• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 15:52
CEST 21:52
KST 04:52
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
Code S RO8 Preview: Rogue, GuMiho, Solar, Maru1BGE Stara Zagora 2025: Info & Preview27Code S RO12 Preview: GuMiho, Bunny, SHIN, ByuN3The Memories We Share - Facing the Final(?) GSL47Code S RO12 Preview: Cure, Zoun, Solar, Creator4
Community News
BGE Stara Zagora 2025 - Replay Pack0Weekly Cups (June 2-8): herO doubles down1[BSL20] ProLeague: Bracket Stage & Dates9GSL Ro4 and Finals moved to Sunday June 15th13Weekly Cups (May 27-June 1): ByuN goes back-to-back0
StarCraft 2
General
Code S RO8 Preview: Rogue, GuMiho, Solar, Maru BGE Stara Zagora 2025 - Replay Pack Jim claims he and Firefly were involved in match-fixing The SCII GOAT: A statistical Evaluation StarCraft 1 & 2 Added to Xbox Game Pass
Tourneys
[GSL 2025] Code S:Season 2 - RO8 - Group B Sea Duckling Open (Global, Bronze-Diamond) Bellum Gens Elite: Stara Zagora 2025 $3,500 WardiTV European League 2025 Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament
Strategy
[G] Darkgrid Layout Simple Questions Simple Answers [G] PvT Cheese: 13 Gate Proxy Robo
Custom Maps
[UMS] Zillion Zerglings
External Content
Mutation # 477 Slow and Steady Mutation # 476 Charnel House Mutation # 475 Hard Target Mutation # 474 Futile Resistance
Brood War
General
BGH auto balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ FlaSh Witnesses SCV Pull Off the Impossible vs Shu BW General Discussion StarCraft & BroodWar Campaign Speedrun Quest Will foreigners ever be able to challenge Koreans?
Tourneys
[ASL19] Grand Finals [BSL20] GosuLeague RO16 - Tue & Wed 20:00+CET NA Team League 6/8/2025 [Megathread] Daily Proleagues
Strategy
I am doing this better than progamers do. [G] How to get started on ladder as a new Z player
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread What do you want from future RTS games? Armies of Exigo - YesYes? Nintendo Switch Thread Path of Exile
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
LiquidLegends to reintegrate into TL.net
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Vape Nation Thread European Politico-economics QA Mega-thread
Fan Clubs
Maru Fan Club Serral Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Korean Music Discussion [Manga] One Piece
Sports
2024 - 2025 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion NHL Playoffs 2024
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
A Better Routine For Progame…
TrAiDoS
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Heero Yuy & the Tax…
KrillinFromwales
I was completely wrong ab…
jameswatts
Need Your Help/Advice
Glider
Trip to the Zoo
micronesia
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 28142 users

[A]NaNiwa - Road to Blizzcon #15

Forum Index > SC2 General
298 CommentsPost a Reply
1 2 3 4 5 13 14 15 Next All

[A]NaNiwa - Road to Blizzcon #15

Text byTL.net ESPORTS
November 8th, 2013 06:20 GMT
2013 WCS Finals

by Zealously

No player in Starcraft II is as polarizing as (P)NaNiwa. Not even Idra and Stephano, for all the dramatic headlines they produced, could divide the fans between love and hate like the Swedish Protoss.

Balance whining, excuse-making, and yelling inappropriate comments toward players and organizations is a shared trait of many progamers, but where it might make a different progamer endearing, it's what alienates NaNiwa from a large subset of fans. The difference is that NaNiwa's outbursts don't come with a nudge and a wink, an implicit understanding that this is all for entertainment, it's all for esports, and he's in it together with us as part of this greater endeavor.

No, NaNiwa is the true esports outsider, the man who plays solely for himself. That is not to say he's not grateful for support, but he has never been one to play for his fans. He plays so he can win and be the best in the world, and he is completely unapologetic about how everything else is totally insignificant compared to that goal. Playing good games for the sake of entertaining spectators is out of the question, and the thought apologising for playing a certain way would never in a million years appear in Naniwa's head. He plays solely to win, and his burning passion for victory can be a curse, perhaps more often than not. To Johan Lucchesi, Starcraft II is more than a game, more than a career, it's a fundamental part of who he is. Even his fans dislike his flaws - they are just the ones who find more to respect than to hate.

The byproduct of NaNiwa's approach is that nothing short of winning is satisfactory, both for himself and for the public. Famously, NaNiwa felt merely "okay" upon winning the semifinals in MLG Dallas, because his true goal lay ahead in the finals and at MLG Providence. By those standards, you can see why the worst of NaNiwa comes out when he is losing to continental Zergs in the Challenger League.

When NaNiwa is winning, the fans love him as one of the few foreigner hopes. By taking second second place at MLG Providence 2011 against some of the best players in the world, he was hailed as the hero who would fight the Korean invasion.

When NaNiwa is losing, he is quickly thrown under the bus. After playing poorly in the Blizzard Cup and probe rushing Nestea in a pointless group stage game, players, fans, and organizations called for his head (GomTV decided to take it). He was the villain, representing everything wrong about esports.

It doesn't matter to NaNiwa if he is a hero or a villain. All that matters is if he is a winner or a loser.

******


Naniwa, much like fellow Blizzcon attendee Mvp, knows that mind games play a significant role in Starcraft II, and that playing fair is overrated. Playing quick and dirty is and has always been a trademark – from the frequent and deadly 4gates at MLG Dallas 2011 to a clutch proxy 2gate in New York more than two years later, Naniwa's desire to win is and has always been reflected in his play. There is none of the ”honorable” play so many players fall victim to – he'll do what works, and he'll win with it. If that means consecutive cheeses or extremely greedy openings, he'll do it if it helps him win. His high-risk style doesn't make him any friends and it certainly does build upon the idea that Protoss is an gimmicky and cheesy race, but the success he has had with his ”victory at all costs” approach to the game cannot be denied. It suits him, and there are few players with an attitude better suited for playing with such a style than Naniwa. At a tournament like Blizzcon, where the competition could hardly be any tougher, perhaps such an approach is the best.

Another thing going NaNiwa's way in the face of such competition is that he always plays up to the occasion. The flipside is that he sometimes plays down to the occasion as well, losing to players he has no business losing to, but there is no one at Blizzcon who he would be underestimating. These are opponents that can bring out NaNiwa's highest level of play, a level that can topple even GSL champions.

The tournament will be difficult, but the position of the underdog may be the one that suits NaNiwa best. He is recognized as threat, but not the first one others will prepare for. This allows his fantastic preparation to shine and allows him to bring to the table what no one else has seen and no one else has prepared for. It doesn't matter if you're an uncelebrated EG Zerg or a Tyrant with a legacy as a champion stretching all the way back to Brood War, Naniwa is the kind of player who will defeat you one way or another. The higher the stakes, the better the play. And there is no more high-stakes tournament than Blizzcon.

This is MLG Providence all over again. The tournament that all other tournaments have led to, the ultimate goal at the end of the year. This is the tournament where all the odds are stacked against NaNiwa, where no reasonable person would believe in him to win the championship. Two years we saw the best of NaNiwa, even as he fell just short of being crowned champion of the world. This time around, he can make that final step.


WCS Grand Finals
Brackets and info on Liquipedia

1: Soulkey - The Tragic Champion
2: INnoVation - The Man in the Machine
3: Jaedong - In Search of Lost Time
4: Polt - Prince of the Tides
5: HerO - Fire and Ice
6: Dear - The Unending Royal Road
7: Maru - The Prince Who Would be King
8: Bomber - I Fought the Law (And I Won)
9: MMA - Out of Exile
10: MC - Cash Rules Everything Around Me
11: TaeJa - Fire and Ice
12: sOs - On the Cutting Edge
13: aLive - The Iconoclast
14: Mvp - The King
15: duckdeok - Faceless
16: NaNiwa
17: Revival - ???



Writers: Zealously.
Photos: 7mk
Editor: Waxangel.
Facebook Twitter Reddit
TL+ Member
9-BiT
Profile Blog Joined January 2012
United States1089 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-11-08 06:22:44
November 08 2013 06:22 GMT
#2
NANIWA GOGO
kwark_uk: @father_sc learn to play maybe?
GreenNOM
Profile Joined February 2011
Canada24 Posts
November 08 2013 06:27 GMT
#3
NANI!!
iMrising
Profile Blog Joined March 2012
United States1099 Posts
November 08 2013 06:30 GMT
#4
It doesn't matter to NaNiwa if he is a hero or a villain. All that matters is if he is a winner or a loser.

Interesting and nice point. Go soulkey :DD
$O$ | soO
Snijjer
Profile Joined September 2011
United States989 Posts
November 08 2013 06:31 GMT
#5
And Polt will be the last one.

So many players I like at this tournament its gonna be hard to root for anyone, or to chose 'favorites'.
nOlifeTERRAN
Profile Joined September 2010
United States153 Posts
November 08 2013 06:33 GMT
#6
MMA!
Heh Stem
DeathDyingDoomKiller
Profile Joined October 2012
Canada91 Posts
November 08 2013 06:36 GMT
#7
NaNiwa 1st, JaeDong 2nd
Join the League of Evil. We have Murder, Evil, Blood, Grim Reaping, Killing, Death, Dying, Doom, Black, Dark Red, John Boehner, Reaper, Slaughter, and Kill-Death.
Grovbolle
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
Denmark3805 Posts
November 08 2013 06:38 GMT
#8
Missing the link to this article in the bottom list of links. Solid work Wax
Lies, damned lies and statistics: http://aligulac.com
Nuclease
Profile Joined August 2011
United States1049 Posts
November 08 2013 06:38 GMT
#9
Can't wait to see him play tomorrow, definitely going to try and get his autograph. I've been turning into a fan as of late :D
Zealots, not zee-lots. | Never forget, KTViolet, Go)Space. | You will never be as good as By.Flash, and your drops will never be as sick as MMA.
Micro_Jackson
Profile Joined August 2011
Germany2002 Posts
November 08 2013 06:39 GMT
#10
Good luck! We need more Naniwas for more funny drama !
Werster
Profile Joined November 2013
9 Posts
November 08 2013 06:40 GMT
#11
so they decided to leave naniwa with ??????
FinalForm
Profile Joined August 2010
United States450 Posts
November 08 2013 06:45 GMT
#12
at the end of the day its no surprise that nani is the only foreigner that could make it to the final , such great consistency this year! gogo nani!
laegoose
Profile Joined June 2010
Russian Federation325 Posts
November 08 2013 06:46 GMT
#13
His high-risk style doesn't make him any friends


It does actually, because who loves lazy 15 minute macro with no action at all?
Iceman331
Profile Joined April 2010
United States1306 Posts
November 08 2013 06:48 GMT
#14
That was a little disappointing given the quality of the previous writeups. Bland is the best way to describe it to be honest. :-/
Elucidate
Profile Blog Joined May 2012
205 Posts
November 08 2013 06:51 GMT
#15
If Naniwa wins...I can't even imagine the amount of epic that would just explode all over the community. One can dream.
Welcome to Aslan's Country. Sanctuary Cat on DotA 2.
DisillusionedAcronym
Profile Joined September 2011
190 Posts
November 08 2013 06:53 GMT
#16
no polt article?!? T.T
lystier
Profile Blog Joined August 2013
China877 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-11-08 07:39:06
November 08 2013 06:55 GMT
#17
NANI!!!

I love this writeup. The title especially.
Startale forever.
thirtyapm
Profile Joined January 2012
521 Posts
November 08 2013 06:55 GMT
#18
yeah this and the taeja/hero one is not up to par with the previous ones

but it's not bad, just the other ones were very very good.
XtreMe_au
Profile Joined August 2012
Australia412 Posts
November 08 2013 06:57 GMT
#19
As much as I find Naniwa the most obnoxious player his skill is undeniable.
As the great Dear said 'Naniwa has skill equal to that of Koreans'. Was initially hoping SK would stomp him but now I'm not so sure.
Advantageous
Profile Blog Joined May 2012
China1350 Posts
November 08 2013 07:02 GMT
#20
I seriously find so much negativity in the last couple of articles: MC, EG.Alive, now NaNiwa... but regardless (i expected better from TL...) NaNiwa fighting! The one foreigner to stand his ground against this Korean invasion!
"Because I am BossToss" -MC ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ノ raise your dongers ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ノ I'm sure that all of my fellow class mates viewed me as the Adonis of the Class of 2015 already. -Xenocider, EG, ieF 2013 Champion.
1 2 3 4 5 13 14 15 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
BSL: GosuLeague
19:15
Quarter Finals
Hejek vs Herbmon
Semih vs Kyrie
cavapoo vs TousaN
ZZZero.O83
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
mouzHeroMarine 663
UpATreeSC 90
BRAT_OK 87
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 5372
Sea 1597
Dewaltoss 180
ZZZero.O 83
Aegong 53
Dota 2
Pyrionflax129
Counter-Strike
fl0m7002
olofmeister3382
rGuardiaN91
Heroes of the Storm
Grubby1949
Liquid`Hasu516
Khaldor176
Other Games
tarik_tv41865
gofns14353
FrodaN1002
Beastyqt676
ceh9590
shahzam305
TKL 79
ZombieGrub73
Mew2King71
Trikslyr54
QueenE48
Organizations
Dota 2
PGL Dota 2 - Main Stream1368
Other Games
BasetradeTV109
StarCraft 2
angryscii 52
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 21 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• davetesta25
• Reevou 6
• Kozan
• sooper7s
• Migwel
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• intothetv
• IndyKCrew
StarCraft: Brood War
• Michael_bg 7
• FirePhoenix4
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
Dota 2
• masondota21579
League of Legends
• Jankos2045
• TFBlade1268
Other Games
• imaqtpie1236
• Shiphtur384
• Scarra187
• WagamamaTV166
Upcoming Events
PiGosaur Monday
4h 8m
GSL Code S
13h 38m
Rogue vs GuMiho
Maru vs Solar
Online Event
1d 4h
Replay Cast
1d 6h
GSL Code S
1d 13h
herO vs Zoun
Classic vs Bunny
The PondCast
1d 14h
Replay Cast
2 days
WardiTV Invitational
2 days
OSC
2 days
Korean StarCraft League
3 days
[ Show More ]
SOOP
3 days
CranKy Ducklings
3 days
WardiTV Invitational
3 days
Cheesadelphia
3 days
CSO Cup
3 days
GSL Code S
4 days
Sparkling Tuna Cup
4 days
Replay Cast
5 days
Wardi Open
5 days
Replay Cast
6 days
Replay Cast
6 days
RSL Revival
6 days
Cure vs Percival
ByuN vs Spirit
Liquipedia Results

Completed

CSL Season 17: Qualifier 2
BGE Stara Zagora 2025
Heroes 10 EU

Ongoing

JPL Season 2
BSL 2v2 Season 3
BSL Season 20
KCM Race Survival 2025 Season 2
NPSL S3
Rose Open S1
CSL 17: 2025 SUMMER
2025 GSL S2
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025
PGL Astana 2025
Asian Champions League '25
BLAST Rivals Spring 2025
MESA Nomadic Masters
CCT Season 2 Global Finals
IEM Melbourne 2025
YaLLa Compass Qatar 2025
PGL Bucharest 2025
BLAST Open Spring 2025

Upcoming

Copa Latinoamericana 4
CSLPRO Last Chance 2025
CSLPRO Chat StarLAN 3
K-Championship
SEL Season 2 Championship
Esports World Cup 2025
HSC XXVII
Championship of Russia 2025
Murky Cup #2
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
IEM Cologne 2025
FISSURE Playground #1
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.