duckdeok ended his career the same way he spent most of it: trying to fight his way into the spotlight.
by stuchiu
For sOs and duckdeok, BlizzCon was a tournament of peculiar parallels. Both were Protoss players with a talent for surprising their opponents off-guard with clever all-ins. Both entered the WCS Global Finals without fanfare or expectations. Both were relegated to the backstage area to play out their first couple of matches on the side-stream.
However, that's where the similarities would end. sOs forced his way onto the main stage and into spotlight, defeating opponent after opponent to win the biggest tournament of the year. duckdeok fought with all of his might and made it to the quarterfinals, but was ultimately eliminated before he could receive the cheers from the audience at Anaheim. For sOs, BlizzCon was a beginning. For duckdeok, it was the end.
A few weeks later, duckdeok would announce his retirement from professional gaming, deciding to return to his studies after having had the best year of his short career.
Going into BlizzCon, duckdeok seemed all but doomed. The WCS point system had done its work properly and the #2 seed INnoVation was handed a heavily favorable match-up against #15 seed duckdeok in the Ro16. Most of the global finalists pointed to INnoVation as the elephant in the room, the player who was the greatest threat to take home the championship. Even though he had ceased to be totally invincible as he had been at the beginning of HotS, few other players inspired as much fear in their opponents. Terran vs. Terran was his only weakness, and that would not come into play against duckdeok.
duckdeok could only seem like a minnow in comparison. When INnoVation was ruling Korea with an iron fist in WCS Season 1, duckdeok had been struggling to make it into the Premier division in Europe, the weakest WCS region. Though duckdeok would star in a most heartwarming and dramatic tale as he took the WCS EU Season 2 championship, no amount of sentimentality would help him measure up to a player like INnoVation who was considered the best Terran in the world.
It was a monumental mismatch. The fans, the experts, and even the bookies were convinced it would be the most one-sided match of the first round, with even a 3-0 win for INnoVation seeming like a reasonable bet.
But while INnoVation may have been looking ahead to later rounds and how he might overcome his TvT weakness, duckdeok had been preparing for the last games of his career.
The series started out with a bang as duckdeok went on the offensive with three consecutive all-ins. That was good enough to put him ahead 2-1 headed into the fourth game, where duckdeok decided to try a macro game. That ended up going about as well as everyone expected, with INnoVation crushing duckdeok to tie up the series 2-2.
In the fifth game, the brilliance of duckdeok's series planning was revealed. The first three games of all-ins had conditioned INnoVation to be cautious. The fourth game told INnoVation that a standard game was still a possibility. But none of that hinted at duckdeok's true trump card in the fifth and final game: an all-out economic gamble. With his tournament life on the line, duckdeok double expanded off one gate.
The gambit paid off spectacularly. INnoVation scanned duckdeok’s main and saw nothing, and immediately started fretting about the possibility of one more all-in. Even though INnoVation wasn’t tricked for long, the damage had been done. With three bunkers built and two scans wasted to find the non-existent all-in, INnoVation found himself facing a huge economic deficit.
Even playing from behind, INnoVation managed to show his class. Deciding the only course of action was to try to beat duckdeok off two bases, he very nearly brought duckdeok to his knees with his non-stop aggression and drop harassment. However, duckdeok rallied back with fantastic play of his own. Despite losing probes, buildings, and units left and right, he was able to stabilize. The game continued to see-saw back and forth, until duckdeok finally completed his crucial psionic storm research to gain the final edge. Finally having the firepower he needed, duckdeok broke down INnoVation’s front door and extracted the final GG.
It was the biggest upset of the tournament, if not one of the biggest upsets of the entire year. INnoVation was the player who had spent all of HotS building his reputation, with every single tournament being part of the build-up to his final coronation at the WCS Global Finals. But the sacrificial lamb ended up fighting back, flipping the script and butting into the story.
There would be little time to celebrate, as no sooner had duckdeok taken out INnoVation than was he forced to climb another mountain. Maru, the rising Terran star and OSL champion, had defeated MC handily in the Ro16 and was ready to take on another Protoss opponent. The first game seemed promising for duckdeok, as he challenged Maru to a straight up macro game and very nearly toppled him with Protoss's late game deathball. However, Maru's unit control and constant medivac harassment were just too much for duckdeok to keep up with, and he was eventually forced to surrender the game.
With his very best effort at a macro game resulting in defeat, duckdeok fell back on his trusty all-ins. He took two consecutive maps with blink-stalkers before losing game four on a failed all-in. Once again put in a do-or-die situation, duckdeok opted to go for a different kind of gamble, going for a proxy-oracle build. Sadly for duckdeok, there would be no second miracle. Maru scouted out the proxy, forcing duckdeok to awkwardly adjust into a different all-in. Maru proved to be more than capable on defense, and duckdeok had no choice but the GG out. For the final time, he packed up his keyboard and mouse.
duckdeok's BlizzCon experience was much like that of his entire career in StarCraft 2. In both victory and defeat, he played with a desperate energy that could only come from a player who had spent three years in the shadows, knowing nothing would be given to him for free. At WCS Europe he earned the championship with his skill, while the cheers, applause and the chanting of his name were bought with his own tears. At BlizzCon, there was one more chance to experience all of that glory, but it was not to be. Instead, it all ended for duckdeok in what must have been the most familiar of settings: in a dark room, trying to escape and earn a chance to play in front of the world.
At least for duckdeok, the finale came after he had reached his dream. He had won a championship before it was all over, he had travelled around the globe, and he had played some of the best players in the world and had won. Though not a player to be counted among the greats, he had left his mark and would be remembered.
There is another important achievement in duckdeok's career, though it might not be one he realizes himself. To us, he became the face of the faceless Koreans. The players who practice day and night, knowing that their hard work may never amount to anything, that few will ever even know their names. The best they might hope for is a single moment of recognition, a single day in the sun. As duckdeok showed, that one moment can make it all worth it.
What makes duckdeok's retirement sad for me is that he seemed to be on the up. Things looked bright in the future for him and although he didn't get the recognition he deserved, he was only getting better.
And then he tossed his hat into the ring and walked out without fanfare. It's a shame that even going out on a good note wasn't enough to put him in the spotlight. His retirement was like one who was long past their prime and had faded into obscurity, but instead it seems that duckdeok had never really fully broken through obscurity in the first place.
But I'm really glad that duckdeok got his championship and his trophy. It clearly meant the world to him. SC2 needs players who care that much and have that much desire to win. He deserves to be remembered for that.
I would have liked him more if he wasn't the premier example of a cheesy protoss who relied on all-ins a lot. Although I respect him for his clever strategizing and desire to win.
At least for duckdeok, the finale came after he had reached his dream. He had won a championship before it was all over, he had travelled around the globe, and he had played some of the best players in the world and had won. Though not a player to be counted among the greats, he had left his mark and would be remembered.
I think this paragraph captures the whole article perfectly, great writing.
Thanks for the read. It's true. DuckDeok actually showed it all so much more to us than we knew. Brilliantly put in the last paragraph there. I wish him good luck in his future, he obviously ended it in a somewhat sad but still good run.
Dem beggining of tears from Kaelarys were also a strong moment, when he said that he was moved to see a Korean crying. no more "no emotion" Taeja-like reaction to winning, that was cute :p bye Duckdeok !
I still remember watching him play in the GSTL as finale made me so happy when he won WCS EU. From werra to WCS EU may be one of the best stories in esports.
What an inspirational player. I remember hearing his name a lot before he wound up retiring. It's not like he never made it into the spotlight. It's just that he never became talk of the town like a Rain, sOs, or Innovation.
Sorry to say that but he could have done more to get into the spotlight. His style was boring, cheesy and rage-inducing - it's only his fault that his games were usually the last in the line to get streamed.
The greatest players, those that I respect, always do everything not only to win but also to entertain the crowd. This is something that a lot of progamers failt to realize. Guess why Boxer has been always the most popular player, someone that everybody always desires to watch? Even way past his prime, when he was no longer relevant in terms of championship caliber players, he would make sure that his games are a one of a kind experience and the spectator would feel like watching him play wasn't a wasted time.
Who wanted to watch duckduck games? Nobody, except some protoss players who were looking to steal an easy build in order to get some free ladder points.
I watched most of his WCS EU games(in the later rounds) and was cheering for him to beat MC then when he won and cried, you could feel his emotions. I missed his games against Innovation (heard about them) but watched his games against Maru and saw him hold off against Maru in a nail biting game cheering for him all the way. It's really sad that he retired but glad to know he ended up achieving what he wanted to do before retiring. Thanks for the good read! Best of luck Duckdeok!
On December 19 2013 02:37 rafaliusz wrote: Who wanted to watch duckduck games? Nobody, except some protoss players who were looking to steal an easy build in order to get some free ladder points.
I agree that some people won't like Duckdeok's style but I disagree on this part. I don't play protoss, terran from like several months back if not more but I liked and didn't mind watching his games at all. He played the game to win. He didn't try to pander to the crowd. That last game against Innovation also shows he can mind game and his games against Maru show that he has one of the best micro we've seen from protoss players to date. I prefer watching his style over some other protoss players.
It was unfortunate that he didn't get a chance to play on the main stage at Blizzcon, even after going through Innovation.
On December 19 2013 02:37 rafaliusz wrote: Who wanted to watch duckduck games? Nobody, except some protoss players who were looking to steal an easy build in order to get some free ladder points.
On December 19 2013 02:37 rafaliusz wrote: Sorry to say that but he could have done more to get into the spotlight. His style was boring, cheesy and rage-inducing - it's only his fault that his games were usually the last in the line to get streamed.
The greatest players, those that I respect, always do everything not only to win but also to entertain the crowd. This is something that a lot of progamers failt to realize. Guess why Boxer has been always the most popular player, someone that everybody always desires to watch? Even way past his prime, when he was no longer relevant in terms of championship caliber players, he would make sure that his games are a one of a kind experience and the spectator would feel like watching him play wasn't a wasted time.
Who wanted to watch duckduck games? Nobody, except some protoss players who were looking to steal an easy build in order to get some free ladder points.
I don't play Protoss like him at all, I'm a big fan of MC's since day 1 so you know how mad I was when he beat MC, but I like to watch finale play nonetheless. Sure he had a very limited range of build orders, but he knew how to deal with this weakness. Seeing his micro and his mindgaming about his own reputation in long series was just beautiful. He just tried very hard with what little he had.
We don't always need a legendary guy doing incredible feats. Sometimes the embodiment of the shounen spirit is inspirational too.
On December 19 2013 02:37 rafaliusz wrote: Sorry to say that but he could have done more to get into the spotlight. His style was boring, cheesy and rage-inducing - it's only his fault that his games were usually the last in the line to get streamed.
The greatest players, those that I respect, always do everything not only to win but also to entertain the crowd. This is something that a lot of progamers failt to realize. Guess why Boxer has been always the most popular player, someone that everybody always desires to watch? Even way past his prime, when he was no longer relevant in terms of championship caliber players, he would make sure that his games are a one of a kind experience and the spectator would feel like watching him play wasn't a wasted time.
Who wanted to watch duckduck games? Nobody, except some protoss players who were looking to steal an easy build in order to get some free ladder points.
I stayed up the whole night to watch his games at blizzcon. i was sohappy when he won against innovation. and the series against maru almost gave me a heart attack. it was really really close. duckdeok will always be my hero :')
Duckdeok's victory, in my opinion, and i say this is a jaedong fanboy, is greater than any other victory imagineable. He spend years in which no one knew about him, he likely won't be remembered for much longer. He struggled and toiled, and he played his best, and while his best wasn't enough, to me its all that matters.
I'm almost crying.. gosh, duckdeok, I never cheered for you and I hated you for kicking Innovation's butt at Blizzcon. I loved Maru for destroying you... but now, I just feel sorry for that
So sad, his tears won me over, and his victory over innovation was awesome. He retires, but he should feel proud knowing he gave it his all and did damn well
Stuichu I know people say this a lot, but there's no way they can say it enough: Your writing gives me chills. It reminds me every time exactly what it is to be an esports fan. Thank you.
On December 19 2013 02:37 rafaliusz wrote: Sorry to say that but he could have done more to get into the spotlight. His style was boring, cheesy and rage-inducing - it's only his fault that his games were usually the last in the line to get streamed.
The greatest players, those that I respect, always do everything not only to win but also to entertain the crowd. This is something that a lot of progamers failt to realize. Guess why Boxer has been always the most popular player, someone that everybody always desires to watch? Even way past his prime, when he was no longer relevant in terms of championship caliber players, he would make sure that his games are a one of a kind experience and the spectator would feel like watching him play wasn't a wasted time.
Who wanted to watch duckduck games? Nobody, except some protoss players who were looking to steal an easy build in order to get some free ladder points.
On December 19 2013 02:37 rafaliusz wrote: Sorry to say that but he could have done more to get into the spotlight. His style was boring, cheesy and rage-inducing - it's only his fault that his games were usually the last in the line to get streamed.
The greatest players, those that I respect, always do everything not only to win but also to entertain the crowd. This is something that a lot of progamers failt to realize. Guess why Boxer has been always the most popular player, someone that everybody always desires to watch? Even way past his prime, when he was no longer relevant in terms of championship caliber players, he would make sure that his games are a one of a kind experience and the spectator would feel like watching him play wasn't a wasted time.
Who wanted to watch duckduck games? Nobody, except some protoss players who were looking to steal an easy build in order to get some free ladder points.
I don't have words.
you just wrote 4 of them(with a period might I add)
On December 19 2013 02:37 rafaliusz wrote: Sorry to say that but he could have done more to get into the spotlight. His style was boring, cheesy and rage-inducing - it's only his fault that his games were usually the last in the line to get streamed.
The greatest players, those that I respect, always do everything not only to win but also to entertain the crowd. This is something that a lot of progamers failt to realize. Guess why Boxer has been always the most popular player, someone that everybody always desires to watch? Even way past his prime, when he was no longer relevant in terms of championship caliber players, he would make sure that his games are a one of a kind experience and the spectator would feel like watching him play wasn't a wasted time.
Who wanted to watch duckduck games? Nobody, except some protoss players who were looking to steal an easy build in order to get some free ladder points.
I don't have words.
Yeah, I saw the article and just imaged Idra or someone like that just being like "PFFFFFFFFFF " and moving on.
Anyway, the last paragraph was really interesting. I agree with it completely. But valar morghulis. : (
Watching that last vid is awesome. I LOVE that passion from him. It is a great thing to see. Even being an MC fan I am happy that Duckdeock won. Good crowd too!
At BlizzCon, there was one more chance to experience all of that glory, but it was not to be. Instead, it all ended for duckdeok in what must have been the most familiar of settings: in a dark room, trying to escape and earn a chance to play in front of the world.
This part made me really sad. I was at Blizzcon and was extremely bummed out when I discovered that Innovation vs duckdeok wasn't going to be played on the main stage. And to make matters worse, I couldn't get a connection to watch the stream while there. Been a fan since his beginnings as MVP finale (I like rooting for the underdog) and it sucks I missed his final hurrah. Nice write up, and I wish all the best for duckdeok with his future. His presence and passion will not be forgotten, even if it was short lived.
On December 19 2013 02:37 rafaliusz wrote: Sorry to say that but he could have done more to get into the spotlight. His style was boring, cheesy and rage-inducing - it's only his fault that his games were usually the last in the line to get streamed.
The greatest players, those that I respect, always do everything not only to win but also to entertain the crowd. This is something that a lot of progamers failt to realize. Guess why Boxer has been always the most popular player, someone that everybody always desires to watch? Even way past his prime, when he was no longer relevant in terms of championship caliber players, he would make sure that his games are a one of a kind experience and the spectator would feel like watching him play wasn't a wasted time.
Who wanted to watch duckduck games? Nobody, except some protoss players who were looking to steal an easy build in order to get some free ladder points.
This just reminds me of the loads of other players working hard in the shadows in the hopes that one day they may get the chance to compete on any stage, let alone a global one. We probably don't know their names or even that they exist but I think duckdeok is probably a good as inspiration as any for these unknown players to keep at it.
To all those players I do not know, don't give up and I hope to see you soon. =D
To duckdeok, thanks for giving me the faith to try once more.
1. Tried not to cry. 2. laid down on a bed. 3. Cry alot. Props to the author and to Duckdeok. Duckdeok was the ultimate expression of hard work. He didn't get much attention and was stuck mainly in the shadows of the other greats of MVP. After two years, he finally got the respect from other players, and the admiration of all of us. The times he earned his due, he showed us how hard he worked and how much one tournament could mean to a person. I wish him the absolute best. He works so damn hard and hope he gets the fat paycheck he deserves.
"There is another important achievement in duckdeok's career, though it might not be one he realizes himself. To us, he became the face of the faceless Koreans. The players who practice day and night, knowing that their hard work may never amount to anything, that few will ever even know their names. The best they might hope for is a single moment of recognition, a single day in the sun. As duckdeok showed, that one moment can make it all worth it."
The writing actually gave me chills. Finale was always the team league-guy who went to WCS EU and took the foreigner's chance of the spotlight, but he seemingly deserved it. The 3-2 against INnoVation was amazing, and I'm actually going to go re-watch it now. Sick writing skills to seal Finale into the Hall of Champions.
Hopefully someone can link duckdeok to all the articles that TL has written about him, I'm sure he'd be touched (not sure how good his English is but hopefully someone can translate for him)
On December 19 2013 14:04 HolyArrow wrote: Hopefully someone can link duckdeok to all the articles that TL has written about him, I'm sure he'd be touched (not sure how good his English is but hopefully someone can translate for him)
Isn't there an MVP representative on TL? Someone who loves DRG a lot? lol. I'm sure he can pass the link to DRG -> Duckdeok
So sad to see him go. Watching him win Season 2 was incredibly emotional for everyone watching. Great write up. Hope Finale's future is as inspirational as his Championship win.
A touching read, while I had never truly followed duckdeok I must say what I know about his story is an incredible one. I've also watched some of his games, including a brief cameo in GSL Code S for I believe was 2 seasons, I watched some of his games in his winning WCS EU, it was incredible watching him beat fan faves like Grubby and MC with sheer determination and almost no crowd support. The "face of faceless Koreans" was truly fitting for him, he showed everyone that behind every |||||||||||| KR GM/High Masters was a human being working his arse off hoping to create a career in a game he loves, sadly most fail without ever being noticed. Goodbye, good luck and thank you for the memories!
A Fantastic read, the WCS Season 2 final moment is one of the best in SC2 History so far..those tears are for real and for the hard work he putted in. Duckdeok you deserve a place in SC2 history. I Hope he sees this blogpost, hes worth knowing he will be remembered!
Excellent write up. While it has a sad tone to it, we can't forget he was vastly more successful than most Korean players. Winning a WCS championship is more than the majority can hope to achieve. There are many players who retire without ever getting into code S, for instance.
beautiful article. finale was always one of those players that you sensed had something going. some of them fade away, some ignite, and some just goes for one gigantic supernova of a sudden impact, like him, and he did it both game-wise and in his and our hearts.
On December 20 2013 02:10 shid0x wrote: I hated him as a player and as a person in starcraft 2. That doesn't mean i don't wish him the best for the future
Good luck duckduck !
Never understood people who hate the ones who share same interests and spend all their live of what you like.
On December 20 2013 02:10 shid0x wrote: I hated him as a player and as a person in starcraft 2. That doesn't mean i don't wish him the best for the future
Good luck duckduck !
Never understood people who hate the ones who share same interests and spend all their live of what you like.
My interests do not include cheesing the best players out of tournaments. Sorry.
Excellent write-up. Is the 'greatest story never told' title a running gag around here? sOs winning Blizzcon got the same one! They can't both be the greatest stories never told. :o
On December 20 2013 02:10 shid0x wrote: I hated him as a player and as a person in starcraft 2. That doesn't mean i don't wish him the best for the future
Good luck duckduck !
Never understood people who hate the ones who share same interests and spend all their live of what you like.
I met him at WCS world. spoke to him,didn't like him. That's all.
I don't really know what to say to this, but this was a well-deserved and awesome write-up. Before those finals happened I was really hoping for Grubby/MC to take it... but I'm so glad it was him now.
Finale.= = Like to share a trivia. Was once selected as an invite for KongFu Cup in the case that FF91 thought that he was an easy opponent. (KongFu Cup is an invitational series host by chinese company Neotv. Usually after a big swap defeat they tend to invite a weaker Korean for next match-up. For same purpose they invited Lure and Dreamertt for NSL, but Lure took the championship and dreamertt finished top 4). Later Finale joined code S and became one of Artosis's favorite players.
On December 20 2013 02:10 shid0x wrote: I hated him as a player and as a person in starcraft 2. That doesn't mean i don't wish him the best for the future
Good luck duckduck !
Never understood people who hate the ones who share same interests and spend all their live of what you like.
I met him at WCS world. spoke to him,didn't like him. That's all.
So you spoke to him once and didn't like him, so you HATE him as a person in SC2? 0_0 I can easily understand hating him as a player, but...
On December 21 2013 02:52 shid0x wrote: Yes,i'm a huge bitch.
"deal with it"
I hated duckdeok when he won WCS EU, I actually wanted MC to win, just to not have some mvp guy winning. Don't get me wrong, but except for DRG, the mvp guys are mostly the true faceless koreans for me. Then he cried. That didn't make me like his playstyle or anything, but I wasn't mad at him for winning anymore. He showed feelings. A similar case is that I always loved Bomber and Taeja. And then, Bomber won Season II WCS at Gamescom, I was live at the audience - and he didn't even smile for fucks sake. From that moment on, I didn't like him. I even spoke to apollo later while having a cigarette outside and asked him about that lack of feelings of koreans. He said it's really them being shy, not a bad attitude or anything. That is so sad :<. When Taeja won HSC in 2013, I started to dislike him for his lack of cheer. He was really like "oh well I won it so what let me just retire". I think SC2 would be much more "viewable" if players would really show feelings when winning. I'm not into LoL, but those guys usually pull a hell of a fun out of winning.
Whatever, screw those random thoughts. Fly on, little duck.
Hello~your article is excellent and amazing!! I am a fan of taeja. If you have some time, could you write a article for him?? such like "The soul of terran came back from the sport injury hell"~
Hello~your article is excellent and amazing!! I am a fan of taeja. If you have some time, could you write a article for him?? such like "The soul of terran came back from the sport injury hell"~
On December 28 2013 00:57 eric760302 wrote: Hello~your article is excellent and amazing!! I am a fan of taeja. If you have some time, could you write a article for him?? such like "The soul of terran came back from the sport injury hell"~