The Harbinger

We’ve never had a year quite like this in StarCraft 2’s eight year history.

StarCraft II is a young game with an ephemeral affinity for winners. We know almost intrinsically how tough the competition is at the highest levels of play; players vie for the smallest edge over their opponents, dedicate their entire lives to perfecting their craft. The pursuit of success is an all-consuming path, and fortunes naturally wax and wane in an environment where the conditions of victory hinge on the most fickle minutia. Stars rise and fall. Players reach dizzying heights only to crash hard mere weeks or months later. The few who rise above the churning crucible of competition are showered with every accolade imaginable, even if their streak of dominance lasts only a brief moment longer than the norm.

It has always been an immutable part of the scene. Until now.

Joona “Serral” Sotala has earned a list of nicknames as long as your arm: the King, the Emperor, the Flying Finn, the Finnish Phenom, the Warchild. No matter what moniker you use, it seems glib to summarize his journey in a short preview. We’ve seen remarkable phenomena during these past eight years, and yet here we’re treading unknown waters. Serral’s transformation has been nigh unprecedented.

Last year Serral was ranked #3 on the WCS Circuit. Among foreigners he was a recognized and respected entity, representative of the new breed of Zergs gaining prominence in LotV. Most of the respect Serral garnered came from his obvious potential though. His one true highlight of the year was reaching the grand finals in Jönköping, only to fall against the onslaught of Neeb. At that point Neeb was enjoying the zenith of his glory: the American Protoss would claim a total of three WCS titles over the course of the year. By comparison, Serral’s year was wholly lackluster. At the Global Finals the Finn’s only victory was against TRUE, a Zerg player famous for his aggressive, all-or-nothing style. He was still a knight-in-training preparing for the big clashes ahead.

Following the dismal performance in Anaheim, Serral returned home and started training for the new season. An immediate change was noticeable during his first stop in the European WESG qualifier. He prophetically plowed through the competition, only losing one series against ShoWTimE. A clean 4-0 victory in the finals against Nerchio secured him both a spot at the WESG tournament proper, and more importantly his first major offline title. In retrospect his showing in Barcelona was a catalyst. Maybe whatever mental blocks had been holding him in place were finally unlocked; perhaps Serral have discovered the perfect congruence of mechanics and strategy to match his philosophy towards SC2. No matter the case, all the latent promise we had been salivating over for years was unleashed in a way no one expected.

Almost a full year later, Serral stands as the most feared foreigner Zerg in history. He has won four consecutive WCS Circuit titles, reached in the semifinals at the IEM World Championship, finished third at WESG and claimed the GSL vs the World title. He hasn’t lost a single offline match since Nation Wars V in April. He’s won 49 offline matches since January 1st, translating to an astounding 90% win rate. Out of the four players he’s lost against—Scarlett, Classic, Maru and soO—during that period, he’s gotten revenge against three. All throughout the year Serral has been praised for his uncanny scouting prowess, his mechanical skill, and his sheer speed. Besides these conspicuous factors, he possesses two crucial elements that elevate him far beyond the reach of his contemporaries: his unwillingness to quit and his ability to clutch games. They are two sides of the same coin, but the distinction must be made: one cannot exist without the other.

There’s a world famous concept in Finland called simply sisu. It’s all about tenacity, grit, guts, resilience, and stubbornly going up against impossible odds, knowing you’ll likely fail. In Serral’s case sisu is apparent in the way he approaches games. He clings onto survival, sometimes by pure force of will, knowing that as long as the game continues opportunities at victory will present themselves. This same intransigence characterizes his approach to matches as well. No matter the score line Serral plays every game as if it’s a Bo1. Fears and insecurities are reserved for the map at hand, neutralized lest they poison future games.

This year, the one tournament that encapsulated Serral’s sisu was GSL vs the World. The Zerg had dominated the WCS Circuit since Leipzig and proven his prowess against fellow players beyond any doubt. Serral had displayed utter command over his foes in ways reminiscent of legends like Stephano. Meanwhile his skill against Koreans remained a hotly debated loose end. He had failed to go all the way at the IEM World Championships or at WESG, enough to instigate doubt he was worthy of consideration alongside Maru and Dark. Hardcore fans shouted with glee as the new foreigner hope was expected to be their salvation. Skeptics scoffed at the very idea, expecting the slew of experienced Koreans to show Serral his place.

Coming off three WCS titles, Serral expectedly slapped Kelazhur silly in a 3-0 sweep. Events took an interesting turn as the sweeps unexpectedly continued. Serral took down INnoVation with another 3-0 victory, relishing some sweet payback for the previous year’s GSL vs the World. In the semifinals Serral faced Dark, the famous slayer of foreigner dreams and ZvZ maestro. The two had played against each other at IEM Katowice 2017, where Dark had humiliated Serral in a painfully one-sided match. This time around the tables were turned. Dark looked like he needed help in the mirror matchup, with Serral advancing to the grand finals.

Lastly he faced Stats , one of the most consistent Protoss players in Legacy of the Void, who had waded through the other side of the bracket to reach the finals. Stats had exorcised a few person demons by cleanly defeating Maru in the semifinals; he sought his second gold medal of 2018. It was a bout to remember. Both players teetered on the razor’s edge, bringing the series all the way to game seven. Stats took the first two maps with atypical early-game pressure only for Serral to adjust, tying the series 2-2 in longer macro. Stats won a grueling ordeal to stand one game from victory, but even when facing utter defeat Serral remained unfazed. With no wiggle room he switched his strategy to punishing midgame timings. Neither too hot nor too cold, this porridge was the ideal solution to bowl over Stats on the final two maps.

It’s precisely that unwavering determination that works so perfectly as an example of sisu. First down 0-2 and later 2-3, a lesser player would’ve folded under the pressure, allowing doubt to blunt his perception and sensitivity to risk. We’ve seen the same situation time and again in grand finals. Once your enemy gets under your skin, it’s essentially over. Truth be told, the younger Serral would’ve folded. A clutch comeback like that, in Korea against a GSL champion, speaks volumes how much Serral has grown as a player in just a single year.

It wasn’t the first time a non-Korean won a title in the Mecca of SC2. Serral wasn’t technically the first non-Korean to win a title in Korea during that year. But the manner in which he did was truly something eyeraising. If doubts lingered over Serral’s chances against the top-tier competition Korea could offer, his successive victories at GSL vs the World quickly silenced any detractors.

With four WCS Circuit titles, a GSL weekender title, and two Top 4 finishes, it’s almost impossible to oversell Serral’s performance this year. The amount of WCS points he’s accrued over the year has almost broken the system. It’s still wise to remember that the Finn’s not immortal though. In Montreal he struggled against Scarlett, Lambo and Reynor until finally securing his fourth WCS Circuit title. He can be defeated and the expectations resting on his shoulders are sky high. But his singular ability to claim victory from the jaws of defeat makes defeat seem less and less likely as Serral continues to improve.

There’s still one more tournament he desires to win. It’s the biggest and most prestigious of the year, one that overshadows all victories grand and small that precede it. For the first time ever we are heading into BlizzCon to compete for not only one championship title, but two. Serral strives for the first honor, the title of world champion and the first foreigner to become the unequivocal best player in the world. Fifteen players will scramble to hunt the most dangerous game of all. The Finnish juggernaut has an enormous target on his back, and securing it will provide no small consolation to the lucky poacher. We will find out which title proves to be more lasting.