• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 20:16
CEST 02:16
KST 09:16
  • 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
Power Rank - Esports World Cup 202561RSL Season 1 - Final Week9[ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall15HomeStory Cup 27 - Info & Preview18Classic wins Code S Season 2 (2025)16
Community News
BSL Team Wars - Bonyth, Dewalt, Hawk & Sziky teams10Weekly Cups (July 14-20): Final Check-up0Esports World Cup 2025 - Brackets Revealed19Weekly Cups (July 7-13): Classic continues to roll8Team TLMC #5 - Submission re-extension4
StarCraft 2
General
The GOAT ranking of GOAT rankings The StarCraft 2 GOAT - An in-depth analysis #1: Maru - Greatest Players of All Time EWC 2025 details: $700k total prize; GSL, DH Dallas confirmed Power Rank - Esports World Cup 2025
Tourneys
Esports World Cup 2025 FEL Cracov 2025 (July 27) - $8000 live event Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament Master Swan Open (Global Bronze-Master 2) Sea Duckling Open (Global, Bronze-Diamond)
Strategy
How did i lose this ZvP, whats the proper response
Custom Maps
External Content
Mutation #239 Bad Weather Mutation # 483 Kill Bot Wars Mutation # 482 Wheel of Misfortune Mutation # 481 Fear and Lava
Brood War
General
BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ Ginuda's JaeDong Interview Series [Update] ShieldBattery: 2025 Redesign BW General Discussion Dewalt's Show Matches in China
Tourneys
[BSL20] Non-Korean Championship 4x BSL + 4x China [Megathread] Daily Proleagues CSL Xiamen International Invitational [CSLPRO] It's CSLAN Season! - Last Chance
Strategy
[G] Mineral Boosting Does 1 second matter in StarCraft? Simple Questions, Simple Answers
Other Games
General Games
Total Annihilation Server - TAForever Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Nintendo Switch Thread [MMORPG] Tree of Savior (Successor of Ragnarok) Path of Exile
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
Stop Killing Games - European Citizens Initiative Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Russo-Ukrainian War Thread US Politics Mega-thread Post Pic of your Favorite Food!
Fan Clubs
INnoVation Fan Club SKT1 Classic Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
[\m/] Heavy Metal Thread Anime Discussion Thread Movie Discussion! [Manga] One Piece Korean Music Discussion
Sports
Formula 1 Discussion 2024 - 2025 Football Thread TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 NBA General Discussion
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Installation of Windows 10 suck at "just a moment" Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Ping To Win? Pings And Their…
TrAiDoS
momentary artworks from des…
tankgirl
from making sc maps to makin…
Husyelt
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Socialism Anyone?
GreenHorizons
Eight Anniversary as a TL…
Mizenhauer
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 656 users

New Mountains to Climb: soO's 2018 Journey Begins

Forum Index > SC2 General
46 CommentsPost a Reply
1 2 3 Next All

New Mountains to Climb: soO's 2018 Journey Begins

Text byTL.net ESPORTS
Graphics byHushfield
January 15th, 2018 18:57 GMT

Written by Mizenhauer [image loading]
Photos by leimmia [image loading]


It’s not our first rodeo.

At this point, the StarCraft II community is intimately familiar with (Z)soO's struggle. It's one of the most compelling stories in all esports, drawing us in with the gravitational pull of a black hole. We watch with rapt focus, knowing—even dreading—what comes next. No matter how impressive soO looks on the path to the ultimate stage, fate looms like a specter. It’s what makes soO so respected in the first place. He never surrenders in the face of failure.

soO had finished second in GSL a record six times, but the BlizzCon finals was an untarnished frontier. It was a potential Eden if he could only reach it, so soO entered BlizzCon 2017 with his eyes set on a top two finish. The term “life changing money” gets thrown around a lot in sports, but reaching his tenth premier event finals would bag soO more than twice as much as he earned in 2014. $140,000 represented the third largest paycheck in StarCraft history, only eclipsed by winning BlizzCon itself, and TY’s WESG haul.

It might have been aiming for the stars given soO’s form at the time. Most notable were a pair of losses to Dark in GSL Season 3 and the second Super Tournament. soO had always dominated his former teammate, but as BlizzCon crept closer, the wheels seemed to be coming off the bus. This was not the soO who had rampaged to consecutive GSL finals. Fatigue was catching up with him and things weren’t clicking as they had in the first half of the year. The fact that he was happy with second might have been a portent, but he freely admitted that once he and Rogue stood alone, the desire to win flared up as strong as ever. It was an opportunity to pry the monkey off his back.

soO had finished in second place on eight occasions prior to facing (Z)Rogue. But this time was different. He had bared his hopes and dreams to the community when he penned My Life as Sisyphus, winning over more fans to his side than ever before. Those who had previously enjoyed mocking soO status as a running joke had a harder time of it, once they got to know his pain more intimately. soO's confessions revealed another side of a complex personality that didn't know how to give up, cementing the adoration of his followers.

"I’ll get myself ready until BlizzCon no matter what and I’ll show you a different side of myself. A career can be decided in a single moment. BlizzCon is my time to redeem my past mistakes."

It’s clear how much the WCS Global Finals meant to soO. BlizzCon 2014 was a careless embarassment soO never wanted to repeat. 2017 was an opportunity to rectify that mistake, and all the others which had haunted him throughout his career. BlizzCon may not have matched GSL Code S in terms of sheer mathematical difficulty, but the title of WCS world champion came with an unrivaled prestige. Perhaps it would be enough to change the entire narrative of soO's entire career.



It wasn’t to be. There was no doubt that Rogue was a powerful force in himself, but fate was an even stronger one. soO took a 2-1 lead in the series, but crumbled from there. The final blow came on Acolyte where Rogue completely outplayed soO. soO staggered back to the hotel, alone with his thoughts and a suffering none but he could understand.

We had seen soO fail before, but never like this. Rumors of retirement were stirring before BlizzCon even started and they only intensified afterwards. soO was also notably absent from HomeStory Cup and online events. The healing process was harder than ever. Relief was not as forthcoming as it had been when Stats and GuMiho had shattered his dreams. If his brief but noticeable absence fanned the flames, they roared like an inferno when he missed the WESG qualifiers. Some fans couldn’t help running with soO’s ambiguously worded tweet explaining why he had missed the event. It turned out he had simply been out of the country, but it was an unusually timed vacation.

soO seems certain his best days are behind him. 27 is a pivotal age in his eyes, for it is around the period when progaming careers peter out. If he hasn’t won by now, what’s to lead him to believe he ever will?

In 2014 he ascended to the pantheon of ignominious legends by taking second place in three consecutive GSL's. 2016 was the year in which he lost and subsequently regained his drive to be a progamer. 2017 was the year the fans came to know soO as a human and not just a caricature. We marveled at his resurgence, and suffered even greater disappointment because we dared to open our hearts. One can’t help but wonder what 2018 will be for perhaps the greatest Zerg of StarCraft II, the Kong who has outdone even the progenitor of his line, Yellow.

Despite finishing second at BlizzCon less than three months ago, soO does not enter the first GSL of the new year as a favorite. The spotlight shines far brighter on INnoVation, Dark, and the man who beat him in the WESG APAC qualifier, Classic. soO, riddled with doubt, troubled with old age, and coming off the largest defeat of his career has slipped through the cracks. He finds himself in maybe the most challenging group of the Round of 32. Zest is an elite Protoss. Bunny and his distinctive mech play are formidable in their own right. soO’s opening match against NoRegret is unlikely to trip him up, but there’s no denying that soO finds himself in the middle of the pack once more, a startling feat given all he accomplished in 2017.

soO has never quit. He’s given us reason to believe time and again, but this as we enter 2018, we can’t help but wonder if it’s one time too many. Those who savor his losses are licking their lips at the prospect of the only dish that can sate their hunger: soO finally breaking. But soO doesn't play for buzzards. He plays for those who have given him their hearts and cheered for him every step of the way. Those whose attention he garnered in 2014, and those he won over by baring his vulnerabilities in 2017. soO will keep fighting even if this is his last year. He still has to repay his fans for their kindness.

"As for the fans cheering for me and wanting me to win because I've lost so many times... I want to repay you for your expectations, but there's nothing I can say besides “I'm sorry”. I feel you are the driving force that keeps me working hard at the game. It's not over yet so I still want to become a champion, if only to repay your kindness."



Credits

Writer: Mizenhauer
Editors: CosmicSpiral, Wax.
Photo: leimmia
Digital art: Hushfield

Facebook Twitter Reddit
TL+ Member
GumBa
Profile Blog Joined July 2012
United Kingdom31935 Posts
January 15 2018 19:08 GMT
#2
The real patchzerg
To all the haters: you deserve to witness many, many more Serral victories, worthy of the godlike player he is.
Waxangel
Profile Blog Joined September 2002
United States33380 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-01-15 22:12:38
January 15 2018 19:08 GMT
#3
On January 16 2018 04:08 GumBa wrote:
The real patchzerg

Back off, vulture, I thought you were only in the campaign and StarCraft 1 -_-
AdministratorHey HP can you redo everything youve ever done because i have a small complaint?
intotheheart
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
Canada33091 Posts
January 15 2018 19:09 GMT
#4
No K-pop? 1 star.
kiss kiss fall in love
GumBa
Profile Blog Joined July 2012
United Kingdom31935 Posts
January 15 2018 19:09 GMT
#5
On January 16 2018 04:08 Waxangel wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 16 2018 04:08 GumBa wrote:
The real patchzerg


The Zerg of many many patches, given the lengthy resume

His blatant abuse of so many patches is quite frankly disgusting.
To all the haters: you deserve to witness many, many more Serral victories, worthy of the godlike player he is.
DieuCure
Profile Joined January 2017
France3713 Posts
January 15 2018 19:09 GMT
#6
I hope he will not be eliminated in Ro32, considering his group and the style of play of Bunny it's unfortunately possible.
TL+ Member
intotheheart
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
Canada33091 Posts
January 15 2018 19:10 GMT
#7
On January 16 2018 04:09 GumBa wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 16 2018 04:08 Waxangel wrote:
On January 16 2018 04:08 GumBa wrote:
The real patchzerg


The Zerg of many many patches, given the lengthy resume

His blatant abuse of so many patches is quite frankly disgusting.

Don't forget the maps.

soO is mapzerg confirmed?
kiss kiss fall in love
SetGuitarsToKill
Profile Blog Joined December 2013
Canada28396 Posts
January 15 2018 19:10 GMT
#8
On January 16 2018 04:09 GumBa wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 16 2018 04:08 Waxangel wrote:
On January 16 2018 04:08 GumBa wrote:
The real patchzerg


The Zerg of many many patches, given the lengthy resume

His blatant abuse of so many patches is quite frankly disgusting.

Perhaps the truest patchzerg is one who can abuse EVERY patch. I am enlightened now, thanks Gumba
Community News"As long as you have a warp prism you can't be bad at harassment" - Maru | @SetGuitars2Kill
GumBa
Profile Blog Joined July 2012
United Kingdom31935 Posts
January 15 2018 19:12 GMT
#9
On January 16 2018 04:10 SetGuitarsToKill wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 16 2018 04:09 GumBa wrote:
On January 16 2018 04:08 Waxangel wrote:
On January 16 2018 04:08 GumBa wrote:
The real patchzerg


The Zerg of many many patches, given the lengthy resume

His blatant abuse of so many patches is quite frankly disgusting.

Perhaps the truest patchzerg is one who can abuse EVERY patch. I am enlightened now, thanks Gumba

Anytime sgtk.
To all the haters: you deserve to witness many, many more Serral victories, worthy of the godlike player he is.
ZigguratOfUr
Profile Blog Joined April 2012
Iraq16955 Posts
January 15 2018 19:17 GMT
#10
soO's gonna get at least one more finals--there's no other way it could be.
Clonester
Profile Joined August 2014
Germany2808 Posts
January 15 2018 19:18 GMT
#11
Time for more silver medals.
Bomber, Attacker, DD, SOMEBODY, NiKo, Nex, Spidii
starkiller123
Profile Joined January 2016
United States4030 Posts
January 15 2018 19:21 GMT
#12
On January 16 2018 04:09 DieuCure wrote:
I hope he will not be eliminated in Ro32, considering his group and the style of play of Bunny it's unfortunately possible.

hoping for Bunny and soO to advance, sorry Zest
Musicus
Profile Joined August 2011
Germany23576 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-01-15 19:40:20
January 15 2018 19:38 GMT
#13
I like soO.

I enjoy watching him. He is my favourite player.

When he gets second place, I think to myself: No

When he gets first place, I think to myself: ...well that doesn't happen
Maru and Serral are probably top 5.
GumBa
Profile Blog Joined July 2012
United Kingdom31935 Posts
January 15 2018 19:43 GMT
#14
On January 16 2018 04:38 Musicus wrote:
I like soO.

I enjoy watching him. He is my favourite player.

When he gets second place, I think to myself: No

When he gets first place, I think to myself: ...well that doesn't happen

Never4get Kespa cup
To all the haters: you deserve to witness many, many more Serral victories, worthy of the godlike player he is.
Fango
Profile Joined July 2016
United Kingdom8987 Posts
January 15 2018 20:11 GMT
#15
On January 16 2018 04:43 GumBa wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 16 2018 04:38 Musicus wrote:
I like soO.

I enjoy watching him. He is my favourite player.

When he gets second place, I think to myself: No

When he gets first place, I think to myself: ...well that doesn't happen

Never4get Kespa cup


Do people undervalue Kespa Cups because a foreigner won one?
Zest, sOs, PartinG, Dark, and Maru are the real champs. ROOT_herO is overrated. Snute, Serral, and Scarlett are the foreigner GOATs
pvsnp
Profile Joined January 2017
7676 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-01-15 20:16:43
January 15 2018 20:13 GMT
#16
I'm not a soO fan and can't say I was sad to watch him lose in 2014. But seeing it happen all over again in 2017 was kind of painful, even for a detached observer.

I may not be a fan, but I will still cheer for him to break his curse and finally lift a GSL trophy. Nobody with a heart could do any less. Though until that happens, I reserve the right to meme about his second places.

Great writing as usual, Mizenhauer. Though I gotta say, the frequency of these soO articles is a bit.....blatant.
Denominator of the Universe
TL+ Member
pvsnp
Profile Joined January 2017
7676 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-01-15 20:15:34
January 15 2018 20:14 GMT
#17
On January 16 2018 05:11 Fango wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 16 2018 04:43 GumBa wrote:
On January 16 2018 04:38 Musicus wrote:
I like soO.

I enjoy watching him. He is my favourite player.

When he gets second place, I think to myself: No

When he gets first place, I think to myself: ...well that doesn't happen

Never4get Kespa cup


Do people undervalue Kespa Cups because a foreigner won one?

Of course not. They undervalue Kespa Cups because soO won one. Clearly it can't be a true first place.

Petition to rename the Kong line the soO line.
Denominator of the Universe
TL+ Member
ZigguratOfUr
Profile Blog Joined April 2012
Iraq16955 Posts
Last Edited: 2018-01-15 20:22:32
January 15 2018 20:20 GMT
#18
On January 16 2018 05:11 Fango wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 16 2018 04:43 GumBa wrote:
On January 16 2018 04:38 Musicus wrote:
I like soO.

I enjoy watching him. He is my favourite player.

When he gets second place, I think to myself: No

When he gets first place, I think to myself: ...well that doesn't happen

Never4get Kespa cup


Do people undervalue Kespa Cups because a foreigner won one?


Neeb's KeSPA Cup was more prestigious than soO's since there was twice the prize pool and a group stage.

On January 16 2018 05:14 pvsnp wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 16 2018 05:11 Fango wrote:
On January 16 2018 04:43 GumBa wrote:
On January 16 2018 04:38 Musicus wrote:
I like soO.

I enjoy watching him. He is my favourite player.

When he gets second place, I think to myself: No

When he gets first place, I think to myself: ...well that doesn't happen

Never4get Kespa cup


Do people undervalue Kespa Cups because a foreigner won one?

Of course not. They undervalue Kespa Cups because soO won one. Clearly it can't be a true first place.

Petition to rename the Kong line the soO line.


And Flash made top 4 of KeSPA Cup twice. Definitely a joke event.
pvsnp
Profile Joined January 2017
7676 Posts
January 15 2018 20:26 GMT
#19
On January 16 2018 05:20 ZigguratOfUr wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 16 2018 05:11 Fango wrote:
On January 16 2018 04:43 GumBa wrote:
On January 16 2018 04:38 Musicus wrote:
I like soO.

I enjoy watching him. He is my favourite player.

When he gets second place, I think to myself: No

When he gets first place, I think to myself: ...well that doesn't happen

Never4get Kespa cup


Do people undervalue Kespa Cups because a foreigner won one?


Neeb's KeSPA Cup was more prestigious than soO's since there was twice the prize pool and a group stage.

Show nested quote +
On January 16 2018 05:14 pvsnp wrote:
On January 16 2018 05:11 Fango wrote:
On January 16 2018 04:43 GumBa wrote:
On January 16 2018 04:38 Musicus wrote:
I like soO.

I enjoy watching him. He is my favourite player.

When he gets second place, I think to myself: No

When he gets first place, I think to myself: ...well that doesn't happen

Never4get Kespa cup


Do people undervalue Kespa Cups because a foreigner won one?

Of course not. They undervalue Kespa Cups because soO won one. Clearly it can't be a true first place.

Petition to rename the Kong line the soO line.


And Flash made top 4 of KeSPA Cup twice. Definitely a joke event.

Building firebats against Protoss, such a bad habit. And he got to the top 4? Joke confirmed.
Denominator of the Universe
TL+ Member
Mizenhauer
Profile Blog Joined February 2015
United States1859 Posts
January 15 2018 20:33 GMT
#20
On January 16 2018 05:13 pvsnp wrote:
I'm not a soO fan and can't say I was sad to watch him lose in 2014. But seeing it happen all over again in 2017 was kind of painful, even for a detached observer.

I may not be a fan, but I will still cheer for him to break his curse and finally lift a GSL trophy. Nobody with a heart could do any less. Though until that happens, I reserve the right to meme about his second places.

Great writing as usual, Mizenhauer. Though I gotta say, the frequency of these soO articles is a bit.....blatant.


I have written a fair number of articles about soO, but I think you'd be shocked to know the other player I've written about the most. Note: I'll be excluding previews from GSL Season 1 because that system was scrapped and the topic was forced rather than chosen.

By my count, I wrote four articles about soO in 2017 (VSL Preview/Eo Yun Soo/BlizzCon/Weekly Focus). Two others were written as GSL final previews by other people. I wrote three articles about Inno during the same time period (VSL Preview/GSL S3 Preview/Weekly Focus). Two more articles were written for BlizzCon and SSL Season 1 by other writers. There was just an Inno/Maru article and now a soO article. So the two are pretty even on how frequently they've been covered in my tenure. It's not my fault soO's story, and by extension the articles about him, are more interesting and stick out so much more than other players in the scene like INnoVation.
┗|∵|┓Second Place in LB 28, Third Place in LB 29 and Destined to Be a Kong
1 2 3 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 9h 44m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
Nathanias 161
Nina 0
Dota 2
monkeys_forever740
Counter-Strike
Fnx 2550
flusha414
Super Smash Bros
Mew2King164
AZ_Axe143
Other Games
tarik_tv23788
summit1g11107
gofns8761
C9.Mang0215
ViBE179
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick835
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 16 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Hupsaiya 88
• RyuSc2 45
• davetesta38
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• HerbMon 44
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
League of Legends
• Doublelift4431
Other Games
• imaqtpie882
Upcoming Events
CranKy Ducklings
9h 44m
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
13h 44m
CSO Cup
15h 44m
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
17h 44m
Bonyth vs Sziky
Dewalt vs Hawk
Hawk vs QiaoGege
Sziky vs Dewalt
Mihu vs Bonyth
Zhanhun vs QiaoGege
QiaoGege vs Fengzi
FEL
1d 8h
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
1d 13h
BSL20 Non-Korean Champi…
1d 17h
Bonyth vs Zhanhun
Dewalt vs Mihu
Hawk vs Sziky
Sziky vs QiaoGege
Mihu vs Hawk
Zhanhun vs Dewalt
Fengzi vs Bonyth
Sparkling Tuna Cup
3 days
Online Event
3 days
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
4 days
[ Show More ]
The PondCast
5 days
Replay Cast
5 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

CSL Xiamen Invitational
Esports World Cup 2025
Murky Cup #2

Ongoing

Copa Latinoamericana 4
Jiahua Invitational
BSL20 Non-Korean Championship
CSLPRO Last Chance 2025
CC Div. A S7
Underdog Cup #2
IEM Cologne 2025
FISSURE Playground #1
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025
PGL Astana 2025
Asian Champions League '25

Upcoming

ASL Season 20: Qualifier #1
ASL Season 20: Qualifier #2
ASL Season 20
CSLPRO Chat StarLAN 3
BSL Season 21
RSL Revival: Season 2
Maestros of the Game
SEL Season 2 Championship
uThermal 2v2 Main Event
FEL Cracov 2025
HCC Europe
ESL Pro League S22
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
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 © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.