From the wreckage of STX SouL, SouL_Dear has emerged as one of the best Protoss players in the world.

by CosmicSpiral

In an alternate universe, the venue for the WCS Korea grand finals is a place of comfort and promise. It’s packed to the brim and people are stuck standing in the hall. SouL_Dear hears the murmuring echo of the crowd from the back of the auditorium. Anticipation hangs in the air like mist after a heavy rain, so palpable he can feel it condensing on his skin. Even as he walks down the aisle towards the stage, cheering fans flanking him on both sides, he feels like he’s slightly out of tune with the world. Out of the corner of his eye he spots his teammates. Calm, blessed with eternal youth and cursed with wearing his heart on his face, is positively giddy. Trap is trying hard to maintain a stoic look. And INnoVation, the robot with a human face, has this strange look. Why are corners of his mouth turning upward for no reason?

This is the triumphant moment where STX_SouL becomes the next great force in SC2. Innovation, the stalwart ace whose relentless pushes are the stuff of legend, spearheads their exposure in both GSL and GSTL. Dear establishes himself as one of the top Protoss players in Korea and possibly the first Protoss champion since Seed’s miracle run back in 2012. Trap, once known exclusively for his PvZ, earns a spot in the Season Finals with some amazing performances against Parting and jjakji. Together these three players make up one-fifth of the player pool at the WCS Korea Season Finals. Meanwhile hyvaa continues to entertain and frustrate viewers with his stubborn presence in Code S; Classic evolves into one of the most clutch players in Proleague; Mini finally solves his PvT woes and qualifies for a major tournament.

Too bad it’s a world that only exists on paper. When STX Corporation dropped its sponsorship of SouL, it triggered a chain reaction of retirements and switches that left the team a teetering wreck. Innovation weighed his options and decided to heed the sweet siren song of foreign money. Classic participated in the player draft and found a new home with SKT T1. Mini decided he had his fill of SC2 and subsequently retired, while coaches Calm and Park Jong Soo left to complete their military service.

The fragile little group that remains is not close to the same train that chugged its way to a surprise Proleague title. Of course, several of the core members are still there and no one would argue that hyvaa, Dear, and Trap are players any team would desire. However STX SouL was not a team that relied on one or two players to carry them to victory. Losing Innovation’s reliable ace play and publicity was a great blow, but it was one they could’ve survived through sheer concentration of talent (just think how strongly StarTale rebounded after giving up Parting and Squirtle). In this sense, losing Classic and Mini was the most devastating setback of all. SouL's last place GSTL position says it all: they've gone from wounded to crippled.


In Dear’s position, most players would be overwhelmed by the worries and responsibilities that come with such a drastic restructuring. STX SouL was never the most prolific KeSPA team but it was a KeSPA team nonetheless, and members enjoyed certain perks that functioned as guarantees for the future: a stable salary, a constant practice environment, public recognition and appreciation, and the esprit de corps needed to push through tough times. By contrast, his new team lives a very precarious existence. Coaches Kim Min Gi and Choi Won Suk are paying for their team house out of pocket and no one knows how long they can keep it up. The team has failed to attract a big sponsor that can give it financial stability. Every week they strive and fail to win a series in the GSTL. hyvaa is making a strong case to become the new Code A gatekeeper, Last has done nothing since his top 8 showing at MLG Winter Championship, SSanaEE is a work in progress, and YoungJoo only shows signs of greatness once in a while. Only Dear and Trap are showing constant progress in their gameplay, which puts them under a blinding spotlight. By default they are the most exposed members and their victories (or failures) might be the difference between a lack of money and new funding. Such pressure must have felt new to dear Dear, a strong up-and-comer and right-hand-man forced to be the cornerstone of his team.

Somehow, Dear has transcended these issues and become one of the best protosses in the world. He could have lost focus after losing to sOs in the Ro32 and stumbling in the rematch against SuperNova. It would’ve been no shame to lose to DongRaeGu in the Ro16, especially after the buzz surrounding DRG’s stunning win over Innovation. Dear was certainly liable to get caught in teammate Trap’s twisted PvP mindgames. And if Dear managed to dodge all those obstacles, Maru would certainly run him over with his hyper-aggressive style. No one would blame him if he cracked somewhere along that journey; he would have all the excuses in the world to back him up. Instead Dear showed himself as a near-perfect hybrid of Rain and Trap, striking a great balance between safe macro and devastating timings. He made Supernova cower whenever his high templar approached. Against Dongraegu he demonstrated the strength and flexibility of air protoss, while he blatantly outmaneuvered Sleep to advance to the Ro8. He played elegantly safe against Trap with the exception of a vicious blink timing on Polar Night, and outfoxed Maru with great build order decisions. So far he has shown that he is a complete player and will be a handful for soO to deal with.

A victory tonight would completely change his life. Dear threatens to be the second Royal Roader in GSL history, and once he holds up that trophy he can never go back to being “a good player”. Royal Roaders are judged by different rules and expectations will skyrocket, to say the least. Almost every player that has walked the Royal Road has developed into one of the most memorable competitors of his time. Brood War OSL is littered with such examples like Boxer, Jaedong, July, GARIMTO, and the lone foreign champion Grrrr…. If we blasphemously include MSL results the list only gets better, with players like Bisu, Nal_rA, and iloveoov added to the list. Of course Dear could always turn out like Mind and fizzle back into obscurity. But history suggests he will more likely turn out similar to Life, the only Royal Roader in GSL history.

More than anything else, it would be a lasting tribute to the team that nurtured him into a star. I have spoken about Dear as if he was some type of Byronic hero, endlessly defiant in the face of mediocrity and circumstance, and he has made a good thing out of a bad situation. But ultimately Dear is as much a product of his environment as his hard work and determination. His path did not start in the Ro32 but back when he was a 19-year-old sprout on eSTRO, soon to be a member of Hwaseung OZ. It was STX SouL that gave him the practice house to hone his training, teammates to examine his play and test his skills, coaches to guide his development and maintain his concentration. When Dear failed his team in Proleague, someone else was ready to pick up the slack; when he did his job well, his teammates were there to congratulate him. In the grand scheme of things a win may mean very little. It won’t bring Shuttle back from Afreeca. It won’t persuade Innovation that he is really Bogus and should come back home before his TvT turns into hot mush. It will only serve as a flame, one that burns in memory of the past and a guide towards the future. It will preserve memories of that little team that defied all the odds and went out with a roar. SouL may be a zombie team but like any zombie it won’t die without a fight, not until the last booth closes and the last fan gives up hope.

Writer: CosmicSpiral.
Photos: Silverfire, ThisIsGame.com
Editor: Waxangel.