Jo Byung Se and Park Soo Bum are still sitting in the same room where they had faced Jaedong and Noyeol. The lights are dimmed, but they can still make out the computers in the room. It is just the two of them; the remaining guard is waiting outside. After docking, neither of them has said a word throughout the half hour wait.

Finally, Byung Se looks over at Soo Bum. “You know, it’s not that bad. Though I was excited to see what all the hubbub and secrecy was all about, at least we get to spend the remainder of this trip at a resort.”

“Ah, you’re right I suppose. Nothing wrong with a little bit of rest and relaxation anyway…”

The two talk on a bit more about their daily lives, but after a few minutes they are interrupted by the guard opening the door.

“Grab your belongings. We’ll be taking you to the resort now.”

After packing up their equipment, Byung Se and Soo Bum follow the guard out of the boat into the forest, and they begin walking. The fog is still very heavy, and Byung Se and Soo Bum have to walk quickly to keep up with the guard.


Thirty minutes of uneventful walking later, the bodyguard comes to a halt in a large clearing.

Soo Bum looks around. “Uh, correct me if I’m wrong, but this doesn’t look much like a resort…”

“Of course not; we are merely waiting here for the others.”

“The… others?”

“Yes. Including the two of you, there are in total sixteen people currently that will be staying at the resort. You all will be joined by others that fail to move on as the subsequent rounds continue.”

“You make it sound like some sort of… game.”

“Well, yes. This way, you all can relate to it, no? Ah, here we go.”

Through the fog, other progamers and guards start walking into the clearing. Byung Se recognizes two of them as his teammates, Shin Dong Won and Jang Yoon Chul, and motions for them to come join him. Park Soo Bum searches for a few minutes, but cannot find his teammates. He can only assume they have moved on, and so he just continues talking to the CJ progamers.

After a while, all sixteen progamers arrive, and with an escort of eight bodyguards once again begin moving. They talk excitedly about their plans for the rest of the vacation, and the overall mood is cheerful.

As they leave the forest, the fog begins to clear. Moist soil and trees give way to more rocky terrain, and soon the progamers end up in front of…


The guards beckon them toward the entrance, trying to reassure the progamers.

“Usually you see resorts near beaches. Well, we’ve made a… special resort. Go, go on inside.”

The progamers walk inside the cave entrance, and begin descending. The walls are adorned with artificial lighting, but as the group heads deeper and deeper into the mountain the temperature begins dropping.

Teeth chattering, the progamers continue walking along the tunnel, and soon they arrive in a large cavern.


As the group is looking around, suddenly a loudspeaker booms out, and a voice rings in the still cavern air.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen. So good to have you all here again! Welcome to our resort. Though it is nothing like you’ve ever seen before, we assure you that you’ll have a splendid time here. Ah, where are my manners. Please wait a moment and I’ll be down to join you!”

The speakers go dead, and the chamber is completely quiet. Soon though, the progamers can hear the click click of shoes on the stone floor. Through the darkness, a figure appears from a side tunnel, overshadowed and flanked by two tall bodyguards.

It is M.

He does not step out of the shadows completely, but the smile—the smile—shines as bright as day.

“Ah, I’m so glad we all arrived safely! Now, let’s show you to your rooms. If half of you would follow me, the other half will follow my associate K… come, come now, time’s wasting!”

Byung Se and Soo Bum are a part of the group that walks toward M, and with his coterie of bodyguards the small man begins leading them through the tunnel from which he came. As the progamers walk along the darkened tunnel, they can hear sounds coming from the end: clicking and whirring, and every once in a while faint beeps and zaps of electrical discharges.

And all of a sudden, the tunnel ends, and what lies at the end is most definitely not a resort. Men in white coats scurry around checking computers, adjusting equipment, and attending to people strapped down on cots. People that Byung Se remembered seeing from the cruise ship.


Byung Se manages a gasp, and then the world goes black.

Back in the forest, Lee Young Ho has finished his match. His teammate, Woo Jung Ho, has been defeated, and as Lee Young Ho walks out of the arena, he sees Jung Ho being escorted the other way by the bodyguards. As Young Ho follows his own bodyguard down the forest trail, the fog starts to clear. After about ten minutes of walking, he sees another familiar face, and rushes to greet Park Ji Soo when he sees the other man. The two are told that they will be facing each other next, and that the arena is ahead.

As the two continue onward together, they talk amiably. However, beneath the surface both know that only one can go on, and so they are reserved. As they reach the next massive arena, something happens that makes both the players and the bodyguards look skyward. Off in the distance from another part of the island, a rocket takes flight, launching off into the unknown.

Flash vs fOrGG
Atrioc: This should be so much easier to call than it is. If it wasn't for some very real and very serious TvT defeats suffered by Flash lately I would call him the absolute favorite here no questions asked. Instead, however, I'm going to go on a limb here and say we are about to witness a repeat of the fOrGG/Flash Bo5 all the way back in the Arena MSL. Do the statistics support this? Not really: Flash may only be 5-5 in his last 10 TvT's, but fOrGG is 4-6 with a let less finesse in his losses and a lot more sloppiness. But in his wins you can see potential, and with Flash seeming more vulnerable in TvT than I've ever seen him before, I feel like fOrGG can rise to that potential and create a truly memorable upset.

fOrGG 3-2.

flamewheel: Another teamkill for KT players, and they were doing so well this MSL so far. And in this case it's Flash vs fOrGG. I really like both of these players, and when I think of "Flash vs fOrGG" the first thing that pops into my mind is not Arena MSL, but sometime this year during a fOrGG interview, when he said he was 1-80 against Flash in practice games. However, Flash has been showing trouble in TvT lately, as we all know, but I'm not going to doubt his BoX skills, and he is a lot less likely to choke than fOrGG. I'm seriously torn. On one side, upsets are hilarious, but on the other side keeping the possibility of the Flash-Jaedong final is so much more tantalizing to me. I hope for a close series involving cheese (since it's TvT!) but I ultimately think the Ultimate Weapon is going to take this. Flash 3-1 or 3-2.

Calm vs Fantasy
flamewheel: So here's what I think about Calm and Fantasy: I have no clue. I could sit here and list their relative statistics, such as how Calm is 68-58 (53.97%) vT and Fantasy is 63-50 (55.75%) vZ and how they're both playing their worst matchup, but that wouldn't be very indicative of what's going to happen. Truth is, none of us know what's going to happen. You take Calm's tendency to turn into a mollusk and cross it with Fantasy's Dues Ex Machina builds that revolve around one key unit to keep him alive (usually the Valkyrie) and you get... a 6-5 head-to-head record with Fantasy leading by one. Huh. Guess that in spite of all this chaos that these two players can create, there's a common factor. Have no doubt: there's going to be great games involved, and hopefully this will go to set 5, but I'm not even going to dare try to call a winner, but my silver dollar will.

The coin says Fantasy.

Atrioc: I don't need to flip a coin to agree with you here and say that Fantasy is definitely going to take this. The man looked absolutely phenomenal in SKT1's playoff games against STX - hes in absolute tip top shape right now, with the best Terran coaches in the world at his back on a team that is fired up with competitive spirit at the moment. The only thing that could hurt him is the pressure of prioritizing proleague practice, but I think overall the extra hours put in are just going to make him that much stronger of a player for this matchup. Calm, for his part, has been looking pretty bad in ZvT lately and was absolutely dominated by Fantasy in their last encounter in May. I dont even see this as being close: Fantasy 3-0.

Light vs EffOrt
flamewheel: I had an argument with my roommate about this. He argued that since EffOrt has beaten Flash so much, that clearly means he is amazing vT. While EffOrt is 63%, let's not forget that Light has lost like, what, 2 out of the last 25 TvZs he's played? His list of scalps includes great, RorO, Jaedong, EffOrt, Action, Calm, and Kwanro, and he's been on a monster tear ever since getting 0-3ed by Kwanro in the NATE MSL. On the other hand, EffOrt has put up good results... against Flash. EffOrt has the mindgames, he has the aggressive play, but I still wouldn't call him great at TvZ. I think Light will take this 3-1.

Atrioc: While I agree with many of your points on Effort and the amount of boosted hype he got simply because he can reliably take on Flash - i absolutely disagree with your final conclusion, because it completely fails to take into account the fact that while Effort may definitely have holes in his ZvT, that does not mean Light is anywhere close to being good enough in a series to take advantage of them. I'm not gonna ignore his amazing post MSL streak, but that doesn't forgive the fact that last time he got to a Bo5 he got 3-0'd by Kwanro and now you expect him to take down the guy that toppled Flash in a finals. EffOrt 3-1.

Jaedong vs Sea
Atrioc: I haven't been this excited for a series in a long time. Watching a Jaedong vs Sea game, in general, is what I imagine watching Jaedong vs Flash could be like if the games didn't keep getting decided by build order wins or small mistakes in the early game. These are both godly mechanical players and have produced games, such as their famous epic one on Andromeda, that really showcase all aspects of the TvZ/ZvT matchup. To add to that intensity, they have already played each other twice recently - splitting the wins - and both games (one, a rape by Jaedong and the other an impressive comeback win by Sea on a Zerg favored map) have evidence of each player's capability of winning this series. Faced with such an even split I have no choice but to resort to fanboy logic (Go Jaedong!) and superstition (Sea is cursed in individual leagues!) to predict a 3-1 victory for the Tyrant.

flamewheel: I heartily agree with you, Atrioc. Sea is one of my favorite players to watch, and it's very exciting to see him break into the individual leagues as he has been doing. However, he is up against Jaedong now, and thus I will have to stop rooting for him to root for the Dong. I'm still slightly angry about Jaedong trying to make a statement against Sea in the OSL Ro16, but I'll live with it for now. Regardless, even though Sea has been playing well and T>>Z, I will always believe in Jaedong. LWWW for the 3-1 Jaedong result, though hopefully the games will be awesome. I expect to see everything from 3hatch before pool v 14CC to BBS vs 9pool.

Q: You’ve played fantasy a lot recently.
A: Seems like I have indeed. I’ve played Terran the most recently. But I have this strange feeling that I’ll continue to meet him often in the future.

      -- Calm, 2010 Hana Daetoo MSL Ro16 Day 4 Winners Interview

The MSL round of sixteen has ended, the quarterfinals are about to begin, and we look over the matchups to identify potentially exciting games. If we have to wake up early in the morning, or stay up late into the night or even commit to an all-nighter in order to watch a match, it had better be good. While there are some interesting games ahead, one match really captures all of our attention. Flash vs forGG? Pshaw. Either hour-long TvTs or a mere formality between teammates. Either way, grab your pillows. Light vs Effort? Boring Terran vs late-game Disasterzerg? Do not want. Jaedong vs Sea? Overrated.

No, the one match that we're really looking forward to is Calm versus Fantasy.



The history of progaming is the story of its players and of their confrontations with one another. Of the many battles that have carved modern Starcraft into being, the most celebrated are the repeated duels between top players in their prime. As the brackets narrowed and only the best remained, the strongest progamers would find themselves pitted against each other once again. These fights, bubbling with hype, grew into storied rivalries that punctuated the starleagues and turned each match into long-awaited episodes of an epic storyline.

Boxer versus Yellow. July versus iloveoov. Jaedong versus Flash. These portentous matchups ring with power and promise. Quite unlike Calm versus Fantasy -- this rivalry is a different beast. Although both of these players have put up strong results in the past, as Calm won the Avalon MSL in what was admittedly a ZvZ orgy and Fantasy reached two consecutive OSL finals, this matchup shouldn't be viewed as a duel between two top players in their prime, with immaculate mechanics and sound decision-making. This rivalry is a meeting of minds, born out of frequent clashes between Calm's mediocre ZvT and Fantasy's erratic TvZ. Crisp micro and stunning game sense are not to be found here: this a scrappy fight between two wily bastards who try to overcome their deficiencies with cute builds.



Their eleven games against each other are a stunning display of mediocrity shot through with dashes of brilliance and cunning. A peculiar combination that gives the matchup a unique flavor, unequaled by any other progaming rivalry. Add to that mixture both players' pronounced penchant for odd builds and timings -- Fantasy is backed by oov, while Calm upholds his Brain Zerg monicker -- and every one of their games keeps us on our toes. A brilliant opening might be followed by total collapse, failed micro might suddenly give way to a stunning attack. The final ingredient of any successful rivalry is a fairly even matchup, and with the record sitting at 6-5 in favor of Fantasy, there is no clear favorite here: we never know who'll come out on top when these two duke it out.



Their first meeting happened in May 2009, during the 2008-09 Proleague, when Calm crushed Fantasy's 14cc-powered SK Terran with a fast ultralisk, Crazy Zerg build on God's Garden. The game already featured an inexplicable failure, as Fantasy decided to build two battlecruisers while ultralisks crisscrossed the map, and promptly lost them to scourge a few seconds after revealing them. The game also exposed Fantasy's weak bio play. His lack of marine/medic micro and his bad positioning have been repeatedly abused by Calm, as the Terran army's aimless posturing -- neither moving to contain or deny an expo nor defending properly -- has allowed him to backstab with lurkerling/defiler on countless occasions. In a game on Tornado during the current Proleague season, tables were quickly turned as Fantasy's seemingly strong position was undone in seconds by lurkers isolating most of his army away from his base and then slipping into the natural under the cover of swarms.



As for Calm, his strong openings can't always prevent him from choking in the late-game. On Match Point, in a Proleague ace game in November 2009, Calm took a third gas while his spire was morphing, and the mineral-only as a fourth while his mutalisks harassed. As he once again took advantage of Fantasy's poor positioning and repeatedly attacked the natural with lurkerling, delaying Fantasy even further, he eventually secured a fifth base while Fantasy was still on two. Managing those five bases in addition to his army proved to be too daunting, however, as Calm slowly collapsed over the second part of the game. The first sign of choking was him suiciding four slow overlords into Fantasy's turrets. No drop, no scouting, nothing. Then Fantasy was able to take out bases while Calm only responded with bits and pieces of his massive army. Small, uncoordinated lurkerling groups supported by defilers became less and less effective as Fantasy finally expanded and built up a huge vessel cloud raining down the radiation. Though Calm was later able to destroy the entire vessel cloud with a brilliant cloned scourge attack, it was too late and mass firebats charged into his remaining bases, indifferent to swarms and zerglings alike. "How the fuck do you lose that game?" one worked-up spectator asked.



Things don't always go wrong. Sometimes everything goes right. Fantasy crushed Calm on Fighting Spirit in November 2009 in the Round of 16 of the EVER OSL, with an early overlord snipe, proper scouting that allowed him to see Calm's lurker opening and the timing of his third base, which led to him intercepting maynarding drones in the open and slaughtering them, then taking down the third base and overruning Calm with his first push shortly afterwards. Calm was completely outclassed, but with hindsight, we know why: this was the game where his ID appeared as "inter.clam" on OGN's player presentation screen -- his alternate personality, the mollusk within, had appeared.



But Calm also has his moments. In another game on Match Point, during their MSL series last April, he faked a 12-pool, 2 hatch lurker opening while grabbing two bases in quick succession. While Fantasy built a second bunker and cowered in his base, Calm had four bases defended by six zerglings and no lurkers whatsoever. Though Fantasy was able to destroy one of these bases, Calm saved his drones and expanded shortly afterwards, never letting go of his economic advantage throughout the game. Classic lurkerling backstabs again abused Fantasy's poor positioning and kept him in base, while Fantasy slowly fell apart, losing sieged tanks to handfuls of zerglings, rallying marines into lurkers and eventually typing out as mass zerglings streamed into his natural while his army was crushed by ultralisks in the middle of the map.



"Why do these guys play each other so much..." one exasperated spectator wondered during the second part of their MSL series. Indeed, April 2010 was the true birth of Calm and Fantasy's rivalry in the public consciousness, as they played five games during the month, all in the individual leagues. We can't answer that question, obviously, but as they meet once again in the current MSL, in their first best-of-five series no less, it's clear that this rivalry isn't going to end anytime soon. It has just started, and it's only getting crazier. Learn to sit back and enjoy it.