On December 12 2014 12:20 Jazzman88 wrote: What we would be incredible would be if we had someone magically ascend like Life did back in 2012 from obscurity and proceed to claim this throne. That would be fucking epic.
Someone did magically ascend, in 2014. This one dude who got pretty regular play in Proleague, but had never even been in Code A before. He then won 1 GSL, made Top 4 in another, made Top 8 in yet another, and a few other pretty good achievements over the course of the year.
On December 12 2014 15:48 Gorilla23 wrote: Decent amount of talk about players being so close to Mvp in the comments. I'm going to disagree. No one is close.
A lot of it is potential at the moment.
Is anyone close to Mvp's legacy at this moment? No Could anyone winning a shitton in 2015 move alongside him? Yes
Great article, however, don't you think it may be a bit unrealistic to expect MC to be able to conquer Korea in 2015? At this point, I'd say MKP is more likely.
On December 12 2014 12:49 thecrazymunchkin wrote: Jesus, stop being so good stuchiu.
Another contender I'd mention is sOs. Just like Mvp, I'd say that he's by far the best at mapping out series, and pulling out clutch wins when needed. Tailed off a bit last year, but if he wins big this year, then Hot6ix cup, 2 world championships, and his 2015 haul will be nothing to sneer at. Only thing he's lacking is consistency.
It's amazing how underrated/under appreciated sOs has been in sc2. Right from the initial kespa cross over he was one of the best protoss players and this past year, when he "underperformed," he tied for most wins in proleague. Everyone remembers his IEM and WCS global victories, and of course he just won hot6, but even before those he won both the asian indoor martial arts tournament and the kr qualifier for it. This is on top of 2nd at wcs season 1 and redbull ny, and iirc a top 4 in wcs kr.
He may cheese a lot, but imo he's been the most innovative protoss player in all of hots and has routinely impressed me with his multitasking more than any other p.
His only problem is his consistency. One day hes winning a hundred grand the next he's getting rekt in another tourney. He hasn't really had a sustained period of doing really well ala Zest or soO. Everyone loves him though :D
Also obligatory 2015 year of FlaSh post. He got dis.
Picture the scene:
November 2015. Flash has cleaned up in Korea, winning 3 consecutive GSLs. He goes to Blizzcon as the undisputed best player in the world, reclaiming his throne at the top of the starcraft scene. Sweeps through to the finals with ease. sOs 4-0 within 1 hour. The tears would be legendary
Thank you for this article. I am excited. I hope to renew my passion for waking up at GMT -5 so that I can watch all these Korean LANs again. I miss MVP. I still remember seeing him shred Nestea's army at Blizzcon 2011 with his ghosts. pewpewpew
On December 12 2014 15:57 Dodgin wrote: Life is the closest, he will get there some day.
Life has already won 8 golds in his career. Not 8 of the shabbiest, either. I completely agree that in 10 years time or whatever, when he finally retires for military service, he will have surpassed Mvp without doubt.
MC for MVP successor? Isn't there a rule that you've got to be physically able to play a 3 base game to be a bonjwa? Lol.
I'm baffled that Zest would get a nod over Innovation. Inno has 2 premier wins and 8 2-4th places. Zest has 3 premier wins and 3 2-4th places. I'd argue that Inno's result is superior, and on top of that, Inno has been playing at this level since late 2012, more than twice as long as Zest has been relevant in any capacity. So I'd say Inno is already closer to dethroning MVP than Zest is (still not very close, mind)... but we're not even talking about the now, we're talking about 2015. Innovation's results are going to stay in the ro8+ range, and Zest is going to stop getting so deep into tournaments because A) more Terrans and B) fewer Protoss.
Life, Taeja, Innovation, soO, Zest seem like the most likely successors, in that order.
Nah seriously great article in typical stuchiu fashion, thanks for the read
On December 12 2014 15:48 Gorilla23 wrote: Decent amount of talk about players being so close to Mvp in the comments. I'm going to disagree. No one is close.
Err if soO had won his four GSL finals he would be rightfully considered at least close to Mvp. So there's a real potential for someone to be close.
On December 12 2014 12:49 thecrazymunchkin wrote: Jesus, stop being so good stuchiu.
Another contender I'd mention is sOs. Just like Mvp, I'd say that he's by far the best at mapping out series, and pulling out clutch wins when needed. Tailed off a bit last year, but if he wins big this year, then Hot6ix cup, 2 world championships, and his 2015 haul will be nothing to sneer at. Only thing he's lacking is consistency.
It's amazing how underrated/under appreciated sOs has been in sc2. Right from the initial kespa cross over he was one of the best protoss players and this past year, when he "underperformed," he tied for most wins in proleague. Everyone remembers his IEM and WCS global victories, and of course he just won hot6, but even before those he won both the asian indoor martial arts tournament and the kr qualifier for it. This is on top of 2nd at wcs season 1 and redbull ny, and iirc a top 4 in wcs kr.
He may cheese a lot, but imo he's been the most innovative protoss player in all of hots and has routinely impressed me with his multitasking more than any other p.
His only problem is his consistency. One day hes winning a hundred grand the next he's getting rekt in another tourney. He hasn't really had a sustained period of doing really well ala Zest or soO. Everyone loves him though :D
Also obligatory 2015 year of FlaSh post. He got dis.
Picture the scene:
November 2015. Flash has cleaned up in Korea, winning 3 consecutive GSLs. He goes to Blizzcon as the undisputed best player in the world, reclaiming his throne at the top of the starcraft scene. Sweeps through to the finals with ease. sOs 4-0 within 1 hour. The tears would be legendary
If this happens my life will be complete.
I would pay money for that. he can have my $5 contribution to another 100k and a 3rd necklace for his mom.
On December 12 2014 16:38 pure.Wasted wrote: MC for MVP successor? Isn't there a rule that you've got to be physically able to play a 3 base game to be a bonjwa? Lol.
I'm baffled that Zest would get a nod over Innovation. Inno has 2 premier wins and 8 2-4th places. Zest has 3 premier wins and 3 2-4th places. I'd argue that Inno's result is superior, and on top of that, Inno has been playing at this level since late 2012, more than twice as long as Zest has been relevant in any capacity. So I'd say Inno is already closer to dethroning MVP than Zest is (still not very close, mind)... but we're not even talking about the now, we're talking about 2015. Innovation's results are going to stay in the ro8+ range, and Zest is going to stop getting so deep into tournaments because A) more Terrans and B) fewer Protoss.
Life, Taeja, Innovation, soO, Zest seem like the most likely successors, in that order.
Great read.
To be fair, you can flip that the other way round; Zest has achieved just as much as INno in a shorter timeframe. Since he became relevant in SC2, he's been super-consistent while also winning. INno's had periods of dominance, but also a long patch of relative mediocrity.
I'd love him to dominate 2015, but you've got to say that Zest is favoured
I disagree with the notion that Mvp is far enough ahead of Life and Taeja to warrant distinction. Mvp's result sheet may be the best of any player, but Taeja and especially Life are so close that Mvp is no longer considered better because of his results but because of some abstract "champion's essence". I can accept Mvp's being placed above Life and Taeja by merit of his achievements, but I'm hesitant to buy into the view of Mvp as untouchable. His career is being viewed through rose-tinted glasses.
On December 12 2014 16:38 pure.Wasted wrote: MC for MVP successor? Isn't there a rule that you've got to be physically able to play a 3 base game to be a bonjwa? Lol.
I'm baffled that Zest would get a nod over Innovation. Inno has 2 premier wins and 8 2-4th places. Zest has 3 premier wins and 3 2-4th places. I'd argue that Inno's result is superior, and on top of that, Inno has been playing at this level since late 2012, more than twice as long as Zest has been relevant in any capacity. So I'd say Inno is already closer to dethroning MVP than Zest is (still not very close, mind)... but we're not even talking about the now, we're talking about 2015. Innovation's results are going to stay in the ro8+ range, and Zest is going to stop getting so deep into tournaments because A) more Terrans and B) fewer Protoss.
Life, Taeja, Innovation, soO, Zest seem like the most likely successors, in that order.
Great read.
To be fair, you can flip that the other way round; Zest has achieved just as much as INno in a shorter timeframe. Since he became relevant in SC2, he's been super-consistent while also winning. INno's had periods of dominance, but also a long patch of relative mediocrity.
I'd love him to dominate 2015, but you've got to say that Zest is favoured
Zest hasn't achieved as much as Inno, he has exactly half of Innovation's top 4 placements in almost exactly half of the time being relevant.
Zest is only favored if you think that SC2 is magical and anything can happen. Inno's relative mediocrity is directly tied to every single Terran except Maru, Polt, and Taeja being a worthless lump throughout the first half of 2014. Zest's powerhouse performance in the first half of 2014 is directly tied to how many Zerg and especially Protoss (his best MUs by far) he got to fight. There aren't going to be that many Zerg and Protoss running rampant in 2015 by virtue of Terran being alive again. So unless Zest really cleans up his PvT (by getting really dirty) he's in pretty big trouble.
I like Zest, he's probably tied for my second fav Protoss with Rain. I want him to do well in 2015 and in all likelihood he will. But 2014 was a very unique circumstance.
On December 12 2014 16:56 Zealously wrote: I disagree with the notion that Mvp is far enough ahead of Life and Taeja to warrant distinction. Mvp's result sheet may be the best of any player, but Taeja and especially Life are so close that Mvp is no longer considered better because of his results but because of some abstract "champion's essence". I can accept Mvp's being placed above Life and Taeja by merit of his achievements, but I'm hesitant to buy into the view of Mvp as untouchable. His career is being viewed through rose-tinted glasses.
MVP has 4 wins in the hardest tournament in the world. 2 seconds in it aswell along with all the IEM/MLG/whatever else he won. In most people's eyes winning the hard tournament carries alot more weight than winning the easier ones.
These days Dreamhack and IEM share alot in common with Code S in terms of player quality so you look at the formats. GSL is a preparation for a series and the other are weekend mass gaming lans. In GSL your opponent also gets to prepare for you. That should make the series alot tougher so, at least in my opinion, the win is more meaningful.
On December 12 2014 16:56 Zealously wrote: I disagree with the notion that Mvp is far enough ahead of Life and Taeja to warrant distinction. Mvp's result sheet may be the best of any player, but Taeja and especially Life are so close that Mvp is no longer considered better because of his results but because of some abstract "champion's essence". I can accept Mvp's being placed above Life and Taeja by merit of his achievements, but I'm hesitant to buy into the view of Mvp as untouchable. His career is being viewed through rose-tinted glasses.
Taeja's achievements are nowhere near Mvp's or Life's, he still hasn't been able to win a GSL/WCS tournament
EPT
