Hello everyone I am ESV.Diamond the owner of ESV TV. Starting this Monday at 6PM EDT 30 top level Korean players will battle it out for $3500 in cash prizes. Each player has fought through the http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/ESV_TV_Korean_Weekly/Season_3 or a previous Grand Prix. Each man has earned his way here, and will stop at nothing to win that $1500 USD first prize!
I believe this is going to be one of the best online events of the summer and I want to show you why. Of course I am biased, but it is with good reasons and here they are!
1: Liquid.TaeJa
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He's pretty good
ESV TV Korean events have been the playground of Liquid`TaeJa. At one point he won 6 Korean Weeklies in 7 weeks. In the very first ever ESV TV Grand Prix he amassed a record of 23-3 blowing out players like NsHS.Jjakji, Fnatic.aLive, MorroW, NsHS.Tassadar, MvP.Dream, and others en route to winning the event and a seed at ASUS ROG where he placed Top 16. Since that time TaeJa has been on an absolute tear through the scene winning qualifiers for IPL 5, MLG Summer Arena, TSL 4, and even all killing Team Prime.
The Korean Weekly & ESV TV Grand Prix is the system that he first showed his raw talent in, and it's always the circuit he performs best in. The games that TaeJa has played in the Korean Weekly have been games the likes of which have never been seen before, and you can expect with a direct seed into bracket play, he will be the hands down favorite to take it. Win or lose however, expect to see play from TaeJa that will blow your mid, and make you look at things in Starcraft II in new ways.
If you are not convinced:
Things TaeJa has done in the Korean Weekly
- Come back from 100+ supply deficit in a mirror match up
- Win a game with a Viking Drop as a legit tactic
- Hold off a 6 pool with 15cc on lowground, no wall
- Unveiled the TvT Reaper Medivac push that Boxer used in GSL weeks later
- Killed every Templar out of a Protosss deathball with no EMP's, only double snipes
This is just a couple things..... 0_o
2: The ESV TV Grand Prix is a looking glass into the Korean scenes future
For those that do not know, there was a pre cursor to the ESV TV Grand Prix's, called the ESV TV Korean Weekly Finals. There was two before it was turned into the Grand Prix and let me list the winners of all the events and what they did afterwords
ESV TV Korean Weekly Finals #1: NsHS.Jjakji
Followed up with: GSL Code S Championship
ESV TV Korean Weekly Finals #3: ST.Squirtle
Followed up with: 2nd place IPL 4, 2nd place GSL Code S
ESV TV Grand Prix #1: Liquid`TaeJa
Followed up with: Top 16 ASUS ROG, All-Kill Team Prime in IPL TAC, 1st Place IPL 5 Korean Qualifier, 3rd Place MLG Summer Arena Qualifiers, 1st Place TSL 4 Korean Qualifer
As you can see the players that win these events tend to go on to do great things. But even going deeper than that, almost every player that has emerged as a Code A/S player in Korea has got their start in the Korean Weekly. Players like FXO.Gumiho, TSL.Symbol, ZeNEX.Life, EG.Puma and others all first showed off their stuff in the Korean Weekly or the Grand Prix's. If you want to see the stars of tomorrow, today, check out this event!
3: The level of play
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Notice the lack of "white dudes"
Every single game you will see will be very high level play. Where most tournaments normally have several "Dead rounds" where it's the best stomping inferior players this event will have no down time like that. Every single game will be two of the top players in all of Korea, and you will not see games that make you face palm because the players are doing silly stuff.
Outside of online events like TSL 4, you will not see this much talent in one place.
4: 100% coverage
In so many tournaments you will just be told the result of a particular game. If you came only for that game than that sucks. Every match that was played will be shown on stream and casted. Never miss that "epic game that was off-stream", you can see the players you want and every single thing they do!
5: Unique Map Pool
Groan when you see Shakuras? PvP's on Tal'Darim Altar making you insane? Me too! You will not find an event with a more innovative and unique map pool with such high level play on it. 3 of the maps used in this event are considered "new" maps with Cloud Kingdom and Ohana being the "old" ones. Where did Cloud Kingdom get it's start as a competitive map? Was not GSL but was the Korean Weekly!
What are the three new maps you ask?
ESV Khaydaria
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This is one of the most unique and conceptually sound 4 player maps I have seen in a long time. With all spawns enabled, the rocks provide a temporary solution for close position aggression, but as the game drags on can be taken out to create a new attack path and a new map dynamic. I remember when Blizzard used to talk about they really liked the concept of them because they could make a map "change" throughout the game. I thought it was silly but with this map I can see what their visions may have been. This map rewards good play in the mid to late game, as the player that keeps better vision and control of the rocks (controlling when they get knocked down for example) can control the tempo of the game.
ESV Abode
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One of the more unique two player maps out there, this may look like a normal map, but it is so much deeper. However what has stuck out is the very first week it was the majority of games on it were macro. When introducing new maps in the past, the majority were all ins and cheeses, making this map stand out as a very interesting anomaly.
ESV Golden Valley
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Golden Valley is a excellent all spawn 4 player map. It recently was a finalist in Map of the Month May and will default to the judges on why it's so good!
Golden Valley's strong point is that it has almost perfect balance using rotational symmetry without being too boring. The execution of the concept- circular expansions- is very well done.
While the ESV TV Grand Prix #2 may lack the $100,000 prize pool of events like NASL or MLG's, they make up for it in absolute quality. I really hope you will take the time to stop by and check out the Grand Prix, we all work really hard on it, and are just a small grassroots company that just love E-Sports, and love helping grow and promote the Korean scene.
If you are interested below is a schedule for the Grand Prix, and clicking it or the banner will bring you to the TL info thread for more!
Thanks for your time, <3 <3