In 'Stork's silver path of courage' I've laid out the career of legendary Brood War Protoss Stork so SC2 and more modern day fans can get an idea of the context of his epic, and at times tragic, path through professional BW from 2005-2012.
Stork is an OSL champion, three time OSL runner-up, MSL runner-up, WCG gold medalist, two time WCG silver medalist, Proleague champion, Proleague MVP and finals MVP and a member of the TaekBangLeeSsang (along with Flash, Bisu and Jaedong).
On Stork's legacy:
For all his critical moments of failure, days of heartbreak and times of self-doubt Stork has carved out a distinct place amongst BW's greatest ever players and can rightly be considered a legend, one of the best to ever play. His failures were numerous and well documented, coming in the most conspicuous of moments, and yet one cannot help but love and admire Stork for his perseverance, his daring and his heart. This knight-errant stood toe-to-toe with the game's monsters and, valiantly as he fought, paid the mortal price, yet found a way to put himself back together each time.
The early breakthrough in 2005:
Stork's third consecutive Ro16 appearance had come over the next month or so, and he had caught the eye of many in the scene. It was not only his individual league play which had earned him such attentions, as in the Proleague, Korean BW's team league, Stork had put up the most wins by a Protoss player in Round 2 and in doing so helped his team, Samsung KHAN, grab a playoff spot and eventually finish runners-up.
Named Rookie of the Year for 2005 by the coaches, he was also dubbed one of the 'Three Neo-Kings of Protoss', along with Anytime and Pusan. That showed the kind of expectations people had for his play, being as the previous generation to hold such a moniker, 'The three Kings of Protoss' (Reach, Kingdom and Nal_rA), had all been Starleague champions.
Reaching his first OSL final:
Despite being eliminated from the Ro16 of the next MSL by sAviOr 2:1, strong individual form continued to mark Stork's play as he finished top of his Ro16 group in the EVER2007 OSL. In the quarter-final he defeated Flash 2:1 and in the semi-final he gained his revenge over Bisu by sweeping his MSL foe 3:0 to reach the first OSL final of his career. Stork's opponent in the final would be Jaedong, a Zerg playing in the first OSL of his career and who Stork had beaten in the Ro16.
Capturing gold at last:
Stork got off to his best finals start ever, winning the first two maps. Only one map away from clutching the coveted OSL trophy he found himself pushed back by Fantasy, who took the next two to send it to a fifth and final map. Twice before Stork had faced deciding maps and both times he had fallen. Everyone awaited the inevitable choke, the moment when Stork would panic and make a vital mistake, sending the title across the other side of the stage. Instead this would be the best day of his life.
The courageous path:
It could be said that true courage is when one enters into a situation where one doesn't know if they can win, and perhaps can not, and yet continues on regardless, because the quest is worth the risk of failure. In the grail romances of Medievil Europe it is often stated that the knights who sought the grail all entered the forest alone, apart from their fellow knights, and at the place where there woods were thickest and there was no path.
Love stork so much, has always been my favorite player. One of the first times I saw him play was in the Sambo(?) Classic where he lost to Flash after only needing 1 map -_- lol
Wow! I couldn't tell who was winning. The SC2 interface with the observer panel is really useful for supply comparisons etc... I thought the Zerg had the game in the bag after the big win in the center. Don't know how the toss came back from that.
By the way, do they not have air conditioning? Why the heck is that guy sweating that much? Man, having your heart rate up so much while sitting down and playing a computer game definitely doesn't seem healthy.
Wow! I couldn't tell who was winning. The SC2 interface with the observer panel is really useful for supply comparisons etc... I thought the Zerg had the game in the bag after the big win in the center. Don't know how the toss came back from that.
By the way, do they not have air conditioning? Why the heck is that guy sweating that much? Man, having your heart rate up so much while sitting down and playing a computer game definitely doesn't seem healthy.
Oh my goodness, it's weird seeing this post lol. I forgot that some people didn't come from BW so they wouldn't know those things.
He's sweating because they kept the booths pretty warm because playing while cold sucks. I think some might have used heaters as well.
Wow! I couldn't tell who was winning. The SC2 interface with the observer panel is really useful for supply comparisons etc... I thought the Zerg had the game in the bag after the big win in the center. Don't know how the toss came back from that.
By the way, do they not have air conditioning? Why the heck is that guy sweating that much? Man, having your heart rate up so much while sitting down and playing a computer game definitely doesn't seem healthy.
Sometimes they had a supply/resources overlay at the bottom right, but sometimes they didn't. Was never entirely clear why.
Wow! I couldn't tell who was winning. The SC2 interface with the observer panel is really useful for supply comparisons etc... I thought the Zerg had the game in the bag after the big win in the center. Don't know how the toss came back from that.
By the way, do they not have air conditioning? Why the heck is that guy sweating that much? Man, having your heart rate up so much while sitting down and playing a computer game definitely doesn't seem healthy.
I thought you were being a bit silly with the sweat comment, but then I skimmed through the game. Sweet mother of god, I've never sweat that much before...
Stork. He is such a legend. Hopefully, whatever he pursues next, be it continue SC2 or move somewhere else, he repeats that kind of success, if not surpass it altogether.
One of the best tosses in BW with refined, exquisite playstyle. His best games were carefully architectured masterpieces. Stork is the player who could just pull off some incredible victories either it was JD, Flash, Bisu or any other top player when everything went to his plan.
Haha I had prepared a thread in the BW section to share your article, and I posted it just as TL.net went down because of the storm. When I came back you had created this thread ! Good article, thanks !
Well written article, but I would have liked to have seen some real analysis of storks play, rather than just his results. For instance, there was no mention of how he (along with pusan) pioneered the used of arbiters in PvT and significantly contributed to the development of the PvT metagame on maps like 815 (which assisted anytime on his way to his win in So1). As Pusan/Anytime somewhat dropped off the map he became (essentially) solely responsible for what defined standard PvT (as much as Bisu defined standard PvZ) with his careful macro oriented approach which focused on reavers to control the terran before the midgame. Part of Flash's brilliance came from designing the perfect hard counter to this build during the course of GSI/Bacchus (quick upgrades and a goliath to shut down the harass). Stork was also (arguably) the best PvP player for at least a year prior to his loss to bisu in the MSL. And even after, I would argue he was the scarier opponent.
But perhaps that was beyond the scope of the article nevertheless. It was an entertaining read.
On October 30 2012 20:10 letian wrote: One of the best tosses in BW with refined, exquisite playstyle. His best games were carefully architectured masterpieces. Stork is the player who could just pull off some incredible victories either it was JD, Flash, Bisu or any other top player when everything went to his plan.
And the most sad story of his career? He did not deliver this in finals. His incredibly calm demeanor and calculated play (Stork vs Jaedong, difference in appearance) in proleague or even in groupstages vanished and he made mistakes that cost him medals, lack of dragoon range (!) probably cost him MSL gold a crown example of who stork was. A total monster in proleague (at his peak) and overall consistancy but never with a finishing touch.
Sad but there is beauty to that, i kinda love great players with small tragic twists on their path, overall i find it more interesting to follow players like that. For me Stork is like all time favorite, he has what it takes to be a top player for years, he always had sluggish apm yet his beautiful control and calculated macro basically negated any perceived flaw from spectator view. Even if you look at 2007 Stork and compare it to 2010 or 2011 stork you don't see much difference, the thing is he found a key pattern to play his own BW, thats what made TBLS. Each one of them found their own way of playing game, whether it was stork with 170-220 or so BW apm or Jaedong with 350-400 APM they molded the game to the shape they wanted to see and like.
It is entirely possible for all of them to do this in SC2(and several other notable A-teamers), and thats kinda what gives me the suspense, the suspense that keeps me here cheering for these people. The question is, whether they have the desire needed to do it again. Being progamer, playing the game even training and saying in an interview "i want to win" is not really a defenitive answer. For that i will have to look forward with my own eyes.
#plexa Well stork has winrate over Bisu, but finals kinda outweighted this simple math in viewers eyes.
Also other game that needs to be highlighted is the infamous carrier comeback vs Flash, probably a reason why something in Flash head clicked and he started to become the most frightening TvP terran ever.
Stork basically influenced a metagame himself and as a proxy. He was the player to beat just after Savior. *
On October 30 2012 20:39 bgx wrote: #plexa Well stork has winrate over Bisu, but finals kinda outweighted this simple math in viewers eyes.
Also other game that needs to be highlighted is the infamous carrier comeback vs Flash, probably a reason why something in Flash head clicked and he started to become the most frightening TvP terran ever.
Stork basically influenced a metagame himself and as a proxy. He was the player to beat just after Savior. *
*In OSL, MSL was kinda a Bisu's turf.
Oh you mean the 3rd place match series? I don't know if that was directly responsible, only Flash could say. But Stork certainly didn't hide his PvT strategy it was always 1gate nexus robo reaver into heavy macro play with good observer use. Katrina also heavily influencing carrier play leading up to the finals probably had a huge impact as well.
Wow! I couldn't tell who was winning. The SC2 interface with the observer panel is really useful for supply comparisons etc... I thought the Zerg had the game in the bag after the big win in the center. Don't know how the toss came back from that.
By the way, do they not have air conditioning? Why the heck is that guy sweating that much? Man, having your heart rate up so much while sitting down and playing a computer game definitely doesn't seem healthy.
I thought you were being a bit silly with the sweat comment, but then I skimmed through the game. Sweet mother of god, I've never sweat that much before...
Jaedong just focuses all his energy into the game. There are quite a few games where he is sweating like a mad man. I don't think you will see him doing this in SC2 though. Zerg late game in BW requires a shitload of mechanics and Jaedong was the only one who really perfected it mechanically (except maybe Soulkey later on who can randomly save single hydras by turning them into an egg against mines in late game -_-).
For example keybinding all his units, then when he attacks, keybind all his hatcheries to macro, then keybind his units again for control, the main thing is that half his actions don't even count as apm and he has 400-600. Doing things like that repeatedly is enough to make you start sweating.
The opposite is Bisu, hes basically a robot, no facial expressions, no nerves, not a single drop of sweat, ever. Even when hes got tabs on 5 different map locations.
Wow! I couldn't tell who was winning. The SC2 interface with the observer panel is really useful for supply comparisons etc... I thought the Zerg had the game in the bag after the big win in the center. Don't know how the toss came back from that.
By the way, do they not have air conditioning? Why the heck is that guy sweating that much? Man, having your heart rate up so much while sitting down and playing a computer game definitely doesn't seem healthy.
I thought you were being a bit silly with the sweat comment, but then I skimmed through the game. Sweet mother of god, I've never sweat that much before...
For example keybinding all his units, then when he attacks, keybind all his hatcheries to macro, then keybind his units again for control, the main thing is that half his actions don't even count as apm and he has 400-600. Doing things like that repeatedly is enough to make you start sweating.
Only F2/3/4 and Shift + F2/3/4 don't count as APM. Hotkey binding and hotkey selection count. What's funny is that Soulkey is a really low apm zerg, probably the lowest since sAviOr but still had an impressive late game management.
The opposite is Bisu, hes basically a robot, no facial expressions, no nerves, not a single drop of sweat, ever. Even when hes got tabs on 5 different map locations.
Wow! I couldn't tell who was winning. The SC2 interface with the observer panel is really useful for supply comparisons etc... I thought the Zerg had the game in the bag after the big win in the center. Don't know how the toss came back from that.
By the way, do they not have air conditioning? Why the heck is that guy sweating that much? Man, having your heart rate up so much while sitting down and playing a computer game definitely doesn't seem healthy.
This is a major reason why I rarely feel any tension when watching an sc2 game. There are so many games where I know whos going to win because of just how much information we have. Imagine if that game had tabs for units lost, army supply, income workers killed etc. We would not be on the edge of our seats but instead waiting for the game to finish.
Great game, especially since it's the ace match. Another of Stork's tragic qualities: that his PvZ was his trickiest match-up and yet he managed to maintain a great win-rate vs. Jaedong, the best Zerg and a ZvP monster.
Strangely enough I've always remembered Stork for his epic losses more than his triumphs. But even in his losses he's always shown that he had the heart of a champion. If ever there was a progamer who embodied what we all go through in life (save certain, blessed individuals), it's Stork. The People's Champion!
But Stork ain't no mortal, he is one half of the omnipotent Protoss god TaekBang Archon .
Stork didn't have the tactical genius of a Flash
I have to disagree with this one too. Stork was one of the slowest progamers out there, but his tactical genius and strategic brilliance more than compensated for it and gave him an unforgettable career. (You pointed this out in Knight-errant)
But other than that good work sir, its a very nice article about our friendly neighborhood Dino-Toss. Stork hwaiting!!!!
PS, I never thought I will see a SC2 thread with that many BW VODs.
The thing that I really like about Stork, is that he does not have Bisu's multitasking skills, Jaedong tactical mind or Flash maphackesque game-sense. He just plays really really solid (except in finals...), and in that he showed everyone that even if you are not a genius as the above three others, you could achieve number 1 by work dedication. He even played with a relatively low apm (around 200/250 I think), so he is really the "man of the people".
One thing that I find funny when we think of the two protoss Stork/Jangbi vs Bisu/Best is that Jangbi was like Stork very good at PvT and worse at PvZ, wheras Bisu was the best ever for PvZ but pretty bad in PvT while Best was much better in PvT than PvZ.
The first professional bw game I watched was Stork vs Keke. Love at first sight...
I don't really believe that success is the product of some super gene or fantastical natural endowment, so I find Stork really inspiring. There's nothing magical about his success, he just earned every inch of it with sweat.
In the achievements listed at the bottom of the article, did it mention that he is one of the three to achieve 100 osl wins? It should ><
On November 16 2012 09:26 Jragon wrote: He hasn't retired has he?
He's transitioning. In fact I think he sounded especially interested in sc2 the last interview he gave. I definitely was worried he would be calling time on his career. Watching his FFs against flash at anaheim I'm surprised we haven't seen him make a splash yet.
Wow! I couldn't tell who was winning. The SC2 interface with the observer panel is really useful for supply comparisons etc... I thought the Zerg had the game in the bag after the big win in the center. Don't know how the toss came back from that.
By the way, do they not have air conditioning? Why the heck is that guy sweating that much? Man, having your heart rate up so much while sitting down and playing a computer game definitely doesn't seem healthy.
Are you really saying that you've never been in a competitive or nerve wracking environment? You can sweat buckets at -5c if you're 'excited' enough.
Wow! I couldn't tell who was winning. The SC2 interface with the observer panel is really useful for supply comparisons etc... I thought the Zerg had the game in the bag after the big win in the center. Don't know how the toss came back from that.
By the way, do they not have air conditioning? Why the heck is that guy sweating that much? Man, having your heart rate up so much while sitting down and playing a computer game definitely doesn't seem healthy.
Are you really saying that you've never been in a competitive or nerve wracking environment? You can sweat buckets at -5c if you're 'excited' enough.
And it was also really cold... Did he miss Stork's giant puffy jacket =P
EPT
Stork so SC2 and more modern day fans can get an idea of the context of his epic, and at times tragic, path through professional BW from 2005-2012.
Flash, 
Jaedong).
it was always 1gate nexus robo reaver into heavy macro play with good observer use. Katrina also heavily influencing carrier play leading up to the finals probably had a huge impact as well. 
He hasn't retired has he?
