Symphony of Destruction-The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of an Absolute Legend.
By DoctorHelvetica.
TeamLiquid: Final Edits
"Music's exclusive function is to structure the flow of time and keep order in it." - Igor Stravinsky
"I've never seen such timing, such precision, such masterful control before. What happened to him and when is it over?"-irl friend on Ma Jae Yoon.
"I've never seen such timing, such precision, such masterful control before. What happened to him and when is it over?"-irl friend on Ma Jae Yoon.
How can a human stand against a God?-TheTyranid, commentating on hyvaa vs sAviOr
Is he really back? Is it really him? The Maestro that changed the game forever?-Myself when told of Bisu's defeat.
Dominance in C Minor
The Maestro walks onto the stage, spotlight in his eyes, absorbing the vibrations of an excited crowd. His tuxedo is sharp, the CJ Entus logo gleaming off his sleeve. He takes a bow. "An original composition," He informs the crowd the title of the piece, "ZvT in F Minor." The crowd roars, this song is a hit. It's 2006 and The Maestro, Ma Jae Yoon is the best progamer in the world. Very few composers were even a slight challenger to the fame of Jae Yoon, but even conductors like Jin Yung Soo couldn't steal his glory.
From a seat in the audience once could see the cool confidence of this young Maestro. Contrary to the decorum of an opera hall, hundreds of girls scream. "MA JAE YOON HWAITING!". Indeed, he is a superstar, the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart of his generation. He has the bravada and the skill required to be a deity of this art, and he earned every bit of credit he gets.
He raises his baton and begins the music. The tempo is quick, the movements are sharp and precise. The song paints a picture of domination and complete victory, and as the conductor waves his baton with a confident smirk, the world of e-sports lives with fear in its heart. Nothing could stop Ma Jae Yoon, it seemed his dominance would continue forever. As the flutes played their trills , zerglings enveloped the many cities of the Terran federation. As the trumpets blared, hydralisks spat down a lone shuttle on the hills of Aiur. As the cellos moved the hearts of man, mutalisks tore apart a renegade cerebrate and his army.
From a seat in the audience once could see the cool confidence of this young Maestro. Contrary to the decorum of an opera hall, hundreds of girls scream. "MA JAE YOON HWAITING!". Indeed, he is a superstar, the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart of his generation. He has the bravada and the skill required to be a deity of this art, and he earned every bit of credit he gets.
He raises his baton and begins the music. The tempo is quick, the movements are sharp and precise. The song paints a picture of domination and complete victory, and as the conductor waves his baton with a confident smirk, the world of e-sports lives with fear in its heart. Nothing could stop Ma Jae Yoon, it seemed his dominance would continue forever. As the flutes played their trills , zerglings enveloped the many cities of the Terran federation. As the trumpets blared, hydralisks spat down a lone shuttle on the hills of Aiur. As the cellos moved the hearts of man, mutalisks tore apart a renegade cerebrate and his army.
It feels good to be the best.
He had dethroned the kings of yesteryear and no-one could call him anything less than "Ma Bonjwa". It seemed like centuries since BoxeR, NaDa, and iloveoov controlled the scene. For the first time ever, the Swarm was in control; they had an emperor of their own. Hell's orchestra was playing the dirge of every commander who would dare have the audacity to challenge the might of the swarm. There was no stopping him now. The year of the destroyer has arrived.
Ma Jae Yoon's impeccable timing and game sense kept him leagues ahead of everyone else in the game. He defended against entire terran armies with a handful of lurkers and zerglings. He destroyed countless SCV's with his mutalisks and his fast hive build left terrans bewildered and destroyed. What he lacked in mechanics he made up for in an almost eerie sense and understanding of the game. Watching sAviOr play in 2006 was like seeing a man look into the future.
Defeating NaDa in the Shinhan OSL was his crescendo, his masterpiece, his coup de grace. With three MSL victories and an OSL win under his belt, he was approaching the record of legends like Choi Yeong Sung and Lee Yoon Yeol. Could he do it? How long would he dominate? Maybe he'll win a golden mouse too. These were the thoughts of many sAviOr fans in 2007.
+ Show Spoiler +
From 2005-2007, no name struck fear in the hearts of men like that of sAviOr. He was the best damn player on earth, with 3 MSL titles and an OSL victory under his belt, who could stop him?
Domination...
A young zerg making a name for himself.
No match-up was hard for this guy.
Ma Jae Yoon: At the Top
From 2005-2007, no name struck fear in the hearts of men like that of sAviOr. He was the best damn player on earth, with 3 MSL titles and an OSL victory under his belt, who could stop him?
Domination...
A young zerg making a name for himself.
No match-up was hard for this guy.
The Revolution
A challenger appears.
There's a new composer in town. His name is Kim Taek Yong, and his concerts are starting to draw more attendees. Our beloved Maestro, Ma Jae Yoon just doesn't seem to compose like he used to. This younger generation, spearheaded by the protoss Bisu are getting all the attention. However, Ma Jae Yoon remains one of the best among the composers, and sits firmly upon the zerg throne. It's discouraging, but what could stop him for good?
Surely he could hold onto his dominance and boy did he try. Furiously writing songs and performing at every venue he could, there was no effort spared. But the harder he pushed, the harder things seemed to push back at him. It was the image of Taek Yong. It haunted him; and if he couldn't conquer his own ghosts, he could never conquer the world like he did once before.
Ma Jae Yoon soon finds his concerts getting bad reviews, and Kim Taek Yong begins drawing more and more attendees every show. Ma Jae Yoon is discouraged and tries writing again. However, his muse is lost! He cannot find the inspiration to write like he used to. The raw emotion and passion of his youth had faded, and the distraction of competitors was taking its toll. His confidence broken, his genius faded, he slipped into the abyss. Would he ever play well again?
Surely he could hold onto his dominance and boy did he try. Furiously writing songs and performing at every venue he could, there was no effort spared. But the harder he pushed, the harder things seemed to push back at him. It was the image of Taek Yong. It haunted him; and if he couldn't conquer his own ghosts, he could never conquer the world like he did once before.
Ma Jae Yoon soon finds his concerts getting bad reviews, and Kim Taek Yong begins drawing more and more attendees every show. Ma Jae Yoon is discouraged and tries writing again. However, his muse is lost! He cannot find the inspiration to write like he used to. The raw emotion and passion of his youth had faded, and the distraction of competitors was taking its toll. His confidence broken, his genius faded, he slipped into the abyss. Would he ever play well again?
The era of the revolution was a long and dark one for the swarm. Bisu's ingenious reinventing of Daezang's PvZ build changed the metagame completely. It knocked sAviOr of the bonjwa throne, turned PvZ into a matchup the Protoss felt safe playing, brought back Kang Min's Sair/Reaver build, it won 2 MSL's. Yes, Bisu revolutionized PvZ by taking Daezang's build and making it viable on all maps. The Forge FE, into DT/Sair confused zergs, and with the new macro style of protosses (Bisu, Stork, Anytime) the build was extremely popular for a long amount of time.
In these days Protoss builds are classified into two categories. "Light" and "Dark". Dark Protoss (Kingdom, BeSt, Bisu) tend to go for the bisu build in PvZ, favoring units such as Dark Templars and Arbiters. Light Protoss favor Sair/Reaver, using units like Reavers and Carriers (Stork, Jangbi, Free). Today, Bisu is still at the forefront of the Protoss force, leading the revolution against the swarm. While players like Free, KaL, and JangBi might have shiny new PvZ (The +1 Archon push is pretty popular), Bisu is the man who started it all.
+ Show Spoiler +
Ma Jae Yoon: Stagnation
These videos should be a familiar sight to any StarCraft fan. The infamous 3-0 defeat of sAviOr in the 2007 GomTV MSL. The games speak for themselves. This is the beginning of stagnation, but rock bottom has yet to occur...
These videos should be a familiar sight to any StarCraft fan. The infamous 3-0 defeat of sAviOr in the 2007 GomTV MSL. The games speak for themselves. This is the beginning of stagnation, but rock bottom has yet to occur...
Savior- While I was interviewing after my loss to Bisu[shield] in the MSL finals, I saw one of my fans crying in the far corner. It really hurt me. I'll never be able to forget her.
The Legend Killer
Hi, my name is Cho. Meet your replacement.
It's late 2007 and Ma Jae Yoon grows worried about his falling ability. "Why can't I write a good song?" he asks himself. The growing ability of his young apprentice, Lee Jae Dong worries him. Still a young boy, Jae Dong composes with the same fire and zeal Jae Yoon had only months before. Why couldn't Jae Yoon do anything right? His seat on the Zerg throne was slipping, and he knew that the day when his apprentice took up the position grew nearer. He slips deep into a depressive slump, not composing anything. Allowing the rage to build inside of him.
Lee Jae Dongs compositions invoke the terror and darkness that Ma Jae Yoon once had in his music. Jae Dong wrote in a style so aggressive and dominant, it made Ma Jae Yoon seem like the songwriter for a garage punk band. Lee Jae Dong was Stravinsky, he was Wagner, he was Bach. A new era of young composers took the spotlight, Kim Taek Yong was seemingly just a fad. Lee Young Ho, Song Byung Gyu, and Lee Jae Dong ruled the concert world.
For Ma, his fans have all but given up on him. The loyal men who remember the days in which Ma Jae Yoon stood proudly upon the mountain of gods, waving his silver baton at the weak mortals who dare challenge him remember his potential. They remember that this was a man who had much more than just skill. What he had was magic. But the void in their hearts grew, and thus their faith in him was less. It seemed it could not get any worse.
Lee Jae Dongs compositions invoke the terror and darkness that Ma Jae Yoon once had in his music. Jae Dong wrote in a style so aggressive and dominant, it made Ma Jae Yoon seem like the songwriter for a garage punk band. Lee Jae Dong was Stravinsky, he was Wagner, he was Bach. A new era of young composers took the spotlight, Kim Taek Yong was seemingly just a fad. Lee Young Ho, Song Byung Gyu, and Lee Jae Dong ruled the concert world.
For Ma, his fans have all but given up on him. The loyal men who remember the days in which Ma Jae Yoon stood proudly upon the mountain of gods, waving his silver baton at the weak mortals who dare challenge him remember his potential. They remember that this was a man who had much more than just skill. What he had was magic. But the void in their hearts grew, and thus their faith in him was less. It seemed it could not get any worse.
Along with his demotion to B-Team, sAviOr did not even qualify for the starleagues in 2008-2009. Demoted to the B-Team, he was doomed to be a practice partner for the players he would have chewed up only 6 months before. The Maestro was out of the light and one could rest assured that all hope for the maestro to win was lost. The era of "Ma Bonjwa" was over. His anti-fans could finally rejoice, their players stood a chance.
Ma Jae Yoon lost games to many no-name players, for a multitude of embarrassing reasons. Jaedong changed the zerg metagame to a highly aggressive mid-game, ending with a management focused late-game. Ma Jae Yoon was among many of the zergs without the brilliant mechanics required for this playstyle, it seemed it was a dark time for the swarm. Zergs like Luxury and Jaedong, with brilliant mechanics and dull minds rules the scene, and players like sAviOr and GoRush contributed little to the throng of victories.
Ma Jae Yoon's game sense seemed to have waned with his confidence. Perhaps distracted by his constant assurance that he would lose, he forgot simple things like Adrenal Glands. He forgot timings, he forgot build orders, he forgot how to play StarCraft. It seemed like he didn't care. Perhaps the self-fufilling prophecy was that "I know I'm going to lose, so why try?". Players improved and perhaps sAviOr was too intimidated by them to really dominate. It seemed definite that sAviOr would not dominate again. Comebacks were rare in StarCraft and usually ended up embarassing, much like GARIMTO's attempt to be dominant again. The year of the destroyer ended.
A good year for the younger Jae
But the year of the legend killer began. Lee Jae Dong won the EVER 2007 OSL, and the following GOMtv MSL, cementing his place in history as a starleague champion. Jaedong absolutely dominated the starleagues, along with his rival FlaSh, and won an additional silver in the Arena MSL. Jaedong still is a frightening opponent to face and is the undisputed champion of the zerg race at this time. Ranked #1 in Kespa for a long time, Lee Jae Dong is a zerg player that will go down in history.
+ Show Spoiler +
Ma Jae Yoon: Rock Bottom
Losing games left and right, sAviOr is but a husk of the dominator he was before. Humiliated not only be constant losses, but by demotion within his own team, it seemed that the once undisputed StarCraft King, would never return.
Being humiliated by the likes of firebathero doesn't help much either.
sAviOr tries desperately but can't close the wins like he used to.
Being destroyed by Leta, who at the time was a no-name.
Losing games left and right, sAviOr is but a husk of the dominator he was before. Humiliated not only be constant losses, but by demotion within his own team, it seemed that the once undisputed StarCraft King, would never return.
Being humiliated by the likes of firebathero doesn't help much either.
sAviOr tries desperately but can't close the wins like he used to.
Being destroyed by Leta, who at the time was a no-name.
Savior: You must experience everything. Words are empty, you must experience them yourself. However, I still think it will be hard for me to get back in shape even. Honestly, I don't remember how it feels to be good again and I want that feeling back. But it will be hard.
Brilliance Regained
Much to the surprise of everyone, Ma Jae Yoon has been writing a new symphony these days. A symphony that encompasses the fury and passion of his youth, and the intensity of his current despair. After losing so much, he would finally manifest his desire, his passion, and emerge as a victor over his own demons. He entered the Anaheim concert hall, began the music, and the crowd was stunned. There are whispers in the halls. "Is he back?", "The Maestro?". While The Maestro continues performing, even now, what may be his final and glorious masterpiece, he leaves us with a few words that can only signal a return to his former brilliance.
Those words rung out through the halls of the Anaheim Convention Center and brought the adoring crowd to a frenzy. Immediately I knew the irc, the forums, and my friends would be abuzz with the words of the destroyer. Ma Jae Yoon pulled through, beating NaDa in the finals to win Blizzcon. It seemed that sAviOr hadn't won anything in centuries, it was a pleasant surprise to fans of the maestro. Those words rung in the head of every player who was ever eaten alive by the swarm. It was a promise. It was hope. It was a warning. It was destruction.
For the coming months the fanboys let loose cries of "2009!" at every upcoming sAviOr game. Ma Jae Yoon won his proleague games in the following weeks, stirring up the hype, pumping up the fan base. However his wins against TT and Yarnc didn't speak to his ability to dominate, and some fans -myself included- worried that he would just be a proleague wonder, unable to perform in the Star League.
+ Show Spoiler +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XogT3gTXpA
A very promising ZvT from sAviOr
End of the Bonjwa battle
The infamous interview
A very promising ZvT from sAviOr
End of the Bonjwa battle
The infamous interview
I will destroy everyone, ok? In 2009.
Coda
Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. In just a short while I'm going to destroy everyone.
The Maestro returns to the concert hall for his first performance in a long time. The crowd is silent with anticipation, they are eager to hear his newest symphony. The piece is titled "Dominance in C Minor", and when he raises the baton the audience draws a sharp breath. To their surprise, the music which emanates from the orchestra is more beautiful then anything they had heard from Ma Jae Yoson before. Kim Taek Yong gasps from back stage, knowing that he's just not going to be able to outshine a piece like this. Tears streak down the face of Ma Jae Yoon; he had done it. His last symphony was a strong one, and he would retire not as a has-been or a pathetic shadow of a former titan, but as a genius who ended his career just as strong as he began it. Welcome back Ma Jae Yoon, we missed you.
To any fan of the maestro, these past few weeks have been pure ecstasy. Defeating his arch-nemesis in the MSL, destroying the TvZ master UpMagiC, going on double three game win streaks in winners league, the maestro is back with a vengeance. He went on a nine game win-streak; defeating the likes of Leta, YARNC, Bisu, UpMagiC, Really, and ZerO. He is #1 on ICCUP, has topped his own personal win-streak, and contended in the Round of 8 for his 4th MSL title.
Defeating UpMagiC, the best mech TvZ in the world right now, in the Ro16 propelled sAviOr into the Ro8 against ZerO. Kim Myung Eun is one of the brightest young zergs and no match-up is better for him than ZvZ; the match-up that plagued sAviOr in the past, losing him an MSL against ChoJJa, the Cowboy Zerg.
ZvZ proved to be the thorn in sAviOr's side, he was eliminated 3:1 from the MSL. ZerO proved to be one of the bright young zergs following the example sAviOr set for them in 2006. Perhaps sAviOr will take from this experience a joy knowing that he set these brilliant young gamers on the path to glory, knowing that he invented modern zerg, knowing he began a dynasty. While perhaps he will never win another Star League, the Pro League has proven to be a venue he can perform in and there is no doubt we will continue to see impressive play from the former Bonjwa.
The zerg race is in a good position these days. Jaedong, ZerO, Luxury, YARNC, July, EffOrt, sAviOr, and hyvaa all playing brilliant games. The swarm will perhaps once again rule the earth. When it does, the credit will go to Ma Jae Yoon, the man behind it all. The genius, the revolutionist, the dictator, the maestro.
+ Show Spoiler +
Masterful, breathtaking, and perfect ZvP by sAviOr. This is the maestro of old. sAviOr's impeccable sense of timing is apparent, zerglings arriving just in time, defending with the as few units as possible. Complete match control. Domination. Rivalry. Ecstasy.
ZerO, is one of the newer zergs. He has excellent muta control and has beaten the likes of Jaedong on ZvZ. The maestro, on a tear, isn't going to let this young upstart get in his way. And he doesn't.
sAviOr defeating the top TvZ right now. Amazing mutalisks. Amazing game.
sAviOr playing some excellent StarCraft against Leta, who is the #1 Proleague player of all-time.
sAviOr playing an excellent timing against YellOw[ARNC].
Return of the Maestro
Masterful, breathtaking, and perfect ZvP by sAviOr. This is the maestro of old. sAviOr's impeccable sense of timing is apparent, zerglings arriving just in time, defending with the as few units as possible. Complete match control. Domination. Rivalry. Ecstasy.
ZerO, is one of the newer zergs. He has excellent muta control and has beaten the likes of Jaedong on ZvZ. The maestro, on a tear, isn't going to let this young upstart get in his way. And he doesn't.
sAviOr defeating the top TvZ right now. Amazing mutalisks. Amazing game.
sAviOr playing some excellent StarCraft against Leta, who is the #1 Proleague player of all-time.
sAviOr playing an excellent timing against YellOw[ARNC].
Thank you Two Eight Six for the awesome banner. Thanks to TeamLiquid writing staff for helping me. Thank you to sAviOr for inspiring me to make the original article.