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TaeJa career story - part 1 (WoL)

Forum Index > SC2 General
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Thorin
Profile Blog Joined November 2009
601 Posts
March 09 2014 22:20 GMT
#1
[image loading]

'From the practice hall to the podium' is part one of the career story of Team Liquid's Yun 'TaeJa' Young Seo, covering his time competing in Wings of Liberty. TaeJa was able to progress from a player unable to qualify for GSL Code A to a team league master, foreign tournament master and eventual Code S semi-finalist.

Some of the story-lines discussed:

- TaeJa's introduction to SC2, encouragement to compete in GSL from a teacher and the opposition of his parents.
- Struggling to make an impact in any kind of league, early on.
- Beginning to dominate the weekly online tournament scene in Korea.
- Reaching his first GSL Code S Ro8 finishes and joining Team Liquid.
- Going on a three month romp of four top four finishes in foreign offline tournaments.
- Reaching GSL Code S semi-finals.
- Closing out WoL with a final run at the GSL title.

Some quotes to whet your appetite:

The start of TaeJa's SC2 career:
As a 15 year old, TaeJa began playing StarCraft II for fun, with the game released in the Summer of 2010. He picked Terran as his race due to watching the play of Ensnare during the beta period and considering him to be almost unfairly good. After the youngster had begun placed highly on the ladder, a teacher encouraged him to try to qualify for the first GSL (GOMtv StarCraft League) Open season. So it was that TaeJa entered the preliminaries of the inaugural season, progressing through into the main tournament. After a walkover victory put him into the Ro32, he was defeated by the Zerg player Fruitdealer, who went on to win the tournament.


Storming the online weekly cup scene:
Over the rest of 2011, TaeJa would continually enter online tournaments in Korea, particularly the ESV TV Korean Weekly, a tournament specifically organised to give a chance for Code A and Code B players to prove their worth. TaeJa would finish first in six of these tournaments, twice going on runs of three straight weekly wins. Adding in his two victories in MyCall StarCraft II League Seasons, TaeJa's online form for the year saw him quickly catch the eye of those looking out for rising talent within the Korean scene.


Earning his first offline trophy:
Just over a week after his GSL Ro8 disappointment, TaeJa flew to New York City for the MLG Summer Arena tournament he had qualified for. At this tournament TaeJa would unleash an unbeatable run of form, blitzing through seven straight series and to the title. Along the way he dropped only four maps total, making his map score 14:4, and defeated the likes of GanZi, LosirA, First and Alicia. The latter, his finals opponent, had made the final of NASL3, the previous week, and was equally considered to be in blistering form. With a 4:2 win over Alicia in that final, TaeJa secured his first ever offline SC2 trophy.


Destroying the IPL TAC3 for Team Liquid:
That SlayerS win had put Team Liquid into the final of the tournament, where they were set to face Incredible Miracle, the Korean team that boasted three time GSL champions Mvp and NesTea, as well as newly crowned GSL champion Seed. Coming from the lower bracket, TaeJa's Liquid needed to win two matches to take the title. In the opening series TaeJa continued to be an unbeatable master of the game, all-killing IM. Among his victims were the aforementioned Seed and NesTea. Liquid were now one series from winning the tournament, all on the back of exceptional play by a single player.


Falling to HerO in the Dreamhack Winter final:
With Team Liquid team-mate HerO reaching the final from the other side of the bracket, spectators could be forgiven for imagining TaeJa was going to add a fourth foreign title to his haul for 2012. The previous two times the two had met offline, at ASUS ROG Summer and the MLG Summer Championship, TaeJa had beaten his fellow Korean. If Protoss had been a bane for TaeJa in key moments in 2012 then this final would prove the ultimate embarrassment against the sons of Aiur. TaeJa was swept out of the final in a 4:0 stomp by HerO.


The entire article can be read at OnGamers.
Paljas
Profile Joined October 2011
Germany6926 Posts
March 10 2014 16:53 GMT
#2
enjoyed reading it
TL+ Member
Thorin
Profile Blog Joined November 2009
601 Posts
March 11 2014 02:41 GMT
#3
Thanks
Gorlin
Profile Joined November 2010
United States2753 Posts
March 11 2014 03:06 GMT
#4
Nice read, the Summer of Taeja was one of the most exciting periods of Starcraft in my opinion, was just insane how much better he looked than basically anybody else. Even if he didn't win everything (despite coming close), just watching him play, it didn't look like he could lose. Very 2011 Mvp'esque, he just made it look unfair.
WaGGlez
Profile Joined June 2011
18 Posts
March 11 2014 05:36 GMT
#5
Really nice read Thorin, hope you do more.
NeThZOR
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
South Africa7387 Posts
March 11 2014 05:41 GMT
#6
Well written, keep it up
SuperNova - 2015 | SKT1 fan for years | Dear, FlaSh, PartinG, Soulkey, Naniwa
cutler
Profile Joined March 2010
Germany609 Posts
March 11 2014 06:20 GMT
#7
career story? does that mean he retires?
mmwork
Profile Joined March 2014
3 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-03-11 07:55:48
March 11 2014 07:52 GMT
#8
Mod edit

User was banned for this post.
igay
Profile Blog Joined November 2011
Australia1178 Posts
March 11 2014 07:57 GMT
#9
nice read!
MVP <3 MKP <3 DRG <3
nobodywonder
Profile Blog Joined July 2012
United States848 Posts
March 11 2014 08:10 GMT
#10
great read! although now i don't follow starcraft 2 much, this still reminds me of the great experience of enjoying starcraft 2, all its awesome games and players
i want nobody nobody but you! *clap* *clap*- wonder girls
ETisME
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
12476 Posts
March 11 2014 09:08 GMT
#11
how did I miss this wow
Thanks :D
其疾如风,其徐如林,侵掠如火,不动如山,难知如阴,动如雷震。
fusefuse
Profile Blog Joined February 2011
Estonia4644 Posts
March 11 2014 09:53 GMT
#12
lovely read, great stuff thorin!
Liquipedia@jkursk
MirageTaN
Profile Joined June 2012
Singapore871 Posts
March 11 2014 11:07 GMT
#13
Anything about TaeJa is good. I just love his play and his risky yet calculated at times high aggro smart play. He is basically the MVP that I wish had existed during 2011 MVP domination. To me MVP is kinda passive and just boring at times but with TaeJa he always delivers the best games like TaeJa vs INnoVation
#TLWIN TI7, TLDota BEST TL
paddyz
Profile Joined May 2011
Ireland628 Posts
March 16 2014 01:38 GMT
#14
Taeja retire incoming?
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