herO Wins 2025 GSL Code S Season 1

by Wax

When the GSL's return was announced in April, it brought relief to StarCraft II esports fans around the world. Now that the first season of 2025 has concluded, supporters of a particular faction have even more to celebrate.

In the grand finals of GSL Season 1, herO proved he was truly worthy of his nom de guerre, ending Protoss' two and a half year major title drought with a nail biting 4-3 victory over Cure.

In hindsight, it was almost inevitable that herO would be the one to come to Protoss' rescue. After all, he had been the last Protoss player to win a Liquipedia S-tier championship, hoisting the DreamHack Atlanta trophy back in December of 2022. He had remained the #1 player for Protoss ever since, and after his faction's prospects brightened with last November's 5.0.14 patch, he went on a tremendous off-season campaign which was surpassed by only Serral and Clem (the finalists of the previous World Championship). Even though the start of the tournament had seen herO share the spotlight with returning stars such as sOs, Reynor, and Maru, it soon became clear he was the heavy favorite to win it all.

Even so, winning the championship required all of herO physical skill and mental composure. Finals opponent Cure had proved his strategic cunning in countless tournaments, nowhere more so than his own Code S title run in 2021. During the favorable TvP meta of the time, he wielded the threat of Terran cheeses and all-ins as an oppressive cudgel. In this finals, it was a powerful weapon of desperation, giving him a chance against a Protoss faction that had taken the upper hand.

herO's instincts and micro allowed him to parry some blows, such as a jaw-dropping hold against an unscouted proxy-Marauder all-in in game two. But some of Cure's ploys were too devious and precisely executed to counter, and the two traded blows all the way to a pivotal game seven.

There, Cure loaded a final silver bullet—a 3-Barracks-1 Factory all-in that had already gone 1-1 against herO during the season (a loss in the RO8 and a win in the finals). However, it turned out that Cure had made an incorrect wager. herO had gathered just enough information to formulate an answer, and after minutes of patient stalling against an encroaching Tank-Bunker line, he broke through the Terran containment to collect a fourth GG.



Alongside scoring a huge symbolic victory for Protoss, herO passed a significant personal milestone by winning his second Code S title. Ironically, it was Cure who best described the meaning of herO's second championship while musing about the possibility of winning a second title for himself during an earlier interview. "GSL is too hard of a tournament to get by on luck alone, but I think a fortunate bracket or favorable meta can go a long way towards winning a single title. If you win multiple times, however, that’s a display of talent and class that deserves respect."

Indeed, during herO's first Code S championship run in 2022, he displayed the talent of an innovative and fearless underdog to topple the nigh-invincible Maru. In winning his second title, he showed the class of an all-time great who could deflect the daggers aimed squarely at his back.

While herO was the player standing tall at the end, the exploits and travails of other competitors helped make Season 1 one to remember. Reynor overcame the RO8 wall of the GSL in his third attempt, which was particularly notable for a player who had taken a brief sabbatical. Even more impressive was the fact that sOs qualified for the tournament at all, making a surprise return from a years-long retirement. On the other hand, Maru and Rogue failed to live up to their vaunted reputations, leaving fans to hope there will be a part two to their stories next season. Meanwhile, GuMiho stayed true to himself as always, adding to his long list of improbable and entertaining mech-Terran victories.

In discussing this season of this GSL Code S, one can't deny that it was unlike any others before it. The tournament was severely contracted in scale, played with only twelve players over the course of two weeks. However, the intensity and desperation felt in the playoffs proved that the venerable tournament still maintained some of its old stature. Players unloaded their entire strategic arsenals, looking to gain the smallest edge over their opponents. The weight of the stage was apparent as well—even herO briefly buckled under the pressure before ultimately rising above it.

More than anything, the belief of the fans—expressed through both generous donations online and their cheers live in the studio—let us know that the GSL still matters.

Match Recaps

Semifinals Match #1: herO [3-1] Gumiho - (VOD)

Game 1 - Magannatha (herO win): GuMiho began with an unusual first game strategy in the form of a straight-forward 2-Medivac Stim Marine rush, but perhaps due to herO overthinking things, GuMiho was able to walk directly to herO's natural and surprise him with his infantry. herO briefly looked like he might be in a bit of trouble as he was light on units after going Blink into fast Storm. However, GuMiho's decision to overextend and charge into the Protoss main cost him dearly as he lost all his Marines and a Medivac. GuMiho found himself desperately wanting those units back a few minutes later, when Stalker-Zealot-Templar crashed into his third base and ended the game.

Game 2 - Pylon (herO win): A 1-base 1/1/1 all-in was GuMiho's next strategy of choice, but herO had him scouted all the way thanks to his Hallucination scouts. Whatever all-in GuMiho was planning, it fell apart before it even started as he bled away too many units during his initial Marine-Medivac-Cyclone harassment. GuMiho cobbled together an SCV-pull all-in anyway, but herO shut it down easily to go up 2-0.

Game 3 - Ley Lines (GuMiho win): GuMiho had another unorthodox strategy in store for game three, this time playing a battlemech build. herO didn't seem entirely sure about how he was supposed to handle the unusual composition, but he played it safe, didn't overexpand, and eventually set himself up on a superior macro foundation. While GuMiho took a few engagements and skirmishes that seemed to trade decently, it looked like herO would inevitably overwhelm him with endless Gateway units.

However, just before the situation got out of hand, GuMiho finally goaded herO into the kind of protracted, Cyclone-kiting engagement that he had been looking for. GuMiho handed herO a crushing defeat in the field, after which herO could never assemble an army large enough to handle the rampaging mech deathball.

Game 4 - Torches (herO win): The early game went by relatively quietly, with both players building up on two bases. herO looked like he was being especially cautious of an all-in as he stayed on two bases for a while, but as it turned out, he was planning for his own two-base attack with both Blink and Charge upgrade.

GuMiho was caught off-guard by this aggressive move from herO, and was forced to sacrifice several SCV's on defense. Seeing the game only getting worse from there, GuMiho committed to a Marine-Tank-Liberator all-in with SCV's in tow. However, herO pulled off some great stalling actions to prevent the Tanks from pushing into truly dangerous positions, and proceeded to wipe the push out with the help of range-upgraded Colossus.

Semifinals Match #2: Cure [3-1] Classic - (VOD)

Game 1 - Tokamak (Cure win): The series began with the best overall game of the night, as Cure and Classic bloodied each other in a macro brawl on Tokamak.

Classic opened with Blink into Storm tech, while Cure went for some light Cloaked Banshee harassment. Cure looked to test Classic's defense once he had a Raven and +1 attack upgrade, but a few nasty Storms forced him to pull back to try and secure his third base. Classic took this as his cue to counterattack, but a great pre-spread by Cure turned the attack into a disaster. Nearly the entire Protoss expedition was wiped out, including the Templars due to a moment of mismicro from Classic.

Cure then saw it as his turn to counterattack, now with Ghosts in tow. However, he just couldn't find the critical EMP shot needed against Classic's defending Templars, and he bled away his lead in several failed attempts to attack Classic's fourth base. The arrival of Colossus ended Cure's offensive, and Classic found himself back on top after stabilizing on a stronger economy.

Cure reluctantly followed Classic into a longer macro game, but he stayed on a low-SCV count to try and win the game by crushing Classic in a max-out fight. He nearly found his chance when he caught Classic's army repositioning, and he pounced with all his infantry and Vikings. An extremely close battle ensued, but several rounds of warp-ins allowed Classic to barely survive and continue to snowball his economic lead. From there, Classic started to slowly suffocate Cure to death, denying expansions, chipping away at infantry with Disruptors, and only taking careful, measured fights.

However, one catastrophic move from Classic turned the game on its head. Moving his now Disruptor-centric army to deny yet another Terran base, Classic carelessly left his Disruptors exposed for a few seconds after needlessly Blinking his Stalkers away to hit a Command Center. Unfortunately for Classic, the bulk of the Terran army happened to be right next to him, and Cure instantly charged forward, danced between the Purification Novas, and destroyed the Disruptors. The rest of the Protoss army fell like dominos, and Classic suddenly found himself facing a crisis.

Cure rushed to raze as many of Classic's expansions as possible, while Classic hastily tried to put together another army. Pushing his luck, Cure advanced deep into Protoss territory, splitting his army up to target every Nexus he could find. This resulted in Classic being able to corner the main Terran army at one of the last mining Nexuses, attacking with his newly built force.

Classic managed to win a narrow victory in the pivotal battle, but in this case, it was just not enough. Cure had already done more than enough economic damage to steal back a commanding lead, while Classic didn't have enough troops left over to launch a meaningful counterattack. Still, Classic gave it a doomed try, and GG'd out after Cure dealt with the last ditch effort.

Game 2 - Magannatha (Cure win): Classic looked to pressure Cure early on, sending an early Zealot followed by two Adepts. However, Cure's decision to open with Reapers and Hellions countered such early aggression, and Classic ended up losing his first three units for virtually no gain. Classic had to wall-up and play extra defensively against any potential counterattack, which ended up being just a Mine drop that killed a Sentry to add insult to injury.

Cure soon moved out with a Marine-Tank-SCV all-in, which Classic was powerless to stop after his horrendous start.

Game 3 - Ultralove (Classic win): Cure opened with a Barracks expansion, followed by a late 4-Mine drop. However, Classic was alert and ready, and he had Stalkers in position to easily deal with the drop.

Classic continued to play things safe, delaying his fourth base against an infantry-Tank push while backdooring with Zealots. All of this seemed to set Classic up to safely take his fourth when he was ready, but an unusual lapse in his defense suddenly complicated the game. Classic failed to split his troops properly against Cure's push/drop dual threat, and he had to give up his vital fourth base.

Cure looked to be in a good position, playing against a Protoss with equal economy. However, he committed an error of his own as he lost track of Classic's army movements. Somehow, Classic managed to 'sneak' up on one of Cure's vital bases, and Cure had to give it up against Colossus and Disruptors that had already taken position.

Instead, Cure looked to counterattack and take down a Protoss expansion as payback, but Classic took this as an invitation to initiate a semi-basetrade. This move really flustered Cure, and his army movements looked confused as he tried to decide what the proper response was. Ultimately, he decided to commit half of his army to destroying Protoss expansions while half of it awkwardly idled.

Classic ended up winning the basetrade, left on half a mining base versus zero. But the bigger problem for Cure was the awkward splitting of his forces, as Classic's consolidated army tracked down one of the half of the Terran troops and annihilated them. This gave Classic the army advantage needed to rapidly retake his expansions, after which he easily closed the game out.

Game 4 - Pylon (Cure win): Cure brought back one of his builds from his RO8 match against herO, opening with 1-Barracks Marauder into a 3-Barracks 1-Factory all-in (no Starport). However, he gave the build a twist this time around (presumably knowing that Classic would have watched his previous game), getting three more Barracks, getting +1 attack upgrade, and going for a delayed move out with mass Marine-Tank.

Meanwhile, Classic prepared to hold the all-in with mass Zealot-Stalker off of three bases. Things seemed to be going well for Classic at first, as he took a decent trade against the first wave of Terran attackers. However, Marines and Tanks continued to parade in, and each Terran assault brought Classic closer to the breaking point. After several close fights, Cure finally broke through the last line of defense to force the GG.

Grand Finals: [4-3] - (VOD)

Game 1 - Persephone (herO win): Cure opened with some Reaper-Hellion harassment, which herO parried without much trouble. However, his follow-ups were more successful, with his double-Banshee and double-Medivac drop helping set himself up on a solid three base foundation. From there, Cure tested herO's defenses with a strong multi-directional threat, with Banshees threatening one expansion, a two Medivac drop lurking by the main, and his main push marching up the map.

The nerves of playing the finals seemed to show for herO, as his multitasking looked unusually shaky against Cure's offense. However, Cure himself wasn't totally on top of his execution either, and herO managed to defend without taking serious damage. Overall, it was a good enough defense to put herO on a solid 4-base foundation, with Cure starting to fall dangerously behind in economy.

herO successfully played the economic snowball game from there (despite some awkward fights), with his Robo tech + mass Gateway units gradually overwhelming Cure.

Game 2 - Tokamak (herO win): Cure brought out the proxy-Marauders that had allowed him to topple herO in the past, albeit in a different form. He faked a Rax-CC build, only to cancel his CC after herO's Probe scout departed. Meanwhile, he had a second, proxy-Barracks building near herO's natural for Marauder production, while the Barracks in his main added a Reactor for reinforcing Marines.

The cheesy strategy looked like it would hit its mark against herO's 2-Sentry opener, especially after one of them wasted its energy on a Hallucination just as two Marauders arrived. However, herO pulled off an amazing clutch play, using his Probes and his single available Force Field to surround and kill the two Marauders. This brought herO just enough time to complete his Shield Batteries and two new Warp Gates, which stonewalled the all-in and forced the GG.

Game 3 - Ley Lines (Cure win): herO opted out of the safe, Sentry scouting play that many Protosses favor, looking to pressure Cure early on with Stalker-Adept. However, he ended up trying to force this pressure a little too hard—even as Cure went backdoor with his Reaper-Hellion—and the overall early game exchanges ended up favoring Cure.

herO remained committed to offense, following up with 4-Gate Blink. Cure gave herO an unexpected opening with an awkward half-moveout, giving herO an angle to Blink a large group of Stalkers into the Terran main. While this initially looked like a great move, herO overstayed his welcome and ended up trading Stalkers for SCVs.

Cure immediately capitalized on his momentary army advantage, pulling his remaining SCV's for a counterattack. herO had gone for Dark Templars as a backstop, but Cure had shrewdly saved his scan energy for such plays. With the DT's unable to slow down Cure at all, herO had no choice but to GG against Cure's powerful counter.

Game 4 - Magannatha (Cure win): Cure brought back the 3-Barracks/1-Factory all-in he had already used twice in the GSL, once against Classic an hour earlier, and once against herO himself in the RO8. herO's Hallucination scouts alerted him to the situation, and he responded by going for Chargelots and Storm.

However, some part of herO's response seemed miscalculated, as Cure marched his Marine-Tank up to herO's base and set up a formidable Bunker line before herO's Storm upgrade was complete. With his primary damage output negated by the Bunkers, herO had no chance of breaking through the siege line and had to concede the tying map.

Game 5 - Torches (herO win): herO decided to open Charge-first again, while Cure quickly teched up to Banshees and Cloak. Upon confirming Cure's tech with a Hallucination, herO sent a handful of ground units forward for a potential counterattack while building Batteries in his mineral lines.

While Cure had waited for two Banshees to begin his harassment in game one of the series, this time he sent his first Banshee directly to the Protoss main. This played perfectly into herO's hands, with his small detachment overpowering Cure's even smaller defensive force to rip through the SCV line.

This put Cure in a hopeless situation, and while herO gave him a smidgen of false hope with some overaggression, he easily took the game after stuffing Cure's desperation all-in.

Game 6 - Ultralove (Cure win): herO began with another Charge-first opener, while Cure opened with some mild harassment into a two-base Marine-Tank all-in (the 'normal' kind with Medivacs). While herO had a Colossus on the way as Cure approached his natural, he decided to take an early fight before his critical AOE unit was complete. Presumably, he wanted to take a fight in the open while he had a chance, instead of being forced to charge down his narrow natural ramp.

However, this decision backfired on herO, as Cure melted the Zealots away with Marine kiting and proceeded to push into Protoss territory. Without anything to frontline for his Colossus, herO had to GG out against the slow Tank push.

Game 7 - Pylon (herO win): Either due to being out of builds or simply trusting in the build that had already won him two games that night, Cure opened with his 3-Barracks/1-Factory all-in yet again. On the other hand, herO switched into a Blink build this time around, while keeping tabs on a potential move out with his Observer.

Cure decided to play the slower 6-Barracks/1-Factory all-in variant that he played against Classic, which gave herO a chance to strike first with Blink Stalkers. While herO only got superficial damage done with his Stalkers, a fortuitous Blink into the natural let him uncover the 3 extra Barracks being built.

As his +1 attack upgrade completed, Cure began the march toward herO's natural, initiating the final duel between offense and defense. With Charge nearing completion and Robotics production having just begun, herO desperately needed to buy time. He would, indeed, manufacture that breathing room with a series of fantastic fights, trading away Gateway units and retreating before his precious Robotics units were endangered. Gradually, herO built up to 2 Immortals and 2 Colossus, which he used to take the pivotal fight of the game.

As the bulk of his forces charged into the Bunker line, a Prism with two Immortals slipped through to the backline. While Cure hastily tried to focus fire down the Prism, it was too late as the Immortals had already been deployed. The heavy hitters blasted the remaining Tanks down, completely changing the terms of engagement. Now, without fear of artillery fire, herO's Colossus could scorch the Terran army with impunity.

While one reinforcing Tank eventually came to the front, it was too late. herO's had taken the decisive lead in tech units, and he broke through the containment line with superior firepower. As the last of his Bunkers fell, Cure conceded the final GG of the series.