Code S is back! WCS swallowed up the GSL for a year and spit it back out, leaving it forever changed. Gone are the days of having eight or more GSL finals a year, and we're left with quarterly tournaments with an insanely high proportion of the money going to the champion.
Only time will tell if the 2014 edition of the GSL will be the best or worst yet, but for now, we're just happy it's back. In commemoration we've assembled an immense, massive power ranking of all past GSL finals so that we might remember the history of StarCraft 2's most important tournament. So sit back, grab some food and a beverage of your choice and take a walk down memory lane of the GSL finals.
Now, considering that the GSL was once known for its great regular seasons followed by terrible, god-awful finals, some of the early entries on this list are unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. Especially #23....
*Some VODs are temporarily unavailable while GomTV moves their VODs to their new youtube channel.
If you haven't had your memory altered Eternal Sunshine style to completely forget about this finals, then you should not be surprised to find it as our first entrant at the very bottom of the GSL finals ladder. Throughout most of 2010 and 2011, the running joke that was almost every GSL final would come in hyped up beyond belief, and it would fail miserably, usually resulting in a 4-1 or 4-0. Most finals, even if a one-sided affair, can still have some redeeming qualities through a strong story, interesting characters, or close games despite a one-sided scoreline. Nestea vs. Inca had none of these qualities and is a series that should only be watched by the most devout Nestea fans.
Inca, who came into the finals with 0-4 all-time record against Zerg, went for the same DT opening in every single game. Nestea, who was 13-3 against Protoss heading into the series, had no trouble detecting Inca's favorite unit and beating him in game after game. The result was one of the most cringe inducing series in Starcraft history. Inca was outmatched from the start and looked to have no answer against the more experienced and talented player. The series wound up as an easy 4-0 for Nestea, making people wonder why they wasted two hours watching that massacre.
Not only was it the worst final of all-time, but it was also possibly the season with the biggest missed final of all-time as well. With Nestea taking down sC in an epic semifinal series, the other spot in the finals came down to Inca versus Nada. Nada, being the heavy favorite, was expected to win and move on to face Nestea in the biggest GSL imaginable. The Brood War legend faltered, lost a lopsided series to Inca, and took away our chance of seeing an epic TvZ final between two of the most popular players on the planet.
Whenever you see a Protoss fan cry that their race is underpowered and that life is unfair, just point to this final and ask, 'Do you really want to see more finals like this?' With Protoss only having won two championships prior to Seed vs. MC, the idea of the first ever PvP final was something new and exciting on paper. PvP, usually the consensus pick for worst match-up, was starting to see more games enter the late game where it became somewhat more entertaining. Seed vs. MC also featured two of the most outspoken, charismatic players going up against each other with with plenty of trash-talk leading into the match.
With a beach stage set up in Busan, GOM had high hopes for a huge crowd to see their Code S final. Sadly, with a PvP final and other factors thrown in, it wasn't the gigantic attendance they would have hoped for. The games themselves were quick and one-sided, Seed proving to be the better player throughout. MC was able to grab a game in the fourth set to bring the match to a 3-1 scoreline, but the composed Seed was able to close it out in five games. With his eyes closed and a relieved look on his face, Seed captured his first championship and became the second Protoss champion in GSL history.
The moral of this story is that a PvP final was something new we gave a shot and instantly decided wasn't for us, like that time Wolf decided to dye his hair jet black. Even with HotS, it remains a match-up few fans are interested in and we're glad we've managed to dodge it ever since.
The first TvT final in GSL history was also its worst TvT final. Mvp was the strong, defensive-minded player with incredible macro, and MarineKing was the aggressive, offensive-minded player with incredible micro. On paper this should have been a great match, a clash of two distinct styles going head to head in the first final of 2011. Mvp was the slight favorite, but both players had strong fan support heading into the final and everything suggested that this was going to be a good one.
Well, it wasn't. MarineKing tried to play a different style than he was used to, not playing his normal bio-centric play and instead tried to go head to head against Mvp at his own game. MarineKing, not knowing what to do to beat Mvp, got rolled over in four straight games and never looked like he had a fighting chance. He betrayed the way he usually played the game, couldn't match up with Mvp's strong defensive style, and was handed his second straight GSL final loss. When the two faced again later, MKP would stay true to his style and give Mvp a much harder challenge.
Only watch this series if you're either a really big Mvp fan or you find great pleasure in watching MarineKing get beat up and cry.
Looking back at all the GSL seasons from now to the very first one, GSL Open Season 3 is most likely the worst one from top to bottom. Most of the games ended in cheese, MC crushed everyone in his path and made them look bad, and Rain made it to the finals by making everybody mad by cheesing Nestea out of the tournament. Rain got so much hate for his cheese tactics that he had to defend the way he played in interviews. There was the heroic story of Jinro making it to the semifinals before becoming another victim to the MC slaughter, but that was pretty much the only highlight of the season.
Rain was expected to get run over by MC, and fans wanted to see the guy who got there by cheesy tactics get crushed by the unstoppable Protoss force. To be fair to Rain, he actually put up a nice fight in the series, making it a lot closer than a lot of people thought he could. He went down with a 4-1 score as MC claimed the championship, but gained a bit of respect from the community for his valiant effort. This final isn't the worst of all-time, but it is one of the most forgettable in possibly the worst season of GSL. We will remember it for Jinro's semifinal run and MC's complete dominance, but that's about it.
The third and last MC final on this list, this was the one with the most promise. However, it just didn't live up to the massive hype. July was a Brood War legend with a golden mouse in his possession, and it was his first time in a GSL final. MC was considered one of the best players in the world alongside Nestea and Mvp, winning a championship only two seasons before against Rain. It was the first PvZ final in GSL history, and people were expecting to see a great showing between Starcraft 2's best and one of Brood War's best. The crowd was hyped for the entrances, the trash talk, and were pumped up to see if July could be the first Brood War legend to capture a title.
MC embarrassed him. July didn't play his best games, MC was at the peak of his power, and it was the second straight final involving MC that ended in a 4-1 stomping. The fans were left deflated seeing their Brood War hero get beaten up by a player once known as the Suicide Toss. July's championship window in SC2 closed there – even though he stayed around in Code S he was never a title threat again. This was a final with a lot of missed potential, and we will remember it mostly for MC establishing himself as a superpower in the Starcraft 2 world by vanquishing an old Brood War legend.
Ah, the season of perfection. This season will always be known as the tournament that Nestea won without dropping a single map. While statistically it was the greatest individual run in GSL history, Nestea didn't have the toughest road. He got a free win over Rain, beat a ZvZ inept July, a Code S survivalist in Ensnare, a ZvZ inept Coca, and then made it to the finals with a 3-0 blowout against the injured and demotivated HongUn. Not the most strenuous journey, but it was still an incredible feat to make the finals without dropping a single game.
Nestea faced his teammate Losira in the finals, giving us our first ever ZvZ final. Maybe not getting the same hatred as the PvP mirror or even the TvT mirror at that time, it still wasn't one of the most highly anticipated match-ups. Many expected the undefeated Nestea to take another easy championship against a player who learned under him, and the biggest question heading into the final was if Nestea could pull off the perfect season. Nestea didn't let his fans down, winning without really breaking a sweat after the first game, keeping his record intact and winning his third title.
While this was one of the biggest blowouts in GSL history, the games were actually pretty fun if you didn't have high expectations, and we got to see Nestea win his third title in perfect fashion. This final isn't one people will be rushing to watch if they aren't Artosis, but it's way better than the very low expectations that were set for a ZvZ final.
This was supposed to be the Super Bowl of the GSL. It pitted the 64 best players from Code S and Code A against each other, with the winner to walk out with $100,000. Having the same format as the old open seasons, this was GSL's idea to create the greatest tournament of all-time and have the biggest final in history.
Alas. Throughout the season, big names continued to fall and no-names continued to rise through the ranks. Mvp, Nestea, MC and others dropped out early, with players like TheBest and Line making it all the way to the final eight. Instead of a final that consisted of established stars, the final two players were both newcomers to the spotlight.
MMA was coming into his own as one of the best players in the world, helping Slayers win the GSTL championship and capturing a foreign title at MLG Columbus. His opponent was Polt, seen as MarineKing's Terran sidekick, never really breaking out before the Super Tournament. He was known mostly for his astonishing TvP record of 10-0, but was seen as not much of a threat against the heir to Boxer's throne. Most saw this as a clear cut victory for MMA, a mere formality before his official coronation ceremony.
The finals went in a direction that no one expected. Polt, the TvP specialist, outplayed MMA in every aspect of the finals, making a statement with a 4-0 victory and shocking the world. Taking the $100,000 check and becoming the first and only Super Tournament champion, Polt pulled off the biggest upset in GSL finals history. Using his early game strategies and superior positioning to beat MMA in the early game, the then-Prime Terran became the first player from his team to win a GSL championship.
Both players went on to enjoy success afterward and become top stars in the StarCraft 2 scene, but the Super Tournament was deemed a failure by many. The prize money was too top heavy, the finals didn't pan out like GOM probably hoped, and the tournament was canned after the 2011 season.
This series besides the first game? Terrible. People were starting to get sick of TvT finals, TOP wasn't an established enough star to hype up a final, and Mvp was considered the heavy favorite. The games after the first one were dull and the series ended up like expected, Mvp triumphing over TOP in a one-sided 4-1 series to win his third GSL title. If it wasn't for the first game of this series, this might very well be in the bottom three of all-time and have no rewatch value at all except for the Mvp fanboys in the world.
However, the first game was one of the best of 2011, showing the best of the GOMTvT era. Mvp and TOP played an epic game, hitting each other with everything in the Terran arsenal. Mvp dropped nuke after nuke from the sky, covering the map with explosions. TOP and Mvp were the two best macro Terrans at the time, matching each other in economy and being able to give us one of the best TvT games in history. Mvp would eventually edge out the victory, showing why he was the champion and TOP was just the challenger, but it was a game that should be viewed by anyone who wants to see an incredible match.
The rest of the series might have been a huge letdown after such an epic first game, but the opener to the series was good enough to rank it just below average.
This final wasn't very good game-wise, but neither was the entirety of the first season. This final is ranked this high because the finals behind it weren't all that great either, and because this was the first GSL finals, setting the stage for the dozens to come.
The story was perfect, the Zerg hero Fruitdealer conquering the imbalanced maps and giving his race hope at a time when no one thought there was a chance a Zerg could win the first GSL season. Rainbow was a good foil to the hero, a popular Terran player who was good enough to be a champion in his own right.
The finals had all the bells and whistles you would expect from the first grand finals. The players were elevated on platforms with smoke machines a plenty, and the casters hyped this up to be one of the biggest matches in e-sports history. The series wasn't very close, but it didn't have to be. People wanted to see FruitDealer beat the odds and become the first champion, and he did just that, winning in five games and giving the perfect ending to a great story.
Neither Rainbow or FruitDealer had much success after the finals, and we look back at the first season as a time when no one really knew what they were doing, but that's what made it so great. A guy who had to sell fruits for a living to help out his family had become the first champion of the biggest SC2 league in the world, and he did it by playing the race that no one thought would be able to win the championship. You don't watch this final to see the highest level of play, but to experience the fairytale ending to a great story that will never be replicated.
14. 2013 WCS Korea/Code S Season 3: soO vs. Dear - VOD
Unfortunately for soO and Dear, their final was one of the least expected of all time and thus one of the least hyped. The entirety of WCS KR Season 3 had been fraught with upsets, with players like Bomber, sOs, DongRaeGu, INnoVation, and Flash all falling out by the time the tournament reached the quarterfinals.
The upsets didn't stop coming as the unheralded Dear knocked out defending champion Maru in the semifinals, while soO took out both PartinG and Soulkey to earn his spot in the finals. Despite the fact that Dear and soO had taken out such formidable opponents, the fans seemed less than convinced about their skill, more willing to see their runs as strokes of good fortune than as a sign of anything lasting.
Given a chance to prove the doubters wrong by delivering an epic finals, soO and Dear only did a decent job. The series was standard PvZ, and inevitably several of the games simply hinged on the question of "did Dear's all-in work or not." Still, there were a few closely contested macro games that were quite entertaining. In the end, Dear took a convincing 4-2 victory over soO, but not one that was all that convincing about his overall ability.
Just a few weeks later, Dear would go on to crush Soulkey 4-0 in the WCS Season 3 Finals, proving that he was the real deal. While that makes us remember the WCS KR Season 3 Finals as the tournament where Dear came into his own, it doesn't stick out as an especially notable final.
With Wings of Liberty coming to an end and Heart of the Swarm grabbing everyone's attention with beta tournaments, the last Code S season in Wings of Liberty was also the most overlooked. People were excited at the beginning of the season, thinking that we might get a final consisting of Mvp, Nestea, or MC to end the Wings of Liberty era on a historic note. Mvp and Nestea both fell early, and Stephano, the fan favorite foreigner that everyone tuned in to see, couldn't make it out of the first round. Favorites continued to fall, leaving us with a similar situation to the previous Code S season, where BL-infestor using Zergs toppled their more established peers.
The final ended up being between Symbol, a once red hot Zerg player that cooled off with continuous exits in the quarterfinals, and Roro, a KeSPA player that was a solid A-teamer in Brood War, but not the player fans expected to be the first KeSPA player in a GSL final. With another ZvZ final confirmed, the hype for the finale to the Wings era was at an all-time low. IEM was holding their World Championship at the same time with Heart of the Swarm, the game everyone was excited to see end the BL-infestor era.
Despite there being a ton of apathy in the West, the venue was surprisingly packed back in Korea. The games the two put forth were, while not the greatest games of all-time, still enjoyable and highly entertaining. Roro went up 3-0, taking a close game on the first map, finally overwhelming Symbol with a superior economy and infestor force, and then took the next two games without much trouble.
Symbol fought back, narrowing the gap to 2-3, throwing up manner nydues against his opponent even when down three games in the finals. The tension was high in the sixth map of the final, with everyone wondering if Symbol could take it to a seventh game. Unfortunately for the Azubu player, Roro regained his composure, was able to get the better end of the engagements in the final game, and win the final Wings Code S tournament by a 4-2 score.
No, it wasn't the perfect sendoff to Wings, but Roro and Symbol put on a finals performance that was worth watching.
The second meeting between Mvp and MarineKing was much better than the first, but Mvp was still able to take out MarineKing in another GSL finals. The special World Championship season was a bit of an anomaly in the GSL line of tournaments, being the shortest season with the weakest players (I mean, they seeded a bunch a foreigners...), but it came out with a good finals nonetheless.
This final had some entertaining games, with MarineKing making an epic comeback in the middle of the series to tie it up 2-2 against his rival and give his fans the hope that he could claim his first GSL championship. Unfortunately for MKP and his fans, Mvp didn't let MarineKing overtake him and closed out the series in six games. With a record of 8-2 against MarineKing in finals, Mvp and MarineKing became the only two players to play each other twice in a GSL final. It would also be MarineKing's last GSL final, though he would go on to break his Kong curse at MLG events in 2012.
Some may remember the WC as the most fringe GSL tournament that barely qualifies as a GSL championship, but the finals between MarineKing and Mvp were good enough to headline any major tournament.
The Blizzard Cup became the Hot6ix Cup in 2013, but it continued its streak of having an amazing finals card. With Soulkey and Rain – two players who exemplified safe, textbook styles – reaching the grand finals it wasn't hard to see why GSL commentator and macro-game fetishist Artosis was practically salivating heading into the series.
As it turned out, the final was good but not great. The level of play was extremely high as expected, with both players showing off great blind reads, top class micro, and smart decision making. However, as exquisitely played as the games were, they were nothing special in terms of pure entertainment value. One player would take a lead, and then ruthlessly expand that lead without letting his opponent have even a glimmer of hope.
The one exception was Rain's incredible come-from-behind victory in game five, where he recovered from an early zergling rush with an unbelievably successful quadruple attack on all of Soulkey's bases. The comeback was only possible because of a rare lapse in concentration from Soulkey, but that's typically how it is in StarCraft: you can have flawless play or you can back and forth games, but you can't have both.
Overall, it was a final that was much like the two players in it: solid and well played, but without much flair.
Breaking up the ZvZ streak that seemed to be cursing every major tournament toward the end of 2012, Parting fought through a gauntlet of Zergs to make it to his first GSL final at the Blizzard Cup. The charismatic Startale player had talked big for the past year, telling everyone he would take the mantle as the Protoss President, and he finally got his chance to prove it in Korea. His opponent and teammate, Life, had won the GSL two seasons before, downing Mvp in the finals and becoming the first royal roader in GSL history.
Parting, coming off wins at the BWC and WCG, was in the best condition of his career, playing some of the most inspired games against Zerg we saw during the BL-infestor era. With his wide variety of all-in and macro strategies, he was a player that always seemed to have an ace up his sleeve against Zerg. In a time when people were looking for a hero to stop Zerg, Parting was the player that had the best chance of taking them out. Life, on the other hand, was an unstoppable prodigy, having taken titles across the globe and already holding a GSL title at the age of fifteen.
The final itself was good, Parting going up 2-0 and taking an early lead over his Zerg teammate. But as expected, Life came back for the umpteenth time in his young career, fighting back with four straight wins to take out PartinG and win his second GSL championship. It became the icing on the cake for Life in a year that he had dominated, even though he had only really started playing well during the summer.
Parting, having to lost to his teammate, would then go on to move from Startale not too long after, joining SKT and becoming a KeSPA player.
The first thing you remember about this finals is the stage. Kicking off the new year in style, GOM built a special booth layout for the two players to play in, resembling an octagon cage from mixed martial arts. In the finals were the two frenemies DongRaeGu and Genius, having already met once in the first round of the season. Genius was able to upset the heavy favorite DRG in the group stages, making people remember the Protoss of the Open Seasons that was always considered a championship threat.
Genius breezed through the knockout rounds, 3-0'ing both MC and aLive in succession, advancing to his first and only grand finals to date. His teammate at the time, DRG, did not have such an easy time, having to come back from a 0-2 deficit to Gumiho to make it to the finals. Winning three straight and setting up the dream match between the two players who constantly made fun of each other in interviews, we were given one of the most hyped up finals of all-time.
With the servers being overloaded by the amount of people trying to tune in, the first game actually wasn't seen by many people online live. The series had some solid games, Genius being able to surprise the audience once again by gaining a 2-1 advantage over the favored Zerg with strong timing attacks. The timing attacks didn't work forever, however, with DongRaeGu fighting back to take the next three maps in a row to take home his first GSL championship after coming so close a season before against MMA in the 2011 Blizzard Cup finals.
None of the games will standout as a must watch, but the unique stage, the hype surrounding the final, and the ceremonies the two players performed throughout the night, made this a grand final that is worth remembering.
With almost every other major final being a ZvZ, Code S saw its first ZvZ final in over a year in 2012's Season 5, reflecting the changing balance toward the end of Wings of Liberty.
It was also a special tournament for many other reasons. It was the second GSL tournament to travel overseas, with the semifinals and finals played at IPL5 in Las Vegas. That also made it one of the most rushed tournament in Code S history, with the schedule being condensed to meet the date of the live event.
The semifinals featured a rag tag bunch of players that almost no one had picked to get to Vegas. There was Innovation, a KeSPA player that had started his SC2 career with a poor record in Proleague. Ryung, the eternal sidekick to MMA, vital to SlayerS' cause but always overlooked. HyuN, the masterful online player and king of the IPL Fight Club, who always choked when it came to offline events. And finally, Sniper the league breaker, who had knocked out fan favorite after fan favorite.
Hyun and Sniper made it to the finals after victories over Innovation and Ryung respectively, but the audience still wasn't convinced. They were both finalists by making it into the grand final, but the nature of the format and the lack of preparation time made people suspect if these two were truly the best players in the world. Adding on top of all that being it was a ZvZ, a match-up that was starting to become redundant in tournaments, and you had a recipe for disaster if the games weren't good.
Luckily, they were. It might not be remembered as one of the greatest finals of all-time, but it was enjoyable, going to all seven sets. The seventh game was the best of the entire series, both players tip toeing on disaster and fighting back from big disadvantages. With an unmarked base at the bottom right, Sniper was able to get the final one-up on his opponent, riding his momentum to a crushing final battle victory.
On top of that, the crowd in Las Vegas didn't care that it was a ZvZ, or that the players in front of them weren't the biggest stars of the Korean SC2 scene. It was the GSL, the world's greatest tournament, live in the United States. That's what truly mattered to them, and they let everyone know it with their cheers.
Damn, when you look back on it this way, the GSL REALLY hasn't had much luck with finals.
I know lots of people like Leenock vs. Jjakji, MMA vs. DRG and a few others, but my favorite is definitely MVP vs. Squirtle no question for me. Awesome finals and can't wait to see where you rank it Fionn!
GSL 2010 Open Season 3 final was one of the first Starcraft games I ever watched. Ahh, those games felt so epic back then... Great write-up, thanks for taking me down memory lane! Squirtle vs MVP gotta be #1, right?
Oh god I remember Nestea vs Inca and how pissed I was that Inca had cheesed Nada out of the semis. We could've had a Nestea vs Nada finals and it COULD'VE BEEN LEGEN-FUCKING-DARY.
I mean, don't get me wrong. This was a GREAT (and in my opinion accurate) write-up. But this write up is the MVP vs MKP of writeups where I'm expecting the truly ball-tightening nostalgia trip of Fionn's 10 000 word GSL Writeup finals, and was left with a good, but not particularly memorable...
k fine, no it's actually the MKP vs Nestea of writeups. It's good. In fact, if I was a Nestea fan it'd be GREAT. But god DAMNIT do I want to see the second part! The part where MKP overwhelms DRG to take his first major title (except the simile breaks down there, because we're talking about GSL finals... Man, I still can't believe MKP is a LoL player now.)
Anyway, moral of the story is I'm eagerly awaiting part two.
Edit: My prediction for rank 1-9:
7: Nestea vs MKP It was the first final to go seven games, but they were seven SUPER cheesy games. It was good, but unless my infatuation with MKP blinded me, most people wanted MKP to win. People wanted MKP to beat the guy who eliminated Slayers Boxer. It was a decent finals, but almost every starcraft fan on earth will tell you that the best part of the finals happened just after game seven. I'm guessing it will be quoted in the part two write up, but most of you know what I'm talking about.
6: Innovation vs Soulkey: This was in my opinion quite reminiscent of Nestea vs MKP. It was cheesy all in vs cheesy all in, and it was only for the fact that soulkey did what no other player had done before: come back from being down 0-3, that it gets rated this high... actually no. Sorry but this has to be #9, Nestea vs MKP #8.
5: MVP vs Life, Life going for royal roader, MVP looking for his fifth GSL trophy and (in my opinion) true bonjwa status. The games were good too, but I think most people wanted MVP to win as the era of Zerg domination had begun and we wanted a fruitdealer-esq story.
4. ...wow now it becomes hard... Okay, I'll say MVP vs MMA. I mean, it was hyped as all hell, and was MMA's redemption story after the super tournament. It even had a fucking Johnspeech. yet, even with all that, one can't help but remember that it was 4-1. Even though it had some (in my opinion) PHENOMINAL games, five was just ever so slightly too few for it to reach any higher on the list.
3. Jjakji vs Leenock. In terms of games, I'd say this was the best. While it was super underhyped, the games it produced were my favorite out of 2011, maybe out of WoL. Unfortunately, Jjakji was just SO unhyped that it was almost too shocking just how great the games were.
2. MMA vs DRG. Yeah, dat last game, and the culmination of my favorite rivalry after some amazing GSTL finals clashes. Holy hell was that game seven amazing.. . 1. MVP vs Squirtle. I really hope fionn does it justice. From it being heralded in 2010 (er... super early 2011 I guess? my memory is foggy), by the Startale vs IM GSTL finals, to the never before or since in a GSL match battlecruiser vs mothership core (unless I'm mistaken?), hell I even thought that game 5 and 6 were great, though I realize my opinion is in the minority there. To finally, MVP being the king of wings. It takes a true champion to pull off a move like that in game seven. Proxy 11/11 rax? No way. NO WAY does a person of such infinite starcraft stratigical depth as MVP do that in the most important game of the night. This was the SC2 equivalent (I think?) of Boxer bunker rushing yellow three games in a row. What a finals that was...
What do you guys think?
Poll: Best GSL finals?
Squirtle vs Mvp (87)
50%
DRG vs MMA (51)
29%
Leenock vs Jjakji (22)
13%
Other (explain) (14)
8%
174 total votes
Your vote: Best GSL finals?
(Vote): Squirtle vs Mvp (Vote): DRG vs MMA (Vote): Leenock vs Jjakji (Vote): Other (explain)
- Agree with most of these, though I'd swap Polt vs MMA and Nestea vs Losira. Timing attacks vs Nestea's ZvZ innovation...I'd go with the ZvZ. Also wondering why Bogus vs Soulkey isn't on here yet, that wasn't too good even though Soulkey pulled the reverse 4-0.
- I'm happy someone besides me actually thought RorO vs Symbol was pretty decent :D. ZvZ and that final weren't nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be.
==
Top spot is obviously going to be Leenock vs Jjakji against DRG vs MMA. I always feel conflicted between those two, where the former is a superior series overall, but the later is much more memorable hinging heavily on g7.
On December 12 2013 10:36 Bagration wrote: Well, by including the Blizzard Cup, you've already spoiled what the best finals is.
There is absolutely no question: Blizzard Cup 2011 had the best finals of Starcraft 2. There is absolutely no comparison.
This just isn't true, friend. Yes, it was something unique in SC2: Two great rivals actually having an AMAZING seven game series against eachother, especially at the end of the year. But in the end, it was really just one game, granted, it was a game that epitomized an era, but it was a finals of ONE GAME. No, it falls short of Mvp vs Squirtle, which not only was the best finals of all time, it had (in my opinion, duh) the best PvT game of all time. I could go on, but I'll wait for Fionn to do it instead .
On December 12 2013 10:36 Bagration wrote: Well, by including the Blizzard Cup, you've already spoiled what the best finals is.
There is absolutely no question: Blizzard Cup 2011 had the best finals of Starcraft 2. There is absolutely no comparison.
This just isn't true, friend. Yes, it was something unique in SC2: Two great rivals actually having an AMAZING seven game series against eachother, especially at the end of the year. But in the end, it was really just one game, granted, it was a game that epitomized an era, but it was a finals of ONE GAME. No, it falls short of Mvp vs Squirtle, which not only was the best finals of all time, it had (in my opinion, duh) the best PvT game of all time. I could go on, but I'll wait for Fionn to do it instead .
On December 12 2013 10:45 FrostedMiniWheats wrote: Fionn's back :D. He regained his passhun
- Agree with most of these, though I'd swap Polt vs MMA and Nestea vs Losira. Timing attacks vs Nestea's ZvZ innovation...I'd go with the ZvZ. Also wondering why Bogus vs Soulkey isn't on here yet, that wasn't too good even though Soulkey pulled the reverse 4-0.
- I'm happy someone besides me actually thought RorO vs Symbol was pretty decent :D. ZvZ and that final weren't nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be.
==
Top spot is obviously going to be Leenock vs Jjakji against DRG vs MMA. I always feel conflicted between those two, where the former is a superior series overall, but the later is much more memorable hinging heavily on g7.
For me the best will always remain Mrineking vs Nestea from open season 2. Damn that is actually the reason i follow sc2 today, and it was the first finals (second professional series) of sc2 i ever watched, which may make me extremely biased . But the story line was pretty awesome, and as much as we hate cheese on ladder, it kinda makes series exciting, as long as it doesn't work every time .
"Good" tier: MMA/Mvp; Life/Mvp (Good storylines, good players, a few good games, but not the best [in the first, a short series; the second kinda brought down because Mvp went for the same composition EVERY game...])
"Awesome" tier: Nestea/MKP; Soulkey/Innovation; jjakiji/Leenock (For the first two, good storylines, good players, went to the final game, a few exciting and close games; for the last one, sheer quality of the games, and bonus points for surprising everyone with how good they were even with no hype)
"Godly" tier: Mvp/Squirtle; MMA/Dongraegu (Awesome storylines, awesome players, good games, and went to a final game that was really close and exciting)
MKP vs Nestea: Not a lot of good macro games, but still exciting in its own way. Especially g7
MMA vs MVP: Blizzcon crowd and the games weren't bad
MVP vs Life: the games weren't amazing but this is the single greatest story I can think of in a tournament
MVP vs Squirtle: Boils down to Vortex and a 2-rax...and that's just fine. Loses the top spot because Squirtle also choked a lot and PvT can never beat the best of ZvT :p
DRG vs MMA: g7 is all the rage, but you should watch the previous 6 to get amped up. Watching this live was amazing. I feel sorry for those that went to sleep after seeing DRG get raped for 3-games. ALWAYS FINISH!
Leenock vs Jjakji: DRG vs MMA is more memorable but at the end of the day I suppose I'd go with this one for entertainment
On December 12 2013 10:36 Bagration wrote: Well, by including the Blizzard Cup, you've already spoiled what the best finals is.
There is absolutely no question: Blizzard Cup 2011 had the best finals of Starcraft 2. There is absolutely no comparison.
This just isn't true, friend. Yes, it was something unique in SC2: Two great rivals actually having an AMAZING seven game series against eachother, especially at the end of the year. But in the end, it was really just one game, granted, it was a game that epitomized an era, but it was a finals of ONE GAME. No, it falls short of Mvp vs Squirtle, which not only was the best finals of all time, it had (in my opinion, duh) the best PvT game of all time. I could go on, but I'll wait for Fionn to do it instead .
can anyone tell me what was good about the Mvp/Squirtle game except the one moment when Mvp balled up his battlecruisers and squirtle got a vortex off?
On December 12 2013 10:36 Bagration wrote: Well, by including the Blizzard Cup, you've already spoiled what the best finals is.
There is absolutely no question: Blizzard Cup 2011 had the best finals of Starcraft 2. There is absolutely no comparison.
This just isn't true, friend. Yes, it was something unique in SC2: Two great rivals actually having an AMAZING seven game series against eachother, especially at the end of the year. But in the end, it was really just one game, granted, it was a game that epitomized an era, but it was a finals of ONE GAME. No, it falls short of Mvp vs Squirtle, which not only was the best finals of all time, it had (in my opinion, duh) the best PvT game of all time. I could go on, but I'll wait for Fionn to do it instead .
can anyone tell me what was good about the Mvp/Squirtle game except the one moment when Mvp balled up his battlecruisers and squirtle got a vortex off?
Squirtle almost pulled the reverse 4-0 and it was decided in a very nail-biting cheese for g7. The fact that MVP would have the balls to lay it all on the line with a 2-rax alone is something to talk about.
Rest of the games ranged from bad to okay. Honestly the standards aren't high among gsl finals in retrospect, lol.
On December 12 2013 10:47 Blargh wrote: Why isn't Innovation versus Soulkey in that list........?
Chokes are exciting
If you say so!
I usually consider those to be the worst. Really, it was totally 1-sided up until game 4 (Innovation stomped Soulkey), and then it was totally 1-sided in reverse (Soulkey stomped Innovation). Basically, none of the games were really that close.
@DRTnOOber That's not part of GSL-stuff. Also is not a finals. Also wasn't actually that great.
On December 12 2013 10:36 Bagration wrote: Well, by including the Blizzard Cup, you've already spoiled what the best finals is.
There is absolutely no question: Blizzard Cup 2011 had the best finals of Starcraft 2. There is absolutely no comparison.
This just isn't true, friend. Yes, it was something unique in SC2: Two great rivals actually having an AMAZING seven game series against eachother, especially at the end of the year. But in the end, it was really just one game, granted, it was a game that epitomized an era, but it was a finals of ONE GAME. No, it falls short of Mvp vs Squirtle, which not only was the best finals of all time, it had (in my opinion, duh) the best PvT game of all time. I could go on, but I'll wait for Fionn to do it instead .
can anyone tell me what was good about the Mvp/Squirtle game except the one moment when Mvp balled up his battlecruisers and squirtle got a vortex off?
Squirtle almost pulled the reverse 4-0 and it was decided in a very nail-biting cheese for g7. The fact that MVP would have the balls to lay it all on the line with a 2-rax alone is something to talk about.
Rest of the games ranged from bad to okay. Honestly the standards aren't high among gsl finals in retrospect, lol.
yeah, I actually liked the series and the 2-rax, but game 5 that everyone goes nuts over didn't do much for me.
On December 12 2013 10:28 Stancel wrote: I will be very surprised if either/both the Blizzard Cup and GSL Oct 2011 finals aren't in the top 3. Thinking about them still gives me chills.
edit: mobile pls
the October 2011 finals weren't even that good, really. it was just everything around them that made them memorable: the huge, amazing foreign crowd, the ungodly hype surrounding the two players who were clearly the best two in the world at the time, the number one fan favorite going up against a player on the verge of bonjwa-hood, etc. the games themselves were meh.
imo, 1. DRG vs MMA 2. MVP vs Squirtle 3. MMA vs MVP 4. Nestea vs MKP(i even cant recall why i think this is one of the best, just say there were alot of fancy stuff like 2 rax/boxer and Thro/MKP's tear drop mixed in, but im sure this final is what SC2 catches me in the first place )
[QUOTE]On December 12 2013 11:45 xenoZhang wrote: imo, 1. DRG vs MMA 2. MVP vs Squirtle 3. MMA vs MVP 4. Nestea vs MKP(i even cant recall why i think this is one of the best, just say there were alot of fancy stuff like 2 rax/boxer and Thro/MKP's tear drop mixed in, but im sure this final is what SC2 catches me in the first
Hint: it probably has something to do with John the Translator
I hope mvp vs squirtle isn't #1. It's got to be the most over hyped series ever, the "game" that most people talk about was like a 40min no rush into archon toilet, and then mvp won a series by squirtle choking like crazy and waltzing out his base too early.
I actually would have had the 2013 Hot 6ix Cup (the one we just had with Rain vs Soulkey) much higher. Maybe it was only good for the Starcraft purists, but it was some of the best play by both players that I've ever seen. Not my absolute favourite finals, but I would have it in my top 5 for certain.
The games were incredible. Balanced on a knife's edge the entire time as each player proved themselves to be amongst the smartest humans on the planet. Awesome games. Awesome finals. LUDICROUSLY ENTERTAINING comeback. Soulkey lost concentration for maybe 20 seconds and Rain's incredible play meant that was enough. Awesome.
On December 12 2013 12:17 bo1b wrote: I hope mvp vs squirtle isn't #1. It's got to be the most over hyped series ever, the "game" that most people talk about was like a 40min no rush into archon toilet, and then mvp won a series by squirtle choking like crazy and waltzing out his base too early.
Like 5 of the games were good, I liked them all except 1 and 4. That contain on Dual Sight, the epic macro game on Entombed Valley.
On December 12 2013 12:17 bo1b wrote: I hope mvp vs squirtle isn't #1. It's got to be the most over hyped series ever, the "game" that most people talk about was like a 40min no rush into archon toilet, and then mvp won a series by squirtle choking like crazy and waltzing out his base too early.
Like 5 of the games were good, I liked them all except 1 and 4. That contain on Dual Sight, the epic macro game on Entombed Valley.
RIGHT!? Fuck I don't get how so few people enjoyed that contain on dual sight, that was just SO fucking intense!
On December 12 2013 10:28 Stancel wrote: I will be very surprised if either/both the Blizzard Cup and GSL Oct 2011 finals aren't in the top 3. Thinking about them still gives me chills.
edit: mobile pls
the October 2011 finals weren't even that good, really. it was just everything around them that made them memorable: the huge, amazing foreign crowd, the ungodly hype surrounding the two players who were clearly the best two in the world at the time, the number one fan favorite going up against a player on the verge of bonjwa-hood, etc. the games themselves were meh.
Pretty sure Jjakji vs Leenock was October 2011, not DRG vs MMA.
Gotta be real, World Championship was an event match, not a regular league. Invite with 8 Koreans and 8 foreigners? Come on now. Mvp won Code S three times, but people like to attach it as 4th GSL because it sounds impressive.
I have to disagree with the 8th on this list soo much....
Sniper vs Hyun was certainly not no. 8, it was one of the worst finals ever, I'm not even talking about the gameplay, because it doesn't matter....
It was during IPL, the entire GSL playoffs was completely being ignores, it almost had a status of being a lesser tournmant in comparrison to the IPL, and everything was just so hidden.
It felt like this finals was some underground thing, which is just... wrong...
On December 12 2013 11:19 DRTnOOber wrote: Best game of all time is Scarlett VS Bomber in Redbull Battlegrounds.
I don't even think that was the best Scarlett game...this year even.
Dream vs Scarlett alone was better in ATC finals imo.
Agreed. I don't know if it's because it was Day9 endorsed or what, but there's no way Scarlett vs Bomber was the best of all time (not to say it wasn't incredible and I wasn't shitting my pants watching it, but I think it loses handily to Nestea vs sC and MMA vs DRG/Gumiho, among others).
And that Dream Scarlett game was fucking bonkers, I'd rate it above the vs Bomber one as well.
On December 12 2013 10:28 Stancel wrote: I will be very surprised if either/both the Blizzard Cup and GSL Oct 2011 finals aren't in the top 3. Thinking about them still gives me chills.
edit: mobile pls
the October 2011 finals weren't even that good, really. it was just everything around them that made them memorable: the huge, amazing foreign crowd, the ungodly hype surrounding the two players who were clearly the best two in the world at the time, the number one fan favorite going up against a player on the verge of bonjwa-hood, etc. the games themselves were meh.
Pretty sure Jjakji vs Leenock was October 2011, not DRG vs MMA.
MMA vs Mvp was October, JJakji Leenock was November.
My top two are Mvp/Squirtle and MMA/DRG, possibly in part because my two favorite players won and I was riding a completely insane emotional roller coaster during them from the 3-0 to 3-3 to 4-3.
drg vs innovation is better then any other series played every imo. Nestea vs Sc was enjoyable but it certainly isn't close to some of the more recent tvz's that have been produced.
On December 12 2013 13:23 bo1b wrote: drg vs innovation is better then any other series played every imo. Nestea vs Sc was enjoyable but it certainly isn't close to some of the more recent tvz's that have been produced.
Enjoyable...? http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=220213 Feel free to open up any page from around 128 to 160 and tell me that anybody watching the game thought it was just "enjoyable". I get chills from just looking at that thread.
Good writeup, enjoyed reading it. Most of the GSL finals I've watched have been later(the two ZvZs, PvPs for ex) although also watched some of the earlier GSL finals(GSL open seasons(remember open season 2 finals with foxer 2 raxing Nestea and losing lol)). Interesting that I missed some of the more talked about ones even if they were considered bad(mvp vs top/vs squirtle, Nestea vs Inca etc...)
On December 12 2013 10:31 TheDougler wrote: 1. MVP vs Squirtle. I really hope fionn does it justice. From it being heralded in 2010 (er... super early 2011 I guess? my memory is foggy), by the Startale vs IM GSTL finals, to the never before or since in a GSL match battlecruiser vs mothership core (unless I'm mistaken?), hell I even thought that game 5 and 6 were great, though I realize my opinion is in the minority there. To finally, MVP being the king of wings. It takes a true champion to pull off a move like that in game seven. Proxy 11/11 rax? No way. NO WAY does a person of such infinite starcraft stratigical depth as MVP do that in the most important game of the night. This was the SC2 equivalent (I think?) of Boxer bunker rushing yellow three games in a row. What a finals that was...
I think Jaedong and life play risky strats a decent amount in important games(Jaedong in BW and in SCII(6 pool Scarlett in a BO5 to win for ex), life in all the early pools and such). I think it was a great idea by mvp to pull that move off. If it didn't work though, we'll be talking about how Squirtle defended against the 11/11 and that mvp made a bad move lol.
On December 12 2013 13:23 bo1b wrote: drg vs innovation is better then any other series played every imo. Nestea vs Sc was enjoyable but it certainly isn't close to some of the more recent tvz's that have been produced.
Enjoyable...? http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=220213 Feel free to open up any page from around 128 to 160 and tell me that anybody watching the game thought it was just "enjoyable". I get chills from just looking at that thread.
The Nestea vs sC games were very enjoyable from what I recall. Surprising that I still remember exactly how game 5 ended but man, that game was ridiculous. Such a close game as well. Crossfire is a terrible map for zerg, too many chokes and such. sC played really well but I think he overstressed a bit but he couldn't just sit back and allow nestea to make more units without engaging. Thinking back, I do think that the ending wasn't surprising when you consider that nestea had infestors to fungal(I think it was still 8 seconds at the time) and it was like 15 marines or something with tanks for sC so with fungal and some of the zerlings/queen/mutas, he could hold.
I really think MMA vs DRG deserves the #1 spot, it was the best TvZ player vs the best ZvT player, the son of Boxer vs Zergs last hope, it went all 7 games in a nail biter with constant back and forth action, all of the games were pretty good and showed off relatively new strategies (the original Roach / Ling / Bling bust for example), the final game was super close and had an extremely climatic ending, and it happened at the height of Starcraft 2's 2011 hype train where the reign of Starcraft seemed certain and indisputable in front of thousands of cheering fans.
Jjakji vs Leenock was also amazing and deserves a high ranking, but I fear it will be overlooked because the players weren't super popular at the time and Jjakji especially has never been a fan favorite (despite having one of the coolest names in SC2).
Just thinking about them really makes me miss 2011 TvZ
On December 12 2013 13:20 Cinim wrote: I have to disagree with the 8th on this list soo much....
Sniper vs Hyun was certainly not no. 8, it was one of the worst finals ever, I'm not even talking about the gameplay, because it doesn't matter....
It was during IPL, the entire GSL playoffs was completely being ignores, it almost had a status of being a lesser tournmant in comparrison to the IPL, and everything was just so hidden.
It felt like this finals was some underground thing, which is just... wrong...
the gameplay doesn't matter?
ok, lol
it certainly matters to some people, and that was one of the better ZvZ series ever played, if not the best.
On December 12 2013 12:17 bo1b wrote: I hope mvp vs squirtle isn't #1. It's got to be the most over hyped series ever, the "game" that most people talk about was like a 40min no rush into archon toilet, and then mvp won a series by squirtle choking like crazy and waltzing out his base too early.
Like 5 of the games were good, I liked them all except 1 and 4. That contain on Dual Sight, the epic macro game on Entombed Valley.
epic macro? the one where squirtle misrallied like 5 immortals into mvp's base? none of the games were particularly good save the vortex for novelty and the last one due to tension.
Jjaki vs Leenock games are of the highest quality, but as a person who's watched all GSL finals live, I'd have to say that GSL Season 2 is the best, and thus built the most hype for its finals.
On December 12 2013 13:23 bo1b wrote: drg vs innovation is better then any other series played every imo. Nestea vs Sc was enjoyable but it certainly isn't close to some of the more recent tvz's that have been produced.
Enjoyable...? http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=220213 Feel free to open up any page from around 128 to 160 and tell me that anybody watching the game thought it was just "enjoyable". I get chills from just looking at that thread.
It was great at the time but it simply doesn't hold up to some of the later tvz's, both in mechanics and strategy.
I don't know what to say man, people have simply got a lot better since then.
On December 12 2013 12:17 bo1b wrote: I hope mvp vs squirtle isn't #1. It's got to be the most over hyped series ever, the "game" that most people talk about was like a 40min no rush into archon toilet, and then mvp won a series by squirtle choking like crazy and waltzing out his base too early.
Like 5 of the games were good, I liked them all except 1 and 4. That contain on Dual Sight, the epic macro game on Entombed Valley.
epic macro? the one where squirtle misrallied like 5 immortals into mvp's base? none of the games were particularly good save the vortex for novelty and the last one due to tension.
Opinions. I loved the dual sight contain. G1, g2, g3 weren't that memorable, i'd agree.
Hoping jjakji vs Leenock is #1 going to be really disappointed if it's DRG vs MMA. Outside game 7 and maybe 1 other game in that series, it was not good. Sure, game 7 was great, but the rest... meh
On December 12 2013 15:27 Popkiller wrote: if Fionn really did write a "novel" for his #1 choice, it might be because it's an unexpected choice and he has to argue it.
I think a lot of people agree on his #1 pick, actually. Besides, I think the best finals get longer write-ups both because they're high on the list and because they were exciting enough to warrant lots of talk about them.
On December 12 2013 15:21 Shellshock wrote: Hoping jjakji vs Leenock is #1 going to be really disappointed if it's DRG vs MMA. Outside game 7 and maybe 1 other game in that series, it was not good. Sure, game 7 was great, but the rest... meh
Fuck Leenock vs Jjakji, I almost got banned for raging after that series. Watching Jjakji lucksacking his way to victory was like watching Joe Cada winning the WSOP.
I don't think it was that great from a gameplay perspective either
On December 12 2013 13:23 bo1b wrote: drg vs innovation is better then any other series played every imo. Nestea vs Sc was enjoyable but it certainly isn't close to some of the more recent tvz's that have been produced.
Enjoyable...? http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=220213 Feel free to open up any page from around 128 to 160 and tell me that anybody watching the game thought it was just "enjoyable". I get chills from just looking at that thread.
It was great at the time but it simply doesn't hold up to some of the later tvz's, both in mechanics and strategy.
I don't know what to say man, people have simply got a lot better since then.
I dont think it was about how great the mechanics were for that set. People loved it because everyone wanted Nestea to win. We all sat there watching and hoping for Nestea to come out on top. He was in a terrible position then he won it and it was a very close match.
Where is MMA vs Mvp? Wasn't that like at least worst 5? I don't remember it exactly (the only Starcraft game I ever really had to fight sleep), but wasn't it Mvp turtling on 3base Mech for 15mins in all 5games and then pushing out once every game just to get caught unsieged by MMA's bio?
... GSL really wasn't blessed. But #15-#8 all had some really good moments. And yeah, if you put the cheesefest that MMA vs DRG was on #1 instead of the The King beating Squirtle I'm pissed.
Dear vs soO doesn't get enough credit... Dear didn't just all-in everygame. An all-in is where you literally go all-in and there's no possibility of transitioning out.. it's a little misrepresented with that description. Dear would almost always leave an opening to take a 3rd or stop the aggression and transition, but just because the aggression was successful doesn't make it an all-in. There were definitely some intense games as well, and the series being tied 2-2 at one point really added to the suspense. I understand they weren't really well known but since we're looking back on it from a nostalgia perspective, I think it deserves a bit more credit than that,especially knowing how Dear destroyed in the season 3 finals directly after, and the whole Royal Roader aspect. Just my opinion of course but I really enjoyed those games
On December 12 2013 12:17 bo1b wrote: I hope mvp vs squirtle isn't #1. It's got to be the most over hyped series ever, the "game" that most people talk about was like a 40min no rush into archon toilet, and then mvp won a series by squirtle choking like crazy and waltzing out his base too early.
Like 5 of the games were good, I liked them all except 1 and 4. That contain on Dual Sight, the epic macro game on Entombed Valley.
epic macro? the one where squirtle misrallied like 5 immortals into mvp's base? none of the games were particularly good save the vortex for novelty and the last one due to tension.
5 immortals? I think you're exaggerating there optown
For some reason DRG was never GSL champion to be reminded of. His performance varied so much (along the lower-mid level) but only the few finals he got into made him recognized but not nearly as much in HotS and the last days of WoL. For me even Sniper stood out more with his single good (yep, late-WoL zerg) performance, made a girl cry and vanished into the nothingness.
On December 12 2013 10:12 packrat386 wrote: Mvp vs Squirtle better be #1. Dat G7
AND game 5. AND the fact Mvp went up 3-0, then Squirtle tied 3-3, then both players won game 7 like three times before Mvp put the nail in the coffin. yup, gotta be #1. MMA vs DRG gonna be very high up too though i bet.
Amazing article! I (obviously) think jjakji vs Leenock is the best finals, but I feel a case could be made for DongRaeGu vs MMA as well. If only DongRaeGu would've made the full comeback...
I didn't like Mvp vs Squirtle that much. Obviously the archon toilet was epic and game seven nailbiting, but otherwise it was very meh.
Jjakji vs Leenock is obviously #1. Best TvZ of WOL by far imo. Don't know how many times I watched those VOD :D DRG vs MMA was amazing too, but mainly because of the storyline and of the last game.
On December 12 2013 10:12 packrat386 wrote: Mvp vs Squirtle better be #1. Dat G7
AND game 5. AND the fact Mvp went up 3-0, then Squirtle tied 3-3, then both players won game 7 like three times before Mvp put the nail in the coffin. yup, gotta be #1. MMA vs DRG gonna be very high up too though i bet.
Even though Mvp vs Squirtle is #1 to me and probably the majority of people (Seems so based on votes and general forum dicussions?), since this is Fionn the #1 will probably be either Jjakji/Leenock or DRG/MMA. Which isn't a bad (Or wrong) choice really. Most would probably agree those are top 3.
It's a really great article, but I can't help but feel like we're waiting for the really meaty part still!
I'd say: 7. MMA/Mvp - fairly anticlimactic tbh. 6. Life/Mvp - also pretty meh. 5. Soulkey/Innovation - good storylines, underdogs, etc, quality of play not brilliant. 4. Jjakji/Leenock - Awesome play but very little for storylines. 3. Mvp/Squirtle - pretty awesome all around in story/gameplay 2. DRG/MMA - awesome storyline, awesome gameplay, tense as fuck. 1. Marineking/Nestea - without a doubt the best storyline in sc2 ever, sensational final game.
But Marineking/Nestea won't come first because it's the most under-rated finals ever. This is also the power rank that put Roro/Symbol and Sniper/Hyun above Mvp/TOP, so...
On December 12 2013 19:15 Yonnua wrote: I'd say: 7. MMA/Mvp - fairly anticlimactic tbh. 6. Life/Mvp - also pretty meh. 5. Soulkey/Innovation - good storylines, underdogs, etc, quality of play not brilliant. 4. Jjakji/Leenock - Awesome play but very little for storylines. 3. Mvp/Squirtle - pretty awesome all around in story/gameplay 2. DRG/MMA - awesome storyline, awesome gameplay, tense as fuck. 1. Marineking/Nestea - without a doubt the best storyline in sc2 ever, sensational final game.
But Marineking/Nestea won't come first because it's the most under-rated finals ever. This is also the power rank that put Roro/Symbol and Sniper/Hyun above Mvp/TOP, so...
Sniper vs HyuN was wayyyy better than Mvp/TOP. That final was awful 1 sided stomp outside of game 1. Sniper vs HyuN was actually fairly good and back and forth
On December 12 2013 17:38 kisoso wrote: For some reason DRG was never GSL champion to be reminded of. His performance varied so much (along the lower-mid level) but only the few finals he got into made him recognized but not nearly as much in HotS and the last days of WoL. For me even Sniper stood out more with his single good (yep, late-WoL zerg) performance, made a girl cry and vanished into the nothingness.
Can't imagine how you came to that conclusion. DRG was fairly hyped around mid-2011 and finally established himself as a top-tier player from the 2011 Blizzard Cup to like Summer 2012 where his Busan dream died twice, and then Rain stole his OSL.
Maybe its just because he only won once, but he earned his respect at the top and held the title of best zerg and player for a couple of months. Mainly by owning foreign events and being arguably the best GSTL player ever.
I mean if nothing else, DRG's gsl win could be considered something that was a long time coming. A hyped player that finally lived up to the buzz.
On December 12 2013 17:38 kisoso wrote: For some reason DRG was never GSL champion to be reminded of. His performance varied so much (along the lower-mid level) but only the few finals he got into made him recognized but not nearly as much in HotS and the last days of WoL. For me even Sniper stood out more with his single good (yep, late-WoL zerg) performance, made a girl cry and vanished into the nothingness.
Can't imagine how you came to that conclusion. DRG was fairly hyped around mid-2011 and finally established himself as a top-tier player from the 2011 Blizzard Cup to like Summer 2012 where his Busan dream died twice, and then Rain stole his OSL.
Maybe its just because he only won once, but he earned his respect at the top and held the title of best zerg and player for a couple of months. Mainly by owning foreign events and being arguably the best GSTL player ever.
I mean if nothing else, DRG's gsl win could be considered something that was a long time coming. A hyped player that finally lived up to the buzz.
Oh god... That was actually the most scary part of his dominance. So amazing when he got that first allkill and then ogsMC called him out on Crevasse and DRG just busted the best and most aggressive player of his time. Biggest victim of BL/Infestor... From being the only Zerg able to compete with Code S Terrans to a medicro Code S player.
DRG was the Team-league monster. He was killing Nerds left and right. He was scary, but he also needed to attend more foreign tournaments. He's always been much better with less time to prepare for a series. (Something we're seeing a lot more, now, as a skill that's different than being able to play at a high-level over a weekend. )
Nestea vs Inca has a shot where, I think during the break after game 2, Artosis gives one of those faces that just says "oh geez, I could do better!" about Inca's play. I don't know if this is reflected in the VODs, but there was also something like a 15 minute break after game 2, as they knew they had to get the commercials in.
MVP vs TOP is one of those series that Game 1 was everything TOP had. He played badly after game 1, but the major problem, which was very noticeable, is MVP broke his Will. In real-time. Game 1 showed TOP could fight with MVP, but the truth is that it took everything TOP had to hold together during Game 1. That broke him. I'm not sure he ever actually did much after that, either.
On December 12 2013 19:40 FrostedMiniWheats wrote:
On December 12 2013 17:38 kisoso wrote: For some reason DRG was never GSL champion to be reminded of. His performance varied so much (along the lower-mid level) but only the few finals he got into made him recognized but not nearly as much in HotS and the last days of WoL. For me even Sniper stood out more with his single good (yep, late-WoL zerg) performance, made a girl cry and vanished into the nothingness.
Can't imagine how you came to that conclusion. DRG was fairly hyped around mid-2011 and finally established himself as a top-tier player from the 2011 Blizzard Cup to like Summer 2012 where his Busan dream died twice, and then Rain stole his OSL.
Maybe its just because he only won once, but he earned his respect at the top and held the title of best zerg and player for a couple of months. Mainly by owning foreign events and being arguably the best GSTL player ever.
I mean if nothing else, DRG's gsl win could be considered something that was a long time coming. A hyped player that finally lived up to the buzz.
Oh god... That was actually the most scary part of his dominance. So amazing when he got that first allkill and then ogsMC called him out on Crevasse and DRG just busted the best and most aggressive player of his time. Biggest victim of BL/Infestor... From being the only Zerg able to compete with Code S Terrans to a medicro Code S player.
Idk if I'd got that far. Leenock was really good too, Nestea held his own, Symbol was beginning to emerge prior to BL-infestor, and even July had some success with his weird aggressive style.
1. DRG v. Genius 2. DRG v. MMA 3. The final that took place in an alternate universe where DRG beat MC and then went on to beat Seed in Busan. 4. Jjakji v. Leenock 5. Mvp v. Squirtle (Way overhyped imo but people liek it so w/e)
On December 12 2013 21:55 TommyP wrote: My top 5 finals
1. DRG v. Genius 2. DRG v. MMA 3. The final that took place in an alternate universe where DRG beat MC and then went on to beat Seed in Busan. 4. Jjakji v. Leenock 5. Mvp v. Squirtle (Way overhyped imo but people liek it so w/e)
sad.
leenock v jjakji easily #1 in terms of quality...
except for that blunder in g1 where leenock accidentally detonated a whole ctrl grp of blings...if he hadnt done that, i bet he woulda won that game...n the series coulda gone to him...
On December 12 2013 19:40 FrostedMiniWheats wrote:
On December 12 2013 17:38 kisoso wrote: For some reason DRG was never GSL champion to be reminded of. His performance varied so much (along the lower-mid level) but only the few finals he got into made him recognized but not nearly as much in HotS and the last days of WoL. For me even Sniper stood out more with his single good (yep, late-WoL zerg) performance, made a girl cry and vanished into the nothingness.
Can't imagine how you came to that conclusion. DRG was fairly hyped around mid-2011 and finally established himself as a top-tier player from the 2011 Blizzard Cup to like Summer 2012 where his Busan dream died twice, and then Rain stole his OSL.
Maybe its just because he only won once, but he earned his respect at the top and held the title of best zerg and player for a couple of months. Mainly by owning foreign events and being arguably the best GSTL player ever.
I mean if nothing else, DRG's gsl win could be considered something that was a long time coming. A hyped player that finally lived up to the buzz.
Oh god... That was actually the most scary part of his dominance. So amazing when he got that first allkill and then ogsMC called him out on Crevasse and DRG just busted the best and most aggressive player of his time. Biggest victim of BL/Infestor... From being the only Zerg able to compete with Code S Terrans to a medicro Code S player.
Idk if I'd got that far. Leenock was really good too, Nestea held his own, Symbol was beginning to emerge prior to BL-infestor, and even July had some success with his weird aggressive style.
Obviously an exaggeration on my part. But he actually was the only Zerg for a couple of months after the Jjakji-Leenock finals that was able to compete for championships in early 2012, all others being miles beyond, especially in TvZ.
I am kinda disapointed with how low the MC games are in the rankings despite acknowledging him as part of the big 3 of the early days with Nestea and MVP. His sheer dominance was great to watch as a fanboi at least.
To my mind, the recent Hotsix final deserves a higher ranking. It was the best play from two players I remember watching in a GSL final.
* On the same tangent, I find the squirtle vs. MVP series really overrated. Yes it came down to the last set, and yes the atmosphere was exciting, but it showcased sloppy play by both players. In particular, the famous vortex/black hole game was decided after endless, no-action camping on a bad map.
On December 12 2013 20:43 Taf the Ghost wrote: MVP vs TOP is one of those series that Game 1 was everything TOP had. He played badly after game 1, but the major problem, which was very noticeable, is MVP broke his Will. In real-time. Game 1 showed TOP could fight with MVP, but the truth is that it took everything TOP had to hold together during Game 1. That broke him. I'm not sure he ever actually did much after that, either.
Pretty sad when you consider he never played another tournament for literally years. And then he spent years teamless after oGs disbanded.
On December 13 2013 04:58 Muffloe wrote: Mvp - Squirtle definately be nr 1! It is the sports storyline of the millennia imo
I mean if we're going off of story I think Life vs MVP is unbeatable by any tournament thus far in sc2. It's like a prime example of why I get so ticked off when whiners complain Koreans provide no storylines -_-
In a brave new world with Kespa players on the horizon...
Potential 1st Royal Roader vs Potential 5x gsl champ.
Innovative Prodigy vs Experienced Veteran
One dominates one of the hardest gsl paths ever vs Underdog who miraculously wins round after round
On December 13 2013 04:58 Muffloe wrote: Mvp - Squirtle definately be nr 1! It is the sports storyline of the millennia imo
I mean if we're going off of story I think Life vs MVP is unbeatable by any tournament thus far in sc2. It's like a prime example of why I get so ticked off when whiners complain Koreans provide no storylines -_-
In a brave new world with Kespa players on the horizon...
Potential 1st Royal Roader vs Potential 5x gsl champ.
Innovative Prodigy vs Experienced Veteran
One dominates one of the hardest gsl paths ever vs Underdog who miraculously wins round after round
Had everything except the most important ingredient which was awesome games D:
Definitely great. The series was great, the context was great, it's probably in the top 3 of most hyped series of all time, and the games were okay enough to not kill the mood. I understand people will hunt down Fionn and kill him, if he doesn't put the other two popular series in #1 and #2, but Life vs Mvp better be #3.
On December 12 2013 15:21 Shellshock wrote: Hoping jjakji vs Leenock is #1 going to be really disappointed if it's DRG vs MMA. Outside game 7 and maybe 1 other game in that series, it was not good. Sure, game 7 was great, but the rest... meh
Calling game 7 great is somewhat of an understatement...
Jjakji-Leenock was a very good finals, but it's really a shame it didn't go to Game 7. There is just something amazing about the ace match, where a win for both players and a loss for both players means so much. That's #3 on my list personally.
Mvp-Squirtle is #2. That Game 7 by Mvp was really sick, an amazing comeback after a failed cheese.
MMA vs DRG at blizzard cup finals was by far the best, 3-0 in to 3-3, which then led to awesome game in shakuras where it got to late game, saw awesome multitask, and it came down to like the last UNIT.
On December 12 2013 15:21 Shellshock wrote: Hoping jjakji vs Leenock is #1 going to be really disappointed if it's DRG vs MMA. Outside game 7 and maybe 1 other game in that series, it was not good. Sure, game 7 was great, but the rest... meh
Calling game 7 great is somewhat of an understatement...
Jjakji-Leenock was a very good finals, but it's really a shame it didn't go to Game 7. There is just something amazing about the ace match, where a win for both players and a loss for both players means so much. That's #3 on my list personally.
Mvp-Squirtle is #2. That Game 7 by Mvp was really sick, an amazing comeback after a failed cheese.
the sad thing is, if leenock hadnt accidentally detonated a full control group of banelings in game 1, he wouldve won, and the series wouldve went to a g7. but that is part of loving leenock, the fact that his human side shines through sometimes.
On December 13 2013 12:19 igay wrote: yeah that pvp finals was fucked
seed completely outplayed MC, but his getting to the final was a fluke, ghostking had that game on atlantis spaceship but went full NA and SCV-pulled when he didnt have to n threw the game.
On December 13 2013 12:19 igay wrote: yeah that pvp finals was fucked
seed completely outplayed MC, but his getting to the final was a fluke, ghostking had that game on atlantis spaceship but went full NA and SCV-pulled when he didnt have to n threw the game.
Seed got lucky against Byun, but I wouldn't call that alone a fluke. He also beat Curious twice, Taeja, Violet, and Symbol (scariest player that season) along the way too.
Jjakji vs Leenock was probably the best collection of games. Both played extremely well, will never forget all the sick moves Jjakji pulled off in game 1 in particular on TDA.
I just can't get over MMA vs DRG though, I know a number of the games weren't amazing, but the story line...3-0 into 3-3 into one of the best games of all time in a deciding 7th game, it's pretty hard to beat. The casting was incredible from Tastosis, got the biggest nerd chills ever. Just an amazing game to end a fascinating series.
Hell I like Mvp; but even a year and a half later I'm still disgusted and frustrated by that proxy rax loss. X-D
Was a surprisingly good series throughout for a finals, too. No truly terrible games compared to other finals.
Seed/MC was such a let down. PvP had been starting to get pretty good and develop a lot more, and people were just starting to really understand what they were seeing. Stage all set to be a showcase of modern (for the time) PvP. Instead it just fell flat. :-\
Man, this writer is such a negative nancy. So what the games weren't as good as we see them today, point out the landmarks and beginnings of refined strategy or just talk about the series positive effects on upcoming games to follow. These games are the youth of modern day sc2. They should be better respected.
On December 15 2013 08:17 Chromanin wrote: Man, this writer is such a negative nancy. So what the games weren't as good as we see them today, point out the landmarks and beginnings of refined strategy or just talk about the series positive effects on upcoming games to follow. These games are the youth of modern day sc2. They should be better respected.
Some of these finals were not bad games compared to nowadays. They were bad compared to the whole season they were played (ro32 to ro4).
On December 16 2013 05:45 Maesy wrote: Don't quite understand one of the most "meh' GSL seasons at the #8 spot during blord/infestor WoL era.
It's for the same reason that even during the worst of GomTvT, we still had amazing games. Most games were boring, because we had so much TvT. But we also had some of the most epic TvT of all time played at that time. And that GSL final was nearly glorious
That blizzcup final where MMA sneaks out a small tank/marine batallion to take out DRGs last mining base will forever have itself burned into my heart.
Seeing FruitDealer vs RainBOw @ #15 makes me sad. That was one of the most epic, storied and emotional finals SC2 has ever had. People will be remembering FruitDealer vs. RainBOw for many years to come, and yet its ranked lower than Sniper vs HyuN, What a shame..
That comeback from Squirtle in G5 was so fucking amazing, and the proxy rax in G7 was genius.
I remember being in the crowd when Naniwa proxy 2 gated Hyun at IEM New York and the fans went fucking wild. I can only imagine how the atmosphere in the GomTv studios was that day...
people think we just sprinkle fairy dust and our fingernails vomit articles D:
Nah people just think you have both written i guess (would make sense too ) But whatever, great article, the second one will probably hit in a few days a christmas present?^^
can we get an update as to when the next part is going to get posted? I thought for sure it was going to be a Christmas miracle... can we expect to to end the year?
EPT
NesTea vs. 
InCa
Mvp vs. ![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/GSL/bestfinalswol/resized/ionowhatmvpiswinning.jpg)
![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/GSL/bestfinalswol/resized/mcjuly.jpg)
![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/GSL/bestfinalswol/resized/mvptop.jpg)
![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/GSL/bestfinalswol/resized/fruitdealerrainbow.jpg)
![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/GSL/bestfinalswol/resized/rorosymbol.jpg)
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![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/xn9np.jpg)
