Ilyes "Stephano" Satouri retired Tuesday night, following his elimination from the WCS Europe Premier League round of 16. Widely considered the best non-Korean player of all time, Stephano had announced earlier in the year that he would be retiring from pro-gaming in August to resume his studies. True to his word, Stephano made WCS Season II his final StarCraft II tournament, and bowed out after a losses to MVP.Duckdeok and mouz.Lucifron eliminated him from the competition.
In an interview with ESL after his matches, Stephano left his final message to his fans.
Fantastic work, was genuinely feeling down when he properly anounced it on stream. I think there were still a couple of us who still thought he wouldn't follow through with it. Wish him all the best in whatever he does in the future.
One of my favorite players of all time to watch and cheer for. I'll really miss him in the SC2 scene.
I couldn't really accept that he was retiring until now, I always told myself he wouldn't retire even though I knew he would. Now that it's done and I saw his closing speech live with his family, it's not quite as sad as I thought it would be. It just felt like something that had to happy, and I'll be hoping that he has a great rest of his life.
A huge hole is left where stephano once stood. I thought i'd seen he might go to LoL (whether it was for fun or whatever) maybe youd be able to see him over there now and then.
Farewell Stephano! You will be greatly missed and legends will not be forgotten!
I honestly can't contain the feels in me right now. It's such a shame that he retired from pro-gaming this young. I wish him success and luck in his studies!
Never really like his attitude (well, his fake one, it was funny-ish but never liked it nonetheless ) but still, he's a great player and I'm pretty sure he's also an actual nice person, so that's sad. But heh, maybe his med studies will bore him to death and he'll come back :D
This guy made me believe that foreigners could actually every now and again compete and beat the koreans. He did it more than once through mostly sheer talent and mindset. I remember IPL 3 I think it was, and how amazing that win was. GG Stephano, hope to see you again down the road.
Hopefully years from now when we look back on sc2, this kid will be one of the legends.
WOW. I honestly thought this whole talk of retirement was a ploy so that EG would show him more dollars for his contract renewal, guess I was wrong. It's sad that hes the most accomplished foreigner in sc2 and is deciding to end his career. He was one of the most entertaining sc2 players inside and outside of the game, you will be missed Stephano.
Goodbye Stephano, thank you for all the great memories. You were so great for sc2 and for e-sports as a whole. Too bad you are leaving us, but everything amazing has an end. Much love from the community my man, good luck in life!!!!
In my Protoss days Stephano was the only non Protoss streamer I would watch. His play at his prime was magical, and he was IMO the only non-Korean who could have won a GSL, shame that his only appearance wasn't remarkable (being ran over by Innovation, oh well).
Goodbye Stephano, you are leaving a huge hole in the scene, a hole that wouldn't be filled soon, if ever.
"Widely considered the best non-Korean player of all time"
Might want to edit that and say best non-korean starcraft 2 player of all time, not to be a dick (but i dont care if I'm called one anyways), but i can name off numerous other individuals throughout the span of foreign vs korean scenes in bw/wc3/sc2 that have met and succeeded past Stephano. Just nit-picking.
Best of luck in your endeavors Stephano, hope you excel at whatever you choose to do.
Had a great run. He couldn't end it on top, but very few do. He's probably been looking further than August 2013 the last couple of months, so it is very understandable. On top of that, SC2 is quite a volatile game. Thank you for kicking some serious Korean ass!
On August 07 2013 08:35 FT.aCt)Sony wrote: "Widely considered the best non-Korean player of all time"
Might want to edit that and say best non-korean starcraft 2 player of all time, not to be a dick (but i dont care if I'm called one anyways), but i can name off numerous other individuals throughout the span of foreign vs korean scenes in bw/wc3/sc2 that have met and succeeded past Stephano. Just nit-picking.
Best of luck in your endeavors Stephano, hope you excel at whatever you choose to do.
The fact that you at this moment found yourself intrigued to nit-pick at something that miniscule and irrelevant makes you not a dick, but definitely a moron.
Edit: Oh and what you are writing is utter nonsense as well. He is widely considered the best non-Korean player of all time. You may not think so, but a lot of people do. So there is nothing wrong with that statement.
The Red Bull Battlegrounds 2012 where he met PartinG in the RO8. PartinG made comments in the interview saying "I heard Stephano doesn't practise that much, well I practise a LOT and now i'm gonna show him" Stephano said nothing, and then went on to murder PartinG like it was just another nobody Protoss on the ladder. When he won, he had the most priceless face ever. It was something between not giving a shit and feeling amused at how easy it was.
Great write-up and compilation. It seems like his career came and went so fast compared to some of the others who retired in the last year but the impact of his ingenuity will live on in the players (and fans) he inspired.
he is young, he made a lot of money, he seemed like he enjoys fame and everything.. and now he will live a life that is so boring if you compare it with sc2 experience.. his decision maybe seems bad if you look it from different point then his (like my point of view :p ), but he knows himself the best.. GG and GL
They is a such thing as over practicing. Which can cloud your judgement when it comes game time. I do not know how much more he practice or had to practice, when he was with EG. But his downfall could have been from focusing to much time focusing on the game. When you have that space to get away, your mind can clear up to when you come back you can easily strategize better around production.
Stephano, if you're reading this by chance, I want to say thank you. You've been an enormous influence on my Starcraft play, even when you invented that god damn 12 minute roach/ling max in ZvP. I wish you luck in wherever you choose to go next, and glhf one final time.
Thanks for always being the crazy, friendly, and awesome representative that SC always needed. You will be missed.
Bye Stephano, goodluck in your future endeavors. I just switched from bw to sc2 and honestly haven't really seen much of your games but I will definitely check some of those. GG
Everytime I think of SC2 WoL from at least 2011 when I first heard of him to early 2013, it's his ridiculous and supposed 12 minute max roach rush. Against Protoss I don't think I've ever seen him lose when I watched him. His split of speed roaches and lings into 3-4 different groups while simultaneously killing units and buildings while macroing and possibly defending counter attacks makes me appreciate how good he was and how difficult this game can be
What a memorable succesful guy. only 20 years old, do what you're good at and earn loads of money.. Only a few are this lucky to poses all the right skills and mindset to win. Greatest baws foreigner in SC2 so far
I really will miss this guy ! He gave me chills when he won the IPL 3 Championship, beiing one of the first foreigner to win a major tournament, beating 4 Koreans in a row !
I will remember a people who never whined about the balance, never rage quit, often forfaits games and tournaments ;-) I will remember the games against his nemesis Polt, in MSI Pro Cup, Asus ROG 2012 and Lone Star Clash. I will remember the misunderstandings concerning the CompLexity affair and finally, the transfer to EG. I will remember the 12 minutes max roach strategy, and an epic game 2 against Kiwikaki during the IPL 3 !
Farewell Stephano, many thanks, and gl for the new chapter of your life. SC2 will not be the same without you... You're already a Legend !
It's really sad. When he entered the scene, he really was the only one we had that could challenge the top guys in the world. Him and Naniwa were the only guys capable of actually beating top tier koreans. As in all games, they change when major patches and/or expansions come. I really hope you have an awesome life, Stephano. A part of me wish you'd stay in esports.
Best of luck to Stephano in the future. It was a treat to be able to watch him play. He was an interesting personality in the SC2 scene and will be missed. Sad that he wasn't able to advance further in his final run at WCS EU.
Amazing guy, probably the biggest loss for the SC2 scene ever.
If we had more players who manage to acquire such awesome skill while maintaining or even developing such an awesome personality SC2 would be mainstream.
probably one of the only foreigners who in his prime had a realistic chance of beating the best koreans.always excited to see him play.too bad he retires.the sc2 scenes needs people like stephano.i always wonder what he would have done at a wcs worlds if there were a wcs worlds during his prime.he might have become the champion.
@billionator
stephano had too much swag so the dirty cops took him in for nothing
Not only was he an extraordinary player, he was a personality. *His hair... is be a utiful. *He will not play with shoes on *Was a WC3 player. *"a 13 yo" A message sent to Bling after sleeping with a 13 year old. *When he managed to get a knife on a plane. *The classic picture of him getting arrested. *Plus he played with grid hotkeys with a click. *He is going to become a doctor.
i remember this kid being the randy euro zerg that we thought couldnt repeat anything, then takes eswc and ipl in the same month
fantastic career, fantastic mind. hope to god somebody even 1/5th as intelligent as he was could come to the scene. he legit knew more about the game than anybody with little-to-no effort put in.
Best foreigner by a million miles and probably the most influential Zerg in Starcraft 2 history. Already had legendary status long before he retired. Enjoy retirement Ilyes you deserve it.
If SC2 stays relevant Stephano will be a legend forever and will get articles like the Savior one. There were aspects in his play, especially the way he took engagments, were he was years ahead of every other player in the game. The first time I saw him play against Toss i instantly switched to Z from P and i had nerdchills (I normally hate that word) all over my body.
On August 07 2013 09:59 ChaosArcher wrote: If SC2 stays relevant Stephano will be a legend forever and will get articles like the Savior one. There were aspects in his play, especially the way he took engagments, were he was years ahead of every other player in the game. The first time I saw him play against Toss i instantly switched to Z from P and i had nerdchills (I normally hate that word) all over my body.
I was just thinking about this after WCS EU today, I was walking down the street and I figured this would be what I will probably remember when I hear the name Stephano in the future. Just the way that Ver (?) described Savior as a "God of Battlefield," Stephano also demonstrated the ability to defeat compositions intended to counter his simply through careful positioning and flanking. He was truly a master of feel and always did the right thing "because it felt right."
gl in life stephano! You were quite the entertainer and truly made alot of events exciting and worth watching! Thanks for your efforts and contribution to this scene.
Gg! I will never forget you roach rushing in the WoL beta on blistering sands in craftcup. Can't belive I'll never get my revenge. Wp and gl in your life.
Granted, I haven't been watching too much Star2 anymore but whenever I did, it was either MVP, O/GSL or Stephano's games. Good luck in whatever he's up to next and I think I'm gonna watch some Stephano vs Polt now... Thanks for the memories, Stephano! =(~^_^')=
Stephano is the most awesome pro gamer ever existed. 100 % skill 100 % understanding of the game 100 % pleasure
Stephano showed that if you have a lot of talent, then enjoying life is a better way to prepare for matches than sitting on the pc all day. He didn't cloud his mind with theorycrafting and bitching over balance (always calling his race OP, dispite everyone else crying), not wasting the fun of the game by playing it 10 houres straight every day are to me key aspects of his success. Yes he's damn fast, and the drone micro vs zerlings especially in his early stages were just so sick. His attitude and jokes were really chilled, he is really outstanding a outstanding pro gamer.
Even when I stoped playing and watching sc, I would always keep an eye open to see some stephano matches (and ok jeadong^^).
I will really miss him, his sc2 stream was always so nice, great attitude about the game and even greater skill. By far the best sc2 gamer.
Bye Stephano! I'll miss you! Really one of my favorite players. From finding about him because of his contract issues, to his IPL run, to Stephano vs Polt all the time, to meeting him in person at last year's MLG, I've really enjoyed having Stephano in eSports, in this game, in this scene. Bye!!!
He had an incredible mindset, he never bought into common but destructive patterns of thinking like "foreigners are supposed to lose to Koreans" or "my race is the weakest". He knew Zerg was strong and he knew Koreans were far from unbeatable, and he had the balls to turn that mindset into tournament wins. Congrats and he'll be missed.
I was never the biggest Stephano fan, but I certainly respected him and recognized his importance in the foreigner scene. It's sad to see him go, but good on him for sticking to his guns and moving on with his life the way he always said he was going to.
I don't think I'll need to wish him luck; he seems like he knows exactly what he's doing and I'm sure he'll be successful at whatever he chooses.
I liked stephano even tho he's still strange, he's a freaking bad boy comparing to those other akward players, in some level he's like the only one that I actually felt some "connection" but he's one of them patchzergs (never forget), along with scarlett, and that shan't be forgotten. He's still breedy good tho. best of luck, m8
Smart decision. He still have a lot of time to live a normal life and be successful at it. Would've been even more awesome if he did right after his decline started. But I guess when you have an opportunity to do almost nothing for some decent cash (EG's contract), it's ok too. gl hf.
On August 07 2013 10:46 Ry2D2 wrote: :'( bye. Now Naniwa new foreign hope?
New? New? Sometimes I have no idea what you guys are talking about. Anyway, considering this is another Stephano thread: man up yo. Good luck at where ever you go.
Thank you so much Stephano for everything ! We will really miss you, good luck in everything. You will be remembered as the best foreigner (Or top 2...) ♥
I'm not a big fan of you but hats off to you Ilyes, for everything you've done for the foreign scene, proving foreigners can and will stay head to head with Koreans, proving Koreans are not invincible, lighting up a beacon for all non-Korean players, you deserve to be remembered.
On August 07 2013 12:23 dgwow wrote: The game will be alot more dull without the rockstar Zerg.
QFT. The biggest personality and the biggest foreign skill leaving all at the same time. It will be a long time before someone comes along who can replace him.
Many memories of you, but your final series against Polt were amongst some of the most fun hype moments involving a foreigner that I can remember on SC2
I think it goes to show what an amazing impact you've had on the Starcraft Community Stephano, everyone here is sad to see you go. You were a great player and indeed you will be missed. Gl Stephano and GG.
Watching him and his career skyrocket gave me confidence in my play that brought me to a whole another level that helped me compete against GMs and high Masters at local tournaments when I'm only Diamond on the ladder. I attribute him to my success as a player and I hope he does well and hopefully returns to Starcraft in the future!
I will always remember being absolutely mind blown at your ideas and strategies.
I will always remember being able to watch your games and upon seeing something and think: "if he doesnt do X he's not safe" ... and you would always do it.
I will always remember how the world hated to play against protoss and you single handedly turned the tides back.
^ I also must say, I'll never get a compliment that good again. (ST Bomber himself, thinking I was stephano, when stephano entered korea for the first time.)
Am I the only one who thinks Stephano was in his element in SC2 and probably will be nowhere else. Only a burgeoning cult would allow shenanigans like that, but that doesn't mean I'm not into burgeoning cults.
Man, he was the greatest talent outside of Korea we have seen so far and not a shy nerd on top of that. I hope this void will be filled some day, but I have a hard time seeing it. Already miss him
One of my favourite players to watch, not only just in the game but during interviews and such also. Amazing entertainer. Thank you for all that you contributed to the scene Stephano. You will be missed.
you should be proud what you achieved Stephano, the best foreigner by far!!! He also inspired me to start listening to classic rock and I found a new beautiful music genre, so thanks :D! GL with life, I am also going the same way too,,,
I felt like that goodbye from Stephano was actually very heart felt. It's not what I expected, and really got me thinking to how much he meant to the foreign starcraft scene.
One of the few zerg players I liked, and one of the even fewer I consistently rooted for. Revolutionized the game/thinking of many foreigners I would say. I will dearly miss him and his personality.
Though not a fan of Stephano, his play was pretty stellar and I did enjoy a number of his games and series. Also liked seeing him continuously hold the foreign torch. It was an interesting development and storyline.
Best of luck Stephano. Micro those bridges in engineering.
The best thing about him was that after every game he lost he would type 'gratz' - not gg as any player who could beat him in his opinion deserved that..wow
Even if we have already known for a while, this is really sad for Stracraft 2 and for french esports. You will be missed Steph!
This ranking: http://www.sc2earnings.com/ may not be that much relevant anymore, it also may change a little bit, but this one french in one of the top positions among all these koreans will last for at the very least quite some time.
GG and GL Stephano, loved to follow your SC2 career, most entertaining player for oh so many reasons. Will miss all those interviews :D If you are still planning to become a doctor, keep at it, you will make an awesome one.
ah man, your IPL 3 run will be my best memories. When on a sunday night my friends all went to bed, I stayed up until 4, or 5 am to see you succeed in the finals. Monday morning has never been so hard but what a good feeling to finally see a french guy taking out all these korean like that !
gg, last year was not the best but anyway.. you shall be missed :D
I must admit SC2 doesn't feel the same without him anymore for me. He has always been one I have been rooting for and could identify with. Somehow deep inside the game died for me with him retiring. I think I'll be back in SC3 or WC4 alongside with Stephano I wish you the best Stephano whatever you pursue!!
One of the biggest innovators, most skilled players and greatest personalities eSport has ever seen. Best of luck to the only one who truly deserves to be called the best foreign Starcraft 2 player of all time. I think Stephano will do well in anything he does even, if he doesn't know why. GG
Can someone explain the backstory to this photo? lol
Love you stephano, hope you have a great life.
iirc he got way too drunk at some event and the police had to throw him in the drunk tank for the night
ALL PART OF GROWING UP
IIRC, he also got matching (bad) tattoos with a friend and was shouting about it and showing it (its in a revealing place).
If I recall correctly, the word on the street is that he got "You make me hard" on his thigh or butt or something, and BlinG got the same, written in french.
Good luck for your life, champion!! We'll miss you a lot! You really added something to this game. Please come back from time to time, cast a match or do a showmatch or something, we'll always keep cheering for you! :D
Stephano's attitude made him even a more tantalizing player. He was a master at the game, had the X factor no player ever, except MVP, had. He didn't practice much, he didn't dwell on the game, he didn't devote his life to it, he turned upside down every rule in the book on how to be a progamer, yet he was so skillful and talented he was just better than anyone else. Would he have been much better if he had put the time into it? Maybe, maybe not. But that makes him an even bigger badass. He was faceless in victory, indifferent in defeat. He had a cocky, honest, outgoing, fun and entertaining personality and even though he doesn't care that much about the game, the fans or eSports as much as he cares for the money, he does have some satisfaction in being an idol to many. It is comical out of Naniwa to even suggest a claim to Stephano's title of best foreigner. You can just see on Stephano he is intelligent, and he will carry on being good in whatever he chooses. He is the HOUSE M.D of Starcraft 2 he just doesn't give a shit about anybody or anything, he does things his way. But he is so masterful at what he does that his doubters can't say a thing against him. IdrA once summed Stephano's gameplay in a nutshell: "He is so frustrating to watch, you can't learn from him. He just does random shit based on nothing and his decisions are always right, I don't know... I don't know..." Gratz Illyes for all the great games, you are a true champion and will be remembered forever as one of the greats up there with MC, MVP, Nestea, DongRaeGu...
And when you ask Stephano on how to stop an XY Protoss build nobody can figure out: "So easy, you just make Roaches... you have to... oh you'll see" :D
Big deal, he was very good, but not great. He got a lot of money out of it and would be able to pay his studies and live off of the money he got for good 3-4 years.
I started watching you when you hadn't won any tournament because you played a heavy ling style in ZvP and that was what I enjoyed the most too.
I'm glad to have seen you rise and stomp your way through the foreign scene to take on the big boys from the far east and even showing them that you shall be feared.
Your personality always reminded me of my young self, joking around, being sarcastic all the time and just live your young life. As much as I liked to have someone like you to follow in starcraft I respect your intelligence in quitting this game. I hope you will have at least half the fun you had in your sc2-time during your next years of life.
Hope to yet meet you at some offline event, luckly not as a player, so I can get you wasted
GG You taught me so many lessons about balance, 1hour lategame battle won in ZvT ( Thorzain) and ZvP ( HasuObs). You contribute greatly to the meta of WoL ( mass ling/infestor, 3base/200roache/14min, heavy turtling ). You will remind a mystery to me for I don't know how you could be so good and sense so many thing.
I still remember this "proxy" aka not expand but not even pass the xel naga tower, to make some roaches faster, hatch on scrap station, versus kenzy, you lost and didn't care you were still discovering the game.
Sucks to see him go because I always wanted to see a resurgence of the old Stephano who put fear into the Korean's hearts and commanded the adoration of JaeDong.. But alas, it seems the EG Curse cannot be undone, reversed or overcome. His decline over the past year was depressing but at least he's still going out on top, winnings wise. GL in the real world Stephano!
Sad to see him go. So many of my favorite moments of SC2 involve Stephano. When i was learning to play zerg Stephano's streams from Korean were amazing.
never did like stephano, but i respect everything he did in the game, a true winner and the best none korean player for a long time, good luck in everything.
I like how Americans in particular always seem to not understand Stephano. The dude cracks me up and reminds me of myself and my humor... He was one of the few who dared to be himself in the public eye and generally just had fun playing Starcraft II and travelling to events. He also seems to possess self-irony and intelligence.
Really sad to see him go. remember watching his stream and thinking who the fuck is this guy who I have yet to see in a major tournament absolutely tearing through ladder listening to awesome music. Great memories. GL in life Stephano, if I can be an engineer you can too! Good luck!
The scene changed so much in my eyes since his performance started to decline, there's no other foreign player that even comes close to being what Stephano was. I can't say I always rooted for him or that he was one of my favorite players but he certainly made every tournament he attnted a lot more interesting.
Although I knew this would happen I am still so sad
Best of luck Stephano in life, and hopefully you come back to us after some time like Select did :D There is no other foreign player that has changed the metagame so consistently like you did.
I said it under every video and in every other thread already but here we go again:
Today the best foreign player of all time left the scene and me crying ;_; Thank you for your endless amounts of entertainment, the awesome stream and so many nice memories. Have a good future =)
Farewell Stephano, you were an inspiration to many and will remain one of the greatests for a very long-time. Glad to see you finally taking off your mask for a few seconds.
Watched some starcraft again just to watch your last day, I have no interest anymore watching SC since a few weeks and this just seals the deal.
It was incredibly fun watching your progress, from those Go4SC2 to the IPL and ESWC champion making guys like TheStc and MKP look silly and confused because of your crazy playstyle. Absolutely demolishing other zerg in a mirror match up, I will never forget those games against nerchio, who was supposedly the best ZvZ in europe, you made him switch to terran lol....
On August 07 2013 17:56 Falling wrote: @AgentW and ChaosArcher I would think Grrr or ElkY would be more analogous to Stephano than Savior. Best foreigner and all?
In any event, well done Stephano. You had a great run!
Yeah , but Im talking about the way he plays. Before Stephano one rule in my mind was that if Zerg is significantly down in supply against terran, he loses 95% of the time, but not the other way around. Stephano , just by taking engagments so differently , flipped that around in his games.
On August 07 2013 17:04 Mathematics wrote: This feels like MaDFroG retiring back in the days of WC3..
this is exactly what iam thinking aswell like madfrog he changed the meta of the race he played in a matchup totally , kicked some korean ass and still, he was such a great person. GL in the future may u become the greatest engineer the world ever saw.
I started watching his stream because of the awesome music. Hell, Stephano made this game look easy. I remember his comments while playing. He was always like: "so he is doing ..., so I am going to ..." And he was winning. All the time! Simply brilliant.
And during WoL he was the only one Koreans were afraid of :D :D
I was a true pleasure to be in the right time and place to witness Stephano's era in SC2. You gave me some great memories and a ton of emotions. I will miss You! GL and HF with Your life and please do not cut ties with the community!
I completely understand Stephano's decision, and I do believe it's the right one for him. However he was a massive part of the scene, and one of the most colorful and beloved personalities, and also one of the most revolutionary and successful players.
It is a bittersweet goodbye, I would wish him the best of luck for the future, but come on he is Stephano, of course he will be fine.
Eh, no offense to the guy but he was hardly the best foreigner. He was one of the early converts to Broodlord/Infestor and had all of his big victories before the nerf.
On August 07 2013 19:50 nigsky wrote: Eh, no offense to the guy but he was hardly the best foreigner. He was one of the early converts to Broodlord/Infestor and had all of his big victories before the nerf.
:>>> Huge knowledge of his carreer... Thx for your opinion . (But not anymore plz)
Farewell Stephano, thanks for all the great games and congratulations on a highly successful StarCraft career, you have had a huge impact on the game and it's community, you will be missed but not forgotten.
gg wp, never liked him personally/his attitude, but he did always deliver skill-wise and had an awesome decision-making, so respect where respect is due!
this music video isnt available in germany ... man i am even more frusted now ^^
On August 07 2013 19:50 nigsky wrote: Eh, no offense to the guy but he was hardly the best foreigner. He was one of the early converts to Broodlord/Infestor and had all of his big victories before the nerf.
what on earth ... are you drunk ? he had his most wins with his own builds like the 200 supply roach etc even before the bl/infestor timing time ... you have no idea so plz dont talk ...
Just lost my main reason to watch starcraft 2 ( I remember watching IPL 3 but the last game knowing he would win anyway at that point, not sleeping just to witness his wins was just so formidable!!!
On August 07 2013 19:50 nigsky wrote: Eh, no offense to the guy but he was hardly the best foreigner. He was one of the early converts to Broodlord/Infestor and had all of his big victories before the nerf.
He managed to win the most money, despite not being, according to you, the best foreigner, so by one objective measure he was the most successful foreigner.
I'm glad he is finally gone. He never practiced much or took StarCraft serious. He is one of these idiots who think Talent is enough ...a terrible role model for newer players!
On August 07 2013 21:03 Amaril wrote: I'm glad he is finally gone. He never practiced much or took StarCraft serious. He is one of these idiots who think Talent is enough ...a terrible role model for newer players!
I would call him an extremely good role model for newer players. It shows the arguably best non-Korean SC2 player did it without sacrifising his life in the process, which for some reason quite some TL visitors think is a good idea.
He made a good amount of money, had fun doing it, kept his social life, and now can happily continue with his education. Instead of sacrifising your social life and your education by playing idiotic amounts.
Not saying it is wrong to train more than Stephano did, but I also don't think it is bad he didn't practise more. And if you practise so much more the rest of your life is negatively affected by it you really did something wrong.
I still can't believe he went through with it. Honestly, with the position he is in I thought he would retire as a professional player and use esports as a "part time job". I mean you can get a degree, continue to make money and live really well. Then foot in door for more esports ventures later and a fall back job from the degree.
So many mind blowing memories of his play, I am actually looking for TLO to carry the torch as I feel like Stephano's army control was really his most amazing and hard to copy skill. It was a great run, and I'm glad he gave me some foreigner hope!
On August 07 2013 21:03 Amaril wrote: I'm glad he is finally gone. He never practiced much or took StarCraft serious. He is one of these idiots who think Talent is enough ...a terrible role model for newer players!
On August 07 2013 19:50 nigsky wrote: Eh, no offense to the guy but he was hardly the best foreigner. He was one of the early converts to Broodlord/Infestor and had all of his big victories before the nerf.
He managed to win the most money, despite not being, according to you, the best foreigner, so by one objective measure he was the most successful foreigner.
On August 07 2013 19:50 nigsky wrote: Eh, no offense to the guy but he was hardly the best foreigner. He was one of the early converts to Broodlord/Infestor and had all of his big victories before the nerf.
He managed to win the most money, despite not being, according to you, the best foreigner, so by one objective measure he was the most successful foreigner.
On August 07 2013 19:50 nigsky wrote: Eh, no offense to the guy but he was hardly the best foreigner. He was one of the early converts to Broodlord/Infestor and had all of his big victories before the nerf.
I was hoping he would change his mind and keep on playing part time while trying to do his schooling, but I know that is a near impossible task and would probably just be a disappointment for him in SC2 and school. I'm sure Stephano practiced more than he let on but he'll always be remembered as the foreign hope that claimed to never practice. At least by retiring now he can leave with a good reputation instead of playing half-heartedly part time for a while and ending on a streak of disappointment.
On August 07 2013 21:03 Amaril wrote: I'm glad he is finally gone. He never practiced much or took StarCraft serious. He is one of these idiots who think Talent is enough ...a terrible role model for newer players!
Starcraft is only a stupid game. You call it "idiotic" not to sacrifice your whole life for a thing witch will not last longer than maybe 10 years? You really think you can buy yourself anything as a former progamer? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the truth is that life has to go on: you need an education, a real job. Maybe at some time you got a partner and a family you have to take care for...
Your comment shows a childish mindset, its never healthy to focus your life only on one thing, other important aspects in life will suffer. And by the way: Stacraft is a game, games are made to have fun and not to play until you get a burn-out!
And the patchjerg era is truly gone. Being among the most accomplished players playing the "imba" race during WoL aside, Stephano was the staple top foreigner and always was the one everyone expects to get results against Koreans. A little sad to see him retire but I know he's got better plans ahead, all the best with your studies Stephano! Thanks for all the good games =)
On August 07 2013 21:03 Amaril wrote: I'm glad he is finally gone. He never practiced much or took StarCraft serious. He is one of these idiots who think Talent is enough ...a terrible role model for newer players!
He managed to earn 250,000 EUR playing Starcraft 2 while retaining a social life. That's a lot better than what 99% of all progamers out there will end up with when they retire. He made a very smart decision to call it quits and go to university. He realized he had no longer any chance to win and decided to move on to the next chapter in his life, unlike other progamers who continue to stick around, even though they stopped being relevant years ago.
On August 07 2013 21:03 Amaril wrote: I'm glad he is finally gone. He never practiced much or took StarCraft serious. He is one of these idiots who think Talent is enough ...a terrible role model for newer players!
He managed to earn 250,000 EUR playing Starcraft 2 while retaining a social life. That's a lot better than what 99% of all progamers out there will end up with when they retire. He made a very smart decision to call it quits and go to university. He realized he had no longer any chance to win and decided to move on to the next chapter in his life, unlike other progamers who continue to stick around, even though they stopped being relevant years ago.
I don't think you could point to any progamers out there who are still trying but who are irrelevant. Everyone is relevant in one way or another. Even champions need contenders.
On August 07 2013 21:03 Amaril wrote: I'm glad he is finally gone. He never practiced much or took StarCraft serious. He is one of these idiots who think Talent is enough ...a terrible role model for newer players!
He managed to earn 250,000 EUR playing Starcraft 2 while retaining a social life. That's a lot better than what 99% of all progamers out there will end up with when they retire. He made a very smart decision to call it quits and go to university. He realized he had no longer any chance to win and decided to move on to the next chapter in his life, unlike other progamers who continue to stick around, even though they stopped being relevant years ago.
Not to mention how much he earned streaming and being on EG!!!!
On August 07 2013 19:50 nigsky wrote: Eh, no offense to the guy but he was hardly the best foreigner. He was one of the early converts to Broodlord/Infestor and had all of his big victories before the nerf.
He managed to win the most money, despite not being, according to you, the best foreigner, so by one objective measure he was the most successful foreigner.
By relying on imbalanced units.
Wow... some people really do get jealous or bitter over success don't they? :D He's retired now, give the guy a break and show him the respect he earn't! One of a kind player and personality.. will be missed <3
Some haters will hate and to be honest his attitude could sometime be considered trollbaiting.
But most people seem to agree with each other on this post and honestly, after spending more than 3 years wandering on TL, I've almost never seen this entire community being on the same page. For once everyone agrees on something and that's maybe the best reminder of what a great player he was.
My most memorable moment is him playing We are the champions as his song while walking to the stage right before the finals of NASL 3. He then proceeded to smack Alicia 4-0. :D
Really appreciated you commenting on how Starcraft changed your life and how you grew as a person within the scene. IMO that is the real meat and potatoes. Hearing you say that, I feel inspired to create the life I want for myself and look forward to enjoying the journey and grow in the process.
You are my favorite foreign player, thanks for the great games and inspiration :D Enjoy the next journey!
This is so sad! The only foreigner that was able to compete on the same level with the best Koreans! I really wish him the best for his feature! Goodbye and Thank you Stephano
On August 07 2013 21:03 Amaril wrote: I'm glad he is finally gone. He never practiced much or took StarCraft serious. He is one of these idiots who think Talent is enough ...a terrible role model for newer players!
Starcraft is only a stupid game. You call it "idiotic" not to sacrifice your whole life for a thing witch will not last longer than maybe 10 years? You really think you can buy yourself anything as a former progamer? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the truth is that life has to go on: you need an education, a real job. Maybe at some time you got a partner and a family you have to take care for...
Your comment shows a childish mindset, its never healthy to focus your life only on one thing, other important aspects in life will suffer. And by the way: Stacraft is a game, games are made to have fun and not to play until you get a burn-out!
Tbh, your way of thinking is as silly as his. Imagine if everyone followed your advice, everyone will do a boring 7-5job and no atlethes anywhere would exist cause even world popular stuff like football (real football, no handegg) was once a "stupid game" as well where people sacrifice their whole life for.
Well, even though he wasn't one of the best or most deserving foreigners in my opinion, it's sad to see him leave. I wish he had the mindset of a true progamer and could practice more and I'm sure he would have been able to compete still, now that the game is more balanced.
On August 07 2013 21:03 Amaril wrote: I'm glad he is finally gone. He never practiced much or took StarCraft serious. He is one of these idiots who think Talent is enough ...a terrible role model for newer players!
Starcraft is only a stupid game. You call it "idiotic" not to sacrifice your whole life for a thing witch will not last longer than maybe 10 years? You really think you can buy yourself anything as a former progamer? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the truth is that life has to go on: you need an education, a real job. Maybe at some time you got a partner and a family you have to take care for...
Your comment shows a childish mindset, its never healthy to focus your life only on one thing, other important aspects in life will suffer. And by the way: Stacraft is a game, games are made to have fun and not to play until you get a burn-out!
Tbh, your way of thinking is as silly as his. Imagine if everyone followed your advice, everyone will do a boring 7-5job and no atlethes anywhere would exist cause even world popular stuff like football (real football, no handegg) was once a "stupid game" as well where people sacrifice their whole life for.
come on guys, let's not do this... it is no one's business if stephano wants to play the game anymore or not. he has given us all countless hours of entertainment and competed at a high level, now he's moving on to a new stage in his life
thinking it's our business to say whether his decision is the "right" one is honestly creepy as hell. he's a human being with his own needs and desires.
On August 07 2013 21:03 Amaril wrote: I'm glad he is finally gone. He never practiced much or took StarCraft serious. He is one of these idiots who think Talent is enough ...a terrible role model for newer players!
Starcraft is only a stupid game. You call it "idiotic" not to sacrifice your whole life for a thing witch will not last longer than maybe 10 years? You really think you can buy yourself anything as a former progamer? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the truth is that life has to go on: you need an education, a real job. Maybe at some time you got a partner and a family you have to take care for...
Your comment shows a childish mindset, its never healthy to focus your life only on one thing, other important aspects in life will suffer. And by the way: Stacraft is a game, games are made to have fun and not to play until you get a burn-out!
Tbh, your way of thinking is as silly as his. Imagine if everyone followed your advice, everyone will do a boring 7-5job and no atlethes anywhere would exist cause even world popular stuff like football (real football, no handegg) was once a "stupid game" as well where people sacrifice their whole life for.
To be honest, I never really understood why there is so much money in sports in general. Football has actually gotten to a point where the best team is simply the team that has enough money to buy the best players. It also doesn't help that a lot of players are more loyal to their - exuberant - paycheck than the team that launched them in the first place. Since you're Belgian: FC Bruges is considered one of the better teams in our country, but how many people from Bruges actually still play in it? We've got a rather good national football team with quite a lot of star players in it. How many of those star players actually play for Belgian teams?
There are also quite a few athletes who never reach the top and who don't earn a lot. Nonetheless they have to retire around 35-40 because they're physically spent. In esports people retire even earlier, often as soon as 25. Few people actually play until they are 30, and if they do, they aren't top contenders anymore. What do you do when you retire from professional gaming, having spent the last seven or eight years giving it your all in a certain computer game? You have no degree, no valuable work experience, you have nothing. What Stephano did was actually really smart. He earned as much money as he could and as soon as he realized it was game over for him, he announced his retirement and decided to get a university degree.
One of the things that I always liked so much about Stephano is how he looked like a normal guy instead of another gamer stereotype (of which there are a lot in the progaming world).
Btw, he was not the best foreigner of all time at all. He dominated during a clearly Z op era, but still failed the GSL test, specially compared to Naniwa or Jinro.
On August 08 2013 01:45 Belha wrote: Sad to see one of the best foreigners retire
Btw, he was not the best foreigner of all time at all. He dominated during a clearly Z op era, but still failed the GSL test, specially compared to Naniwa or Jinro.
And Naniwa and Jinro failed the weekend tournament test where Stephano succeeded numerous times.
You had great tournament runs Stephano, I just wish you could have had more success in Korea. Thanks for innovating SC2 and breaking game balance with your use of infestors and 12 minute roach max.
Stephano, thank you for all the great games and for your contribution to starcraft. You were by far my favorite player to follow for years, and I will miss your presence greatly. This is very sad to take actually. Best of luck with future endeavors. With love - thank you.
On August 08 2013 03:53 soullogik wrote: thx hots for taking care of the skilless zergs
Uhhhh wut? Stephano was like one of the only zerg that was doing well when zergs were struggling and he broke zvp with mass roaches.
I must have missed that point in time, besides the very beginning where Fruitdealer and Nestea were beasting it up, i can't think of a time where zergs were struggling and he was the only one doing well.
I supporting you since your first LAN in France (and see you in the WC at the break time), i was in the minority part of your fans who liked your bad boy behavior, you'll always be my favorite player. I try to don't cry.
i loved watching him so much, too bad blizzard had to ruin the game with widow mines, hell bats, and afterburners or we would still see stephano around...
I actually cried when he lost the game and typed those messages. I had always hoped in my heart that Stephano, the best Zerg player StarCraft has ever known would not quit, it was all hype. I told myself it over and over until I finally realised in those last few moments that I had been fooling myself.
I and StarCraft will NEVER forget you Stephano. You are the reason I chose Zerg, you are the reason I played as much as I did, the reason I got over my ladder anxiety, heck even the reason I started to LIKE ZVP. One day I wanted to be even 1/10th as good as you.
Yes, you didn't perform as well in HotS, but I don't care. To me you always were and always will be the best Zerg player StarCraft has ever seen.
Goodnight sweet prince. Good luck with your engineering education, whichever way it takes you. You most certainly will not be forgotten.
Starcraft will never forget you Stephano! Your fun loving, carefree attitude was exactly what the scene needed. A real genius when it came to innovating build orders right to the end of your career. The swarmhost, infestor, viper camping style was a real treat to watch. I can't believe it's over.
Thanks Stephano for all the amazing games you've put through with your effort. I hope your next journey is just as fantastic and successful as it was for this one.
it was really sad seeing Stephano leave the game and then his final message... dang... I hope he comes back or remains somewhat in the community, perhaps casting eventually?
On August 08 2013 08:59 theballzack wrote: i loved watching him so much, too bad blizzard had to ruin the game with widow mines, hell bats, and afterburners or we would still see stephano around...
Yeah, it's not like he announced he would be retiring long before that or anything. rofl
Sad to see him go, but it's not really surprising.
On August 08 2013 08:59 theballzack wrote: i loved watching him so much, too bad blizzard had to ruin the game with widow mines, hell bats, and afterburners or we would still see stephano around...
Yeah, it's not like he announced he would be retiring long before that or anything. rofl
Sad to see him go, but it's not really surprising.
also this would prove those right who said he is playing and winning because Z is OP and now they are even he leaves sc2... so better not put out such nonsense, he said he will retire this year a year ago(and was thinking of retiring even before that).
does anybody also think that the commentary of duckdeok as an answer to the question what he thinks about stephanos retirement was really of target? ^^
On August 08 2013 19:41 Peterlise wrote: does anybody also think that the commentary of duckdeok as an answer to the question what he thinks about stephanos retirement was really of target? ^^
Stephano was the first player I ever met in real life. I met Stephano at the Red Bull Battlegrounds in Austin. He was a super nice guy and his interaction with me was the thing that really got my hooked on eSports. Sad to see him go, he was truly a special talent.
On August 07 2013 08:11 Avos5 wrote: A huge hole is left where stephano once stood. I thought i'd seen he might go to LoL (whether it was for fun or whatever) maybe youd be able to see him over there now and then.
Nah, Stephano is smart about this. He's made hundreds of thousands of dollars, now he will invest it into furthering himself and getting a more stable job (once that isn't reliant on a changing game and tournament luck).
Quoting some Stephano language this is some bullshit. They guy ownes everything, beats everybody, becomes the best zerg in the world, beating even koreans and he.. retires.. making me really sad and kind of pissed, because he was our hope and without him SC2 is less...
he was probably secretly training by playing LoL like Coca and Puzzle when they came back and did well at Dreamhack and MKP winning more games in proleague than lots of players. the real elephant in the room
On April 23 2014 06:28 Shellshock wrote: he was probably secretly training by playing LoL like Coca and Puzzle when they came back and did well at Dreamhack and MKP winning more games in proleague than lots of players. the real elephant in the room
Are you implying that there are hundreds current pros and semi-pros LoL players that have the potential to come in and dominate SC2 at any moment, with a latency of a few months from the day they switch?
On April 23 2014 06:28 Shellshock wrote: he was probably secretly training by playing LoL like Coca and Puzzle when they came back and did well at Dreamhack and MKP winning more games in proleague than lots of players. the real elephant in the room
Are you implying that there are hundreds current pros and semi-pros LoL players that have the potential to come in and dominate SC2 at any moment, with a latency of a few months from the day they switch?
On April 23 2014 06:28 Shellshock wrote: he was probably secretly training by playing LoL like Coca and Puzzle when they came back and did well at Dreamhack and MKP winning more games in proleague than lots of players. the real elephant in the room
Are you implying that there are hundreds current pros and semi-pros LoL players that have the potential to come in and dominate SC2 at any moment, with a latency of a few months from the day they switch?
Yeah, we have been skirting around this topic ever since beta now, so I’ll just fucking say it: the competition in SC2 thus far has been a farce.
edit: Oh wow, thanks for TL+. Glad someone liked the post
On April 23 2014 06:33 Lorning wrote: I'm so excited to see his creative, action-packed Swarmhost style in WCS EU
I am also excited due to the sheer amount of action, intensity, and excitement involved in his play. It will be truly a pleasure for it to be showcased on such a grand stage
"Holidays ? OK, let's play and stream some SC2. Oh, WCS qualifier ? Well, why not."
Reminds me when he won WCS EU in 2012 after one whole week hanging out with Bitterdam without practicing, without sleeping for 30 hours and while losing his whole stuff at the airport. This guy just doesn't care about the conditions when he's playing.
Its incredible to see that Stephano is still good enough to make it into WCS EU off the back of 1 days practice. But I'm not excited to see more of him if he continues making so many hosts.
Fact of the matter is he's playing less and changed his priorities to non-sc2 related stuff like school. I think his retirement was justified and now he's back part time. I'm not holding my breath to see any championships. The landscape of sc2 has changed (Koreans are even more dominant) and he's playing rusty. He retired at a most opportune time. But who knows, maybe this relaxed style suits him and we'll see a few flashes of his former glory. I do think his lack of practice was over-exaggerated during his full time pro days. Last season he had a shit tons of games played in EU gm in a short period of time. The guy is a machine when he sits down to it. One game after another.
On April 23 2014 14:03 TRaFFiC wrote: Fact of the matter is he's playing less and changed his priorities to non-sc2 related stuff like school. I think his retirement was justified and now he's back part time. I'm not holding my breath to see any championships. The landscape of sc2 has changed (Koreans are even more dominant) and he's playing rusty. He retired at a most opportune time. But who knows, maybe this relaxed style suits him and we'll see a few flashes of his former glory. I do think his lack of practice was over-exaggerated during his full time pro days. Last season he had a shit tons of games played in EU gm in a short period of time. The guy is a machine when he sits down to it. One game after another.
Yea i always thought he had a bit of a douchey attitude when it came to the practicing thing. Most people are humble and say they worked hard and prepared in this way and that way. He just said "oh i dont know i didnt even practice much" or something to that extent a lot of the time. Which is a bunch of bull IMO. Glad to see he's back although i never expected him to stay away for that long hes been saying hes going to quit "next year" for years lol.
On April 23 2014 14:03 TRaFFiC wrote: Fact of the matter is he's playing less and changed his priorities to non-sc2 related stuff like school. I think his retirement was justified and now he's back part time. I'm not holding my breath to see any championships. The landscape of sc2 has changed (Koreans are even more dominant) and he's playing rusty. He retired at a most opportune time. But who knows, maybe this relaxed style suits him and we'll see a few flashes of his former glory. I do think his lack of practice was over-exaggerated during his full time pro days. Last season he had a shit tons of games played in EU gm in a short period of time. The guy is a machine when he sits down to it. One game after another.
Yea i always thought he had a bit of a douchey attitude when it came to the practicing thing. Most people are humble and say they worked hard and prepared in this way and that way. He just said "oh i dont know i didnt even practice much" or something to that extent a lot of the time. Which is a bunch of bull IMO. Glad to see he's back although i never expected him to stay away for that long hes been saying hes going to quit "next year" for years lol.
I`m paying him a compliment to his work ethic and your post is borderline insulting so we don`t agree. Following up with yeah is ``wtf worthy. `` I don`t think it`s douchey at all. It`s smart. Make your opponents underestimate you and feel worse for their loses.
If he wins anything big as a part-time player i will ... I don't even know what i'll do. Party hard i guess.
I really missed this guy, and shortly after he "retired" i quit starcraft as well, because it wasn't that much fun anymore. Playing it wasn't really that fun for me anyway...
On April 23 2014 06:28 Shellshock wrote: he was probably secretly training by playing LoL like Coca and Puzzle when they came back and did well at Dreamhack and MKP winning more games in proleague than lots of players. the real elephant in the room
Are you implying that there are hundreds current pros and semi-pros LoL players that have the potential to come in and dominate SC2 at any moment, with a latency of a few months from the day they switch?
Yeah, we have been skirting around this topic ever since beta now, so I’ll just fucking say it: the competition in SC2 thus far has been a farce.
edit: Oh wow, thanks for TL+. Glad someone liked the post
On April 23 2014 14:03 TRaFFiC wrote: Fact of the matter is he's playing less and changed his priorities to non-sc2 related stuff like school. I think his retirement was justified and now he's back part time. I'm not holding my breath to see any championships. The landscape of sc2 has changed (Koreans are even more dominant) and he's playing rusty. He retired at a most opportune time. But who knows, maybe this relaxed style suits him and we'll see a few flashes of his former glory. I do think his lack of practice was over-exaggerated during his full time pro days. Last season he had a shit tons of games played in EU gm in a short period of time. The guy is a machine when he sits down to it. One game after another.
Yea i always thought he had a bit of a douchey attitude when it came to the practicing thing. Most people are humble and say they worked hard and prepared in this way and that way. He just said "oh i dont know i didnt even practice much" or something to that extent a lot of the time. Which is a bunch of bull IMO. Glad to see he's back although i never expected him to stay away for that long hes been saying hes going to quit "next year" for years lol.
It can also be viewed that saying you practiced a lot is bragging, and that saying I didn't practice much is humble. TBH if he didn't practice 10 hours a day most of the time or near a match date, then I don't see how it's "douchey" for him to say he didn't practice much. He's not rubbing it into his opponents' face after a game, only revealing info during an interview.
I was one of the biggest Stephano fanboy even before he was known to the world (being french help). But if he is able to secure even just a good tournament finish I will lose most of the hope I have left toward this scene. An amateur player, by amateur I mean not playing the game full time, shouldn't be able to compete against dedicated and talented pro-players. A Stephano ro4 finish in any of the upcoming tournaments would either mean:
1/ Total lack of talent by the current foreign pro-scene 2/ If they are actually talented, they are not training enough to deserve their privileged "pro" life.
We know Stephano has a huge brain and he is the biggest talent the foreign rts scene had since elky/tod/grubby but come on..He is partying everyday, going to classes, playing the game sporadically AND just to abuse troll strategies. He shouldn't even be able to reach Challenger League.
On May 04 2014 08:51 YuiHirasawa wrote: I was one of the biggest Stephano fanboy even before he was known to the world (being french help). But if he is able to secure even just a good tournament finish I will lose most of the hope I have left toward this scene. An amateur player, by amateur I mean not playing the game full time, shouldn't be able to compete against dedicated and talented pro-players. A Stephano ro4 finish in any of the upcoming tournaments would either mean:
1/ Total lack of talent by the current foreign pro-scene 2/ If they are actually talented, they are not training enough to deserve their privileged "pro" life.
We know Stephano has a huge brain and he is the biggest talent the foreign rts scene had since elky/tod/grubby but come on..He is partying everyday, going to classes, playing the game sporadically AND just to abuse troll strategies. He shouldn't even be able to reach Challenger League.
Apart from some exceptions, most of the foreign scene is incredibly underwhelming. There is a lot of talent though, but for some reason those people tend to underwhelm in offline tournaments.
If he dismiss him returning to the scene, I feel like he is taking the spot from players that actually wants to build popularity and try to achieve success, because if he wins the qualifiers and the regional finals happen at a time that he cant go there (big test) and he decideds to not show up, I will lose the slight respect I have for him as a pro gamer. Players that retire and decide to just prove that they can still play well should officialy announce return because if they do that just for the heck of it, there are players that deserve the spots they take in tournaments.
On May 05 2014 04:26 TheFlexN wrote: If he dismiss him returning to the scene, I feel like he is taking the spot from players that actually wants to build popularity and try to achieve success, because if he wins the qualifiers and the regional finals happen at a time that he cant go there (big test) and he decideds to not show up, I will lose the slight respect I have for him as a pro gamer. Players that retire and decide to just prove that they can still play well should officialy announce return because if they do that just for the heck of it, there are players that deserve the spots they take in tournaments.
If foreigners training full-time can't do better than someone in med school they don't deserve Stephano's spot/popularity.
On May 05 2014 04:26 TheFlexN wrote: If he dismiss him returning to the scene, I feel like he is taking the spot from players that actually wants to build popularity and try to achieve success, because if he wins the qualifiers and the regional finals happen at a time that he cant go there (big test) and he decideds to not show up, I will lose the slight respect I have for him as a pro gamer. Players that retire and decide to just prove that they can still play well should officialy announce return because if they do that just for the heck of it, there are players that deserve the spots they take in tournaments.
If foreigners training full-time can't do better than someone in med school they don't deserve Stephano's spot/popularity.
On May 05 2014 04:26 TheFlexN wrote: If he dismiss him returning to the scene, I feel like he is taking the spot from players that actually wants to build popularity and try to achieve success, because if he wins the qualifiers and the regional finals happen at a time that he cant go there (big test) and he decideds to not show up, I will lose the slight respect I have for him as a pro gamer. Players that retire and decide to just prove that they can still play well should officialy announce return because if they do that just for the heck of it, there are players that deserve the spots they take in tournaments.
If foreigners training full-time can't do better than someone in med school they don't deserve Stephano's spot/popularity.
I agree but the phrase is wrongfully put
If foreigners training full-time can't do better than it is questionable that their training is fully effective
Look at ToD who after going over to casting has been doing incredibly, meanwhile look at other players who turned horrible results after full-time.
i support Stephano because he challenges the paradigm of training; remember that in interviews he has said ''I don't practice as often, but I think about the game all the time''
THIS is in my opinion why Stephano is great, he is close to the game at all times while other players bluntly force themselves in remaining with the game.
While money is evil, I think this is more about just winning (I suspect Stephano likes to win), as well as poking fun at all the other pros (which he has also been fond of). Except Stephano can shit on people with some fine taste and a good mannered smirk, unlike someone else we know.
Well he came back with a mission. To extinguish the more aggressive korean swarm host style and bring everyone back to the old days of defensive swarmhosts.
On May 05 2014 04:26 TheFlexN wrote: If he dismiss him returning to the scene, I feel like he is taking the spot from players that actually wants to build popularity and try to achieve success, because if he wins the qualifiers and the regional finals happen at a time that he cant go there (big test) and he decideds to not show up, I will lose the slight respect I have for him as a pro gamer. Players that retire and decide to just prove that they can still play well should officialy announce return because if they do that just for the heck of it, there are players that deserve the spots they take in tournaments.
If foreigners training full-time can't do better than someone in med school they don't deserve Stephano's spot/popularity.
I agree but the phrase is wrongfully put
If foreigners training full-time can't do better than it is questionable that their training is fully effective
Look at ToD who after going over to casting has been doing incredibly, meanwhile look at other players who turned horrible results after full-time.
i support Stephano because he challenges the paradigm of training; remember that in interviews he has said ''I don't practice as often, but I think about the game all the time''
THIS is in my opinion why Stephano is great, he is close to the game at all times while other players bluntly force themselves in remaining with the game.
Different training regimes for different players
I really like this because it is so true for me at my level as a diamond league scrub : ). I didn't touch 1v1 for weeks at the end of last season, and beginning of this season, but I thought about the game ALOT.
Then I started doing some relaxing 2v2 and 3v3 and started to enjoy the game alot more, and when I finally decided to start playing 1v1 again, I played extremely well, breaking old barriers and bad thinking. I felt more free to play a little more on the fly yet stuck to strong fundamentals.
On May 05 2014 04:50 Faust852 wrote: FFS, Stephano is NOT in medschool.
He isn't?? Here I was assuming he was. Well that makes more sense.
Everyone calls it "pre-med" (not just regarding Stephano). What that really means is taking mostly BS courses just to inflate your GPA so you get through the acceptance door.
Granted, I don't know what it's like in France, so I could be way off-base.
On May 05 2014 04:26 TheFlexN wrote: If he dismiss him returning to the scene, I feel like he is taking the spot from players that actually wants to build popularity and try to achieve success, because if he wins the qualifiers and the regional finals happen at a time that he cant go there (big test) and he decideds to not show up, I will lose the slight respect I have for him as a pro gamer. Players that retire and decide to just prove that they can still play well should officialy announce return because if they do that just for the heck of it, there are players that deserve the spots they take in tournaments.
If foreigners training full-time can't do better than someone in med school they don't deserve Stephano's spot/popularity.
I agree but the phrase is wrongfully put
If foreigners training full-time can't do better than it is questionable that their training is fully effective
Look at ToD who after going over to casting has been doing incredibly, meanwhile look at other players who turned horrible results after full-time.
i support Stephano because he challenges the paradigm of training; remember that in interviews he has said ''I don't practice as often, but I think about the game all the time''
THIS is in my opinion why Stephano is great, he is close to the game at all times while other players bluntly force themselves in remaining with the game.
Different training regimes for different players
And look at how Targa has said his results have tanked since he stopped playing Dota and started playing Starcraft more, or how Suppy's break from college hasn't really gotten him better results. There's just something about being a foreigner that causes the amount of practice to seem pretty unrelated from results
On May 05 2014 04:50 Faust852 wrote: FFS, Stephano is NOT in medschool.
He isn't?? Here I was assuming he was. Well that makes more sense.
Everyone calls it "pre-med" (not just regarding Stephano). What that really means is taking mostly BS courses just to inflate your GPA so you get through the acceptance door.
Granted, I don't know what it's like in France, so I could be way off-base.
Welmu is studying in(at?) university and is without question one of the best foreign players at the moment. Welmu thinks he plays better when he is studying than playing fulltime.
On May 05 2014 12:32 TheBloodyDwarf wrote: Welmu is studying in(at?) university and is without question one of the best foreign players at the moment. Welmu thinks he plays better when he is studying than playing fulltime.
The key is practicing the right way, not practicing until you drop. If you can only get a couple hours of meaningful practice in a day, then that's all you can. Its like studying for anything. All nighters aren't helpful, studying progressively for however long you can retain for is.
On May 05 2014 12:32 TheBloodyDwarf wrote: Welmu is studying in(at?) university and is without question one of the best foreign players at the moment. Welmu thinks he plays better when he is studying than playing fulltime.
The key is practicing the right way, not practicing until you drop. If you can only get a couple hours of meaningful practice in a day, then that's all you can. Its like studying for anything. All nighters aren't helpful, studying progressively for however long you can retain for is.
Spoken like a true genius. When I was in uni I studied all night every night and barely scraped a 3.3.
Gaming is taxing on the body. Not only the muscles in the fingers, forearm, and shoulder but also the postural muscles. It's not really comparable to reading a book.
On May 05 2014 04:50 Faust852 wrote: FFS, Stephano is NOT in medschool.
He isn't?? Here I was assuming he was. Well that makes more sense.
Everyone calls it "pre-med" (not just regarding Stephano). What that really means is taking mostly BS courses just to inflate your GPA so you get through the acceptance door.
Granted, I don't know what it's like in France, so I could be way off-base.
Afaik he's doing maths, not medicine at all. At least that's what I've heard, could be full of crap aswell.
On May 05 2014 15:26 hansonslee wrote: I really hope Stephano stays retired, because his SH play really hurts my heart
Stephano will usher Zerg players everywhere into a new era of boring, passive, and completely broken gameplay.
Sc2 already had broken basics, it is good someone abuses the hell out of it, Blizzard only has one last expansion as a chance to finally fix this game.
On May 05 2014 15:26 hansonslee wrote: I really hope Stephano stays retired, because his SH play really hurts my heart
Stephano will usher Zerg players everywhere into a new era of boring, passive, and completely broken gameplay.
Sc2 already had broken basics, it is good someone abuses the hell out of it, Blizzard only has one last expansion as a chance to finally fix this game.
And then we all go back to BW after they fail, right?
On May 05 2014 15:26 hansonslee wrote: I really hope Stephano stays retired, because his SH play really hurts my heart
Stephano will usher Zerg players everywhere into a new era of boring, passive, and completely broken gameplay.
Sc2 already had broken basics, it is good someone abuses the hell out of it, Blizzard only has one last expansion as a chance to finally fix this game.
And then we all go back to BW after they fail, right?
On May 05 2014 04:26 TheFlexN wrote: If he dismiss him returning to the scene, I feel like he is taking the spot from players that actually wants to build popularity and try to achieve success, because if he wins the qualifiers and the regional finals happen at a time that he cant go there (big test) and he decideds to not show up, I will lose the slight respect I have for him as a pro gamer. Players that retire and decide to just prove that they can still play well should officialy announce return because if they do that just for the heck of it, there are players that deserve the spots they take in tournaments.
If foreigners training full-time can't do better than someone in med school they don't deserve Stephano's spot/popularity.
I agree but the phrase is wrongfully put
If foreigners training full-time can't do better than it is questionable that their training is fully effective
Look at ToD who after going over to casting has been doing incredibly, meanwhile look at other players who turned horrible results after full-time.
i support Stephano because he challenges the paradigm of training; remember that in interviews he has said ''I don't practice as often, but I think about the game all the time''
THIS is in my opinion why Stephano is great, he is close to the game at all times while other players bluntly force themselves in remaining with the game.
Different training regimes for different players
and then huk said that even thou he said that he still practiced quite a big amount on unfilterd
There was this artcle by Ver called "how to improve" where he brought up Flash saying that he played a fraction of games his peers did and mainly trained mentally by analysing the game heavily. That would testament to Faculty...'s POV. But see there's a certain core skillset that you have to aquire first by mass-gaming practice for this to be effective, the question is: if westerners have that core skillset? Maybe Sephano is just a lucky gem?
On May 11 2014 08:19 McRatyn wrote: There was this artcle by Ver called "how to improve" where he brought up Flash saying that he played a fraction of games his peers did and mainly trained mentally by analysing the game heavily. That would testament to Faculty...'s POV. But see there's a certain core skillset that you have to aquire first by mass-gaming practice for this to be effective, the question is: if westerners have that core skillset? Maybe Sephano is just a lucky gem?
Physically, we are all the same (within reason). There is no physical reason why koreans are better, its about culture and the mind. They think differently about the game, they practice differently, they practice better. Whenever you have a large group of people who are all working to be better at the same thing, and they are located near each other, you get a hotspot. Korea is SC's hotspot, you go there, you get better. You play them, you get better.
The real difference maker in SC is that to play on the Korean server, you need to be in korea or face a massive disadvantage against them from lag. Thats why you see the European scene doing so well, they got together in houses or online and worked to get better, instead of just mindlessly laddering, now the quality of Europeans is high enough that they can produce their own stars without needing help from outside, also Koreans now living and playing on EU server has obviously raised the level.
TLDR: yes westerners have the skillset, Koreans don't have some secret they aren't sharing. More good players in a small area = faster improvement for all.
EPT
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/vXXpz23.jpg)
Stephano" Satouri retired Tuesday night, following his elimination from the WCS Europe Premier League round of 16. Widely considered the best non-Korean player of all time, Stephano had announced earlier in the year that he would be retiring from pro-gaming in August to resume his studies. True to his word, Stephano made WCS Season II his final StarCraft II tournament, and bowed out after a losses to MVP.Duckdeok and mouz.Lucifron eliminated him from the competition. ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/aWMvZZl.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/6Fhqv8y.gif)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/7sYuCBX.gif)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/WbNcu2n.jpg)
ill miss you a lot
) but still, he's a great player and I'm pretty sure he's also an actual nice person, so that's sad. But heh, maybe his med studies will bore him to death and he'll come back :D
( farewell young prince!
I wish you the best Stephano whatever you pursue!!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/J9Fbnuo.jpg)
