Road to BlizzCon 2019: soO (#5 WCS Korea)

The Blessing and the Curse

by Orlok

It still feels extremely surreal to say this: soO is a champion.

This fact is 100% true, unconditional, and irreversible. There's no bulls*** 'tier 2' designation the Korean community put upon his 2015 KeSPA Cup championship to dispute with here. After nearly six years of anguish, pain, and close calls, the dream is a reality. soO broke his curse to win the championship at IEM Katowice 2019, and his legacy has been forever secured.


While we all hoped that soO would rise to the occasion at long last, every passing year made that hope seem all the more vain. Most of us couldn't even dream of becoming a progamer, but we all understood the overbearing weight of time crashing down upon our shoulders. However, whether through sheer luck or the the existence of benevolant, higher-powers, soO finally broke free from his cycle of suffering at the least probable moment. He went on a miracle run to win IEM Katowice 2019, giving us one of the most emotional and heartwarming moments in esports history.

If you want to relive the specific details of this remarkable run, go over this essay by Mizenhauer, TL’s biggest soO fan. From the verge of elimination, soO reached the playoff thanks to a lucky tie-breaker, and then went on to the beast Zest, Serral, herO to reach the finals. He went down two games against Stats in the grand final, before stunning the world and smashing one of LotV's greatest Protoss players in four straight games to claim the championship.



It was the greatest happy ending we had witnessed in StarCraft II, if only because we had become accustomed to tragedies only begetting more tragedies. We are eager to praise victories and fawn over superlative displays of in-game skill, but we are also numb to the pain of failure that even the so-called 'successful' players are forced to take in stride. soO’s story, one he even related to TL.net personally back in 2017, has been a unique point of connection and empathy for fans. He's shown us that even the best players feel the pain from every thorn on their path, a path that may never lead to any real glory. From soO's second-place curse, to disagreements with SKT management, to the dissolution of KeSPA teams and his sense of purpose in general, he helped us understand why even the suppressed misery of a top progamer can be deserving of our sympathy.

But, after all the fanfare and celebration subsided after soO's legendary win, we weren't left with a reinvigorated legend. After such a momentous achievement of winning an IEM Katowice champion, soO's fans couldn't be blamed for hoping for a Code S championship run before the end of the year. Unfortunately, reality is a lot more complicated than that. The greatest triumph of soO's career didn't spur him on the more success—instead, he's been largely irrelevant for the remainder of the 2019 competitive circuit. The once shining symbol of consistency and perseverance has failed to maintain that image. Without his IEM Katowice victory, soO would be lingering far outside the Global Finals cutoff with the likes of GuMiho, RagnaroK, and Hurricane.

Just looking at his 2019 season in Code S, soO's play has been far from championship caliber. Season one saw him get eliminated in the Ro16, losing two series to Rogue (for a combined 0-4 map score). soO managed to reach the playoffs in Code S Season 2, taking out non-BlizzCon class players in Dear and GuMiho. However, he was promptly ejected from the playoffs by Classic in the quarterfinals. Season 3 of Code S was soO's worst showing yet, as he was eliminated in the Ro32 after losing to herO and notably poor PvZ player Zest. Throughout these ordeals, he didn't look look anything like a world champion. The brutal truth is, soO became one of those ordinary, try-hard players who populates the GSL group stages. Despite his incredible tournament resume and history of greatness, the present version of soO is not one that his fans and supporters can rationally pin their hopes upon to make an impact at the Global Finals.

However, perhaps that's for the best. Maybe we now need to realize that the most tormented and player in StarCraft II has reached the end of his road, and there is no further glory to seek. It's in our nature as fans to demand more from players, without asking what price the players must pay to achieve it.

I'm sure some soO fans have already accepted that he has done his best, and by doing his best he has fulfilled all of his career dreams. After all, soO is undoubtedly one of the greatest StarCraft II players of all time. He’s reached the finals of more 'premier' tier tournaments than any other player in StarCraft II. He's been a key player on a Proleague championship team. He's achieved cult-hero status that goes beyond any recorded tournament result on Liquipedia.



Looking back, perhaps we might even dare to say the Kong curse was a blessing for soO. While the curse was what drove him mad, it was also what made him one of the most popular and sympathetic players in StarCraft. More importantly, it may have given him the drive to be one of the most consistently great players in StarCraft II since his first runner-up finish in 2013.

It's something that even soO himself has seemed conflicted about. Prior winning IEM Katowice, he once said he could still retire without regret. At other times, he's given interviews that made it seem like he was still full of second-thoughts and desperation. To the fans who made memes out of his many runner-up moments, he's expressed both amusement and resentment.

Right now, the end game doesn’t look so exciting. Looking at soO's play in recent tournaments, it doesn't seem like he's coming into BlizzCon with momentum or a chip on his shoulder. It seems pretty clear that he's no longer that player who has everything to prove.

If it was ever truly bitterness and regret that fueled soO, then now would be the time to summon it again. He should look at the teenagers playing in their first Global Finals, and delight in how he might give them their first taste of crushing disappointment. He should look at the WCS Circuit title winners and be indignant, wondering how they dare to call themselves champions. He should look at the BlizzCon trophy with Rogue's name engraved upon it, and think about how those letters could easily spell "soO."

But, if soO is truly at peace with himself and StarCraft II, then there's not much else to say. With no more shackles left to break, with all the wounds of defeat healed, soO has earned a care-free trip to the Global Finals. If, for the first time ever, he wants to enjoy the experience as someone who's just happy to be there, then no one could dare blame him. If all the weight of history has been lifted, leaving just a man who simply enjoys StarCraft II, what else could we say but "thank you"?