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Maru vs. INnoVation
Semi-Final One

Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

VODs on Twitch

by stuchiu

Innovation, King of the New Era

The tides come and go, the big fish eat the little fish, and the new overtake the old. Such is the way of the competitive world, and the contestants must accept that rises and falls are as inevitable as day and night. He who was proclaimed the greatest in the world one week might might find himself humbled by the unlikeliest of opponents the next.

In recent times, this has led some to believe that SC2 is an extremely volatile game, and we are forever cursed to endure a revolving door of new champions. But the truth of the matter is in just 2 years there have been nearly as many major tournaments in SC2’s short life span as there were for the entirety of Brood War's run. With the large amount of international and Korean tournaments, it's no surprise that we've had a wide variety of players call themselves 'champion.' But even in each and every age, a select few players would always fight through the chaos, climb to the top, and overshadow all others.

The latest age, the age of HotS, began as a four man free-for-all with Flash, Innovation, Parting and Life at the summit. It ended with Innovation killing the other three and Soulkey ascending late to throw his name in the competition. But even Soulkey’s miraculous victory over Innovation in the Code S finals only briefly affected the big picture, as Innovation would go on to win WCS Season One finals and take bloody revenge on Soulkey in the OSL. INnoVation is now once again poised to take another major Korean Championship, this time the OSL.

STX_INnoVation is the King of the new age. Ever since giving up his old name of Bogus, Innovation rose to heights he never knew before, hitting the Ro8 of every GSL he has participated in. His raw force of mechanics, already more suited to StarCraft II than Brood War, have been fine tuned to a level of robotic efficiency in Heart of the Swarm. His micro, macro, and multi-tasking are a level above the rest of the Terran race. He has began to learn the finer parts of series strategy, incorporate cheeses to keep his opponents honest while figuring out how to defend his opponents' dastardly tactics. Slowly but surely, Innovation is becoming THE perfect Terran. Even his personality is 100% suited to attaining this perfection: winning is his only goal. He does not win for the sake of fame, fortune, or the recognition of others. He just wins for its own sake.

With such perfect gameplay and a machine-like personality, some may say INnoVation is as boring as he is awe-inspiring. For all of INnoVation's sublime gameplay, he endures none of the struggle or tragedy that gave once robotics Terrans like Mvp and Bomber a heartbeat. But even his detractors must agree that he is a champion we have to give our utmost respect. Not that he wants it, or even cares about it.

The big question for this OSL was never "who will win?," but instead "who can possibly beat Innovation?" INnoVation has proven he more than deserves to be held in such esteem, as he has cruised through the tournament so far, defeating players like Flash and Soulkey while barely looking like he was getting out of second gear. All the while he shouldered the burden of being STX Soul's ace player in Proleague, carrying his team to victory after victory as they headed to the Grand Finals. His TvP is a war machine that grinds down his opponents, while his TvZ is on another plane of existence entirely. INnoVation's only weakness seems to be TvT, if you could call it a weakness at all since the only player he’s lost to in recent memory is Bomber.

For Innovation, this match is a victory march, pure and simple. This will be an affirmation of what we all know: that he is the best player in the world and is on his way to becoming the greatest player of HotS. The HotS era started in chaos, but now there is just one order, the order of INnoVation.


Maru, Prince of the Old Age

On August 8, 2010, sixty-four players made it through a grueling qualifier to enter the first major Korean Starcraft II tournament, the GSL Open. Among those 64 players were old Brood War veterans trying to rekindle their old dreams, hopeful foreigners who were looking for chances in a new game, and youngsters who had only seen progaming from afar. Nearly three years later, nearly all sixty-four of those players have left the GSL. Most have retired, some have gone to the military, some have gone to coaching, and others have moved on to play in WCS NA or EU. Only one player from that first ever GSL Open is now in the OSL, the premier division of Korean StarCraft. Only MaruPrime.

Back during his debut in the GSL Open, Maru wowed the fans as he won his first ever game against fan favorite Cella at the age of thirteen. He also elicited some groans, as first time nerves got the better of him and he played one of the uglier games the GSL had ever seen. Now 2 years and 11 months later he is still the youngest player remaining in the tournament, is still wowing the crowds with his micro, and still occasionally causes palm and forehead to meet due to his prodigious cheesing ability. But instead of being a novelty, a player more interesting for his age than his play, he is now a legitimate threat to reach the finals of the most difficult tournament in the world.

In many ways, Maru’s appearance in the ro4 is the most surprising possible result. First was on an insane hot-streak. SuperNoVa had the veteran cunning and intelligent series planning needed in a Bo5 format. Symbol was Korea's paragon of consistency. Maru? Maru’s entire career hae been one of middling results as he has constantly bounced around in the high Code A/low Code S zone. While always a solid Terran player with a talent for cheesing and micro, Maru never looked like a guy who could outplan and outplay a real Code S title contender in a best of five series. At least, that was the perception when this season started. Prime was doing terribly in the GSTL, Maru wasn't exactly helping them stay out of last place, and he didn't look all that different from usual.

But once the OSL started, Maru began pulling out surprise victory after surprise victory as he eliminated effort, sOs, Trap and Supernova in his run to the quarter-finals. If anyone thought this run was a fluke, he disproved it by destroying the incredibly consistent Code S player Symbol by a 3 - 1 scoreline.

Maru has been playing the best Starcraft of his life. He is bringing great aggressive builds tailored to the OSL maps. His macro is on point. His micro is some of the best we've seen in a long time, making us remember why we once called him the MarinePrince. While players like INnoVation, Bomber, and First have been hogging the spotlight for most of the OSL, Maru is forcing himself into the title conversation with every good performance.

Although Maru's performance has been the surprise of the season, you could look at it as an inevitability of time. So long as a player is passionate and willing to keep putting in the effort, eventually the results must come. In the first 2 years of WoL, there were three young prodigies that people were watching for each race. They were: Creator, Life and Maru. Creator would go on to become a top 3 Protoss in the world. Life became the best player in the world at the end of WoL and through the beginning of HotS. It's been a long time coming, but Maru is finally living up to his potential.

The next chapter in this coming of age story? Beat the best player in the world.


Overall Predictions and Thoughts

This is a Terran vs. Terran, but it's also a clash of opposites. INnoVation is the champion of KeSPA, and a long time veteran who is still a newcomer in StarCraft II. Maru is just fifteen, but is one of the most experienced veterans of StarCraft II and the eSF. Will the new old champion continue his reign over Korea or will the old young challenger rise to occasion?

Prediction: Innovation 4 - 2 Maru