EPTOn August 05 2018 22:21 Noonius wrote:
I'm feeling pretty good about my LB's
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/IWu6v8J.jpg)
I'm feeling pretty good about my LB's
I voted Serral as the way as well
I was 3 but unfortunately I voted for team Maru so I might not go 1st 
[GSL] GSL vs. The World - Team Match & Finals - Page 62
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Poopi
France13015 Posts
I voted Serral as the way as well I was 3 but unfortunately I voted for team Maru so I might not go 1st | ||
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KingofdaHipHop
United States25602 Posts
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neutralrobot
Australia1025 Posts
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AzAlexZ
Australia3303 Posts
On August 05 2018 20:29 jinroairwings wrote: 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 | ||
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buffzerg33
96 Posts
He is true King of SC2 | ||
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djack0666
Belarus219 Posts
THE BEST!!!!!!!!! | ||
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Charoisaur
Germany16086 Posts
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? | ||
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FuRong
New Zealand3089 Posts
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 | ||
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buffzerg33
96 Posts
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nanaoei
3358 Posts
On August 05 2018 20:38 ChaosArcher wrote: 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. | ||
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J. Corsair
United States470 Posts
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. | ||
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architecture
United States643 Posts
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Fango
United Kingdom8987 Posts
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? | ||
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J. Corsair
United States470 Posts
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! | ||
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Argonauta
Spain4967 Posts
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TentativePanda
United States800 Posts
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. | ||
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allmotor1
153 Posts
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. | ||
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Prince_Stranger
Kazakhstan762 Posts
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Fango
United Kingdom8987 Posts
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. | ||
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Fango
United Kingdom8987 Posts
On August 06 2018 02:24 TentativePanda wrote: 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. | ||
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