Didn't see a thread on this yet, and thought it was worth noting.
Although Choya already referenced it in his GSTL preseason interview, he gave out an official statement stating his retirement from SC2 as a player.
He said the following:
Hello, this is FXO's playing coach, Choya
For a very long time, I talked with my players and have finally come to a decision. Although I never excelled as a progamer, I have no regrets since I gave it my best. After the current GSTL preseason, I plan to retire as a player.
It may be because I tried to do two things at once but I realise that I am deficient in many aspects and I have always listened to feedback from the fans to try and fix some of those things. However, I can truly say the 2 years and 6 months I spent as a progamer were more worthwhile and fulfilling than the rest of my life combined. Although I will no longer be able to stand before you as a progamer, I plan to focus all my energy on coaching to help the team improve and move forward.
There are many things I wanted to achieve before making this decision but I wanted to thank all the fans who supported me and in fact, my match in FXO vs Prime was actually my retirement game.
Being able to retire after beating MKP feels fantastic, I have to say. I will forever be 1-0 against MKP. He has to live with this fact. Also, I want to thank all the players and coaches Supreme and Hell for supporting me in my dual role as a playing coach.
I would also like to thank all the ESF directors, Chairperson Lee, Jun Ho and everyone else I met along the way for leading me in the right direction despite the fact that I am so young and inexperienced for taking on a dual role.
Now, I start a new chapter of my life as not a playing coach but a fulltime coach. I humbly ask you to continue supporting our team. The 2 years and 6 months I spent as a player were truly the happiest time for me. Thank you so much for all the support over the years!
I remember back at the very beginning of WoL, even at the end of beta, Choya was incredibly dedicated compared to a lot of other players. If I popped on Gisado's stream for an hour, there was a great chance he'd be playing for at least a few games. When the top 200 lists started to come out, not only was he up there, but he had ridiculous amounts of ladder games. A really hard-working guy, for whom it never fully worked out, but he did a great job as a player-coach and I wish him the best of luck as a full time coach.
I always liked when Choya sent himself out and got a few wins. He was one of the few players I can forgive for being a cheesy bastard because he wasn't a full-time player ;;
On February 23 2013 13:30 Antoine wrote: I remember back at the very beginning of WoL, even at the end of beta, Choya was incredibly dedicated compared to a lot of other players. If I popped on Gisado's stream for an hour, there was a great chance he'd be playing for at least a few games. When the top 200 lists started to come out, not only was he up there, but he had ridiculous amounts of ladder games. A really hard-working guy, for whom it never fully worked out, but he did a great job as a player-coach and I wish him the best of luck as a full time coach.
It's amazing how much he was still able to accomplish as a player-coach in the GSTL. A really interesting interaction for sure - to see when he would send himself out over others and actually take some games!
sucks to hear but he basically said this was going to happen soon in his last interview. I thought he would at least wait until the end of the preseason. Good luck coaching, Choya! FXO is so strong!
I loved Choya. He did whatever it took to win and appeared to worked as hard as anyone at the top. I learned a lot of builds from him and will miss him.
I'll miss seeing him as a player. Choya was always such a lively character, from talking to himself in his booth to his great celebrations when he won, you could really see on his face how much he loved to play. I hope he finds the same enjoyment as a coach.
I remember when he sent himself out against Ryung after Oz lost and then actually took him and MMA out two put FXO ahead, that was when he gained my respect despite his build order choice.
One of the most impressive people in the entire SC history.Grabbing wins of top players whiling still coaching the 2-time GSTL championship team,FXO. Enjoyed his time in fOu
Ah this is unfortunate. But I am glad he is still sticking around with the team. Glad he was able to win some games at the GSTL preseason. Thats a good way to end.
NOOO! One of my favourite Protoss.. always a guy who wore his heart on his sleeve and showed a ton of passion, unlike most of his peers. His games and presence in the booth will be sorely missed.
At least we might get to see him and his crazy personality in GSTL sometimes. I love that he mentions MKP in his statement haha. That match was so funny and I'm glad we got to see it before Choya went full coach.
Choya[fOu] will always be in our hearts, I hope to see more of Choya in the future, I really hope he doesn't retire completely, maybe he will play BW again.. one can hope...I always loved his playstyle. Best of luck in the future Choya!
On February 23 2013 14:37 GGzerG wrote: Choya[fOu] will always be in our hearts, I hope to see more of Choya in the future, I really hope he doesn't retire completely, maybe he will play BW again.. one can hope...I always loved his playstyle. Best of luck in the future Choya!
Why are you and other people acting like he retires completely? It is obvious he will focus 100% on coaching duty rather then now being part time player. Hell, he even saids it word for word in the interview
Now, I start a new chapter of my life as not a playing coach but a fulltime coach.
Choya is honestly one of, if not the best, coaches in SC2. He was always dedicated to his team and his teammates and he deserves a ton of respect. Thanks for all the games Choya, will be rooting for you + FXO!
I have respected and loved Choya as a person and player for a long time and will continue to support him in his coaching duties in any way i can. I'll never forget MLG Anaheim hanging out with you and team FXO, hanging out at the IPL bowling alley, and the video i got of you doing your thor impression.
when Naniwa did his 6 probe thing in a worthless match he acted like a fool, calling naniwa out... I didn't like his attitude at all.
Koreans have respect for the integrity of the game. I see no problem with the way Choya acted. He's a passionate individual who speaks his mind and there should be more people like him involved in the Starcraft community. Naniwa disrespected one of the oldest and most famous players in Korea and deserved all the backlash he received.
Quite a memorable retirement game with the celebration he showed afterwards, will miss his always exciting games but its a great move to help FXO get even stronger. GGs Choya!
Good luck Choya! I remember how hard he worked and how much he cared for his team when they were just fou guys all short on money with almost no sponsors. They were saved by FXO yes, but really props to him for having kept everyone together when so many other teams folded.
On February 23 2013 15:56 Anta wrote: good news.
when Naniwa did his 6 probe thing in a worthless match he acted like a fool, calling naniwa out... I didn't like his attitude at all.
Naniwa has called people out for way less man. All the way from his War3 days to now.
I don't dislike Naniwa b/c who cares anymore, so why don't you get over Choya. Besides, Choya is still going to be around and he's still going to be winning GSTLs.
when Naniwa did his 6 probe thing in a worthless match he acted like a fool, calling naniwa out... I didn't like his attitude at all.
Did you even read the news article? Why would you act high and mighty like Choya got "just deserts" or something whilst Choya basically decides to become a full time coach. If you don't like him what makes this "good news" for you?
when Naniwa did his 6 probe thing in a worthless match he acted like a fool, calling naniwa out... I didn't like his attitude at all.
Did you even read the news article? Why would you act high and mighty like Choya got "just deserts" or something whilst Choya basically decides to become a full time coach. If you don't like him what makes this "good news" for you?
Also pot calling the kettle black a bit hey?
Lol this. It's good news to you that a player you don't like is now going to focus on coaching fulltime to further help make his team great? Hahaha.
when Naniwa did his 6 probe thing in a worthless match he acted like a fool, calling naniwa out... I didn't like his attitude at all.
lol. You are funny
hahahaha Seeker's, you're just like "heh."
I wish Choya the best of luck. SC2 is an incredibly packed scene and you're likely not going to be able to remain at the top level for long or make a long-term career out of starcraft. He was a really cool dude.
I don't like white knightning, not even for esports. what Naniwa did was just showing that there shouldn't be worthless matches, and you shouldn't force someone to play. calling him not worth of the titel "pro-gamer" was stupid in my ears. yours are others.
On February 23 2013 13:30 Antoine wrote: I remember back at the very beginning of WoL, even at the end of beta, Choya was incredibly dedicated compared to a lot of other players. If I popped on Gisado's stream for an hour, there was a great chance he'd be playing for at least a few games. When the top 200 lists started to come out, not only was he up there, but he had ridiculous amounts of ladder games. A really hard-working guy, for whom it never fully worked out, but he did a great job as a player-coach and I wish him the best of luck as a full time coach.
Well, we all know that he did not actually play them all.
Anyway, you made the right choice Choya, gl in future endeavors.
On February 23 2013 17:46 Anta wrote: different opinions are different, i guess.
I don't like white knightning, not even for esports. what Naniwa did was just showing that there shouldn't be worthless matches, and you shouldn't force someone to play. calling him not worth of the titel "pro-gamer" was stupid in my ears. yours are others.
For a very long time, I talked with my players and have finally come to a decision. Although I never excelled as a progamer, I have no regrets since I gave it my best. After the current GSTL preseason, I plan to retire as a player.
Never excelled, but still got in Ro8 of the first GSL season (agaisnt MvP doing nasty 1-1-1 if I recall). I guess that's still better than many players
Even if I never really loved him for his play, I liked him and found him totally badass when he put himself on the line in the GSTL, as a coach and a player. But anyway it's not like he's gonna disapear from the scene, he's still coach of a great team
On February 23 2013 14:43 EnumaAvalon wrote: The only bad thing I can remember about Choya was fielding himself instead of Oz in the GSTL
Yeah, he did. After being specifically told by Oz that Oz wasn't feeling confident in the matchup, and that he didn't want to play. Considering everything else you've seen of Choya during his time as coach, and how much dedication he's shown to his team and his teammates, is it really that easy to make yourself believe that this was a decision made just because he wanted to play, or because he thought he was better than Oz?
People are so quick to judge and get on the pitchfork bandwagon, and damn the actual circumstances.
Choya, it's a pity you never managed to qualify. You always ran into some of the stiffest competition possible during the qualifying rounds, always losing to the eventual finalist or runner-up. We would have loved to see you compete in the GSL, but your GSTL efforts and your commitment to FXO is what you will be known for, and it's a legacy to be proud of. Much ♥.
On February 24 2013 20:07 Zane wrote: Nooo! Just imagine the cheeses he could come up with in HotS, with MsC, new voids and all that. Without HongUn and Choya, Genius has to step it up.
Dont worry. Have u seen Eves 3 gate void ray attack in HotS GSTL? I wonder who came up with that idea.
On February 24 2013 20:07 Zane wrote: Nooo! Just imagine the cheeses he could come up with in HotS, with MsC, new voids and all that. Without HongUn and Choya, Genius has to step it up.
Dont worry. Have u seen Eves 3 gate void ray attack in HotS GSTL? I wonder who came up with that idea.
Choya such a good guy, great personality.. I remember his Proxy Robotics + Robo bay into 1 base Collosus for PvT in GSTL, amazing. The guy was a mastermind when it came to early-game strats.
EPT
i loved choya
![[image loading]](http://images.wikia.com/starcraft/images/f/f9/SC2ProtExtendThermalLance.png)
