Breakout Invitational Players

Breakout Invitational Players - Eternity NuBrGNi

feardragon

United States973 Posts

November 19 2013 17:34 GMT

Eternity Gaming NuBrGNi - The Punisher

There's something about Canada that just seems to churn out really skilled Starcraft players. John Victor "NuBrGNi" Kim is another great player who has made a splash in the Canadian LAN scene, but not so much in online cups and tournaments. Staying true to Canadian traditions, NuBrGNi is incredibly friendly and a fairly honest guy who just seems to love Starcraft and the scene.Currently, he's balancing working and Starcraft but has aspirations to eventually go full time. After you hear how he spends his time and how organized he is to make time for both Starcraft and work, you'll quickly realize he's a very hard worker. And if 600 episodes of Naruto has taught me anything, it's that hard work and willpower can level the playing field.

Starcraft 2 was not NuBrGNi's first dip into the eSports scene though. He originally played on Brood War's well known ICCUP when he was younger, ranking B- before his parents advised him not to pursue his movement into eSports. He listened to his parents but picked up Starcraft 2 through his friend in college and became excited at the prospect of playing with the pro's. Now, living independently, NuBrGNi is torn between his heart telling him to try to make it as a full time pro-gamer, but his brain telling him not to. He has delayed finishing graduation in hopes to be able to achieve this dream, and it shows in his work ethic to his cause.

But the reality is, many people have never heard of NuBrGNi. Not just people only keeping track of the top koreans, but even some who are actually involved in the North American scene. Rather than trying to shoot for the role of a ladder warrior or an online tournament gladiator, NuBrGNi has opted to try his best to find success in the offline tournament scene at LAN events in Canada. This means gaining some recognition competing among other great Canadian players like ROOTMasa, ColHendralisk, and desrow. This mentality has been both a boon and a curse. On one hand, NuBrGNi has prepared and should be ready, if he has an opportunity to break out, to play in front of crowds without letting his nerves get the better of him. However, this has limited his visibility to the world, something he has been trying to make up for by streaming more often. This tournament could be his chance to break out into the scene and finally get that recognition he needs to move to the next level.

His team, Eternity Gaming, is somewhat lesser known. With more than half of the members residing in Europe, NuBrGNi's North American teammates are limited to HyperDesi and Kalinov. Still, he finds good practice with them as they all keep each other motivated to keep practicing. With all three originating from OpTiK Gaming, they are a tight knit group that can practice together and work to improve. Regardless, when he gets the chance, NuBrGNi will have the opportunity to play with fantastic practice partners such as the Europeans cArn, BabyToss and Azmato, as well as the Korean MotoK.

So how does a nice guy who works hard and is passionate about Starcraft earn the title of The Punisher? It comes down to NuBrGNi's uncanny ability to make you regret whatever mistakes you make, or corners you cut. He will punish you. Whether it be trying to get that cannon out a little bit later and finding zerglings pouncing on your undefended probes, or leaving your supply depot down for just a little too long, NuBrGNi's play makes good players look silly. In reality, he's very good at identifying what his opponent is doing, and finding the exact way he has to handle the situation. As much as it pains me as a player to see his zerglings wreaking havoc in the strangest situations, as a commentator it excites me to see a player so good at reading his opponent.

His Group
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The lone Zerg is going to be breathing a great sigh of relief upon seeing that he can avoid worrying about having an impending ZvZ in his group. He's mentioned he doesn't feels incredibly uncomfortable with the matchup, so having one less matchup to worry about in the group stage may be exactly what he needs to get out of it. However, his first opponent is going to be a doozy. SaroVati, The Innovator, is a crazy protoss player who prides himself on being unpredictable. What happens when a player who has made a name for himself being innovative and unpredictable meets a player who has an affinity for predicting and punishing his opponents? I don't know, but I sure as hell want to find out. Depending on how the games go, NuBrGNi could find himself facing Arium, a very standard protoss player that will be a bit more comfortable for Eternity Gaming's Zerg player, or Sonic, a terran known for his early game aggression. Either way, these other players have much more consistent traits in their play to take advantage of so I believe he'll have a good, fighting chance in his group. If he can claim that number one spot, maybe, just maybe, he can fulfill his dream and find the strength to make the leap to going full-time. And if there's one thing this Canadian Zerg wants, it's to take that step and immerse himself in his passion.

I know what you'll be doing before you do. So what're you gonna do about it?
Don't tell me. I already know.

Learn more about the Breakout Invitational here!

Find out more about Eternity Gaming's NuBrGNi in his Breaking Out Episodes!