The Has Memorial
Cannon Rush Hall of Fame

Please rise and welcome the venerable stuchiu, who will deliver the opening address on this historic day.

Welcome, ladies and gentleprobes, to the grand opening of the Has of Fame. In these dark times where the cannon rush has fallen into obscurity, it is our duty to keep the faith and remember the wondrous days of yore. To that end, we have built a sacred place in which future generations can stare in awe and be inspired by their fore-rushers. We must never forget the time when Probes alone could not only win games, but cause countless keyboards and monitors to be smashed by infuriated opponents. Only the greatest cannon rushes will be enshrined here on this consecrated ground. And all who make the pilgrimage to this divine sanctuary will know the grace of Has.

Now let us all pray in his name. Has of the House of Yoe, first of his name, Lord of the Pylon Walls, the Most Forward of Proxies, the Most Clairvoyant Oracle, the Great Wolf of the East, Breaker of Kaelaris, Humbler of Tyrants, son of InCa, brother to sOs, The Prism That Aligns All Light.

May our Pylons be secret, our Cannons be forward, and our walls impenetrable. Bless us with cunning and guile, and blind our opponents with overconfidence and greed. When we are turned upon by the malignant gaze of the SCV, Drone, and Overlord, may we be hidden by your benevolence. We shall hold no third bases, see no late games, and receive no GG's. May the Oracle be our light, the Cannon our fury, and the Probe our soul.

Amen.

Enter now and know that you walk upon hallowed ground.

The Inaugural Class of Inductees

Classic vs soO on Frost – 2014 Code S Season 2

We had a few things to say about the game, but someone else already put it best:

Ruin vs. Sleep on Daedalus Point – 2014 Code A Season 1

For a few disastrous weeks in 2014, the infamous Daedalus Point was a part of the competitive map pool. Ladder play showed that it was one of the worst PvZ maps in the history of the game, and Protoss players were despondent about their chances of surviving the upcoming Code A tournament.

However, all-consuming despair is sometimes the spark for true ingenuity, which Ruin demonstrated in a crucial Code A match against Sleep. After carefully studying Daedalus Point, Ruin discovered a delightfully cheesy, map-specific combo: a cannon rush combined with an offensive wall-off. In a rare case where two wrongs ended up making a right, Ruin was able to conquer Daedalus Point with his creative strategy, earning a spot in Code S.

MC vs. IdrA on Tal'Darim Altar – MLG Columbus 2011

The full glory of cannon rushing cannot be realized without the rage of its victims. And who better personified rage in StarCraft 2 than the legendary IdrA? The American Zerg was many things—foreigner pioneer, public face of esports, a champion—but above all he was someone who hated losing to stupid shit. His tirades, no-GG's, and general aura of smoldering fury elevated not only cannon rushes, but all sorts of cheese builds and all-ins from around the world. It's only right that we honor him for the joy he brought us.

While IdrA has lost to plenty of cannon rushes, one of them is particularly iconic. At MLG Columbus 2011, IdrA faced MC in StarCraft 2's most hyped showdown up to that date. Koreans had yet to start their mass invasion of the American tournaments, and a clash between top players from their respective scenes was a hugely anticipated event.

For most fans, the series was a letdown. MC stomped IdrA 4-0 in games that weren't particularly interesting or close. But for a... ..'special' subset of viewers, it had everything one could want from StarCraft. The fan-favorite lost, foreigner hope was crushed, mountains of salt were raised—and it was all topped off by a brutal and abusive cannon rush.

Genius vs. Grubby on Yeonsu – WCS Europe 2013, Season 3

Though Yeonsu is mostly remembered as a map that allowed one-trick-wonder Protosses to blink their way to victory, it was also a one-of-a-kind map where cannon rushing the main somehow became a standard strategy in PvP. It's hard to give credit to one player for creating the strategy, so we've chosen Genius as the honorary recipient of the award for introducing it to the most people in the most painful way possible.

Playing cross-server from Korea in the online leg of the WCS Europe tournament, Genius took fan-favorite Grubby completely off-guard with the novel strategy to win a decisive victory. It was a transcontinental gut-punch to fans all over Europe, reminding them that not even crippling lag could stop cannon rushes from crushing their dreams.

Sase vs. Polt on Daybreak – 2012 MLG Spring Championship

While cannon rushes are celebrated for being so deliciously sinister, they're also beloved because they often lead to incredibly funny, stupid, and bizarre games. Perfectly executed cannon rushes that force five-minute GGs possess their own sort of beauty, but the most entertaining games arise when the game drags on and both players are forced to adapt to a rapidly changing situation.

In this cannon rush from MLG, SaSe begins with what seems like a carefully planned cheese. However, things start to get screwy, and he quickly changes his mindset to "fuck it, MORE CANNONS." Polt, to his credit, responds with surprising aplomb, forcing SaSe to take his cannon rush to its natural(?) conclusion. They say it takes two to tango, and SaSe and Polt certainly combined for one hell of a dance.

sOs vs. Jaedong on Derelict Watcher – BlizzCon 2013 Grand Finals

Even as we gather to extol the virtues of cannon-rushing, we must acknowledge that by no means does it ensure a win. Cannon rushing is an extremely risky strategy, one that's as likely to result in embarrassing defeat as it is in glorious victory. Only the boldest, experienced, and most shameless artisans are willing to ply their craft in high-stakes matches.

In 2013, in the BlizzCon WCS grand finals, sOs reached the pinnacle of cannon-rushing. Facing StarCraft legend Jaedong with a whopping $100,000 on the line, sOs showed absolutely no hesitation in bringing the cheese. Not only did he successfully cannon rush Jaedong in two winning games, but he used the mere threat of a cannon rush to reduce the tyrant to a quivering wreck. While sOs has had many storied exploits in his career, his photon bombardment of Jaedong might still be his finest moment.















At this time, please welcome stuchiu back to the podium, to present the final, most honored inductee of the inaugural class.

Has vs. Jaedong on Polar Night – WCS America 2014, Season 1

Look back upon the greatest moments of WCS history. Stephano versus Mvp in long awaited showdown between Europe and Korea. Polt winning his 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th titles. NaNiwa winning the tie-breaker to win a spot at BlizzCon. Duckdeok's tearful victory. All great moments, but for my money the two best moments in WCS happened within two days of each other in 2014.

The first moment was when ByuL played Revival in the funniest series to have ever existed. Here's a quick recap for those who never watched it:

+ Show Spoiler +

After that day I believed in my heart, that nothing could ever match the sheer comedy and pure joy of that moment in competitive SC2. I was wrong. The very next day, WCS America's Ro32 broadcast continued. In that group Bomber, Jaedong, Arthur and Has were set to play.

Now you had to understand at that moment Jaedong was still a great player. He had gotten second at BlizzCon the previous year, and had won ASUS Northcon not long before. Arthur was just some cheesy Protoss whose biggest claim to fame was nicknaming himself SadArthur on the ladder. Bomber was Bomber, forever going up and down on the roller coaster that was his career.

Has was no one. Records prove (or not, but it's funnier this way) that only four people in the foreign scene knew about Has at all. MMA himself, the first to be baptized in Has' incandescent cheese. Iaguz, who watched the legendary Has vs. MMA game first hand. Sen, a fellow Taiwanese player who played with Has. Finally, Suppy, who had been a foreign guest in Taiwan's leagues.

Now I remember for a fact (or not, but it's funnier this way) that Suppy warned his teammate Jaedong about what was coming. He told him firsthand that has was someone who defied all logic and reason, someone who didn't care about gods or tyrants. But Jaedong in his infinite wisdom ignored the warning. He was, after all, the runner-up of Blizzcon, winner of Northcon and the 2nd best Zerg in the world at that time. His opponent, he was just a silly foreigner.

But there's a reason David beat Goliath, Sjow beat Life, duckdeok whooped Innovation, and DIMAGA took down Flash. In a tournament, no one is infallible. Anyone can be dragged down kicking and screaming if they're not careful. In the first game Has did a cannon rush on fucking Alterzim Stronghold. Look at that map. That map is so goddamn huge it could fit in twelve Steppes of War. In my completely unbiased and objective opinion, Jaedong was lucky that map was so inexcusably terrible or he'd be dead in the water. Despite the incredible ingenuity and tenacity Has showed that game, Jaedong took an undeserved victory.

In the next game, Has presented his ode to the classics as he made 4-5 DT's at once, calculated perfectly that Jaedong's arrogance and greed meant he wouldn't make a single spore or overseer despite not scouting a single thing, and InCa'd the shit out of Jaedong.

The series came down to game three, where everything appeared normal at first. Has made one pylon and one forge, but for some reason he was slowly building up minerals. But no-one knew what he was planning, as he didn't attempt to place pylons at any of the traditional sports.

And then, he built the wall.

The six-pylon wall that made Protoss Great Again, a wall Has made Jaedong pay for with his life. You could hear the sheer disbelief in Mr. Bitter's voice, which was soon replaced with unfathomable sadness. You could taste the saltiness of Jaedong fans everywhere as they watched their idol get humiliated, and feel their rage as they complained about that cheesy Protoss bastard.

When all was said and done, Goliath was dead. David had beaten him with seven pylons and a dream. A boy from Taiwan had set out on a journey to prove that no odds were insurmountable, that anyone could be defeated, that a foreigner no matter how lowly could topple the best Korean player, that hard work and dedication could beat any amount of differential in talent and skill. He had brought down Jaedong to levels not even sOs could manage, and with that single game became immortal.

Here's to Has, a true hero, and an inspiration to all of us.