• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 05:15
CEST 11:15
KST 18:15
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
ByuL, and the Limitations of Standard Play1Team Liquid Map Contest #22: Results and Winners7Code S Season 2 (2026): RO4 and Finals Preview12TL.net Map Contest #22 - Voting & Ladder Map Selection7Code S Season 2 (2026) - RO8 Preview8
Community News
[TLMC] Summer 2026 Ladder Map Rotation05.0.16 patch for SC2 goes live (8 worker start)75ZeroSpace at Steam NextFest - Last free demo31Weekly Cups (June 8-14): Clem and Solar double, PTR tested0RSL: S6 Finals played at BlizzCon 202611
StarCraft 2
General
5.0.16 patch for SC2 goes live (8 worker start) Is the larve respawn broken? The Death of Cheese: From a Professional Cheeser Mizenhauer's Douyu Cup Preview ByuL, and the Limitations of Standard Play
Tourneys
Douyu Cup 2026: $20,000 Legends Event (June 26-28) Maestros of The Game 2 announcement and schedule ! RSL Revival: Season 6 - Qualifiers and Main Event INu's Battles#17 <BO.9> Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament
Strategy
[G] Having the right mentality to improve
Custom Maps
New Map Maker - Looking for Advice - Love or Hate Work In Progress Melee Maps [D]RTS in all its shapes and glory <3
External Content
The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 531 Experimental Artillery Mutation # 530 One For All Mutation # 529 Opportunities Unleashed
Brood War
General
ASL 22 Proposed Map Pool Farewell Beloved Starcraft (Youtube Videos) BW General Discussion vespene.gg — BW replays in browser Quality of life changes in BW that you will like ?
Tourneys
[ASL21] Grand Finals [Megathread] Daily Proleagues The Casual Games of the Week Thread [BSL22] GosuLeague Casts - Tue & Thu 22:00 CEST
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Creating a full chart of Zerg builds Relatively freeroll strategies Why doesn't anyone use restoration?
Other Games
General Games
Nintendo Switch Thread Path of Exile Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Beyond All Reason ZeroSpace at Steam NextFest - Last free demo
Dota 2
Looking for a Dota Mentor Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
The Games Industry And ATVI US Politics Mega-thread Canadian Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Russo-Ukrainian War Thread
Fan Clubs
The HerO Fan Club! The herO Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
Movie Discussion! Series you have seen recently... [Req][Books] Good Fantasy/SciFi books [TV/BOOK] *SPOILERS* Game of Thrones Discussion
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 McBoner: A hockey love story Cricket [SPORT]
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread Facing Challenges in Mobile App Development
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Listen To The Coaches!
TrAiDoS
An Exploration of th…
waywardstrategy
I'm an arrogant trash talke…
FlaShFTW
Gauntlet SC2: A Retrospectiv…
Ctone23
ramps on octagon
StaticNine
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 8360 users

uThermal sounds off on WCS "If you’re stuck in the Ro32 be…

Forum Index > SC2 General
546 CommentsPost a Reply
Prev 1 10 11 12 13 14 28 Next All
Ctesias
Profile Joined December 2012
4595 Posts
August 27 2016 03:23 GMT
#221
Interesting interview.

While I can understand that some foreign players now feel there is a reason to attend Dreamhack etc., I lost my reason to watch those same tournaments.

I can only speak for myself, but finding only Korean tournaments worth watching, instead of so many more before, has definitely hurt my interest in the game.
Flash | Mvp
showstealer1829
Profile Blog Joined May 2014
Australia3123 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-08-27 03:27:18
August 27 2016 03:25 GMT
#222
On August 27 2016 12:09 imre wrote:
Looking at viewership figures might be another interesting indicator of this year's system "success".

I'm still waiting on the promised global event but I will avoid to hold my breath.



It depends on what you're marking it against. If you're marking it against the Dreamhacks or IEMs they're mostly stagnant or slightly up or down from tournament to tournament

If you're marking the circuit championships against the thing it replaced, the WCS 2015 season finals. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY the fuck down.
There is no understanding. There is only Choya. Choya is the way. Choya is Love. Choya is Life. Has is the Light in the Protoss Dark and Nightmare is his chosen Acolyte
Doodsmack
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States7224 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-08-27 03:46:32
August 27 2016 03:35 GMT
#223
I believe the pros if they all say they've gotten better (especially with offline).

And I think it's really cool that the top players in NA/EU are making decent livings. I think the NA/EU system is solid and should stay the same. But in Korea, if they added more money and tournaments there, that would be nice. But we're asking for charity to get more money at this point.
MLuneth
Profile Joined January 2012
Australia557 Posts
August 27 2016 04:07 GMT
#224
Really enjoyed this interview, interesting to see how the changes affect mentality so much
Innovation is a PatchTerran
FrkFrJss
Profile Joined April 2015
Canada1205 Posts
August 27 2016 04:11 GMT
#225
On August 27 2016 12:35 Doodsmack wrote:
I believe the pros if they all say they've gotten better (especially with offline).

And I think it's really cool that the top players in NA/EU are making decent livings. I think the NA/EU system is solid and should stay the same. But in Korea, if they added more money and tournaments there, that would be nice. But we're asking for charity to get more money at this point.


I definitely agree with this. I think ultimately what people want is for foreigners to be able to compete at the same level as Koreans, that way the quality is very high no matter what tournament you're watching. However, they don't want the Koreans to suffer (as they have this year) so that people who might not do very well against them at Blizzcon get way more money.

On the other hand, there needs to be motivation for foreigners to compete in SC2 as a sustainable living in lieu of not having the same structure or system that Koreans grow up in. It's like hockey in Canada versus say hockey say in Japan. Canada has a system in place that allows for talented players to compete at the highest level.

So in order for foreigners to raise their level, I think having a very few amount of Koreans to play with is a good idea since they do not have to face as many Koreans. I honestly think that this system has worked to a certain degree, with Polt and Hydra no longer being invincible. Remember at the beginning of the year, people thought that Hydra and Polt (the only remaining strong Koreans) would dominate, and they never really did dominate. And really, in the Leifeng in and Olimoleague tourneys, we have seen Koreans dominate, but we have also seen Code S level Koreans, like Keen, alive, and others being taken out by foreigners all the time.

So hopefully, Blizzard does give the Korean scene more money next year but also keeps some of this WCS system this year, as I think it has given the foreign scene some much-needed money.
"Keep Moving Forward" - Walt Disney
Parrek
Profile Joined May 2016
United States893 Posts
August 27 2016 04:19 GMT
#226
On August 27 2016 12:25 showstealer1829 wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 27 2016 12:09 imre wrote:
Looking at viewership figures might be another interesting indicator of this year's system "success".

I'm still waiting on the promised global event but I will avoid to hold my breath.



It depends on what you're marking it against. If you're marking it against the Dreamhacks or IEMs they're mostly stagnant or slightly up or down from tournament to tournament

If you're marking the circuit championships against the thing it replaced, the WCS 2015 season finals. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY the fuck down.



If you're comparing regular DH events this year to ones last year, viewership is up as a whole. DH events and IEM events were at an all time low. The main thing SC2 fans watched was WCS Premier which was way up compared to other events. The Korean filled weekenders were down significantly compared to the foreign filled seasons. I think that's the main thing to take away from last year.
stuchiu
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
Fiddler's Green42661 Posts
August 27 2016 04:24 GMT
#227
On August 27 2016 12:09 imre wrote:
Looking at viewership figures might be another interesting indicator of this year's system "success".

I'm still waiting on the promised global event but I will avoid to hold my breath.


How dare you you ingrate
Moderator
RKC
Profile Joined June 2012
2848 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-08-27 05:01:41
August 27 2016 05:00 GMT
#228
I'm sure Rangers and Celtic will rip apart Champions League anytime soon due to all their 'extra motivation' and 'extra hours' put in to dominate the Scottish League.

I'm sure racial quotas will 'motivate' minorities to try harder in breaking the glass ceiling, everywhere in the world.

(Yes, I'm being sarcastic. I'm not saying that people given a leg up can't punch above their weight. I'm just seriously questioning the idea of how 'affirmative action' can 'motivate' people to try harder instead of being complacent, when historical data in other places have shown otherwise. As a minority myself, I believe that people are most motivated - and consequently more successful - when their backs are pushed against the wall, when they're fighting against stacked odds, and so on.)
gg no re thx
RKC
Profile Joined June 2012
2848 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-08-27 05:00:44
August 27 2016 05:00 GMT
#229
sorry double post
gg no re thx
RKC
Profile Joined June 2012
2848 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-08-27 05:16:11
August 27 2016 05:13 GMT
#230
Look at the Koreans in football and sports in general. Decades ago, they were terrible (except maybe in martial arts lol). But we now see a marked improvement of quality in football, badminton, golf, hockey, etc. Getting smacked by other teams and players at the international levels in the early years didn't demotivate them from trying harder. I'm sure defeat only made them faster, better and stronger.

(Of course, such sports have proper domestic infrastructure and incentives - one could argue they have a protected WCS system in place. But for all sports, international and regional glory is the ultimate goal - and that is what that keeps them going, and not simply being top footballer/golfer in Korea. The old WCS system got the balance right already - WCS is the 'domestic league', DHs and IEMs are the seasonal regional and international tourneys to test your mettle against the best.)
gg no re thx
Solar424
Profile Blog Joined June 2013
United States4001 Posts
August 27 2016 05:22 GMT
#231
On August 27 2016 14:13 RKC wrote:
Look at the Koreans in football and sports in general. Decades ago, they were terrible (except maybe in martial arts lol). But we now see a marked improvement of quality in football, badminton, golf, hockey, etc. Getting smacked by other teams and players at the international levels in the early years didn't demotivate them from trying harder. I'm sure defeat only made them faster, better and stronger.

(Of course, such sports have proper domestic infrastructure and incentives - one could argue they have a protected WCS system in place. But for all sports, international and regional glory is the ultimate goal - and that is what that keeps them going, and not simply being top footballer/golfer in Korea. The old WCS system got the balance right already - WCS is the 'domestic league', DHs and IEMs are the seasonal regional and international tourneys to test your mettle against the best.)

Well in conventional sports even if you do poorly you still get a decent amount of money from salary and endorsements. That level of economic insurance doesn't exist in eSports yet, so we need some sort of external money to keep people in the game.
Thouhastmail
Profile Joined March 2015
Korea (North)876 Posts
August 27 2016 05:23 GMT
#232
Still I cannot understand that 'circuit' system; is it a series of invitational tournaments?

What non-Korean scene ('foreigner' sounds ridiculous tbh) needs is a solid league, I suppose.

"Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people we personally dislike"
FrkFrJss
Profile Joined April 2015
Canada1205 Posts
August 27 2016 05:30 GMT
#233
On August 27 2016 14:13 RKC wrote:
Look at the Koreans in football and sports in general. Decades ago, they were terrible (except maybe in martial arts lol). But we now see a marked improvement of quality in football, badminton, golf, hockey, etc. Getting smacked by other teams and players at the international levels in the early years didn't demotivate them from trying harder. I'm sure defeat only made them faster, better and stronger.

(Of course, such sports have proper domestic infrastructure and incentives - one could argue they have a protected WCS system in place. But for all sports, international and regional glory is the ultimate goal - and that is what that keeps them going, and not simply being top footballer/golfer in Korea. The old WCS system got the balance right already - WCS is the 'domestic league', DHs and IEMs are the seasonal regional and international tourneys to test your mettle against the best.)



Keep in mind that improvement increases with more experienced coaches (often from other nations) and with more money. The foreign scene really had neither.

Besides, the example is more apt if South Korea had a curling team (does it?) and it let Canadian teams come at the regional and national competitions. If we should let Koreans play in the international tournaments....then they should be playing at the Dreamhack finals or the IEM world championships. In 2015 and before, the host country of the iem/dreamhack often had a lot of local entries, thus making it more of a regional or national tournament rather than international.

So I agree that there should be tournaments that allow for all Koreans and Foreigners, but that those tournaments should also come with more funding for foreigners and more tournaments. (As they have done this past year).
"Keep Moving Forward" - Walt Disney
Doodsmack
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States7224 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-08-27 05:32:48
August 27 2016 05:32 GMT
#234
On August 27 2016 13:11 FrkFrJss wrote:
Remember at the beginning of the year, people thought that Hydra and Polt (the only remaining strong Koreans) would dominate, and they never really did dominate. And really, in the Leifeng in and Olimoleague tourneys, we have seen Koreans dominate, but we have also seen Code S level Koreans, like Keen, alive, and others being taken out by foreigners all the time.


And I think this shows the foreigners have improved.
Beelzebub1
Profile Joined May 2015
1004 Posts
August 27 2016 05:48 GMT
#235
This was a system implemented to keep the foreign scene from dying out completely, I don't think Uthermal or Nerchio would disagree that WCS is like the Minor Leagues of Starcraft while PL and GSL are the Majors.
RKC
Profile Joined June 2012
2848 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-08-27 06:12:58
August 27 2016 05:56 GMT
#236
On August 27 2016 14:23 Thouhastmail wrote:
Still I cannot understand that 'circuit' system; is it a series of invitational tournaments?

What non-Korean scene ('foreigner' sounds ridiculous tbh) needs is a solid league, I suppose.



Yes, the solution to motivate and improve non-Koreans is to have more 'domestic' leagues - which is what the old WCS did (maybe the only tweak it needed was to have stricter region lock rules). Leave the IEMs and DHs alone - those are the 'internationals' that every player from any county should be eligible to enter.

The main reason why non-Koreans have caught up with 'Koreans' like Polt and Hydra is due to LoTV resetting the game close to zero (see how the likes of soO and Inno are still struggling), and the decline of such foreign-based Koreans over time (due to lack of team-house environment). That foreigners are winning more tourneys now should not be attributed to the current WCS system, I feel.

As for the motivational factor, I suppose it differs from individual to individual. What bugs me is the 'entitlement' vibe coming from some of the pros. Let's put things into perspective - you're in Europe, not some third world country. You have plenty of options - go to college, pick another sport, etc. No one forced you into a competitive e-sports at its infancy like SC2. You know making money is a long shot, and it's hard to compete with the more well-endowed Koreans with a richer culture in the game. Yes, the odds are stacked against you from the start. Can't deal with it? Do something else. Sheesh.

(Sorry if my comments come across as offensive and insulting to the pros. But I just have to let it out. Like I said, I'm an underprivileged minority, where I come from. And I feel strongly when 'people of privilege' complain about inequalities and inequities, yada yada. I don't know the pros or anyone in this forum well enough to be sure that you're a 'person of privilege', of course. I'm not aiming this at anyone in particular, but just at the 'mindset' that some of the pros seem to have which I find disappointing.)
gg no re thx
washikie
Profile Joined February 2011
United States752 Posts
August 27 2016 06:27 GMT
#237
You know. Regardless of if region lock is right or wrong. I think it definitely seems to have improved the level of foreign players. I rember watching the most recent shoutcarft Kings. In that tournament Nerchio beta Dear and Gumiho back to back and Stephano beat Hero. I think that with better chances of winning and more money on the line the foreign. Scene has been pushed to get better as uthermal said.
"when life gives Hero lemons he makes carriers" -Artosis
Parrek
Profile Joined May 2016
United States893 Posts
August 27 2016 06:47 GMT
#238
On August 27 2016 14:23 Thouhastmail wrote:
Still I cannot understand that 'circuit' system; is it a series of invitational tournaments?

What non-Korean scene ('foreigner' sounds ridiculous tbh) needs is a solid league, I suppose.


It's a series of tournaments, but, with a few exceptions, there are no invites. Everyone must play open brackets or qualify in one of two events for each region.

I wish we still had WCS Premier. It was the best part of last year and easily the most popular league in SC2 in 2015.
Incognoto
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
France10239 Posts
August 27 2016 06:53 GMT
#239
On August 27 2016 10:36 ROOTFayth wrote:
not give a fuck about playing a dead game


Just checked the thread for kicks and saw this.

So classy. Why don't you just leave the game, seriously? Or are you constrained to play Starcraft 2 and have no other way to "win the bread"? Why not just learn Korean?! It's just as easy as learning French and English at the same time? lol :/

Really fayth, you're the epitome of everything wrong with foreigners in Starcraft. No results, racist against Koreans, bad at the game but also terrible conceited attitude.
maru lover forever
RKC
Profile Joined June 2012
2848 Posts
August 27 2016 07:10 GMT
#240
On August 27 2016 15:53 Incognoto wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 27 2016 10:36 ROOTFayth wrote:
not give a fuck about playing a dead game


Just checked the thread for kicks and saw this.

So classy. Why don't you just leave the game, seriously? Or are you constrained to play Starcraft 2 and have no other way to "win the bread"? Why not just learn Korean?! It's just as easy as learning French and English at the same time? lol :/

Really fayth, you're the epitome of everything wrong with foreigners in Starcraft. No results, racist against Koreans, bad at the game but also terrible conceited attitude.


Sigh. Yet another evidence of 'entitlement'. I'm honestly disappointed by the amount of shit posting that foreigner pros get away on TL. Results or no results, there is no excuse of being a dick. Only Snute and Scarlett (off the top of my head) seem to engage constructively, discussing the game whilst throwing in the occasional humour.

Maybe they're just putting on a badass persona on purpose, following the footsteps of Stephano and Naniwa. That may have worked in the past. But sorry, that's not the way of a true sporting professional. Look at football and tennis, look at Messi and Federer. Yes, there is the occasional bad boy getting results and making big money, but they are the exception rather than the norm. Especially in the age of sponsorship and endorsement, there is even a greater need for sportsmen to polish their professionalism, commercially speaking. Look at the meltdown of Lochte at the Olympics right now. Look at Nick Krygios' talent going down the drain with his bad behaviour and 'motivational issues'.

It's a shame that Korean pros get slammed and ridiculed for being 'emotionless robots'. It's called professionalism. It's called respect. It's called sportsmanship.
gg no re thx
Prev 1 10 11 12 13 14 28 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Douyu Cup 2020
05:00
2026 - Day 3
WardiTV1205
Ryung 1061
RotterdaM403
CranKy Ducklings309
LiquipediaDiscussion
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
Ryung 1061
RotterdaM 403
ProTech141
SortOf 82
StarCraft: Brood War
Larva 302
Soma 242
Leta 214
BeSt 99
Mind 61
ggaemo 56
Sharp 24
Killer 18
soO 18
Aegong 14
Dota 2
XaKoH 463
Counter-Strike
kRYSTAL_56
Heroes of the Storm
Khaldor179
Other Games
Pyrionflax78
crisheroes24
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick726
StarCraft: Brood War
lovetv 17
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
[ Show 13 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• CranKy Ducklings SOOP16
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
League of Legends
• Jankos2440
• Lourlo1060
Upcoming Events
Maestros of the Game
3h 15m
herO vs Classic
Maru vs Serral
BSL22 NKC (BSL vs China)
4h 45m
Bonyth vs TerrOr
eOnzErG vs Dewalt
XuanXuan vs TBD
Douyu Cup 2020
19h 45m
BSL22 NKC (BSL vs China)
1d 4h
Mihu vs TBD
Online Event
1d 5h
RSL Revival
1d 16h
WardiTV Weekly
2 days
RSL Revival
3 days
RSL Revival
3 days
Bombastic Starleague
3 days
[ Show More ]
Kung Fu Cup
4 days
OSC
4 days
CrankTV Team League
5 days
Bombastic Starleague
5 days
Replay Cast
5 days
The PondCast
6 days
HomeStory Cup
6 days
Replay Cast
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

CSL Season 21: Qualifier 1
WardiTV Spring 2026
Heroes Pulsing #2

Ongoing

IPSL Spring 2026
Acropolis #4
YSL S3
BSL 22 Non-Korean Championship
CSL Season 21: Qualifier 2
SCTL 2026 Spring
Douyu Cup 2026
Maestros of the Game 2
Murky Cup 2026
IEM Cologne Major 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 2
CS Asia Championships 2026
Asian Champions League 2026
IEM Atlanta 2026
PGL Astana 2026
BLAST Rivals Spring 2026
IEM Rio 2026

Upcoming

CSL 2026 Summer (S21)
CSLAN 4
Blizzard Classic Cup 2026
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
RSL Revival: Season 6
CranK Gathers Season 4: BW vs SC2 Team League
HSC XXIX
BCC 2026
Light Tournament 2026
Eternal Conflict S2 Finale
Eternal Conflict S2 E1
Heroes Pulsing #3
FISSURE Playground #5
BLAST Open Fall 2026
Esports World Cup 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer Qual
Stake Ranked Episode 3
XSE Pro League 2026
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.