Hot 6ix GSL Season 1
Code S

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by stuchiu

KT vs SKT is the greatest rivalry in Korean eSports. Over the years, the two telecom juggernauts have spared no expense to field the best teams possible, constantly clashing at the top of the Proleague. Their struggle for dominance in Korea brought about the golden of Brood War and laid the foundation for eSports in Korea. Yet, the war between the Empire and the Kingdom of God has rarely spread beyond the confines of Proleague. Individual leagues instead centered around the story of Flash's personal rivalry with Jaedong.

Though KT vs SKT is already the greatest rivalry, it can still grow, expand, and become even greater. There are new chapters waiting to be written.

Started at the Bottom

Five years. That’s how long KT_Zest has been a professional gamer. Five years of hard work and sleepless hours of practice that have been rewarded, for the most part, with anonymity.

Brood War was decent to Zest, but not kind. With no notable individual league achievements, he bounced around a few teams before finding a place on KT Rolster as a regular fixture in their line-up. It wasn't the most glamorous career, but given how most progaming careers turn out, it was still enough to be considered a success.

He must have hoped SC2 would be a chance to rise above his position in life. It was a fresh start and a chance to become a star in his own right as everyone started from zero (except those meddlesome eSF kids). Who knew what could happen?

Then Zest lost his first ever official SC2 match to Guemchi. If you don't know who Guemchi is... well that was kind of the point.

After that ignominious start, the climb did not become any less arduous for Zest. But climb he did. He started by finding a more important role for KT as a PvP specialist. After a few months of productive Proleague play, he started earning more starts in other match-ups. While success in Code A continued to elude Zest, he took advantage of the Proleague off-season in the fall of 2013 to make a strong run through the IEM New York qualifier and make it to the main tournament. Though he was eliminated in the Ro16, it was a positive experience heading into the new Proleague season.

About two months ago, Zest decided that the time for slow progress was over. Whether it was because of hard work in the off-season, the Protoss favoring meta, a personal epiphany, or a combination of all three, Zest went on a rampage. We didn't fully realize what was happening when he smashed Stork and INnoVation in Code A. Stork? He had serious problems thus far in SC2. Innovation? He was beat by blink stalkers.

And so, the day of reckoning came upon. The KT vs. SKT clash in the Proleague Round 1 Finals was highly anticipated, featuring SKT's stacked roster with players like Rain, Parting, Soulkey and soO. On the other side KT had their super-ace Flash and spectacular new signing in TY. Many thought it to be a close match up, one that would go all seven sets. That was how it was supposed to go, and how it had always gone: Flash’s teammates sacrificed themselves to get Flash to the finish line, where he would decide the series in a close game.

Few were surprised to see Zest start. He was there to play PvP and soften up the SKT line-up. At most people were expecting Zest to maybe take one game. Two if he was really lucky. Instead, Zest hijacked the finals. He cut SKT's all-star roster into ribbons, defeating Rain, Soulkey, soO and finally PartinG. The team considered by many to be the strongest in the league had been reduced to rubble by KT's fourth best player.

Once he had our attention, Zest continued on his path of destruction. His great Proleague form continued as well, going 5-2 in Round 2 while even earning appearances as KT's ace over Flash. He blazed a path through Code S, reaching the quarterfinals while being impeded only by Maru. Even sOs, the cunning Protoss player who had won $100,000 at IEM Katowice, fell 0-3 to Zest in the quarterfinals.

With an incredible amount of momentum behind him, Zest is now on the precipice of doing something that no other KT player has done. He is one series away from overtaking Flash as the KT ace.

Flash the God. Flash the superstar. Flash the icon of KT Rolster. THAT Flash. After six years where the greatest honor for a KT Rolster player has been to be Flash's most trusted lieutenant, we may finally see the rise of a KT Rolster who does not live entirely engulfed by Flash's shadow. Though no one can be Flash's equal in the historical sense, Zest can dare to surpass Flash in the present.

Zest has already taken on half of the ace duties from Flash in Proleague. He’s already defeated KT’s biggest rival in SKT by himself. Now, he is the first player from KT to ever reach the semi-finals of a GSL. All he needs to do is win two more series and take the championship. But first, he must face SK Telecom's ace.



The View from the Top

Four years. That’s how long Rain has been on SKT. And in many ways like Zest he had to climb from the bottom. But his rise to the top was much faster, much easier than Zest's. In Brood War, he won the coveted Rookie of the Year award in his first Proleague season. Rain was one of the hottest new talents at the time of the SC2 switch, and his BW skills translated quickly to the new game.

While Zest lost his first game to Guemchi, Rain beat Jaedong in his SC2 debut. While Zest was losing in every Code A qualifier, Rain walked the Royal Road and won the very first StarCraft 2 OSL. While Zest was slowly improving, Rain rapidly rose to become the first great KeSPA player of StarCraft 2.

After soaring to the top of Korean SC2, Rain has stayed there. Other KeSPA converts have had their time on top of the mountain and have since fallen off, players like Flash, Innovation, or RorO. Rain, though not without some fluctuations in his form, has never fallen out of the top tier of Korean players. Even though SKT has acquired more championship winning talent in PartinG and Soulkey, Rain is the only player on the roster who can say he won a premier title with SKT. On an SKT roster that has lost players like Bisu and Best, and is slowly losing its connections to its Brood War past, Rain remains as the link between past and present. He has made his team proud in Brood War, and has lead them glory in a new game. To slay the dragon known as Zest, SKT could have picked no better champion.

If there is one advantage that Rain has over Zest, it is that he understands the pressure of being at the top. He knows what it is like to sit beneath the sword of Damocles, knowing that every other player is a hair away from cutting you down from your perch. But Rain he has stayed near the top for almost his entire SC2 career. For him Zest is just another challenger. Just another player he must beat for the pride of SKT.

The Clash at the Pass

Neither player has shown anything resembling weakness in PvP. Both players each took out one of the IEM Katowice finalists. Zest swept sOs 3-0, while Rain took a drawn out 3-2 over herO. Even PartinG, a PvP great himself, was forced to recognize Zest as one of the finest mirror match-up players. In a series as close as this with two players so evenly matched it might all come down to the mental pressure.

This is a major battle in a new kind of war. KT vs SKT has spread to the GSL. SKT is reeling from bloody losses to KT in Proleague, but Rain can begin their stand on this new battlefield. Will Zest continue to fuel his ascent with SKT's blood, or will Rain defend the empire's pride?

Overall Prediction: Zest 4 - 3 Rain

Writers: stuchiu
Photos and images: SpoTV, ESL, Kevin Florenzano
Editor: Waxangel