagonist---lastlie: "we save world and then defense it"
J. Corsair
Profile Joined June 2014
United States470 Posts
August 05 2018 17:10 GMT
#1231
Wow. Serral played incredibly and I am a big fan, but the hype is simply out of hand.

I thought it was pretty obvious that Maru was not taking this tournament as seriously as, for example, the GSL; and he clearly stated in the interview after playing Soo that he had been resting prior to the tournament and taking time off (I suppose it's fair to say you can do both simultaneously XD).

Even Gyuri (her English made my heart flutter, but that's another discussion) was obviously caught off-guard when Maru admitted he went 2-rax against Soo in Game 5 because he didn't have any strategy prepared for the map. That was certainly an unusually candid admission, and one could logically conclude that winning this tournament was not a large priority for him - especially taking into account his performance in the series against Soo, as a whole.

Maru's set 2 against Soo was an excellent example, in my opinion, of his lack of serious, committed preparation. In fact, he lost a map in a similar fashion against Nercio last year in the same tournament, I believe; only this time, he didn't pull SCVs when his push failed.

In comparison, Serral appeared to enter this tournament in what is likely his peak form - which is damn impressive. I just don't think winning it makes him the best player in the world, and I think there are multiple reasons to dispute such a claim, besides the simple observation that it's quite premature.

Serral's performance does, however, absolutely make him the best non-Korean competing in Starcraft, and one could certainly argue that he may be the best foreigner in Starcraft 2 history. I don't think the quality of his current form is even arguable, with regards to his level of play in comparison to other foreigners.

In other words, there are top-tier Koreans plus Serral, and then there's everyone else.

The point remains that many here have a short memory. When it was a massive tournament and there was $150,000 on the line, for example, Maru beat Serral... 4-0. That was this year.

Just like fair-weather fans of any team or person in major competition, the 'what have you done for me lately' attitude can just grow too far-fetched, and that is the reason I chose to chime in on this thread.

Serral beat Has to win Valencia and beat Mana to win Austin. Nothing against them, but these are not considered top-tier professional players. If we were to rank the top ten foreign SC players, neither Mana nor Has would be considered top 5, generally speaking. Maybe one of the would be top 10, IMO, but I personally don't think so.

Serral had a great tournament here, and I am especially impressed with his consistently strong performances, irrespective of his opponent's race.

But to say he is the best player in the world right now, period? Or the best player in 2018 thus far?

I simply don't agree that with this singular "non-region lock" tournament victory he suddenly surpasses Maru - the GSL 2018 Season 1 winner, GSL 2018 Season 2 winner, and WESG $250,000 winner. It does a great disservice to Maru, in particular.

He beat Maru in one good game today, but we have seen what Maru can do to Serral in an extended series this year already - Maru swept Serral 3:0 in a far more consequential series (financially speaking, at least).

It's not just about Maru - it's that Serral needs to show another similar performance where he claims victory over several top-tier Koreans in a more meaningful setting before people should begin making such claims. So far, he's doing everything right.

Serral played incredible Starcraft in this tournament, and it was impressive as hell. But I think the timing of this event was favorable for him. I suspect this because it seems that some of the top-level Koreans that competed were not heavily invested in winning this tournament in comparison to the other upcoming tournament that carries vastly more prestige; of course, I'm referencing Season 3 of the 2018 GSL.

Regardless, congratulations to Serral. That was one hell of a tournament, and I think I speak for all foreign SC2 fans when I say we are looking forward to Serral achieving more decisive victories and hopefully more tournament victories - maybe even the big one!

It would really be something special to be able to legitimately argue that the best Starcraft 2 player of 2018 was from FINLAND. It'd probably require a Blizzcon victory, but that's certainly within Serral's grasp - he's proven that much, to be sure.
“...it is human nature, I suppose, to be futile and ridiculous.” - Scaramouche
architecture
Profile Blog Joined May 2008
United States643 Posts
August 05 2018 17:14 GMT
#1232
Not to take away from his play, which was in fact top notch, but don't these sorts of tournaments fundamentally favor zerg. Zerg is really strong in straight up games, but weaker against preparation.
tpfkan
Fango
Profile Joined July 2016
United Kingdom8987 Posts
August 05 2018 17:16 GMT
#1233
On August 06 2018 02:14 architecture wrote:
Not to take away from his play, which was in fact top notch, but don't these sorts of tournaments fundamentally favor zerg. Zerg is really strong in straight up games, but weaker against preparation.

Why? Because the best zergs in starleagues (soO, Dark, and ByuL) all choke in finals?
Zest, sOs, PartinG, Dark, and Maru are the real champs. ROOT_herO is overrated. Snute, Serral, and Scarlett are the foreigner GOATs
J. Corsair
Profile Joined June 2014
United States470 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-08-05 17:16:55
August 05 2018 17:16 GMT
#1234
On August 05 2018 23:57 FuRong wrote:
This was the first SC2 tournament I have followed closely in quite some time, and it was awesome to watch.

I think the takeaways from this tournament are:

1) Serral proved that he belongs among top-tier Koreans and that his Aligulac rating is not overinflated.
2) Being competitive among top-tier Koreans is already a great feat, and the fact that he won all his matches and the tournament is icing on the cake.
3) Although his run was super impressive, one tournament is still just one tournament and we will need to see more matches over an extended period of time to reach any decisive conclusion on where he ranks among the top-tier players
4) Serral also demonstrated great mental fortitude to come back from 0-2 down after failing against cheese in game two, and then to come back again after game five when he threw everything he had at his opponent and still lost
5) Some of the other top-tier foreigners are able to take games or even series off top-tier Koreans on their day
6) However, in general the top-tier Koreans are still well above the top-tier foreigners, leading to some embarrassingly one-sided series

Excellent observations. I agree with literally every point, and even the order in which you listed them. Well said!

“...it is human nature, I suppose, to be futile and ridiculous.” - Scaramouche
Argonauta
Profile Joined July 2016
Spain4967 Posts
August 05 2018 17:22 GMT
#1235
you agree with yourself?
Rogue | Maru | Scarlett | Trap
TL+ Member
TentativePanda
Profile Joined August 2014
United States800 Posts
August 05 2018 17:24 GMT
#1236
On August 06 2018 02:10 J. Corsair wrote:
Wow. Serral played incredibly and I am a big fan, but the hype is simply out of hand.

I thought it was pretty obvious that Maru was not taking this tournament as seriously as, for example, the GSL; and he clearly stated in the interview after playing Soo that he had been resting prior to the tournament and taking time off (I suppose it's fair to say you can do both simultaneously XD).

Even Gyuri (her English made my heart flutter, but that's another discussion) was obviously caught off-guard when Maru admitted he went 2-rax against Soo in Game 5 because he didn't have any strategy prepared for the map. That was certainly an unusually candid admission, and one could logically conclude that winning this tournament was not a large priority for him - especially taking into account his performance in the series against Soo, as a whole.

Maru's set 2 against Soo was an excellent example, in my opinion, of his lack of serious, committed preparation. In fact, he lost a map in a similar fashion against Nercio last year in the same tournament, I believe; only this time, he didn't pull SCVs when his push failed.

In comparison, Serral appeared to enter this tournament in what is likely his peak form - which is damn impressive. I just don't think winning it makes him the best player in the world, and I think there are multiple reasons to dispute such a claim, besides the simple observation that it's quite premature.

Serral's performance does, however, absolutely make him the best non-Korean competing in Starcraft, and one could certainly argue that he may be the best foreigner in Starcraft 2 history. I don't think the quality of his current form is even arguable, with regards to his level of play in comparison to other foreigners.

In other words, there are top-tier Koreans plus Serral, and then there's everyone else.

The point remains that many here have a short memory. When it was a massive tournament and there was $150,000 on the line, for example, Maru beat Serral... 4-0. That was this year.

Just like fair-weather fans of any team or person in major competition, the 'what have you done for me lately' attitude can just grow too far-fetched, and that is the reason I chose to chime in on this thread.

Serral beat Has to win Valencia and beat Mana to win Austin. Nothing against them, but these are not considered top-tier professional players. If we were to rank the top ten foreign SC players, neither Mana nor Has would be considered top 5, generally speaking. Maybe one of the would be top 10, IMO, but I personally don't think so.

Serral had a great tournament here, and I am especially impressed with his consistently strong performances, irrespective of his opponent's race.

But to say he is the best player in the world right now, period? Or the best player in 2018 thus far?

I simply don't agree that with this singular "non-region lock" tournament victory he suddenly surpasses Maru - the GSL 2018 Season 1 winner, GSL 2018 Season 2 winner, and WESG $250,000 winner. It does a great disservice to Maru, in particular.

He beat Maru in one good game today, but we have seen what Maru can do to Serral in an extended series this year already - Maru swept Serral 3:0 in a far more consequential series (financially speaking, at least).

It's not just about Maru - it's that Serral needs to show another similar performance where he claims victory over several top-tier Koreans in a more meaningful setting before people should begin making such claims. So far, he's doing everything right.

Serral played incredible Starcraft in this tournament, and it was impressive as hell. But I think the timing of this event was favorable for him. I suspect this because it seems that some of the top-level Koreans that competed were not heavily invested in winning this tournament in comparison to the other upcoming tournament that carries vastly more prestige; of course, I'm referencing Season 3 of the 2018 GSL.

Regardless, congratulations to Serral. That was one hell of a tournament, and I think I speak for all foreign SC2 fans when I say we are looking forward to Serral achieving more decisive victories and hopefully more tournament victories - maybe even the big one!

It would really be something special to be able to legitimately argue that the best Starcraft 2 player of 2018 was from FINLAND. It'd probably require a Blizzcon victory, but that's certainly within Serral's grasp - he's proven that much, to be sure.


So what I gleaned from that is you believe Maru (and the other Koreans?) were pulling a Lilbow and not practicing hard for it, and that somehow absolves them from losing and Serral isn't the best because they were putting in little effort. Huh



Also, congrats to Serral! The perfect decision making, otherworldly macro, and insane game sense lead to him winning. Never took a fight he wouldn't win and always backed off and delayed fights he would lose.
allmotor1
Profile Joined December 2017
153 Posts
August 05 2018 17:28 GMT
#1237
J corsair I agree with your post.

People react very fast especially with foreigners because they have wanted a foreigner who can compete with Koreans for a long time.

I wonder what the future of sc2 in Korea will be, it really is in decline. It's a bit sad to see, there are no new players coming up and many are probably going to retire.

Serral no doubt is a beast however.
Prince_Stranger
Profile Joined November 2010
Kazakhstan762 Posts
August 05 2018 17:34 GMT
#1238
I don't follow sc2 tournaments usually, it was first time I watched one in last 3 years and it was great. Serral is absolutely incredible. I didn't expect any foreigner to be able to beat all top korean players that easy. It feels like people in this thread is not giving proper respect and taking it as fluke. Was Serral so bad before or what is the reason?
"To all eSports fans, I want to be remembered as a progamer who can make something out of nothing, and someone who always does his best. I think that is the right way of living, and I'm always doing my best to follow that." - Jaedong
Fango
Profile Joined July 2016
United Kingdom8987 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-08-05 17:37:21
August 05 2018 17:37 GMT
#1239
On August 06 2018 02:34 Prince_Stranger wrote:
I don't follow sc2 tournaments usually, it was first time I watched one in last 3 years and it was great. Serral is absolutely incredible. I didn't expect any foreigner to be able to beat all top korean players that easy. It feels like people in this thread is not giving proper respect and taking it as fluke. Was Serral so bad before or what is the reason?

The reason is just that people are massively overblowing it and calling Serral the best in the world because of this result. If a korean player had this result people wouldn't call them the best in the world unless it was Maru or Rogue (who have other great results this year).

But what Serral did was very impressive, he proved he's on par with the top koreans which is a first in a while for a foreigner.
Zest, sOs, PartinG, Dark, and Maru are the real champs. ROOT_herO is overrated. Snute, Serral, and Scarlett are the foreigner GOATs
Fango
Profile Joined July 2016
United Kingdom8987 Posts
August 05 2018 17:39 GMT
#1240
On August 06 2018 02:24 TentativePanda wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 06 2018 02:10 J. Corsair wrote:
Wow. Serral played incredibly and I am a big fan, but the hype is simply out of hand.

I thought it was pretty obvious that Maru was not taking this tournament as seriously as, for example, the GSL; and he clearly stated in the interview after playing Soo that he had been resting prior to the tournament and taking time off (I suppose it's fair to say you can do both simultaneously XD).

Even Gyuri (her English made my heart flutter, but that's another discussion) was obviously caught off-guard when Maru admitted he went 2-rax against Soo in Game 5 because he didn't have any strategy prepared for the map. That was certainly an unusually candid admission, and one could logically conclude that winning this tournament was not a large priority for him - especially taking into account his performance in the series against Soo, as a whole.

Maru's set 2 against Soo was an excellent example, in my opinion, of his lack of serious, committed preparation. In fact, he lost a map in a similar fashion against Nercio last year in the same tournament, I believe; only this time, he didn't pull SCVs when his push failed.

In comparison, Serral appeared to enter this tournament in what is likely his peak form - which is damn impressive. I just don't think winning it makes him the best player in the world, and I think there are multiple reasons to dispute such a claim, besides the simple observation that it's quite premature.

Serral's performance does, however, absolutely make him the best non-Korean competing in Starcraft, and one could certainly argue that he may be the best foreigner in Starcraft 2 history. I don't think the quality of his current form is even arguable, with regards to his level of play in comparison to other foreigners.

In other words, there are top-tier Koreans plus Serral, and then there's everyone else.

The point remains that many here have a short memory. When it was a massive tournament and there was $150,000 on the line, for example, Maru beat Serral... 4-0. That was this year.

Just like fair-weather fans of any team or person in major competition, the 'what have you done for me lately' attitude can just grow too far-fetched, and that is the reason I chose to chime in on this thread.

Serral beat Has to win Valencia and beat Mana to win Austin. Nothing against them, but these are not considered top-tier professional players. If we were to rank the top ten foreign SC players, neither Mana nor Has would be considered top 5, generally speaking. Maybe one of the would be top 10, IMO, but I personally don't think so.

Serral had a great tournament here, and I am especially impressed with his consistently strong performances, irrespective of his opponent's race.

But to say he is the best player in the world right now, period? Or the best player in 2018 thus far?

I simply don't agree that with this singular "non-region lock" tournament victory he suddenly surpasses Maru - the GSL 2018 Season 1 winner, GSL 2018 Season 2 winner, and WESG $250,000 winner. It does a great disservice to Maru, in particular.

He beat Maru in one good game today, but we have seen what Maru can do to Serral in an extended series this year already - Maru swept Serral 3:0 in a far more consequential series (financially speaking, at least).

It's not just about Maru - it's that Serral needs to show another similar performance where he claims victory over several top-tier Koreans in a more meaningful setting before people should begin making such claims. So far, he's doing everything right.

Serral played incredible Starcraft in this tournament, and it was impressive as hell. But I think the timing of this event was favorable for him. I suspect this because it seems that some of the top-level Koreans that competed were not heavily invested in winning this tournament in comparison to the other upcoming tournament that carries vastly more prestige; of course, I'm referencing Season 3 of the 2018 GSL.

Regardless, congratulations to Serral. That was one hell of a tournament, and I think I speak for all foreign SC2 fans when I say we are looking forward to Serral achieving more decisive victories and hopefully more tournament victories - maybe even the big one!

It would really be something special to be able to legitimately argue that the best Starcraft 2 player of 2018 was from FINLAND. It'd probably require a Blizzcon victory, but that's certainly within Serral's grasp - he's proven that much, to be sure.


So what I gleaned from that is you believe Maru (and the other Koreans?) were pulling a Lilbow and not practicing hard for it, and that somehow absolves them from losing and Serral isn't the best because they were putting in little effort. Huh

You're missing the point. They aren't absolved from losing. Serral played the best out of everyone in this event. The point was you need to put context on it when someone wins.

Maru wasn't taking this event as seiously as GSL or whatever, INno and Dark also didn't show much respect in preperation for Serral. That doesn't mean the wins are meaningless, it's the best thing in Serral's career (so far at least ), but it means there's a difference between winning this and winning say GSL.
Zest, sOs, PartinG, Dark, and Maru are the real champs. ROOT_herO is overrated. Snute, Serral, and Scarlett are the foreigner GOATs
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