This man was the hero of Starcraft after the first month of release.
But after the Aeon of Strife that was the first few GSL seasons, Kim Won Ki had fallen from grace, and then the clear best players of their races revealed themselves. They were so far ahead of their peers it was outrageous, they were the gods of Starcraft 2. They were:
IMNesTea
oGsMC
IMMVP
Several months ago, these players were unquestionably the greatest champions of there races. Now, however their dominance has fallen under question. Only Nestea remains as the unquestioned king of his race. Are these players still the best? Maybe, but there are new faces that have risen to the top. The pantheon has fallen under attack in the last two months, and the heroes responsible for this attack are blazing their own glorious trail through Starcraft 2 history.
So let's look at a few of these brave heroes from each race, and hopefully, take a glimpse into the future of Starcraft 2.
Terran
Terran currently is the strongest race as far as GSL results. They have established pillars among them, but some new blood has entered the ranks. Bomber, MVP, MarineKing, and a few others have been dominating since the start of the new year. Recently, newer Terrans have been getting some pretty high results. These new warriors' futures are bright in SC2
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The Frontrunner:
sCfOu is the rising star of Terran with the best results so far. This young terran made his debut with the rest of the fOu roster in the GSL Open Season 3. He beat Lyn 2-1 before losing to FruitDealer in a close series 1-2. He made it from code A to code S on his first try, but we didn't really notice how good this young gun is until GSL May. Since his deep run in that tournament, very nearly eliminating a rampaging Nestea, sC has been on fire. Already dubbed a top five terran in the world by Artosis the sky is the limit for this guy.
The Closet Gosu:
PoltPrime Many would see this recent champion as the the crown prince of Terran. He may well be, but commitments to university have hampered his skill level. But as the Super Tournament has shown us, whenever this guy gets a break from his university he is a beast. Oh, and he most likely has the best T v P on the planet, period.
The Emperor's Apprentice:
MMA What can you say about this guy? Admittedly his T v P is weak when compared to his other matchups. His multitasking, medivac play, and game sense are his strengths. He is the ace of SlayerS one of the best teams in the world. He is in a bit of a slump recently, but we cannot expect him to stay in it for too long.
The Monster:
PuMa This guy is good. Really good. We haven't seen too much of him yet, but his recent performances have been dominant. Winning iCCup Korean Weekly's and scoring multiple kills in the Team League, along with some of the biggest Artosis hype in a long time. Just watch his games against Prime. He walked through MarineKing and Polt like they weren't there. If this beast can get over his nerve issues, he could be unstoppable.
sCfOu is the rising star of Terran with the best results so far. This young terran made his debut with the rest of the fOu roster in the GSL Open Season 3. He beat Lyn 2-1 before losing to FruitDealer in a close series 1-2. He made it from code A to code S on his first try, but we didn't really notice how good this young gun is until GSL May. Since his deep run in that tournament, very nearly eliminating a rampaging Nestea, sC has been on fire. Already dubbed a top five terran in the world by Artosis the sky is the limit for this guy.
The Closet Gosu:
PoltPrime Many would see this recent champion as the the crown prince of Terran. He may well be, but commitments to university have hampered his skill level. But as the Super Tournament has shown us, whenever this guy gets a break from his university he is a beast. Oh, and he most likely has the best T v P on the planet, period.
The Emperor's Apprentice:
MMA What can you say about this guy? Admittedly his T v P is weak when compared to his other matchups. His multitasking, medivac play, and game sense are his strengths. He is the ace of SlayerS one of the best teams in the world. He is in a bit of a slump recently, but we cannot expect him to stay in it for too long.
The Monster:
PuMa This guy is good. Really good. We haven't seen too much of him yet, but his recent performances have been dominant. Winning iCCup Korean Weekly's and scoring multiple kills in the Team League, along with some of the biggest Artosis hype in a long time. Just watch his games against Prime. He walked through MarineKing and Polt like they weren't there. If this beast can get over his nerve issues, he could be unstoppable.
Protoss
Protoss has only ever been ruled by one man. oGsMC has defined Protoss play in every matchup ever since his unstoppable run in GSL Open Season 3. Often times his brilliant play has made former gods of Protoss like TesteR and Genius look like droopy eyed armless children. But, recently Protosses, even MC, have been relying on 2-3 base all ins and timings to get results and showing hesitancy to engage in a macro game. However a new wave of Protosses have invaded the GSL, their play is new and fresh, and they are poised to take their place in the pantheon of SC2 champions.
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The Artosis Toss:
Remember this guy? Yeah you do. It's Alicia! In many ways this guy sparked the Protoss revolution in Korea. And it was love at first sight for Artosis. His first claim to fame was ousting MVP out of Code S and seizing his spot. He was the last Protoss alive in the Super Tournament. His P v P micro is perfect, his P v T might be the best in Korea with cool and innovative build, and his P v Z is based on passive macro instead of all ins and timings. This guy may well be the future of Protoss, he could even already be there.
The Mysterious Mastermind:
Sage, the Captain of NsHoSeo, was pretty much completely unknown until he came out against the fOu team. The following four games were the coolest, smartest, most dominant Protoss performances witnessed in a very long time. Harassment all over the map, baiting and then destroying drops, keeping a Terran contained on one base for an ENTIRE game. This guy is out of control smart. He is the king of scouting, and will undoubtedly be a force to reckon with in the future.
A New Beast:
This guy, like Bomber and DongRaeGu before him, has long been talked up as an amazing gosu player. Puzzle first made it into code A this season, and has dominated in every match. He ripped apart MMA with great dark templar harass. He beat Sheth handedly in game one, and won in a normally un-winnable situation in game 2 with some incredible blink micro. 500 APM throughout the attack, nuff said. The sky is the limit for this guy.
Remember this guy? Yeah you do. It's Alicia! In many ways this guy sparked the Protoss revolution in Korea. And it was love at first sight for Artosis. His first claim to fame was ousting MVP out of Code S and seizing his spot. He was the last Protoss alive in the Super Tournament. His P v P micro is perfect, his P v T might be the best in Korea with cool and innovative build, and his P v Z is based on passive macro instead of all ins and timings. This guy may well be the future of Protoss, he could even already be there.
The Mysterious Mastermind:
Sage, the Captain of NsHoSeo, was pretty much completely unknown until he came out against the fOu team. The following four games were the coolest, smartest, most dominant Protoss performances witnessed in a very long time. Harassment all over the map, baiting and then destroying drops, keeping a Terran contained on one base for an ENTIRE game. This guy is out of control smart. He is the king of scouting, and will undoubtedly be a force to reckon with in the future.
A New Beast:
This guy, like Bomber and DongRaeGu before him, has long been talked up as an amazing gosu player. Puzzle first made it into code A this season, and has dominated in every match. He ripped apart MMA with great dark templar harass. He beat Sheth handedly in game one, and won in a normally un-winnable situation in game 2 with some incredible blink micro. 500 APM throughout the attack, nuff said. The sky is the limit for this guy.
Zerg
The undisputed king of zerg is Nestea, and unlike MVP and MC, his grip is not loosening on the throne. For a long time, LosirA, the apprentice of Nestea, has been the only other zerg to display dominant play near the same level of the master himself. But recently a bevy of zergs have begun to figure out how to play styles that combats the other races effectively. They come from surprising places, not from the institutions of SC2 in Korea. Though they may not have the raw intelligence of their king these zergs are going to flood the ranks of the GSL and bring balance to the results.
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The Machine
DongRaeGu is the best zerg not named Nestea on the planet. This guy might have the best Z v T on the planet, and his mechanics are absolutely ridiculous. MVP is a funny team, it's full of lovable goofballs who tend to play in a non standard way. DRG is certainly a lovable goofball with tons of personality, but he dwarfs his teammates in skill. Everything from his multitasking to his macro is so ridiculously smooth. His play is incredibly scary to watch.
A Revolutionary
Banelings? Who needs them? Certainly not this new gosu from Zenex. Line is the pioneer of the new and exciting style of only muta ling in Z v T. Is he invincible? Cetainly not, sometimes his tactics are confusing. His willingness to sac an expansion is befuddling. But his ideas on how to play the game are brilliant. This guy came out of nowhere and counter attacked and magic-boxed his way to the quarter finals of the Super Tournament. It is impossible to tell what is in store for this guy, but it certainly could be greatness.
The Undercover Killer
Another ZeNex zerg? Yep, this guy is really good, and he gets no credit. CoCa dominates his Protoss opponents like no other Korean zerg has so far. His games against Alicia were incredibly impressive. Dropping, counter-attacking, and fungaling his way to victory. Like his teammate Line he is somewhat of a specialist with is vs Protoss by far his best matchup. His hyper aggressive style is a treat to watch, and his future is bright.
DongRaeGu is the best zerg not named Nestea on the planet. This guy might have the best Z v T on the planet, and his mechanics are absolutely ridiculous. MVP is a funny team, it's full of lovable goofballs who tend to play in a non standard way. DRG is certainly a lovable goofball with tons of personality, but he dwarfs his teammates in skill. Everything from his multitasking to his macro is so ridiculously smooth. His play is incredibly scary to watch.
A Revolutionary
Banelings? Who needs them? Certainly not this new gosu from Zenex. Line is the pioneer of the new and exciting style of only muta ling in Z v T. Is he invincible? Cetainly not, sometimes his tactics are confusing. His willingness to sac an expansion is befuddling. But his ideas on how to play the game are brilliant. This guy came out of nowhere and counter attacked and magic-boxed his way to the quarter finals of the Super Tournament. It is impossible to tell what is in store for this guy, but it certainly could be greatness.
The Undercover Killer
Another ZeNex zerg? Yep, this guy is really good, and he gets no credit. CoCa dominates his Protoss opponents like no other Korean zerg has so far. His games against Alicia were incredibly impressive. Dropping, counter-attacking, and fungaling his way to victory. Like his teammate Line he is somewhat of a specialist with is vs Protoss by far his best matchup. His hyper aggressive style is a treat to watch, and his future is bright.
These brave champions have risen to challenge the thrones of the masters of their races, and many of them may overtake them in the future. The current pantheon is not safe. As the game evolves and changes the battle will continue to determine who the gods and men of the battlefield truly are.
So discuss, who are the New Faces of Their Races?