This finals is important because it marks the first of many things in the world of eSports. It is the first finals of any tournament to feature the brightest star from KeSPA and the eSports Federation. It is also the first OSL finals to be broadcasted internationally with English commentators, and of course, it is the first OSL finals to be played on StarCraft II.
This is a rally cry for the fans of all things StarCraft!! Get your butt in gear!! Come out this coming Saturday to cheer!! eSports is all about the soul of compeition, the spirit of the game and the fans like us that make it all possible!
In this thread, fans of DongRaeGu and Rain will tell you 1. Who the players are and why you should root for them. 2. What the OSL Finals means to each player and their fans. 3. Why each player will win the Auction All-Kill OSL of 2012!
And to top it off, we're holding a Cheerful Contest! Submit a drawing cheerful for either DRG or Rain by October 28th, 2012. Top Three Submissions will each win a $10.00 gift-card from Amazon.com(courtesy of the MVP_DongRaeGu Fan Club).
Forget the official previews that's ridden with fluff and semi-biased analyses. This thread is made from fans FOR fans (and the OSL finalists!)!!
We're going FULL BIASED From HERE ON
art thanks to GomTV.net
WHY MVPDongRaeGu will win the Auction All-Kill OSL!!!!!!!
Part I. by neoghaleon55
i. Who is DongRaeGu?
You might have heard of him, MVP DongRaeGu, the name that people still whisper in the dark with shaken voices out of fear. Look briefly through his resume on Liquidpedia and you will find that he is a GSL Champion, DreamHack Champion, IEM Champion, Two-Time-MLG Champion, as well as the runner up for the remarkable 2011 BlizzardCup. DongRaeGu is the name that makes guys like StarTale PartinG wake up in the black of the night covered in cold sweat [1].
DongRaeGu (Park Soo Ho) is so beastly good at StarCraft that in his so called "slump", he managed to take a spot in the Finals of the Auction All-Kill OSL of 2012. If that doesn't frighten you as a player, fan, or eSports enthusiast... well it should! Do you remember what it was like when this man WASN'T in a slump?
Think back to just a couple months ago, to the first half of 2012, where DongRaeGu was out ripping nerds' heads off with one hand while signing autographs on women's boobs with the other. For a period of about 6 months, DongRaeGu was in almost every single tournament finals the world over. Every gold medal handed out was decided by DRG, standing at the end of the bracket. So solid was his hold on championship stage, that they call him "The FINAL BOSS."
What a nerd-baller! (picture thanks to TeSL esports)
So how did DRG get to the OSL finals? Well, it would be tedious if we talked about all the games he won, so let's talk about the games he dropped. DRG lost a grand total of 3 games in the OSL (THREE), two of which were from close spawn positions ZvP on Entombed Valley, a heavily Protoss favored map, and one game to Oz on Antiga Shipyard to a supposedly unbeatable build [2]. Three games out of a total of 13. And that's from his 'slump' mode. God help us all if he decides to stop slumping.
ii. Why Should You Cheer for DongRaeGu?
The gif that started it all
But besides being an incredible StarCraft player, DongRaeGu also happens to be one of the coolest human beings on the planet! He's of the few Korean players that regularly visits Teamliquid.net and interacts with his international fans! Just recently, he gave an exclusive interview to his beloved fan club right here on TL. You can think of him as the Sea[Shield] of StarCraft II (now Liquid`Sea!! woot~!!)!
I have had the honor of meeting DRG a few times by now and he's been absolutely awesome to his fans in person every time: signing autographs, answering questions, giving out hugs, you name it! Root CatZ once described Soo Ho as " incredibly smart, ...an amazing person and a greaaat friend." Catz then aptly summed up that DRG is "the real deal"[3]. And that's exactly what has got me hooked as a fan for all this time. DongRaeGu is worth cheering for because he is not only brilliant at StarCraft, he's also a genuinely cool guy. What more could you ask for?!
Dat fan-interaction! (picture thanks to DarkPlasmaBall)
This finals is simply everything for DRG and his fans. It's no secret that DRG has been generally under-performing since he beat Naniwa in the Code S Season 3 Ro8. Winning the OSL would silence a lot of critics and give answers to whether or not he is still the God of Zerg in SC2. It would also provide DRG the confidence and happiness to close out the year with perhaps another GSL trophy (don't forget there is also a BlizzCup - like event in December for DRG to win and go out with a bang!)
What a champ! (photo thanks to R1CH)
Also for DongRaeGu, winning would make him the 4th player (MC, Mvp, NesTea) in StarCraft II history to reach $200,000 in prize money. Regardless of a win or a loss, he would advance to 4th place in tournament earnings, beating out both MMA and Stephano. It goes without saying that winning the OSL would solidify DongRaeGu's mark in eSports as the first player to win both the OSL and GSL in StarCraft II, by far the two most prestigious StarCraft tournaments in the world. On a trivial note, if DRG wins the championship he will be the 8th royal roader in OSL history.
As for his fans, although we don't get a cut of the ~36,000$ grand prize, victory would mean just as much to us. It has been a few months since DRG won a major tournament (MLG Spring Championship in June of 2012 being the latest), and the fans of Soo Ho are hungry to see him win another title. Sticking by DongRaeGu through all his difficult times as of late has only wet our appetite for another premier tournament win; and when it comes, the long wait will have made victory all the sweeter.
Part III:WHY MVPDongRaeGu will win the Auction All-Kill OSL by TommyP
Beating By.Rain, who is perhaps the best KeSPA player in existence, in the OSL finals will not be easy, but if I had to pick a Zerg player that is up for the task, it would be DongRaeGu. He is arguably the best Zerg to ever have play SC2 thus far and is also the most successful player in 2012. Although the map selection are not in his favor, DongRaeGu has proven time and time again to be masterful at preparing for long series. As such, we, at the very least, should expect him to come prepared with a bag full of tricks for Rain.
DRG'S got skills, experience, and Infestor/broodlords
When it comes to close matches between two players of the same caliber, experience is everything. The fact is, DongRaeGu has more experience playing StarCraft 2 on a professional level than Rain by a rather large margin. He also just beat the most successful Protoss player in SC2 History in MC, by delivering a crushing 4-1 blow to the Protoss President in the Semi-Finals.
In contrast, we haven't seen a whole lot of PvZ from Rain. The one televised game Rain took from DRG was from the OSL'S Ro16 where Rain won on Entombed Valley because DRG made 110 drones. DongRaeGu has an incredible win percentage in ZvP (over 60%, which is Absolute God Mode) and his two major tournament victories this year (Code S and MLG) came from beating Protoss players in the finals. Thus History, along with experience and infestors/broodlords, are on DongRaeGu's side.
For these reasons, I am predicting DongRaeGu 4: By.Rain 2.
Final Thoughts by neoghaleon55
A couple weeks ago before DongRaeGu wiped the floor with MC and By.Rain look completely unbeatable, if you were to ask me who would win the OSL this season, I would only be speaking with my heart if I said "DRG." But ever since LG-IMMvp knocked Rain out of the GSL Semi-Finals, Rain almost losing to the new cheesiest player in the world, Last, coupled with DRG's incredible performances in ZvP lately, I can rightly answer with both head and heart this time:
DRG will take this finals. He's taking it straight to the bank!
The only real point of concern is the map pool, Which alotted 2x Ohana and 2x Entombed Valley, the two maps that DRG really really hate are being played a maximum of 4 times. But you guys know what? DongRaeGu's got a Secret weapon... NesTea
DRG's been discretely bribing NesTea on twitter lately to help him practice for the OSL finals. If BribeRaeGu gets his way, By.Rain's gonna' be in a lot of trouble, as the two most successful Zergs in StarCraft II's history will meticulously plot his demise. So that's it, DongRaeGu's going to win, EZPZ. You don't go against the will of the creator of the universe and expect to win (unless you're DongRaeGu, apparently). And if the creator of the universe favors DRG, well then you're absolutely F#$%ed!!!
WHY SKTelecomT1 By.Rain will win the Auction All-Kill OSL!!!!!!!
The Elephant in the Room by Porcelina
It is quite fair to assume that most educated StarCraft observers would expect changes in the player landscape when KeSPA changed over to focus on SC2. For TL readers, one must assume some kind of blindness, complete absentia or faulty reading comprehension not to have seen the audience that wanted to see what the most elite RTS gamers in the world would make of the game. And while it is true that there are rather big differences between SC2 and its predecessor, it was expected that not only would skill sets transfer but that the method behind the supremacy of KeSPA players would shine through.
We have now witnessed the beginning of the transition. We have seen entire live report threads get flooded with ‘Elephant!’ one liners, we have seen a rivalry unlike any other in the StarCraft scene unfold. And while not all the points of a certain memorable and thought provoking Final Edit have been confirmed, the change in the playing field and our perceptions of skill levels is inherently apparent. While it is almost certain that weaker players would have been culled from the competition in our major leagues given time, the process has been escalated immeasurably and pontificated gloriously.
WCS Korea started a rippling effect that has changed both the scene and the observers. The relationship has had its dynamics re-examined. Old players who one would think of as good are not no longer Code A material. Superb players once thought to be contenders for consistent round of eights are gone. But more so than a change of the guard, which is to be expected in a growing, maturing RTS game as complex as StarCraft, what has become absolutely clear is that the fans now expect more. What was once decent to good macro is now almost intolerable to watch. Once impressive micro is now commonplace. Fantastic map vision is considered a minimum for any truly great player.
Rain winning WCS Asia...yea he just beat a whole continent!
And yes, it is true that there has also been a change in how the best eSF players. They are better. But once you have seen a KeSPA Zerg spread creep, watching Mr Random Code A is simply a bad watching experience. When you have seen Flash macro, you cringe at all those sloppy, unnecessary above hundred supply blocks that still persist.
And you know what? The game is actually a lot more enjoyable to watch when it is played well. As much fun as 2011 was, it does not compare to seeing harass going on in three places at once while still expanding. It does not compare to seeing RorO always have that inch perfect engagement. It does not compare to seeing Fantasy orchestrate drops and still micro them individually. But so far, perhaps the most impressive new star on the StarCraft heaven is Rain. Seeing 2011 players is painful when we see how fast Rain learns, when we see how he learns, when we see just how fast information is processed and subsequently applied.
The Mind of Rain
What I thought was the fundamental point of ‘The Elephant in the Room’ was that KeSPA players would learn on a much quicker curve than anyone else. Yes, they would not be good at first. But they would become good quickly, and they would continue to learn faster than anyone else. A few assumptions went into this. The amount of training was one. The expertise in training method, the coaching staff, and the structure were others. But it was also about the fact that KeSPA had through its existence recruited the very brightest minds possible.
With Rain, we see some of that work come to fruition after a mere few months of dedicated SC2 practice. It has been one of the most impressive phenomenons in StarCraft II so far. Not once has this failed to materialize when watching him compete. He simply picks up on fine details, opponents dispositions and the logic of the game like no other player we have seen.
There's always time to grab a smoothy in between practice!
Some rather interesting facts are these:
i) Rain lost his first ProLeague game against Soulkey. He moved on to beat him in the return match and to eliminate him in the KeSPA dual tournament to make it to the OSL. ii) In WCS Korea, Rain lost early on to Curious to be placed in the lower bracket. When they met once more later in the tournament, the favors had changed and Rain won. iii) In ProLeague, Rain lost twice to herOjoin and T1 was eliminated from the playoffs. The two met again in WCS Asia and Rain won on the way to taking his first tournament victory in SC2.
But it is not merely about learning about your opponents that makes Rain special. While those statistics is evidence of a player capable to deconstructing his losses, transforming them into future wins, they are but a part of the SC2 mind behind who must currently be considered the best Protoss in the world only months after making it his only game to practice for.
Simply, Rain has shown that he learns the game on the scale nigh unfathomable to those who have only followed eSF players (or *shudder* foreigners). We have been treated to a player who gets perceptibly better from game to game, from tournament to tournament. We don’t know the peak of Rain’s skill yet, but following it has been fascinating. And it has so far gotten him to the finals of the first SC2 OSL (and a ton of crazy fan girls!).
It is the bloody OSL people!
So what Rain lost to Mvp. Mvp was the only player in the tournament who really could, unless Life’s ZvP is way better than in the past. Losing in a Gom tournament is not that bad, especially when the semis were coming the day after Rain had clinched his spot in the OSL finals.The emotional outburst after almost being knocked out of the tournament that represents what KeSPA is about would have been enough to make anyone lose on the very next day. Rain just barely lost and forced Mvp to make a comeback.
But this is it. It is KeSPA vs. Gom. It is the OSL. IT IS THE OSL. This is what any KeSPA player prepares for in terms of any individual competition.
Rain has improved with each passing day so far. He will be more prepared for this match than any SC2 match before. He cannot fail now. He will not fail now. He will win.
Submit a Cheerful artwork/picture/photoshop to cheer for DRG and/or Rain in this thread by October 28th. Top 3 entries will win $10.00 gift card to amazon.com
After you post it in this thread make sure you also toss your cheerful onto the wall at \ www.facebook.com/ongamenetglobal ! OGN is giving away Twitch.tv shirts signed by the OSL champ to their 3 favorite cheerful designers.
On October 23 2012 18:15 neoghaleon55 wrote: Cheerful Contest!
Submit a Cheerful artwork/picture/photoshop to cheer for DRG and/or Rain in this thread by October 28th. Top 3 entries will win $10.00 gift card to amazon.com
Gallery will be posted here:
After you post it in this thread make sure you also toss your cheerful onto the wall at www.facebook.com/ongamenetglobal ! OGN is giving away Twitch.tv shirts signed by the OSL champ to their 3 favorite cheerful designers.
Awesome write up, I love how passionate both writers were about their favorite players! Can't wait for this finals, I'm fine with either of them winning as I like them both (as long as it is an entertaining series)
This going to be so sick! DRG is eat Rain for breakfast. Hope that OSL manages to do a good job filling that ambitiously large venue they've booked for the event! Would be pretty awesome.
On October 23 2012 19:33 peiopeio wrote: How can you get hyped when it's going to be casted by molecrap and doa
Lol real passionate SC2 fan we got here, who can't find any reason to be hyped about the OSL finals. 9 post account, wonder what his last account was banned for.
On October 23 2012 19:33 peiopeio wrote: How can you get hyped when it's going to be casted by molecrap and doa
Im so hyped waiting the OGN Korean casters Staff casting the SC2 finals. They are so energic and proffesional, they are perfect for the gran finals. This is going to be awesome.
Well this sucks, not that DRG or Rain is in it but rather the time zone, it's on Friday morning during school for me! Will there be VODs available? Let's go DRG
Real Hype Thread YO!! Thanks! I enjoyed reading it and got pumped up, can't wait for that OSL Final.
Watched today DRG go back to Code S for the upcoming GSL 5, maaan I really enjoy his style of play! And everything the OP wrote about DRG fans being hungry for "THE FINAL BOSS" to become the 8th OSL royal roader is totally true!
I enjoyed what the OP wrote about Rain. He is really impressive and his statistical learning curve even more!
GO GO DRG FIGHTING!!! And even if "The Creator of the Universe"{read NesTea} could favor DRG, I think Rain can bring alot to the table. Hyped prediction of 4:3 for DRG. Can't wait for that final after reading this thread and it's replies!!!!
On October 24 2012 02:40 Dionyseus wrote: Rain just lost a match a few days ago to zerg Kespa player Hyvaa via 4-1 at the MVP Invitational. That doesn't bode well for him...
Of course I might be wrong but it looked like Rain was saving builds for the OSL Final...I mean he tried the Immortal/sentry all in twice (and failed) and I think he never did that in broadcasted matches before. Rain just doesnt all-in. But I'm a huge fanboy so he probably just got crushed by hyvaa
On October 24 2012 02:40 Dionyseus wrote: Rain just lost a match a few days ago to zerg Kespa player Hyvaa via 4-1 at the MVP Invitational. That doesn't bode well for him...
Of course I might be wrong but it looked like Rain was saving builds for the OSL Final...I mean he tried the Immortal/sentry all in twice (and failed) and I think he never did that in broadcasted matches before. Rain just doesnt all-in. But I'm a huge fanboy so he probably just got crushed by hyvaa
If rain doesn't win this I'll cry. SKT1 needs some retribution for recent let downs! (If he loses I'll also complain about infestors and zerg some more ;~; ) gogogo SKT1 Fighting!
This is a really good thread, i hope the grand final will deliver some good games. I'd prefer it if DRG wins but i hope it's gonna be close. The maps don't speak for DRG, but i'm hoping he can pull through. Gogo Dong!
On October 26 2012 12:47 Greggle wrote: We're not going to have to send DRG a coloring book or walk a mile to help him recover from getting shitwrecked, are we?
On October 26 2012 12:47 Greggle wrote: We're not going to have to send DRG a coloring book or walk a mile to help him recover from getting shitwrecked, are we?
On October 27 2012 01:06 neoghaleon55 wrote: not that many submissions yet...which means those of you who make a cheerful will have high chances of winning a prize! :D
comon people, it's a F@#$ing OSL! show some spirit!!!
Rain will take this easily. I'm quite hyped but I have no photoshop and no ideas
Although I'm Protoss and admire Rain's playstyle, game sense and think he is the best P, I find myself somehow rooting for DRG. I guess it's because I'm an avid GSL watcher and saw all his games since he was a youngster in GSTL. DRG hwaitiiiiiing, defeat the elephants!!!
I just want to say to all the doom-and-gloomers around here, I haven't followed SC2 for about 6 months now, but the OSL finals is bringing me back. I was a huge follower of OSL and MSL and am going to love the rivalry in these finals between Kespa and the Federation. I know, it's been going on for a season, but boo on you. Tonight will be great!
On October 27 2012 11:31 neoghaleon55 wrote: leenock has historically one of the worse ZvPs in the GSL.
Leenock's zvp is like JYP's PvT. lol
Not recently, he's said its his strongest matchup now and he doesn't _rely_ on allins anymore to dominate protosses, althought he still sneaks one in every now and then.
In fact, depending on how this series goes, his might be the best. There's life but to be honest despite all the hype around him I haven't watched his games this GSL, and only remember him as the guy who allined TeamLiquid 3x in a row and allins every ZvP in GSL.
I was really excited to wake up and watch this. I actually start work super early so the 2AM PST start time just meant waking up an hour and a half earlier than normal. The lack of frames though, has lead to a massive lowering of fucks given. Guess it's good I only subscribed for the finals, three bucks isn't a big deal.
btw: Why is this thread so dead? Never thought that stream quality can have such an effect. Or is it the lack of Decorah Bald Eagle Video Stream (www.luther.edu/eaglecam/) ?
They finally fixed the frame dropping issue and then DRG gets crushed and loses. I was heartbroken when I watched MarineKing lose to Nestea in GSL Open 2, but seeing DRG lose like that, goddamn. I think I'm depressed now after seeing DRG's soul crushing loss.
I hope they don't get rid of Moletrap and Doa! Although Doa tends to overtalk MT sometimes, they are an awesome combo. They both know a crapton about the proscene and get really hyped during engagements. Their enthusiasm seems more geniune than most casters, imho.
That being said, I paid the $2.99 and the video was choppy at times. Still a pretty sick finals.
Tie breakbreaker decided by neoghaleon55 I'm going to let A1 go because it was not made specifically for this occasion, it was made earlier, Plus it was submitted by me instead of the original creator.
so I went to the osl vods section, and the only 9 videos I see are from LoL. Anyone know where to find the osl vods? I can't seem to find them anywhere
EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/oVZ5q.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/8GRR8.jpg)
DongRaeGu vs 
By.Rain![[image loading]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8315/8046346656_ff3d9647db_c.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c146/neoghaleon55/PDSD.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8474/8115308251_42b01554b3_n.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://imageftw.com/uploads/20110518/Dong.gif)
Sea[Shield] of StarCraft II (now Liquid`Sea!! woot~!!)! ![[image loading]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8472/8115308281_72597f53ff_n.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8055/8115379933_9581786ec8_n.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8329/8115449392_ec3c41b6e5_n.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/34ea3.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://drawthelinemidwest.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/elephant-in-the-room5.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8049/8115513328_beb0ec8a08_n.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8475/8115505225_0973410d99_n.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Fionn/bysun.gif)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/8AxNN.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/xT31B.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/0xCxQ.gif)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/n1YRJ.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wNlsv.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/vEtpC.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ngjob.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Gtwnb.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/MgJk3l.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/TcqRO.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ZQAdO.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/aXzSX.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/dw2Ue.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/e2bxm.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://s1.directupload.net/images/121023/i95l7bvz.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/HrItI.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/zeXLil.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Iusr9.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/QyGjY.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/wKei1.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/M0zEG.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.taibobo.com/upload/20110329/Abstract_Art_Sculpture_Moderne.jpg)
