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What If? - Rogue in the Code S finals

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

What If? - Rogue in the Code S finals

Text byTL.net ESPORTS
September 27th, 2019 08:05 GMT

What If? - Rogue in the Code S Finals

Start time: Saturday, Sep 28 8:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

by Orlok

“What if?” is a question that torments people. The past is unchangeable, yet we still torture ourselves with this question, asking ourselves what could have, maybe even should have been. We imagine in our minds the countless ways things could have played out differently, forever chasing dreams that are cursed to remain dreams.

One has to wonder if Rogue ever asks himself this question. He’s tasted success, and plenty of it. Once a cunning-but-inconsistent wild card player for Jin Air, Rogue emerged from beneath the shadow of illustrious teammates sOs and Maru to forge his own shining legacy in StarCraft II. IEM World Champion. WCS Global Champion. 4th highest prize money earner of all time. What phantoms of the past could still cause Rogue to lose sleep?

More info: GSL Code S Season 3 on Liquipedia


[image loading]


Should Rogue have any regrets, they probably have something to do with the fact that he now enters his first ever GSL Code S finals. If soO was the king of kongs, then Rogue was the regent of the round-of-eight. Prior to this season, Rogue clawed his way to eight quarterfinal appearances in Code S, only to bite the dust each and every time. At times, you could be sympathetic to his plight, like when he ran into Stats and Maru at the peak of their powers. But after four years of losing, it became clear that it didn't matter if his opponents were top-tier competitors, outmatched underdogs, or even a foreigner in Neeb—the quarterfinal round itself was Rogue's true nemesis.

"What if Rogue never wins GSL Code S?" If fans entertained this question, then it's hard to believe that Rogue wouldn't have pondered it as well. Considering Rogue's success at 'weekender' style tournaments such as IEM, GSL Super Tournament, and BlizzCon, this Code S jinx might not seem like such a huge disappointment. Yet, there is something special about Code S that transcends prize money and any other factors, due to its nearly decade-year long history as the utmost test of skill in StarCraft II. To not win Code S would leave Rogue fans with a feeling of emptiness, even with the crowns of 'world champion' bestowed upon him by other organizations. After all, how great can a player be if they can't win the most prestigious domestic trophy?

And all of the sudden, miracle. Perhaps thinking enough was enough, Janus, Osiris, Marduk, or whatever deities decided to intervene on behalf of Rogue’s cursed soul (obviously they're StarCraft II fans). This season of Code S saw Rogue finally brush off his past failures, not only advancing past the quarterfinals but proceeding to crash directly through the semifinal gate to reach the grand finals.

The actual breaking of the quarterfinal curse happened in almost the least impressive way possible, as Rogue's 3-2 win over Zest was marred by sloppy play, failed cheeses, and ugly throws. In the end, a lucky scout against a desperation cannon rush just barely let Rogue squeak by. After such a rough showing against a confessed poor PvZ player like Zest, you had to wonder if the curse would just carry over into the semifinals.

However, Rogue went on to eliminate such doubts with a 4-1 thrashing of the de facto 'best Korean Zerg' Dark. The weak, unsure Rogue of the quarterfinals was magically replaced by the confident, audacious competitor who had won trophies around the world. Maybe that bit of magic was actually the change in format—Rogue reminded us before the semifinals that he was undefeated in offline best-of-seven matches, with a 4-0 record in such settings. It might be that the extra wriggle room to go for risky strategies brings out the absolute best in Rogue. It certainly seemed that way against Dark, as Rogue's near perfect map-by-map planning (besides losing to Dark's brilliant Nydus-Swarm Host tactics in game one) allowed him to take a smashing victory.

This Code S finals gives Rogue a chance to make up for all of the missed opportunities in the past and tick off the final box on his career checklist. His success at big-money international tournaments is already etched into history, and all he needs now is the prestige of a Code S title to complete his career.

We all know what can happen when Rogue catches fire toward the end of a season. In 2017, it almost seemed like he was pacing himself to peak in the final third of the year, embarking on a remarkable winning streak that concluded in a WCS Global Championship. Now, it's time for Rogue to turn that 5-0 record in best-of-sevens into 6-0, answering the "what if?" of a Code S championship for good. And after he's done with that, it will be time to move on to the next challenge and force StarCraft 2 fans to ask a different kind of question: "what if Rogue can make it 7-0 in the BlizzCon finals?"

Also Read:
True Protagonist - Trap in the Code S Finals




Credits and acknowledgements

Writer: Orlok
Editor: Wax
Images: AfreecaTV
Statistics: Aligulac.com
Facebook Twitter Reddit
TL+ Member
Waxangel
Profile Blog Joined September 2002
United States33349 Posts
September 27 2019 08:09 GMT
#2
Orlok predicts Rogue 4 - 2 Trap, which is the same score I predict despite writing the Trap preview (it just seemed mean to predict against him there )
AdministratorHey HP can you redo everything youve ever done because i have a small complaint?
Zambrah
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
United States7290 Posts
September 27 2019 08:20 GMT
#3
If there is a Shiva in Christian heaven Trap will ascend to become a Buddha and win
Incremental change is the Democrat version of Trickle Down economics.
Akio
Profile Blog Joined January 2019
Finland1838 Posts
September 27 2019 08:27 GMT
#4
I didn't even realize Rogue was 5-0 in bo7s, there's a possibility for a real crazy stat here if he wins Code S.

Also great write up
Mine gas, build tanks.
Durnuu
Profile Joined September 2013
13320 Posts
September 27 2019 08:42 GMT
#5
Still a patchzerg
BUNNYYYYYYYYY https://i.imgur.com/BiCF577.png
Poopi
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
France12792 Posts
September 27 2019 08:49 GMT
#6
On September 27 2019 17:27 Akio wrote:
I didn't even realize Rogue was 5-0 in bo7s, there's a possibility for a real crazy stat here if he wins Code S.

Also great write up

Well that's partly due to the fact that he couldn't reach ro4+ in GSL though ^^'.
WriterMaru
Z3nith
Profile Joined October 2017
485 Posts
September 27 2019 09:25 GMT
#7
On September 27 2019 17:42 Durnuu wrote:
Still a patchzerg


Agreed
dbRic1203
Profile Joined July 2019
Germany2655 Posts
September 27 2019 10:22 GMT
#8
Nice writup.
I m still more sold on the Trap Storyline by wax :D
MaxPax
gobbledydook
Profile Joined October 2012
Australia2603 Posts
September 27 2019 11:29 GMT
#9
On September 27 2019 17:09 Waxangel wrote:
Orlok predicts Rogue 4 - 2 Trap, which is the same score I predict despite writing the Trap preview (it just seemed mean to predict against him there )

Aligulac agrees with you
I am a dirty Protoss bullshit abuser
sneakyfox
Profile Joined January 2017
8216 Posts
September 27 2019 12:44 GMT
#10
On September 27 2019 17:42 Durnuu wrote:
Still a patchzerg


Sometimes a bonjwa, always a patchzerg
"I saw what sneakyfox wrote on TL.net and it made me furious" - PartinG
BisuDagger
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Bisutopia19230 Posts
September 27 2019 13:07 GMT
#11
On September 27 2019 21:44 sneakyfox wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 27 2019 17:42 Durnuu wrote:
Still a patchzerg


Sometimes a bonjwa, always a patchzerg

I prefer "victim of fortuitous meta".
ModeratorFormer Afreeca Starleague Caster: http://afreeca.tv/ASL2ENG2
Nakajin
Profile Blog Joined September 2014
Canada8989 Posts
Last Edited: 2019-09-27 13:53:29
September 27 2019 13:53 GMT
#12
On September 27 2019 22:07 BisuDagger wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 27 2019 21:44 sneakyfox wrote:
On September 27 2019 17:42 Durnuu wrote:
Still a patchzerg


Sometimes a bonjwa, always a patchzerg

I prefer "victim of fortuitous meta".


He's "someone who capitalize on his opportunity"
Writerhttp://i.imgur.com/9p6ufcB.jpg
Fango
Profile Joined July 2016
United Kingdom8987 Posts
Last Edited: 2019-09-27 14:18:55
September 27 2019 14:11 GMT
#13
On September 27 2019 17:49 Poopi wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 27 2019 17:27 Akio wrote:
I didn't even realize Rogue was 5-0 in bo7s, there's a possibility for a real crazy stat here if he wins Code S.

Also great write up

Well that's partly due to the fact that he couldn't reach ro4+ in GSL though ^^'.

He would have had at least 4 GSLs by now if he could.

No joke. I think there are four seperate Code S seasons he would have won had he beaten said ro8 opponent. The matchups he would have had in the ro4s/finals would have been much easier for him. All four of those ro8s were also 3-2 losses and all were throws from Rogue.

He's a criminal underachiever, which sounds odd given he has two world championships.
Zest, sOs, PartinG, Dark, and Maru are the real champs. ROOT_herO is overrated. Snute, Serral, and Scarlett are the foreigner GOATs
BisuDagger
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Bisutopia19230 Posts
September 27 2019 14:21 GMT
#14
On September 27 2019 23:11 Fango wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 27 2019 17:49 Poopi wrote:
On September 27 2019 17:27 Akio wrote:
I didn't even realize Rogue was 5-0 in bo7s, there's a possibility for a real crazy stat here if he wins Code S.

Also great write up

Well that's partly due to the fact that he couldn't reach ro4+ in GSL though ^^'.

He would have had at least 4 GSLs by now if he could.

No joke. I think there are four seperate Code S seasons he would have won had he beaten said ro8 opponent. The matchups he would have had in the ro4s/finals would have been much easier for him. All four of those ro8s were also 3-2 losses and all were throws from Rogue.

He's a criminal underachiever, which sounds odd given he has two world championships.

Clearly it is easier to commit crime in Korea than in the States.
ModeratorFormer Afreeca Starleague Caster: http://afreeca.tv/ASL2ENG2
SoupedUpHellion
Profile Joined January 2019
20 Posts
September 27 2019 14:50 GMT
#15
What does aligulac say?
TelecoM
Profile Blog Joined January 2010
United States10671 Posts
September 27 2019 16:10 GMT
#16
Go Rogue! Kind of makes me want to get back into SC2... =O
AKA: TelecoM[WHITE] Protoss fighting
CicadaSC
Profile Joined January 2018
United States1619 Posts
September 27 2019 16:14 GMT
#17
can't tell if people saying patchzerg are memeing or not.
Remember that we all come from a place of passion!!
BisuDagger
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Bisutopia19230 Posts
September 27 2019 16:20 GMT
#18
On September 28 2019 01:14 CicadaSC wrote:
can't tell if people saying patchzerg are memeing or not.

It's a joke, but he is a victim of circumstances right now. There is a clear perception of late game Zerg being superior to all other races. Should Trap lose 4-0 in long macro games it will he hard to argue against the state of play helping Rogue when looking back on this years from now. That's not how I feel personally, but its definitely a valid view point I foresee many taking if this happens.
ModeratorFormer Afreeca Starleague Caster: http://afreeca.tv/ASL2ENG2
Boggyb
Profile Joined January 2017
2855 Posts
September 27 2019 16:54 GMT
#19
On September 28 2019 01:14 CicadaSC wrote:
can't tell if people saying patchzerg are memeing or not.

In 2019:
soO won his first significant championship.
Dark made and then won his first GSL finals.
Rogue made his first GSL ro4, finals, and can still win the tournament.
It is the first year in LotV and first time since 2015 with 4 ZvZ finals of significant tournaments.
Juny1spion
Profile Joined December 2014
Czech Republic25 Posts
September 27 2019 17:34 GMT
#20
Trap still has a serious shot at beating Rogue. Can't believe so many people are confident to say Rogue takes this after his series vs Zest.
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