Over three years ago, a certain article about elephants caused a huge uproar in the community because of its cold, hard hitting message: "The competition thus far has been a farce." Not only did it claim that SC2's beloved champions would be replaced in time, it even declared them lazy, spoiled and unmotivated. When KeSPA and its teams would switch to SC2, they would inevitably dominate the scene sooner or later. Legends like Flash, Jaedong and Bisu would ride their talent to more championships even in a different game; KeSPA's assembly line would not be stopped. Fast forward to 2014 and you will realize that the elephant-prophecy hasn't been entirely wrong. Even though Brood War's greatest players haven't reached the same heights in StarCraft II, the Korean scene is now under KeSPA's control. 29 of the 32 professionals in Code S were members of a KeSPA team when Season 3 began. Teams that formerly refused to submit to KeSPA's rule have now been integrated into their institution. The eSports Federation (eSF) has disbanded and its dispersed members all follow new morals. All is perfect in the world of KeSPA.
It has long since been known that KeSPA's rigorous practice environment—one that almost resembles a military training camp from an outsider's perspective—bears fruit frequently. Brood War was packed with incredibly talented professional gamers. If a Brood War player made the jump to any other game, nobody would be surprised if they were to dominate sooner or later. Names that have become legends, like Flash, Jaedong, Bisu and countless others, were a result of KeSPA teams' relentless practice regime. Day in, day out. A team would provide them with everything needed to be the best they could be, as long as they worked hard for it. Harder than anyone else.
The aftermath of KeSPA's switch can be felt in every corner of the SC2 scene. A hugely defining and iconic moment in recent years was its conflict with eSF. It was a clash between the old guard and the new. The traditionally pure, relentless, almost fanatic pursuit of perfection and sovereignty against the wild, free and independent quest for a balanced and joyful pro-gaming life. eSF is no more; the old ways proved to be the potent and efficient. They rested on their laurels and failed to adjust their methods to sustain their dwindling lead, a concept that is unknown to KeSPA. Nothing short of perfection is good enough and it can only be achieved with structured diligence.
The existence of players as dominant as sAviOr and Flash is something that Brood War's younger sibling has lacked so far. There is an ongoing debate about whether Mvp should be regarded as its first and only bonjwa, but he is the only example that springs to mind of a player that was dominant enough in his prime to be considered. The game has never been more figured out than it is now and the metagame's evolution has slowed since Mvp's era. The best players of today have a good chance of sustaining their dominance by sharpening their skills without fear of being shaken by a shift in the metagame. There's a number of great players that could establish reigns that may last longer than we've seen before in StarCraft II. KT_Zest sits at the very of top of the world at that list.
He stands out as a symbol of KeSPA's triumph more so than anyone else. After living a rather quiet life in Brood War as Wooki, one of Flash's Proleague sidekicks, Zest has taken the opportunities given to him and transcended his former self. He is now a man whose playstyle is defined by an array of metronomic builds and strategies, all thoroughly tested and equipped with mapped out responses to almost anything. In that way, he is similar to Flash in Brood War. The Ultimate Weapon was known for all around bulletproof play, and Zest has taken a page out of his book in SC2. His plans seem to unfold before his eyes automatically; every little thing he does is meaningful and intelligent. Outside the game he appears as a calm, handsome and confident person. Where others may possess the odd one of these qualities, nobody combines them with such genuineness as Zest. If the ideal for every player is to be surgically precise and untouchable while making it look entirely effortless and natural, then Zest is now the one closest to fulfilling it. His trust in KeSPA and their methods is what has taken him to these heights.
"I’ve played a lot of matches recently so my style’s been exposed a lot. ... But still, I went with the thought that “even if you do anticipate my moves, I’m still going to go for it.”"Ever since he first made his name in StarCraft II, protoss from all over the world have looked to him to learn how to improve. It makes perfect sense, Zest is a great example to follow. He is stable, confident, intelligent and anyone can tune into his games and learn something new almost every single time. How to respond in certain situations, how to perfectly execute a build, how to manage a game. Zest rarely strays from the norm, but why would he? He has shaped the norm; he is its flag bearer. What he does becomes the norm. What he deems the best choice of strategy for a certain map, a certain opponent, a certain matchup, ultimately ends up being accepted as the standard not long after. Don't be surprised if Zest showcases only a very limited amount of builds, as he did at IEM Toronto. His play has stronger, deeper rooted foundations than anyone else's and he is very well aware of it. Zest takes what is given to him, polishes it and showcases its final form. He is more than confident to trust his most basic skills and most practiced strategies to beat anyone in the world.
A lot of other players have shown promise or the potential to become the sort of player Zest is now. But all had their own hurdles to overcome, hurdles that Zest does not seem to know. Some players struggle to keep up with his execution mechanically while some don't have the decision-making required to make the choices he makes. Others lack the confidence to assert themselves like him, or take self-belief too far. It is often simple to identify and admire a player's multitasking, mechanics, decision-making, showmanship, confidence, attention to detail. That identification is a lot more difficult with Zest. He stands for none of these, and yet all of them at once. He is not a mechanical monster like Jaedong or Flash, he is not a flashy, creative or crazy player like Bomber, Life or sOs, but his knowledge of the game could fill an archive and his consistency in making the most of it is unrivaled. The reason why Zest is without a doubt the best player of 2014 is his ability to take these elements and forge an appropriate weapon for any situation. The essence of what makes him the best is none of them on their own, but a carefully honed and constantly improved equilibrium of every aspect of StarCraft II.
"For human beings, the desires never end. My role model is my teammate and friend, Flash. I want to grab at least somewhere around six championships just like him."Results naturally followed for Zest. Someone like him does not need to struggle for achievements. He crowned himself the best player in the world by winning GSL Season 1, GSL's Global Championship, Proleague (all-killing SKT in the Round 1 Playoffs) and KeSPA Cup. He reached at least the quarterfinals of every tournament he attended this year. Zest did all of this with the entire world's eyes on him and his games. Yet he remains almost predictably conservative in his play as he only equips himself with the most refined builds available. It doesn't matter if his "style" is figured out because he does not play with style. Instead he applies his strategies with the best execution on earth, elevating him beyond all but a select handful of the very best players in the world.
After a year of such extraordinary brilliance, there can only be one satisfying conclusion for Zest. His quest for perfection can only end one way. The elephant in the room, KeSPA's triumph over eSF and the organization's ideals all culminate in one event. Zest represents their superiority like nobody else. He is a symbol of their power, their dominance and deep rooted tradition. No player has been able to rule SC2 as others did in Brood War, but if Zest keeps performing the way he has in 2014, then he will inevitably follow in their footsteps. More than that, he will pioneer a new kind of authority that this game has not yet witnessed.
If Zest wins Blizzcon, he writes the defining chapter of a long ascension to power. Not only will he complete his grand procession in 2014, but the old guard and their ways and values will finally be proven right for making him the player and man he is today. A new, old world order will be declared and Zest will stand at its very top, as its greatest accomplishment in StarCraft II, as the undisputed best player in the world.
Wow what a great article for the future BlizzCon champion, well done (: Also grats to the whole TL Writers/TL Strat/TL Graphics staff for these awesome articles !
What a great article. What a great player. I cant decide if I want him or soO to win more, but still I know he'll go far. As, sexy beast, just gonna say it
As long as he doesn't meet a strong Terran, I'm confident he'll take the whole thing... His PvP and PvZ is insane. His PvZ, especially, actually makes Rain look cheesy, and he's up against Life...
This is the winner everyone Such a sick protoss, will be tough for him but i think he will do it! Semi final potential vs soO could be the series of the tournament too.
My god guys you have been awesome Congrats and thanks to all of you behind this huge undertaking! Special mentions to the wonderful Meru & Shiro for such an amazing look for such great writeups!
On November 01 2014 01:10 erby wrote: Congrats TL staff, especially the writers. This has been an incredible series of articles, more hype than any one video could bring for me.
I'll also take this moment to say daaaaaaaamn Zest, hottest player in Blizzcon by far.
Zest is hottest, but herO is cutest. And the finals are gonna be between them so that'll just be a treat!
On November 01 2014 01:03 Pandemona wrote: This is the winner everyone Such a sick protoss, will be tough for him but i think he will do it! Semi final potential vs soO could be the series of the tournament too.
i think semi final potential versus taeja is more promising. if taeja can get some momentum and plays his best (and looking at the bracket, if he gets to the semis both have to be a given), then that would be even more awesome of a match.
it would be the best player of 2014 versus the best player of the last 3 years, the match between two who only need one crowning achievemetn to ascend to the rank of bonjwa, the epitome of order, rigorous training and icecold execution versus the avatar of chaos, freedom and on-the-run decision making, both are synonym with perfection in their own, different ways, kespa versus foreign korean, new order versus old.
they also have history this year, with already meeting 2 times, and both times zest got the short end of the stick. he must be lusting for revenge while taeja is still around, else zest will always have this small dent in his resume "but he never did beat taeja, now didn't he?".
this series has the potential to change the way we view starcraft, both players being so drastically different yet so eerily similiar. it would be an epic conclusion for taeja's career or the begin of a reign of pure dominance for zest. I feel like the series between these two could only go to full length, there jsut isn't any other possibility in my eyes.
not saying that taeja is better than soo, but i think a series between zest and taeja has way more chances of being innovative and mindblowing than zest and soo playing standard games on a very high level.
this guy will grab all the trophies and money, finish his 2 years military service, get recruited as K-Drama actor (while other post-military-service player struggling to get any job at all), and making more money by kissing and flirting with beautiful girls
wp writers, editors and artists. i love the work you've done. The person that made the cards is especially cool! pics chosen and quotes chosen are amazing too :D
This article inspired me to make a count, and I was sort of surprised to see there are actually 9 originally eSF players (counting Hyun and MC) in the field versus 7 KeSPA players.
The perfect macro Protoss, our idol and everyday inspiration.
And the upcoming Blizzcon champion, without a doubt. Only opposition I'd fear would be Zest-herO in the finals, but I'm pretty sure Bomber will come out of that side of the bracket and Zest will have gotten some homework done on his sometimes shaky PvT.
Such a sexy kick-ass bad-ass. Artosis was right in saying that Zest is the best thing that has happened in 2014. I will be looking forward to Zest vs soO round 3 to decide who is on top of the world.
What a serie of article, outstanding work. I don't think I ever saw such work to hype up an event than what has been done for Blizzcon by TL. I'm out of words.
You would think TL would know better than to keep bringing up that embarrassing elephant article any chance they get which has proven to be utterly and completely wrong. Don't forget that starcraft 2 was a MUCH bigger game when the ESF was in charge, and that many of the top ESF players are STILL at the top of the game whether they are with Kespa teams now or not. The fact that Kespa had money and staying power to muscle their way into the scene means absolutely nothing as far as the skill of their players are concerned. Terrible and contrived.
On November 01 2014 03:15 Kihshra wrote: So the authors of the articles believe that MMA is the strongest of those 16 ?
What?
The Tarot card you chose for MMA is the 20th trump card whose number is greater than the cards you chose for the other players. I know you only wanted to associate the signification of the cards with the players but come on, did you really expect nobody would notice ?
On November 01 2014 03:15 Kihshra wrote: So the authors of the articles believe that MMA is the strongest of those 16 ?
What?
The Tarot card you chose for MMA is the 20th trump card whose number is greater than the cards you chose for the other players. I know you only wanted to associate the signification of the cards with the players but come on, did you really expect nobody would notice ?
On November 01 2014 03:15 Kihshra wrote: So the authors of the articles believe that MMA is the strongest of those 16 ?
What?
The Tarot card you chose for MMA is the 20th trump card whose number is greater than the cards you chose for the other players. I know you only wanted to associate the signification of the cards with the players but come on, did you really expect nobody would notice ?
Edit: could be Bomber too.
If we insist on attaching meaning to the numbers of the respective Tarot cards (which we really shouldn't, since their cards correspond to attributes of their play, personality and career rather than meaning within the Arcana), then Bomber would be our favorite to win, rather than MMA.
On November 01 2014 03:15 Kihshra wrote: So the authors of the articles believe that MMA is the strongest of those 16 ?
What?
The Tarot card you chose for MMA is the 20th trump card whose number is greater than the cards you chose for the other players. I know you only wanted to associate the signification of the cards with the players but come on, did you really expect nobody would notice ?
Edit: could be Bomber too.
If we insist on attaching meaning to the numbers of the respective Tarot cards (which we really shouldn't, since their cards correspond to attributes of their play, personality and career rather than meaning within the Arcana), then Bomber would be our favorite to win, rather than MMA.
Yeah that's why I added with my edit that it could also be Bomber (but the Fool can either be considered as "0" or "22" so it really depends what order you're considering). And I know we shouldn't care about the numers of the Tarot cards but it was funny to notice this ^^
On November 01 2014 01:28 stefan16 wrote: this guy will grab all the trophies and money, finish his 2 years military service, get recruited as K-Drama actor (while other post-military-service player struggling to get any job at all), and making more money by kissing and flirting with beautiful girls
haha yeah i don't think he will have any problem to find a job after retiring from the competitive scene
Thanks for these articles. They helped me get a little bit into some of the players I don't follow at all (San, StarDust, HyuN), catch up with players I know well but haven't seen much of lately (Jaedong, MMA, jjakji), and just plain hyped for the rest, whom I both know and love.
And of course Classic.
I don't know how much of this was planned out and how much was happy accident, but taken together, these articles paint a wonderfully complete picture of SC2. Starting with Classic's relation to the balance issues of 2014, to the SlayerS/Boxer legacy with MMA, the transition from SC1 to SC2 with Jaedong, inevitability of military service through StarDust, the value of charisma and identity with MC, the place Koreans have in WCS through San, and the ESF/Kespa rivalry and SC2 bonjwas with Zest. We got a sense of real world stakes through HyuN and a real world success story with Polt. The importance of picking up the right player at the right time with Bomber and the importance of choosing the right venue to compete with Innovation. The wildly different attitudes progamers bring to the competition, like herO and soO, two players who have shown remarkable perseverance but obviously reach it from entirely different mental states. And in some cases great biographies like Taeja and Life. (sorry Jjakji)
The whole series was great, but Taeja's article really stands out for me as an ambitious and almost entirely successful attempt to comprehend a player whose talent seems to defy comprehension. At the very least, it does justice to his legacy. AM/EU championships generally don't hold much weight with me, but there comes a point, eventually, when you reach a critical mass of success that cannot be denied no matter what. For soO, whose gameplay I found an effective sleeping aid throughout most of 2013 and 2014, that tipping point was his third consecutive GSL finals. I don't care if it looks like you're A-moving to victory at that point, when you're facing the caliber of players soO was, he must know something about A-moving that others don't. If you respect anyone outside of KR, you have to respect Taeja.
On November 01 2014 04:58 pure.Wasted wrote: Thanks for these articles. They helped me get a little bit into some of the players I don't follow at all (San, StarDust, HyuN), catch up with players I know well but haven't seen much of lately (Jaedong, MMA, jjakji), and just plain hyped for the rest, whom I both know and love.
And of course Classic.
I don't know how much of this was planned out and how much was happy accident, but taken together, these articles paint a wonderfully complete picture of SC2. Starting with Classic's relation to the balance issues of 2014, to the SlayerS/Boxer legacy with MMA, the transition from SC1 to SC2 with Jaedong, inevitability of military service through StarDust, the value of charisma and identity with MC, the place Koreans have in WCS through San, and the ESF/Kespa rivalry and SC2 bonjwas with Zest. We got a sense of real world stakes through HyuN and a real world success story with Polt. The importance of picking up the right player at the right time with Bomber and the importance of choosing the right venue to compete with Innovation. The wildly different attitudes progamers bring to the competition, like herO and soO, two players who have shown remarkable perseverance but obviously reach it from entirely different mental states. And in some cases great biographies like Taeja and Life. (sorry Jjakji)
The whole series was great, but Taeja's article really stands out for me as an ambitious and almost entirely successful attempt to comprehend a player whose talent seems to defy comprehension. At the very least, it does justice to his legacy. AM/EU championships generally don't hold much weight with me, but there comes a point, eventually, when you reach a critical mass of success that cannot be denied no matter what. For soO, whose gameplay I found an effective sleeping aid throughout most of 2013 and 2014, that tipping point was his third consecutive GSL finals. I don't care if it looks like you're A-moving to victory at that point, when you're facing the caliber of players soO was, he must know something about A-moving that others don't. If you respect anyone outside of KR, you have to respect Taeja.
Thanks again.
Make sure to check out all of the strategy companion articles to learn more about their playstyles too.
I object to the idea that ESF "lost" because they were lazy or ineffective compared to KeSPA players and training regimes. They lost because KeSPA had and has a lot of money and giant sponsors, while ESF had nothing. There was no way to win.
On November 01 2014 09:45 AxiomBlurr wrote: Zest is the man...there is no doubt...Who can stop him? Really? I think Inno has a chance...and I think herO has a chance. But that is all.
Well, there was that time that soO beat him... one month ago...
I don't think that Zest is leagues and bounds better than Rain, and Polt and Bomber have both beaten Rain in bo5s.
And Taeja can wreck anyone and make it look easy.
So basically what I'm saying is the only thing we know for sure is that Life is fucked. :/
kespa players irrationally overhyped shocker....how long before people accept theyre really not superior players just because they're on a broodwar team. The reason they're so prominent in GSL is because a lot of good players don't compete in Korea - those non-kespas left are usually without a proper team.
Time and time again, their results when competing on a world stage have been mediocre. Taeja, Snute and other players have shown they're superior players than those at Kespa.
It's just so ridiculously irrational and reading this overhyping of zest just emphasises it so well. Yes plenty of good players are kespa given that they make up most korean players. But they're not the best, they do not have an inherent superiority and the elephant in the room has been proven completely wrong. MC outplaying herO, Polt narrowly losing to Classic, Zest getting destroyed by Life (both games life lost he threw IMO), Taeja outclassing SoO.
Sorry for the long rant but teamliquid writers seem to lose all reason when nostalgia of broodwar teams kicks in and they start asserting things which have been proven incorrect time and time again.
On November 03 2014 01:08 IAMPRO wrote: kespa players irrationally overhyped shocker....how long before people accept theyre really not superior players just because they're on a broodwar team. The reason they're so prominent in GSL is because a lot of good players don't compete in Korea - those non-kespas left are usually without a proper team.
Time and time again, their results when competing on a world stage have been mediocre. Taeja, Snute and other players have shown they're superior players than those at Kespa.
It's just so ridiculously irrational and reading this overhyping of zest just emphasises it so well. Yes plenty of good players are kespa given that they make up most korean players. But they're not the best, they do not have an inherent superiority and the elephant in the room has been proven completely wrong. MC outplaying herO, Polt narrowly losing to Classic, Zest getting destroyed by Life (both games life lost he threw IMO), Taeja outclassing SoO.
Sorry for the long rant but teamliquid writers seem to lose all reason when nostalgia of broodwar teams kicks in and they start asserting things which have been proven incorrect time and time again.
I would argue that Zest's three championships this year probably played a larger role in the writer's assessment of Zest than his Brood War background.
On November 03 2014 01:08 IAMPRO wrote: kespa players irrationally overhyped shocker....how long before people accept theyre really not superior players just because they're on a broodwar team. The reason they're so prominent in GSL is because a lot of good players don't compete in Korea - those non-kespas left are usually without a proper team.
Time and time again, their results when competing on a world stage have been mediocre. Taeja, Snute and other players have shown they're superior players than those at Kespa.
It's just so ridiculously irrational and reading this overhyping of zest just emphasises it so well. Yes plenty of good players are kespa given that they make up most korean players. But they're not the best, they do not have an inherent superiority and the elephant in the room has been proven completely wrong. MC outplaying herO, Polt narrowly losing to Classic, Zest getting destroyed by Life (both games life lost he threw IMO), Taeja outclassing SoO.
Sorry for the long rant but teamliquid writers seem to lose all reason when nostalgia of broodwar teams kicks in and they start asserting things which have been proven incorrect time and time again.
I would argue that Zest's three championships this year probably played a larger role in the writer's assessment of Zest than his Brood War background.
Four if you count proleague, as he was clearly a huge part in their winning that.
Zest wasn't overhyped, he didn't play nearly as well as he normally does, precisely the same as the last time he played in an overseas tournament. I don't think he knows how to adjust and was likely very tired and jetlagged. Life has a lot more experience playing outside of korea and had a better handle on what to do to prepare well.
In all seriousness, it mostly comes down to the manager. Zest's play did not resemble his usual self at all.
On November 03 2014 01:08 IAMPRO wrote: kespa players irrationally overhyped shocker....how long before people accept theyre really not superior players just because they're on a broodwar team. The reason they're so prominent in GSL is because a lot of good players don't compete in Korea - those non-kespas left are usually without a proper team.
Time and time again, their results when competing on a world stage have been mediocre. Taeja, Snute and other players have shown they're superior players than those at Kespa.
It's just so ridiculously irrational and reading this overhyping of zest just emphasises it so well. Yes plenty of good players are kespa given that they make up most korean players. But they're not the best, they do not have an inherent superiority and the elephant in the room has been proven completely wrong. MC outplaying herO, Polt narrowly losing to Classic, Zest getting destroyed by Life (both games life lost he threw IMO), Taeja outclassing SoO.
Sorry for the long rant but teamliquid writers seem to lose all reason when nostalgia of broodwar teams kicks in and they start asserting things which have been proven incorrect time and time again.
I would argue that Zest's three championships this year probably played a larger role in the writer's assessment of Zest than his Brood War background.
Four if you count proleague, as he was clearly a huge part in their winning that.
Zest wasn't overhyped, he didn't play nearly as well as he normally does, precisely the same as the last time he played in an overseas tournament. I don't think he knows how to adjust and was likely very tired and jetlagged. Life has a lot more experience playing outside of korea and had a better handle on what to do to prepare well.
In all seriousness, it mostly comes down to the manager. Zest's play did not resemble his usual self at all.
Zest playing a huge part in winning proleague? I dont think he contributed that much in the semi-finals and finals: losing to sOs, Rogue and Rain and only winning against Avenge and against Maru narrowly (i know he all killed SKT BUT we all know that Round 1 was SUCH a long time ago)
On November 03 2014 01:08 IAMPRO wrote: kespa players irrationally overhyped shocker....how long before people accept theyre really not superior players just because they're on a broodwar team. The reason they're so prominent in GSL is because a lot of good players don't compete in Korea - those non-kespas left are usually without a proper team.
Time and time again, their results when competing on a world stage have been mediocre. Taeja, Snute and other players have shown they're superior players than those at Kespa.
It's just so ridiculously irrational and reading this overhyping of zest just emphasises it so well. Yes plenty of good players are kespa given that they make up most korean players. But they're not the best, they do not have an inherent superiority and the elephant in the room has been proven completely wrong. MC outplaying herO, Polt narrowly losing to Classic, Zest getting destroyed by Life (both games life lost he threw IMO), Taeja outclassing SoO.
Sorry for the long rant but teamliquid writers seem to lose all reason when nostalgia of broodwar teams kicks in and they start asserting things which have been proven incorrect time and time again.
I would argue that Zest's three championships this year probably played a larger role in the writer's assessment of Zest than his Brood War background.
Four if you count proleague, as he was clearly a huge part in their winning that.
Zest wasn't overhyped, he didn't play nearly as well as he normally does, precisely the same as the last time he played in an overseas tournament. I don't think he knows how to adjust and was likely very tired and jetlagged. Life has a lot more experience playing outside of korea and had a better handle on what to do to prepare well.
In all seriousness, it mostly comes down to the manager. Zest's play did not resemble his usual self at all.
Zest playing a huge part in winning proleague? I dont think he contributed that much in the semi-finals and finals: losing to sOs, Rogue and Rain and only winning against Avenge and against Maru narrowly (i know he all killed SKT BUT we all know that Round 1 was SUCH a long time ago)
The four rounds were equal in importance, though, so him playing well for a while before dropping off in Proleague still means that he was instrumental to their victory. Without Zest, I don't think they would have won Proleague because they would not have been in the position to.
On November 03 2014 01:08 IAMPRO wrote: kespa players irrationally overhyped shocker....how long before people accept theyre really not superior players just because they're on a broodwar team. The reason they're so prominent in GSL is because a lot of good players don't compete in Korea - those non-kespas left are usually without a proper team.
Time and time again, their results when competing on a world stage have been mediocre. Taeja, Snute and other players have shown they're superior players than those at Kespa.
It's just so ridiculously irrational and reading this overhyping of zest just emphasises it so well. Yes plenty of good players are kespa given that they make up most korean players. But they're not the best, they do not have an inherent superiority and the elephant in the room has been proven completely wrong. MC outplaying herO, Polt narrowly losing to Classic, Zest getting destroyed by Life (both games life lost he threw IMO), Taeja outclassing SoO.
Sorry for the long rant but teamliquid writers seem to lose all reason when nostalgia of broodwar teams kicks in and they start asserting things which have been proven incorrect time and time again.
I think Zest played too many PvP recently and his PvZ and PvT are a lot less impressive. In a protoss dominated era, a PvP god was enough to earn you a few good tournaments. He now needs to elevate his PvZ and PvT on par with his PvP games.
On November 03 2014 01:08 IAMPRO wrote: kespa players irrationally overhyped shocker....how long before people accept theyre really not superior players just because they're on a broodwar team. The reason they're so prominent in GSL is because a lot of good players don't compete in Korea - those non-kespas left are usually without a proper team.
Time and time again, their results when competing on a world stage have been mediocre. Taeja, Snute and other players have shown they're superior players than those at Kespa.
It's just so ridiculously irrational and reading this overhyping of zest just emphasises it so well. Yes plenty of good players are kespa given that they make up most korean players. But they're not the best, they do not have an inherent superiority and the elephant in the room has been proven completely wrong. MC outplaying herO, Polt narrowly losing to Classic, Zest getting destroyed by Life (both games life lost he threw IMO), Taeja outclassing SoO.
Sorry for the long rant but teamliquid writers seem to lose all reason when nostalgia of broodwar teams kicks in and they start asserting things which have been proven incorrect time and time again.
On November 03 2014 01:08 IAMPRO wrote: kespa players irrationally overhyped shocker....how long before people accept theyre really not superior players just because they're on a broodwar team. The reason they're so prominent in GSL is because a lot of good players don't compete in Korea - those non-kespas left are usually without a proper team.
Time and time again, their results when competing on a world stage have been mediocre. Taeja, Snute and other players have shown they're superior players than those at Kespa.
It's just so ridiculously irrational and reading this overhyping of zest just emphasises it so well. Yes plenty of good players are kespa given that they make up most korean players. But they're not the best, they do not have an inherent superiority and the elephant in the room has been proven completely wrong. MC outplaying herO, Polt narrowly losing to Classic, Zest getting destroyed by Life (both games life lost he threw IMO), Taeja outclassing SoO.
Sorry for the long rant but teamliquid writers seem to lose all reason when nostalgia of broodwar teams kicks in and they start asserting things which have been proven incorrect time and time again.
You do know that all those non-kespa players were once part of kespa? They just chose to leave and find opportunities elsewhere.
MC, Polt, Life, and Taeja all started in the kespa environment, which instilled the hard work and training regime. All they did was leave KeSPA, but they didn't lose the hard work or training regime.
Some players that leave the kespa environment find it difficult to train (i.e. INnoVation) and need to go back.
On November 03 2014 01:08 IAMPRO wrote: kespa players irrationally overhyped shocker....how long before people accept theyre really not superior players just because they're on a broodwar team. The reason they're so prominent in GSL is because a lot of good players don't compete in Korea - those non-kespas left are usually without a proper team.
Time and time again, their results when competing on a world stage have been mediocre. Taeja, Snute and other players have shown they're superior players than those at Kespa.
It's just so ridiculously irrational and reading this overhyping of zest just emphasises it so well. Yes plenty of good players are kespa given that they make up most korean players. But they're not the best, they do not have an inherent superiority and the elephant in the room has been proven completely wrong. MC outplaying herO, Polt narrowly losing to Classic, Zest getting destroyed by Life (both games life lost he threw IMO), Taeja outclassing SoO.
Sorry for the long rant but teamliquid writers seem to lose all reason when nostalgia of broodwar teams kicks in and they start asserting things which have been proven incorrect time and time again.
You do know that all those non-kespa players were once part of kespa? They just chose to leave and find opportunities elsewhere.
MC, Polt, Life, and Taeja all started in the kespa environment, which instilled the hard work and training regime. All they did was leave KeSPA, but they didn't lose the hard work or training regime.
Some players that leave the kespa environment find it difficult to train (i.e. INnoVation) and need to go back.
On November 03 2014 01:08 IAMPRO wrote: kespa players irrationally overhyped shocker....how long before people accept theyre really not superior players just because they're on a broodwar team. The reason they're so prominent in GSL is because a lot of good players don't compete in Korea - those non-kespas left are usually without a proper team.
Time and time again, their results when competing on a world stage have been mediocre. Taeja, Snute and other players have shown they're superior players than those at Kespa.
It's just so ridiculously irrational and reading this overhyping of zest just emphasises it so well. Yes plenty of good players are kespa given that they make up most korean players. But they're not the best, they do not have an inherent superiority and the elephant in the room has been proven completely wrong. MC outplaying herO, Polt narrowly losing to Classic, Zest getting destroyed by Life (both games life lost he threw IMO), Taeja outclassing SoO.
Sorry for the long rant but teamliquid writers seem to lose all reason when nostalgia of broodwar teams kicks in and they start asserting things which have been proven incorrect time and time again.
You do know that all those non-kespa players were once part of kespa? They just chose to leave and find opportunities elsewhere.
MC, Polt, Life, and Taeja all started in the kespa environment, which instilled the hard work and training regime. All they did was leave KeSPA, but they didn't lose the hard work or training regime.
Some players that leave the kespa environment find it difficult to train (i.e. INnoVation) and need to go back.
It has nothing to do with being on a BW team
Polt and Taeja were never kespa
what a lie!!! Did you forget the abomination called EGTL? Taeja WAS part of kespa!!! :O :O :O
On November 03 2014 01:08 IAMPRO wrote: kespa players irrationally overhyped shocker....how long before people accept theyre really not superior players just because they're on a broodwar team. The reason they're so prominent in GSL is because a lot of good players don't compete in Korea - those non-kespas left are usually without a proper team.
Time and time again, their results when competing on a world stage have been mediocre. Taeja, Snute and other players have shown they're superior players than those at Kespa.
It's just so ridiculously irrational and reading this overhyping of zest just emphasises it so well. Yes plenty of good players are kespa given that they make up most korean players. But they're not the best, they do not have an inherent superiority and the elephant in the room has been proven completely wrong. MC outplaying herO, Polt narrowly losing to Classic, Zest getting destroyed by Life (both games life lost he threw IMO), Taeja outclassing SoO.
Sorry for the long rant but teamliquid writers seem to lose all reason when nostalgia of broodwar teams kicks in and they start asserting things which have been proven incorrect time and time again.
MC didnt outplay herO lol
MC, Polt have ridiculous foreign experience which allows them to put up a fair fight against the kespa players. If you let them to play out the series 100 times, they will lose a lot more games. Taeja has the experience and the skills, which makes him a favorite. Zest was not in form and played horribly, the loss is completely on him.
On November 03 2014 01:08 IAMPRO wrote: kespa players irrationally overhyped shocker....how long before people accept theyre really not superior players just because they're on a broodwar team. The reason they're so prominent in GSL is because a lot of good players don't compete in Korea - those non-kespas left are usually without a proper team.
Time and time again, their results when competing on a world stage have been mediocre. Taeja, Snute and other players have shown they're superior players than those at Kespa.
It's just so ridiculously irrational and reading this overhyping of zest just emphasises it so well. Yes plenty of good players are kespa given that they make up most korean players. But they're not the best, they do not have an inherent superiority and the elephant in the room has been proven completely wrong. MC outplaying herO, Polt narrowly losing to Classic, Zest getting destroyed by Life (both games life lost he threw IMO), Taeja outclassing SoO.
Sorry for the long rant but teamliquid writers seem to lose all reason when nostalgia of broodwar teams kicks in and they start asserting things which have been proven incorrect time and time again.
You do know that all those non-kespa players were once part of kespa? They just chose to leave and find opportunities elsewhere.
MC, Polt, Life, and Taeja all started in the kespa environment, which instilled the hard work and training regime. All they did was leave KeSPA, but they didn't lose the hard work or training regime.
Some players that leave the kespa environment find it difficult to train (i.e. INnoVation) and need to go back.
On November 01 2014 03:15 Kihshra wrote: So the authors of the articles believe that MMA is the strongest of those 16 ?
What?
The Tarot card you chose for MMA is the 20th trump card whose number is greater than the cards you chose for the other players. I know you only wanted to associate the signification of the cards with the players but come on, did you really expect nobody would notice ?
Edit: could be Bomber too.
If we insist on attaching meaning to the numbers of the respective Tarot cards (which we really shouldn't, since their cards correspond to attributes of their play, personality and career rather than meaning within the Arcana), then Bomber would be our favorite to win, rather than MMA.
Time to say you always had the numbers of the cards in mind
On November 01 2014 03:15 Kihshra wrote: So the authors of the articles believe that MMA is the strongest of those 16 ?
What?
The Tarot card you chose for MMA is the 20th trump card whose number is greater than the cards you chose for the other players. I know you only wanted to associate the signification of the cards with the players but come on, did you really expect nobody would notice ?
Edit: could be Bomber too.
If we insist on attaching meaning to the numbers of the respective Tarot cards (which we really shouldn't, since their cards correspond to attributes of their play, personality and career rather than meaning within the Arcana), then Bomber would be our favorite to win, rather than MMA.
Time to say you always had the numbers of the cards in mind