EPT
The Weekly Preview
by Mizenhauer![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/bird_blue_16.png)
- MizenhauerThe last two weeks have brought fans some of the best Starcraft of 2017. IEM Shanghai and GSL vs The World have pitted the best in the world, foreigner and Korean alike, in spectacles that lived up to their billing. But now, the focus shifts back to Korea. With those remaining in GSL busy selecting their opponents for the Round of 16, the community is given a moment of relative respite. This week’s edition of SSL Premier is the lone Premier event of the week. The competition has already rounded its halfway point, with a trio of Protoss rising to the top. At 4-1, 
Stats, Classic and Dear are representing their race far better than sOs and Zest did a season earlier. They won’t be able to rest on their laurels, though. There’s still plenty of Starcraft to be played and a single slip up could spell disaster, even for those at the top of the table.
Dear vs aLive
The first match of the day features two of the less heralded players in the competition and the only two to have never made an SSL finals. At first glance, the matchup appears to be tilted in Dear's favor. He’s defeated
Maru and INnoVation this season, losing only once in the process, a game he very easily could have won if not for INnoVation’s last gasp push. aLive had a respectable campaign in Season 1, even after forfeiting in the early stages, but struggled out of the gates. He has won two in a row, however, and should present a formidable roadblock for Dear who will be looking to cement his place at the top of the standings.
Classic vs Dark
This battle between ex-teammates would have heavily favored
Dark this time last year, but now it’s Classic who is enjoying prosperous form. But it’s still a rather muddled situation. Classic has long been considered one of the best PvZ’ers in Korea, but he’s stumbled a bit in recent times. He’s lost his last two meetings against Dark and has dropped matches to Leenock, Losira and Impact since the beginning of June. Dark is in a similar boat. His ZvP was at an elite level for much of 2017, but his SSL losses were at the hands of herO and Stats. Both Dark and Classic are still very much in the picture for BlizzCon and will be looking to build momentum going into the latter stages of the Premier’s round robin to grab much needed points.
Maru vs Solar
Maru andSolar are both lacking an identity at the moment. Maru’s aura of mystique and nigh invincibility has faded in recent times as his playstyle has failed to adjust to LotV. His PvZ fell off a cliff quite some time ago. His TvT is far from where it was in 2016 and even his TvZ has been lacking as of late. It’s hard to gauge his form in the matchup given his relative inactivity, but his loss to Solar in GSL will do little to inspire confidence among his fans. Meanwhile Solar finds himself among a scrum of players struggling for the final BlizzCon spots. He’s been thoroughly inconsistent in 2017, something that must come as a disappointment given that he was on his way to a Starleague title this time last year. Both players have posted 2-3 marks thus far and are in dire need of a victory should they have aspirations of making the playoffs. It many only be week six, but these two already find themselves in a do or die situation.
Stats vs INnoVation
It’s only been a few days since INnoVation 3-0’d Stats in the last incarnation of this developing feud, but Stats will have to gather his courage to face the newly crowned GSL vs The World champion once more. The defeat had to have been a demoralizing one for Stats, a player who surely aspires to be best player in the world. The distance between him and INnoVation was startling and evidence that Stats has a long way to go if he wants to regain the position he held back in March. His 4-1 record and +5 map score is the best in the tournament, but a 2-0 loss could thrust him back among the pack. He is yet to playByuL and herO, the two at the bottom off the standings, but a loss here could still be damning. A win on the other hand and he does more than save face. Despite breezing through the marathon weekender, INnoVation might have a hard time refocusing after his victory. Should Stats take advantage of that complacency, he could go a ways towards restoring his confidence.
ByuL vs herO
Mired in ninth place is herO, a player many thought would be challenging for another SSL title when this tournament begin. After a dominating run in the first season of Challenge, he’s had a difficult time piecing everything together in Premier. His form hasn’t necessarily dipped—his finals berth at IEM Shanghai is evidence of that—but for whatever reason success elsewhere hasn’t translated to this event. The only person he’s outpacing at the moment is ByuL who may have made the playoffs last season, but has yet to log a victory so far this season. He has managed as many game wins as herO and 2-3 aLive, but that hasn’t helped him climb the standings. ByuL was a trendy pick for top Zerg earlier this year, but since then he’s looked anything but. BlizzCon is an impossibility for him at this point and he’s out of GSL, which means Premier should be his sole concern. He’s all but eliminated from the postseason, but a full recovery could see him finish out of the bottom three and potentially earn him a spot in the as-yet unannounced next iteration of Premier. ByuL’s 2017 has been a year of squandered chances and unfulfilled potential. He still has time to set a better course, however, and steer himself towards a brighter 2018.
Weekly Schedule:
Mon - SSL Premier - Dear vs aLive / Classic vs Dark / Maru vs Solar / Stats vs INnoVation / ByuL vs herO
Wed - GSL Ro.16 Group Selection
Sat - SSL Challenge - sOs vs soO / ByuN vs Hush / Patience vs jjakji / Zest vs Rogue
Stats, Classic and Dear are representing their race far better than sOs and Zest did a season earlier. They won’t be able to rest on their laurels, though. There’s still plenty of Starcraft to be played and a single slip up could spell disaster, even for those at the top of the table.Dear vs aLive
The first match of the day features two of the less heralded players in the competition and the only two to have never made an SSL finals. At first glance, the matchup appears to be tilted in Dear's favor. He’s defeated
Maru and INnoVation this season, losing only once in the process, a game he very easily could have won if not for INnoVation’s last gasp push. aLive had a respectable campaign in Season 1, even after forfeiting in the early stages, but struggled out of the gates. He has won two in a row, however, and should present a formidable roadblock for Dear who will be looking to cement his place at the top of the standings.Classic vs Dark
This battle between ex-teammates would have heavily favored
Dark this time last year, but now it’s Classic who is enjoying prosperous form. But it’s still a rather muddled situation. Classic has long been considered one of the best PvZ’ers in Korea, but he’s stumbled a bit in recent times. He’s lost his last two meetings against Dark and has dropped matches to Leenock, Losira and Impact since the beginning of June. Dark is in a similar boat. His ZvP was at an elite level for much of 2017, but his SSL losses were at the hands of herO and Stats. Both Dark and Classic are still very much in the picture for BlizzCon and will be looking to build momentum going into the latter stages of the Premier’s round robin to grab much needed points.Maru vs Solar
Maru and
Solar are both lacking an identity at the moment. Maru’s aura of mystique and nigh invincibility has faded in recent times as his playstyle has failed to adjust to LotV. His PvZ fell off a cliff quite some time ago. His TvT is far from where it was in 2016 and even his TvZ has been lacking as of late. It’s hard to gauge his form in the matchup given his relative inactivity, but his loss to Solar in GSL will do little to inspire confidence among his fans. Meanwhile Solar finds himself among a scrum of players struggling for the final BlizzCon spots. He’s been thoroughly inconsistent in 2017, something that must come as a disappointment given that he was on his way to a Starleague title this time last year. Both players have posted 2-3 marks thus far and are in dire need of a victory should they have aspirations of making the playoffs. It many only be week six, but these two already find themselves in a do or die situation.Stats vs INnoVation
It’s only been a few days since INnoVation 3-0’d Stats in the last incarnation of this developing feud, but Stats will have to gather his courage to face the newly crowned GSL vs The World champion once more. The defeat had to have been a demoralizing one for Stats, a player who surely aspires to be best player in the world. The distance between him and INnoVation was startling and evidence that Stats has a long way to go if he wants to regain the position he held back in March. His 4-1 record and +5 map score is the best in the tournament, but a 2-0 loss could thrust him back among the pack. He is yet to play
ByuL and herO, the two at the bottom off the standings, but a loss here could still be damning. A win on the other hand and he does more than save face. Despite breezing through the marathon weekender, INnoVation might have a hard time refocusing after his victory. Should Stats take advantage of that complacency, he could go a ways towards restoring his confidence.ByuL vs herO
Mired in ninth place is herO, a player many thought would be challenging for another SSL title when this tournament begin. After a dominating run in the first season of Challenge, he’s had a difficult time piecing everything together in Premier. His form hasn’t necessarily dipped—his finals berth at IEM Shanghai is evidence of that—but for whatever reason success elsewhere hasn’t translated to this event. The only person he’s outpacing at the moment is ByuL who may have made the playoffs last season, but has yet to log a victory so far this season. He has managed as many game wins as herO and 2-3 aLive, but that hasn’t helped him climb the standings. ByuL was a trendy pick for top Zerg earlier this year, but since then he’s looked anything but. BlizzCon is an impossibility for him at this point and he’s out of GSL, which means Premier should be his sole concern. He’s all but eliminated from the postseason, but a full recovery could see him finish out of the bottom three and potentially earn him a spot in the as-yet unannounced next iteration of Premier. ByuL’s 2017 has been a year of squandered chances and unfulfilled potential. He still has time to set a better course, however, and steer himself towards a brighter 2018.
Weekly Schedule:
Mon - SSL Premier - Dear vs aLive / Classic vs Dark / Maru vs Solar / Stats vs INnoVation / ByuL vs herO
Wed - GSL Ro.16 Group Selection
Sat - SSL Challenge - sOs vs soO / ByuN vs Hush / Patience vs jjakji / Zest vs Rogue
GSL Group Selection
by Mizenhauer - MizenhauerGSL vs The World turned out to be every bit the spectacle the community was hoping for. But now, with many of the foreigners on flights back to their home countries, fans turn their eyes to an all Korean affair once more. Amid a brief lull, this week’s highlight has to be the group selection for the GSL Round of 16. GSL group nominations are a time honored and supremely entertaining event. First and foremost, they give players an opportunity to step beyond their normally reserved public personas and display their sense of humor. The jovial environment offers fans a glimpse into friendships and rivalries, relationships would otherwise be buried from the public eye. But it can’t be underestimated that it’s a chance to see how players rate their contemporaries instead of members of the community (this includes writers) selling their less educated views. Most of all, group nominations mean that the Round of 16 is drawing ever closer as the players vie to be the final GSL champion of 2016.
For VSL, we did a mock draft, but this time around we’ll resign ourselves to sorting the players into three tiers in hopes of determining who might go when. The first will be players who should be snapped up early as players seek to pad their groups (aka pulling a
herO). The second is made up of the overwhelming majority of the players. The Korean scene is so tightly contested right now that any of them are as likely to top a group as drop out 0-2. Lastly, we have those to avoid at any cost. Players expected to 4-0 their group and knock even the most talented player out of the event. It should be noted that soO and GuMiho are very likely seeded players going into this process, thereby making them immune to selection, but they will be included with the other fourteen anyway.Must Picks
HurricaneHurricane managed to get out of his group with wins over Ryung and Scarlett, but overall it’s been a quiet year of the once FXO Protoss. His last GSL appearance prior to this season was way back in 2016. It’s hard to take him too seriously given that he missed out on qualifying for the following two seasons and should be one of the first, if not the first, selected.
sOsGrouping sOs with Hurricane might seem like an affront to the two time WCS champion, but ever since he lost to soO way back in the Season 1 semifinals, sOs has looked a far cry from his once triumphant self. He’s struggled to nail down an effective playstyle in recent months with his traditional hijinks have failing to bear fruit more often than not. sOs is always capable of an upset, but his form at GSL vs The World should give his contemporaries few reasons to believe that’s a likely result.
PatienceIf there’s one word to describe Patience’s 2017, it would be unimpressive. Patience ended 2016 on a high note, but suffered a drastic dip in form following his HSC 14 victory. He failed to qualify for season 1 of GSL and made a poor account of himself in season 2, as well as during his virgin SSL Premier campaign. Back in Challenge, Patience did manage to top his Round of 32 group, but that appears to be a minor victory in a year in which Patience has struggled just to put one foot in front of the other.
BunnyBunny may be on fire as of late, but it’s hard to consider him a really outstanding talent among this mine laden field. He’s 3-0 in SSL Challenge, but none of those wins are particularly impressive. sOs and Patience are far from elite Protoss and beating soO is hardly an achievement for a Terran these days. He managed to get out of his GSL group on the back of a pair of victories over Dear, but his real problem has been a lack of quality wins by which to measure him against the type of adversaries still in the tournament. Will he prove to be a big fish in a small pond or can those positive results translate against elite competition? This is the question everyone, including the players, will be asking themselves as the groups take shape.
The Pack
GuMihoIt’s been a swift fall from grace for the Season 2 champ. The fans didn’t think highly enough of him to vote him into GSL vs the World and he showed why he didn’t belong at there with a shocking 0-2 at Shanghai. When one takes into account a premature exit at HSC (albeit to the eventual champion, Zest) GuMiho looks less and less like the all conquering hero that stomped over soO a little over a month ago. Whether he retains that aura in the eyes of his peers will go a long way to determine how early he is selected.
soOsoO can’t beat Terran. In fact, he has to be the one player every Terran is most hoping to see in their group. soO has been elite in the other matchups, though, and judging by past seasons, should be a seeded player. If he is, he’ll need to avoid selecting Terrans and players who will pick them. If he isn’t, he’ll need to pray that god takes mercy on him or he manages to come to some sort of epiphany as to how to play the matchup. It’s a sad state when one of the best players in the world completely flounders against one race, but soO’s troubles could very well prove to be one of the most compelling dynamics of the selection.
aLiveaLive was all the rage earlier this year, posting a pair of massive victories over INnoVation on the way to a 2nd and 3rd place finish at the Super Tournament and Katowice respectively. He’s been far more subdued since April, though. So much so that one can hardly remember how he came one win away from making the quarterfinals in Season 2 or how he finished one spot out of the postseason in Premier. aLive is invisible once more, but he likely won’t be forgotten by his potential opponents. Expect him to go in the first half of things, but know that his group members will be very leery of him.
ByuNByuN is not the ByuN of 2016, but he is still a tremendously talented player. He is absolutely top notch in some respects, so much so that he covers up some glaring weakness such as defensive multitasking and splitting. ByuN has struggled a bit as of late, but he’s always a threat and cannot be discounted. Zergs have largely figured out the three rax reaper opening, but ByuN’s version just operates on another level. He’s a headache to play against in the other two matchups and could very well be one of the last players selected.
SolarSolar is another player who’s been on a downswing since the latter portion of 2016. He delivered on years of unrealized potential with his SSL victory, but since then he’s gone back to showing flashes of brilliance rather than delivering consistent results. Solar has yet to reach the a GSL quarterfinals since doing so twice in 2014 and, while he certainly possesses the skill to break the streak, it reminds to be seen if he’ll be able to make due on his phenomenal ability.
DarkDark looked formidable against Nerchio, but was far less than that against his former teammate, soO. Domestic ZvZ has almost been as big a problem for Dark and he looks to have gotten no closer to figuring the matchup out after losses to Rogue and soO in back to back weeks. Dark is more than likely the best late game Zerg in Korea, but he’s failed far too often in other stages of the game to even get close to replicating his play in 2016, when he was the best player in the world from start to finish. Always a threat, but rarely lethal, Dark might not have to wait that long before his name is called.
herOherO looked to be on top of the world. After winning the Super Tournament and SSL Challenge, he had to be considered one of the favorites going into Shanghai, and he delivered on the hype with a second place finish. He was utterly unable to build upon those performance this past weekend, however, as he was summarily dismissed by Stats without winning a game. On top of that, his 1-4 mark in SSL Premier is less than inspiring, showing a player who might not be as big a threat as everyone thought. It will be a big risk for a player to bank on herO beginning a downswing, but betting right could pay off in spades.
StatsStats has been a bit mercurial as of late, but there’s no denying that fact that when he’s in form, as he has been quite often, he is a top five player in Korea. He made mincemeat of herO at GSL vs The World and showed resiliency by coming back from behind to take down MajOr. He eventually ran into the buzz saw that is INnoVation, but all in all, the tournament was a real success given how poorly he represented himself at IEM Shanghai. Stats deserves to be the leader in the WCS Korea points standings and, despite his relative inconsistencies as of late, should be one of the last players to be selected.
TYTY’s second place finish at GSL vs The World demands respect, but it can’t be ignored that he looked vulnerable along the way. Beating Neeb 3-2 was a far cry from the authoritative performance the Splyce Terran surely wanted to deliver. Dropping a game to the incomprehensibly bad soO was a further sign of weakness. To top it all off, he didn’t even manage to steal a map from INnoVation, appearing more doormat than anything else as INnoVation casually ascended to the throne. TY has exhibited an aptitude for grinding out ugly wins this year; something which will not be overlooked by his potential opponents. But the fact remains that TY can be beaten and has lost time and again when ahead in a series. It’s for this reason that TY will go far earlier in the draft than the man he lost to at GSL vs The World.
Avoid like the Plague
INnoVationThe bottom line is that no one wants to play against INnoVation. He’s in imperious form as of late. In victories he’s unstoppable. In losses he still looks megalithic. As the undisputed best player in Korea, INnoVation should almost certainly be the last player chosen. There’s also a great chance that he becomes the focal piece of the final player swap. Keep an eye as the groups as they take shape. Previously he might have been inserted into a group of Terrans, but, having apparently remedied his TvT woes, that won’t be an option any longer. One of the biggest questions going into the emotions will be who is be brave enough to draft the machine into their group? Brave? Foolish sounds more accurate.
RogueRogue’s on top of the world right now. He was the first player to reach the Round of 16. The first Korean Zerg to win a Premier event in 2017 and is now looking to parlay those results into a second trip to Blizzcon. He reached the semifinals in 2015, but back then he wasn’t viewed as a serious contender and was swiftly bounced from the event by the eventual champion, sOs. This incarnation of Rogue looks to be more powerful than any that came before it, though. No longer just the Zerg on ladder with 7k mmr, Rogue is without a doubt one of the favorites to win the third season of GSL. One should expect him to be chosen very late, maybe even last.
ClassicRewind a few weeks and Classic is nearly universally viewed as one of the hottest players in the game. He followed up his season 2 semifinal run by topping his GSL group and getting off to a quick start in SSL Premier. Moving into group nominations, Classic is still tearing up SSL with a 4-1 mark, but has fallen off of people’s radars a bit. He did not have the luxury of competing in Shanghai or GSL vs The World and so the spotlight has strayed. Players aren’t as fickle as fans, though. They won’t forget that Classic is one of the best in terms of preparation. Given a week or more to plan for a group, his potency increases a hundredfold, making him one of the most dangerous players among the sixteen remaining.
Recognising Greatness
by Mizenhauer - MizenhauerI’m still trying to wrap my head around it. As I drove to the supermarket it was all I could think about. INnoVation has won GSL vs The World. The argument against him being the best player of all time is growing thinner and thinner. I don’t want to admit it, but I’m starting to resign myself that he very well could be. He is an ascendant talent. A player who makes terms like generational seem mild praise. He is far and away the strongest player in the world right now and shows no signs of letting up. Then why can’t I shake this knot in my gut? Even as he presents a case anyone would struggle to refute. Because ultimately, I just don’t like INnoVation.
GSL vs The World was INnoVation’s seventh Premier event title. It’s not just that he won it. It’s how he won it. He hardly missed a beat on his way to the title. He trampled former champions and upstarts alike, making some of the best players in the world look helpless. He was brutality incarnate. No one even got close to matching him.
Bonjwa used to mean something. Over the years it’s been reduced to a nebulous term used to describe a player being the best in the world for an extended period of time. I want it to mean something more; something like what it used to, something that transcended wins and losses. But after INnoVation’s performance, I can’t help ask the question, even though I’ve made up in my mind that there will never be a bonjwa in Starcraft; if I wasn’t so stubborn, would INnoVation be that man?
He showed promise before even coming to Starcraft 2. Under the guise of Bogus he was thrust into the public eye as someone who could one day achieve greatness. He made his Starcraft 2 debut in 2012, winning the 2013 WCS finals within a year of his first match. Since then it’s been the same story, INnoVation may rise and fall, but he always wins. If one needs evidence of that, they need only look at his records in finals. At 7-2 he is the undisputed king of the greatest stage.
Then what is it I don’t like about INnoVation? Sure I hate the way his fans prop him up as a veritable god, but that’s nothing against him. I should love his mechanical prowess. Marvel at his sense for strategy and planning. I should nod approvingly at the impassive way in which he carries himself. Then why not?
I think it’s because INnoVation is such a unique case. His results have come over such a long period of time, but they have arisen in such a manner that it would be a simple task to call him the ultimate patch Terran. INnoVation’s contemporary,Maru defies the state of the game. He wins with regularity when Terran is disadvantaged, triumphing when the deck is stacked against him. INnoVation doesn’t do that. That’s not where his strengths lie. It’s not just about buffs and nerfs for the Machine. It’s not Terran’s strength that dictates his level of success. It’s something far less visible. INnoVation isn’t good when Terran is good. INnoVation is good when the strongest elements of Terran play align with his strengths.
INnoVation is the master of optimization. He is king of the parade push and when the map pool features solid staging grounds for patient attacks and easy rally points, he elevates the strategy to another level. He exploits flavor of the month strategies better than anyone else. I can’t stand this about him, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect it. His ability to quickly grasp and improve strategies is part of the reason he’s been able to adjust to changing map pools and metagames and a crucial part of being a highly successful player. He is able to figure out the ideal style of play while other players are floundering. Sure Terran might be strong right now with their near infinite openings and powerful pushes that feature mines, tanks and liberators. Sure INnoVation was good when hellbats were overturned. Sure he was one of the many Terrans to experience success after the fall of the blink era. But why can’t I embrace that fact and stop trying to label him as some charlatan because he couldn’t buy a win in Korea during the first half of 2014 or his first year of LotV. Maybe I just need to stop fighting it.
I’m not going to admit that INnoVation is better thanMvp. Though their results are comparative, I don’t think INnoVation will ever approach Mvp’s significance to Starcraft 2. And I’m not hiding behind the veil of “TL writer”, and our oft accused efforts to diminish INnoVation. I’m saying this as myself so all the blame lies with me. I, Mizenhauer, don’t like INnoVation and I never will. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate him for what he is: one of the greatest players to have ever played the game.
INnoVation has won GSL vs The World. The argument against him being the best player of all time is growing thinner and thinner. I don’t want to admit it, but I’m starting to resign myself that he very well could be. He is an ascendant talent. A player who makes terms like generational seem mild praise. He is far and away the strongest player in the world right now and shows no signs of letting up. Then why can’t I shake this knot in my gut? Even as he presents a case anyone would struggle to refute. Because ultimately, I just don’t like INnoVation.GSL vs The World was INnoVation’s seventh Premier event title. It’s not just that he won it. It’s how he won it. He hardly missed a beat on his way to the title. He trampled former champions and upstarts alike, making some of the best players in the world look helpless. He was brutality incarnate. No one even got close to matching him.
Bonjwa used to mean something. Over the years it’s been reduced to a nebulous term used to describe a player being the best in the world for an extended period of time. I want it to mean something more; something like what it used to, something that transcended wins and losses. But after INnoVation’s performance, I can’t help ask the question, even though I’ve made up in my mind that there will never be a bonjwa in Starcraft; if I wasn’t so stubborn, would INnoVation be that man?
He showed promise before even coming to Starcraft 2. Under the guise of Bogus he was thrust into the public eye as someone who could one day achieve greatness. He made his Starcraft 2 debut in 2012, winning the 2013 WCS finals within a year of his first match. Since then it’s been the same story, INnoVation may rise and fall, but he always wins. If one needs evidence of that, they need only look at his records in finals. At 7-2 he is the undisputed king of the greatest stage.
Then what is it I don’t like about INnoVation? Sure I hate the way his fans prop him up as a veritable god, but that’s nothing against him. I should love his mechanical prowess. Marvel at his sense for strategy and planning. I should nod approvingly at the impassive way in which he carries himself. Then why not?
I think it’s because INnoVation is such a unique case. His results have come over such a long period of time, but they have arisen in such a manner that it would be a simple task to call him the ultimate patch Terran. INnoVation’s contemporary,
Maru defies the state of the game. He wins with regularity when Terran is disadvantaged, triumphing when the deck is stacked against him. INnoVation doesn’t do that. That’s not where his strengths lie. It’s not just about buffs and nerfs for the Machine. It’s not Terran’s strength that dictates his level of success. It’s something far less visible. INnoVation isn’t good when Terran is good. INnoVation is good when the strongest elements of Terran play align with his strengths.INnoVation is the master of optimization. He is king of the parade push and when the map pool features solid staging grounds for patient attacks and easy rally points, he elevates the strategy to another level. He exploits flavor of the month strategies better than anyone else. I can’t stand this about him, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect it. His ability to quickly grasp and improve strategies is part of the reason he’s been able to adjust to changing map pools and metagames and a crucial part of being a highly successful player. He is able to figure out the ideal style of play while other players are floundering. Sure Terran might be strong right now with their near infinite openings and powerful pushes that feature mines, tanks and liberators. Sure INnoVation was good when hellbats were overturned. Sure he was one of the many Terrans to experience success after the fall of the blink era. But why can’t I embrace that fact and stop trying to label him as some charlatan because he couldn’t buy a win in Korea during the first half of 2014 or his first year of LotV. Maybe I just need to stop fighting it.
I’m not going to admit that INnoVation is better than
Mvp. Though their results are comparative, I don’t think INnoVation will ever approach Mvp’s significance to Starcraft 2. And I’m not hiding behind the veil of “TL writer”, and our oft accused efforts to diminish INnoVation. I’m saying this as myself so all the blame lies with me. I, Mizenhauer, don’t like INnoVation and I never will. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate him for what he is: one of the greatest players to have ever played the game. 
