Woongjin_sOs at...

Red Bull Battle Grounds

DreamHack Winter

Where to now for sOs, unexpected champion of WCS 2013?

by stuchiu

When WCS 2013 was announced, a number of reasons were given for its creation. Three goals stuck out in particular:

1. Unify and simplify the storylines.
   
2. Tell a yearlong story.
   
3. Crown the best player in the world.

If Global Champion Woongjin_sOs was supposed to be the hero of this story, then WCS failed at those goals.

sOs has spent 2013 being overshadowed. He did very well in the very first season of WCS, going all the way to the semifinals in Korea. But despite his deep run and creative take on HotS Protoss, there wasn't any room for him to break through in the midst of stars like Parting, Life, Innovation or Flash. He was Protoss' breakout star like finalists INnoVation and Soulkey were for Terran and Zerg, but their epic Bo7 series ended up being the only thing anyone remembered of WCS Korea Season 1.

sOs proceeded to go even further in the WCS Season 1 Combined Finals, placing second place after losing to INnoVation in the finals. But once more, he was outshone by other players. All eyes were on INnoVation as he finally took the championship that many saw as his due, while the great Mvp impressed the viewers by looking timeless in his semi-final run.

Following that season finals, sOs went into a steep decline as he was knocked out by Maru in the Ro32 of WCS Korea Season 2 , and then by Trap in the Ro16 of Season 3. Thus, sOs was quickly forgotten by the majority of fans until BlizzCon rolled around, where people tended to remember him 'as that guy who made Tempests against INnoVation once.'

Not surprisingly, sOs's Ro16 and Ro8 games at BlizzCon were relegated to the secondary stream, with main stream preference given to fan favorites like Bomber and Jaedong. Thus, when sOs emerged on the main stage in the semi-finals, casual fans couldn't be blamed for thinking he had magically appeared out of nowhere. Naturally, it followed that the majority of the narrative in the BlizzCon finals was about Jaedong. It was all about the return of the Tyrant, and Jaedong's last test at the end of a years long championship drought.

However, sOs was no mere NPC to be taken down so Jaedong could claim his final reward. Using the trickery and clever strategies that had been his hallmark since Season 1, sOs ran circles around Jaedong. A 4 - 1 victory delivered sOs $100,000, the BlizzCon trophy, and finally, a place in the spotlight.



In many ways, sOs is the polar opposite of Soul_Dear. Where sOs' rapid rise in Season 1 dampened by a variety of circumstances, Dear became the center of attention as he dominated Season 3. When sOs was a foot away from the summit, he was stopped by the two monsters known as Soulkey and Innovation, becoming a footnote in their duel for supremacy of the world. Dear on the other hand, refused to be stopped. He won the WCS Korea 3 over the best in the world and then he proved it again in one of the hottest tournaments of the year in the WCS Season 3 Finals.

Where sOs’ games tended to be one-sided in both loss and victory, Dear dropped jaws with thrilling games against Soulkey, Maru, and other top players. Dear was the rising star people wanted: a macro player, a player who actually delivered on the trite promise of "I will try to show you entertaining games," and a champion. He could have been the hero that gave WCS the storybook ending it needed.

But in the end, Dear lost to Jaedong at BlizzCon, while sOs won. Dear tried to fight Jaedong head on, but he was overpowered by a stronger-than-ever Tyrant. In sOs's case, he wasn't even interested in playing against Jaedong's ZvP - he wanted to play Jaedong, the human being. By employing cannon rushes, hidden bases, and strange builds, sOs set up shop inside of Jaedong's head. He got under his skin, annoyed him, frustrated him, and broke him.

One has to wonder why sOs failed to garner attention before his BlizzCon win. After all, all of the traits he showed against Jaedong—finely tuned build orders, unorthodox unit combinations, and devious mind-gaming—were all things he had possessed since Season 1. In fact, those traits made him a favorite among so-called "hipster-fans," as well as several top players (notable among them, NaNiwa). Was he purely a victim of circumstance, constantly surrounded by more compelling storylines? Or perhaps it was because on the surface, it was too easy to conflate his crafty and intelligent play as gimmicks that would lose strength with time. Without a title to his name, it may have been too easy to dismiss him.

In any case, here we are. sOs stands as the WCS 2013 champion, and has forced StarCraft 2 fans around to give him their respect.. The weeks ahead will be an important test for sOs, as he participates at two major tournaments at Red Bull Battle Grounds and DreamHack Winter. With good performances, that grudging respect may become support. With championships, support could become adoration.

sOs brought the tale of WCS 2013 to an unexpected and anti-climatic end. But as for his own story, that's just beginning.

Writers: stuchiu.
Photos: silverfire.
Editor: Waxangel.