I Loved Victory (Part One)

Cover image by Pachi

When you first come in the game, they try to play you
Then you drop a couple of hits, look how they wave to you
From Marcy to Madison Square
To the only thing that matters in just a matter of years (yea)
As fate would have it, Jay's status appears
to be at an all-time high, perfect time to say goodbye
When I come back like Jordan, wearin the 4-5
It ain't to play games witchu
It's to aim at you, probably maim you
If I owe you I'm blowin you to smithereeens
Cocksucker take one for your team
And I need you to remember one thing (one thing)
I came, I saw, I conquered
From record sales, to sold out concerts
So muh'fucker if you want this encore
I need you to scream, 'til your lungs get sore

- Jay-Z

I Loved Victory (Part One)
Evolution of Man
by Plexa
TeamLiquid: Final Edits

The news spread like wildfire through the progaming scene. We had become accustomed to losing some of our number in our 8-year history as an e-sport, but never someone this important. Sure, the loss of Garimto hurt us all deeply, but he did not achieve the levels of success that this man did.

It was a dark February day in Seoul when iloveoov officially announced his retirement. His career spanned a short five years, but he changed the way we viewed the game. We marveled in his unparalleled macro, we were shocked by his brutal domination of Zerg, and we loved to watch him win.

This is a tribute to the monster of Brood War.

This installment will take you on a journey through Oov's career, from before he was a pro right through to his retirement. You will see his rapid rise to the top and steady descent to the bottom. In addition to getting an in depth overview of this legend's career, four of the most important rivalries held during his reign will be examined and discussed. The next installment will cover Oov's strategical revolutions and the legacy that he left behind.

Iloveoov picked up Starcraft in his last year of middle school (9th grade). Prior to that he was one of the top students in his school, placing in the top ten every time. However, as many of us know, Starcraft has an adverse effect on studies and he did very poorly in high school. This was because all he did was focus on playing Starcraft. His obsession with the game spilled over into his offline life. He was transfixed with the idea of fighting, battles and strategy so much so that he intended on joining the army after high school.

Strangely enough, Iloveoov started out playing predominantly Zerg, more precisely ZvP, ZvT and TvZ. He quickly gained a reputation as one of the best Game-i players around, which generated some discussion about him. The first discussions about who iloveoov was on Team Liquid led to people claim that he was Nada, or Chojja or even TF-Strubbles (Brazilian gamer), but of course he was none of these.

Oov and Nada share a special rivalry, the one that exists between Bonjwas. Nada, the original Bonjwa, was cursed against Oov, the new Bonjwa, as per the Bonjwa curse rules. Despite the fact that Nada could never beat Oov, their games were always epic.

Their first major confrontation occurred in Trigem MSL Loser Bracket Finals. Oov entered as the large underdog against the seasoned veteran Nada. But nevertheless, Oov emerged victorious 3-1. They met again in CenGame MSL Grand Finals. In the last two games of that set, Oov exhibited a strong pressure style - forcibly containing Nada without a care for defense. Nada could not afford the units to shutdown Oov's expos, and Oov eventually ran over him 3-2.

In EVER OSL Nada changed up his game. He changed his ideology from 'one-size fits all' to 'each to his own'. In other words he went from applying the same techniques every game to specializing his strategies for the map he was playing on. The change didn't go according to plan and Nada lost 1-2. Nada was always pushing for a way to beat Oov. At the end of the day Oov was always one step ahead of him. Boxer's training and superior understanding gave Oov the edge over Nada.

Oov and Nada played a number of single matches after EVER. Nada won one of those games, Oov won the other 8. Later Oov would fall victim to the Bonjwa curse against Savior and would feel the same pain that Nada did.

The defining feature of this rivalry is the time span in which it lasted. The two were pioneers of the Terran race and their encounters were always the cutting-edge of contemporary TvT strategy. They played 23 games over a time period of 4 years. Not only that, but many of their encounters were in bo5's. Nada was an ever present opponent during the first half of Oov's reign and helped Oov refine his TvT innovations further. Their games pushed the boundaries of TvT strategy, and their many series forced both players to change and adapt. As a result, TvT strategy advanced considerably.

However, Oov was not just known for his skill. He gained a reputation as one of the most bad mannered gamers around. There was a rumor that he was kicked out of a Proteam due to his bad manner. It is also said that Oov saw progamers on television and said 'I can do better than that' and decided to go pro. He also poked fun at any progamer that he beat online or that lost in a TV match.

Oov met his long time girlfriend sometime in highschool and has been with her throughout his career. Oov has said that if she ever didn't approve of video games, he would leave her immediately, but she was always supportive of Oov and his choices. His passion for the game slowly became too much for him. He reasoned that he would play Starcraft after his military service, so why not make the most of his skill and practice hard now? Oov reached 2300+ on Gamei but it wasn't until early 2003 when Oov would make his mark on the progaming scene.

Oov goes to Seoul

After Boxer lost to Reach in SKY 2002 OSL his Dad complained that it was because Ideal Space had a lack of Protoss teammates to practice with. Thus, Boxer made a break from IS and created his own team. In February 2003 Boxer announced his new teammates. The team featured Zerglee (aka Nissie~Shakie or Sigamari), [Blaze]HirOkO (Zerg user who was 2300+ on Gamei), IntoTheRainBOw and iloveoov. Boxer took a shining towards young Oov and a master-student relationship began.

Foreign fans quickly noticed how Oov was a lot taller than the other members on his team and that the mouse looked tiny in his monster hands. It was not long that the nickname "Gorilla Terran" caught on amongst Team Liquid for his huge physique in comparison to other gamers, and that he bares some resemblance to a Gorilla.

Boxer's training paid off when Oov went 8-1 in his first official matches in the Ever Cup Proleague 2003. In the summer of 2003, he went 2-0 in his MSL Prelim to qualify for the MSL Major League, and then defeated Julyzerg 2-0 to qualify for Trigem TG MBCGame Starleague. Despite being put into the loser bracket by Nada in the first week of competition, Oov decimated opponent after opponent and met Nada again in the loser bracket finals. This time Oov reversed the result and defeated him 3-1 and went on to defeat Yellow in three consecutive sets.

Oov seemed to get better with every game that he played. Every soul he stole added to his power, and he soon became a monster. In the HanoFOS CENGame MBCGame Starleague, he only dropped 3 games in the whole tournament. But people started notice a funny thing about Oov - after he beat someone, the person would slump. The more important the match, the harder Oov’s defeated opponent would slump. This bizarre effect was known as the “Iloveoov Curse.” Yellow, the Trigem MSL runner up, made a very short exit in CENGame MSL and began losing games in other places. Nada was the only player who was resistant to this curse.

After CENGame, Oov's schedule became packed. After only a year of playing in official matches, Oov had a 76.39% winrate and was undefeated against Zerg. With such a high winrate, it is not surprising Oov was in three leagues simultaneously: the iTv Ranking League, the SPRIS MSL and the Gillette OSL. Oov essentially went untouched in all three leagues until the semifinals of the Gillette OSL. JulyZerg, a next-generation Zerg, had attacked his way into the semis, where he met the Gorilla. For the first time in his career, Oov suffered a loss to a Zerg, ending his 27 game winning streak. He also lost the series to July, his first series defeat. Then in the iTv Round 2 Finals, he lost to July again. Oov edged out Silent_Control in the 3rd/4th playoffs in Gillette, but doubt started to build around Oov's ability to win an OSL.

The Iloveoov/Boxer relationship is special in that it is the most famous story of Master and Apprentice. Boxer handpicked Oov from his Game-i days specifically for his new break away team. Boxer taught Oov how to understand the fundamental aspects of Starcraft and was the reason Oov had such strong gamesense.

Because they were on the same team, they could never meet in Team Leagues. This meant that it took a long time for them to meet in a televised match. The EVER 2004 OSL Finals would be the first time they met on TV. The finals were one of the best finals in history, full of drama and tension. Game 4 of the series in particular will always be remembered as one of the finest Boxer moments. But at the end of the day, there had to be a winner and that person was Oov. Their long awaited epic confrontation had lived up to all the hype.

Fans were always eager to see another Boxer-Oov showdown. So1 looked to be another clash of the Terran titans. After Boxer defeated Pusan and advanced to the final - fans were eager to see Oov defeat Anytime for an EVER 2004 rematch. Anytime had other plans and denied the fans their rematch. Luckily for us fans, in Shinhan 2005 Boxer and Oov had their rematch in the quarterfinals. Despite not being as exciting as EVER, it was still a memorable series which included an epic slugfest on RoV. Oov again defeated Boxer 2-1.

Their last televised showdown was on iloveoov's map 'Rush Hour'. In true Lim Yo Hwan fashion, he pulls out an unbelievable cheese which left the audience speechless. Boxer snuck his SCV around Oov's buildings and checked the minerals to see if they had been mined and proceeded to build 2 barracks in Oov’s main. It was a work of art, and Boxer had a decisive victory over his student. The Boxer-Oov rivalry was a one fans loved to watch, but one the players hated to play. Their rivalry is special and will always be remembered as one of the great matchups of Starcraft.

Oov devoured his way to the finals of the Spris MSL and to the Grand Finals of the iTv Ranking League. First came iTv where he met JulyZerg in the final. For the third time, Oov lost to July - raising many questions about his TvZ amongst fans. Nevertheless, in SPRIS MSL he flattened his teammate Kingdom 3-2 and won his third consecutive MSL.

EVER 2004 OSL

Oov had a tough time in the group stages of EVER 2004. He, GoRush and Sync tied for 1st place. After two rounds of tiebreakers Oov and Sync finally advanced. After a demanding series against Nada, he emerged victorious 2-1, gaining entry into the Semis. Gillette runner up and the last Protoss in the tournament, Reach, would be his semi-final opponent. Reach had the best PvT in the world at this time and was a scary opponent for anyone, even Oov. The resulting series was one of the best Starcraft had ever seen, up there with the epic Boxer/Yellow series. Oov won the series 3-2 and made the finals.

The finals were between two great friends who shared a special bond - Iloveoov would go up against his teacher Boxer. Due to how well they knew each other, the final would be a mental struggle for superiority between Master and Student.

Oov is a gamer with big dreams who practices and researches endlessly. When I watch him play, he gives the impression of an impregnable shield without any weaknesses. However, I'm worried that he has been too single-mindedly focused only on moving forward to realize his dreams. I hope that he will realize that if he at some point gets fatigued, that he will have an endless fall. Oov knows me so well that I almost feel like I am going against myself in the final. They say the most difficult fight in the world is the one you wage with yourself and I think I understand that sentiment.
- Boxer

Oov won 3-2, but it was a difficult victory full of entertaining games. But the final was a time of conflicting emotions for Oov. The final took its toll on Boxer, who invested everything he had into winning the final and broke down after he lost.

I really hope that now Boxer will never hear from someone else that he is weak. I wish that Boxer will win all of his future tournaments the same way he stepped past so many good players on his road to this Ever Starleague Final. I'm sure he was so determined because he hasn't had a win recently... I'm so sad. From now on, although I want to game again with Boxer, I don't want to meet him in this kind of situation ever again. If I had beat someone other than Boxer, I think I would have been much happier.
- iloveoov

The OSL winners curse took immediate effect on Oov. He dropped his winner’s quarterfinal match against Xellos in You Are the Golf King MSL 0-2 and then later lost to Xellos again in the Loser's Semifinals. And as per the curse, he went 1-2 in his group in IOPS OSL (winning against Nada), meaning he was eliminated in the group phase. But Oov was resilient, and came back very strongly in Uzoo MSL and Ever 2005 OSL, where he 3-0'd his group but was stopped by Xellos in the quarterfinals. In Uzoo, he tore up the Loser Bracket and advanced to the Loser Semi-Finals. For the second time he met Reach in an important bo5 series, but this time Reach took his PvT to the next level and ran over Oov 3-0.

Iloveoov and Reach always attracted crowds when they played and especially when they played each other. Their games were always in minor tournaments, or single matches in a team league. As Oov strengthened his grip on the Starcraft world, many Protosses fell off the scene. All except for Reach.

Their first important confrontation would be in the semifinals of EVER 2004 OSL. Reach showed great form with a second place in Gillette, but Oov had just won his third MSL (on top of a third place finish in Gillette). The EVER Semis was a turning point for Oov. Reach, unlike all that had gone before him, played a PvT style focused around out macroing Oov. Mullyang Toss was born. He took Oov to 5 games, including out macroing Oov for the first time in Oov’s career.

They met again in the Uzoo MSL Loser Semifinals where Reach stepped up his level of PvT and dominated Oov up 3-0. The 3 games were revolutionary from a Protoss stand point and devastating to Terrans. From this loss, Oov was forced to reanalyze his TvP and improve it for the So1 OSL. Since that series, Oov adopted the FD style with open arms and conformed to modern TvP.

The rivalry between Oov and Reach took macro to a new level and started the macro oriented play that we see today. Their series in EVER OSL is a landmark in Starcraft history, the moment when PvT became more about macro than strategy. With new maps like Luna (and later R-Point) being developed, both Protoss and Terran were forced into savage macro wars the likes of which had not been seen before. This rivalry had the greatest impact on modern SC than any other rivalry had since Boxer-Yellow.

The Resurgence

By the time the next OSL came around, Oov had shaken off the OSL curse completely. He was looking as invincible as ever and entered So1 OSL as a heavy favorite. He won his group 2-1 and then demolished July 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Anytime, one of two neo-toss kings demolishing So1, was his Semi-Final opponent. After 4 intense sets, Oov was defeated 1-3. Despite falling short in the semis, Oov defeated the spirit toss, Pusan, 3-2 in the 3rd/4th playoff, cementing himself as a seed for the next OSL. Unfortunately for Oov, Savior had emerged to dominate the scene - single handily removing Oov from Cyon MSL.

Then came the Shinhan 2005 OSL. After going 2-1 in his group, he edged out Boxer 2-1 in the Round of 8. Oov struggled with his semi-final opponent Casy, who unleashed a formidable assault against Oov. The series went to Game 5, and after 3 hours Casy conceded. Oov almost collapsed during the series - he didn't eat breakfast that morning because he thought the semis would be over quickly. He had earned a spot in the finals where he would meet long time rival July.

Iloveoov had grown a lot since his first victory, and even more from his early days. The cocky arrogant Oov of yesteryear had grown into a mature responsible professional. Around the time of EVER 2004 OSL, Oov had started to change his ways, showing empathy towards his mentor instead of teasing him. The day after defeating Casy in the 3 hour slugfest, he fought in the 2005 Proleague Grand Finals on Rush Hour, defeating Chojja and giving T1 the edge over KTF. When Kingdom was voted MVP for Proleague, Oov was not sad, but happy and proud of him. Oov was feeling more compassion and empathy for his fellow teammates - something which would later shape the course of his life.

Oov praised July before the finals saying that he was responsible for his change in TvZ style. In what some called a disappointing final, Oov showed off his reformed TvZ against July and won 3-0. This time, Oov looked much happier because he had beaten a rival and not his mentor in the final.

The Slump

Oov fought off the OSL curse well last time, but this time the curse caught up to him and he slumped hard. He went 1-2 in his OSL group and failed to make the following Starleague - his first absence since Gillette. Even though he came back in Shinhan 3, he couldn't pass the Ro16 - losing to Yellow[arnc] 0-2. Oov made no appearances in the MSL in 2006.

But 2006 was not a year for Oov to pursue another OSL or MSL victory; it was the year for WCG. Oov placed first in WCG Korea, defeating Midas in the final. Oov was bursting with enthusiasm about his teammate, taking every opportunity to flatter him and credit him with incredible skill. Despite winning WCG Korea, Oov almost didn't go to Italy. Oov, the monster terran, is a severe acrophobe - meaning he is afraid of height. After much convincing from his team and supporters that air transport is safe, he accepted the invitation and traveled to Italy.

All great Terrans are judged by their TvZ and all great Terrans have a Zerg counterpart during their time of dominance. For Iloveoov, his greatest rival was JulyZerg. Their rivalry began in Gillette OSL where July defeated Oov 3-2 in a tense semifinal. His hyper-aggressive play style showed the world a solution to Oov’s macro oriented play. The next week, July defeated Oov again in the iTv ranking league, disappointing many Oov fans.

Oov was not accustomed to losing and re-invented his TvZ to match the hyper-aggressive style of July. Oov always tried to ‘cheat’ against Zerg by delaying factory and building his Command Center much faster. Against July, this style was easily crushed and Oov had a rough time adjusting to this. Eventually, he settled on delaying his Command Center and later he followed the innovations of Midas in the matchup.

Oov’s reinvention allowed him to defeat July in ‘You are the Golf King MSL’ 2-0 and again a year later in So1. Then in Shinhan 2005 he met July in the finals. The time had come for Oov to get his revenge for Gillette - and he did. In three decisive sets he butchered July. Their rivalry would not end with Shinhan 2005 - they would clash multiple times during WCG. In both WCG Korea and the WCG Grand Finals, Oov emerged victorious.

As with Yellow and Boxer, their rivalry grew into a friendship. They would often cite each other as practice partners in victory interviews. WCG was arguably the tipping point, we could all see that July felt comfortable talking with Oov (and chef midas). So in 2007 when July was placed on a waiver it came as no surprise that he moved to T1. From the fiercest of rivals, to the greatest of friends. The July-Oov rivalry had it all, and it truly was worthy of comparison to Boxer-Yellow. At the end of the day, it will be remember as one of the greatest rivalries in history.

At the end of WCG Monza, Iloveoov emerged victorious as the WCG Champion for 2006. In a private interview he said:

With your keyboard and mouse rapidity maybe you would be interested to find a job in a Swiss bank. They are looking for people with these skills.

- I think it could be a good job. Currently a progamer I knew is now a trader for a big Korean bank where he uses his talent to triple the treatment speed of his orders.
I don't know all the details but he has making a lot of money for him and his enterprise.
When I'll be older (30 years old) I want to became a coach for the future generation of progamers.

Midway through 2006, Oov started a battle with motivation. Having climbed to the pinnacle of Starcraft success, there seemed little left for him to accomplish. With his WCG victory there was no major tournament that he hadn't won. In Oov's younger years he probably would have retired right then and there, or slowly faded away and devoted his life to poker like Yellow. However, Oov's commitment to his teammates caused him to walk a much nobler path. He forced himself to practice and not let SKT1 down, despite not enjoying the game like he used to. In his MSL comeback interview he expressed his desire to rediscover his passion for the game through hard practice.

In the absence of Boxer's leadership, SKT was in need of a captain. In Round 2 of Shinhan Proleague, Iloveoov stepped up and assumed the captain position of the team. His captaincy had mixed results but most fans detected a change in the team atmosphere. Oov led by example. After winning the Ace match against OGN he said:

Up until yesterday, I had no confidence. My winning percentage was 0%. I lost every time. So I told my coach, "I lose a lot in practice. I have no confidence" and he replied, "Admit that you are not the top class and tackle it". And he also said, "Choi Yeon-Sung the captain's win has the biggest influence in the team". Thanks to him, I regained my confidence. I prepared with the mindset that I will win even if I die.

He took the captain’s burden and won for his team.

However, a few months before the end of the year, Oov reported that he had slipped in the shower and cut his wrist. His injury prevented him from practice, and with his ongoing battle with motivation, he contemplated retirement. Early in 2008 it was announced that Oov was to follow his dream and begin coaching as a player-coach for T1. In February, he announced his retirement. He may not be 30 just yet, but he has realized the dream that he expressed at WCG, and can now focus totally on aiding his team.

The career of Oov the player is now over. Now begins the career of Oov the coach. Hopefully his new profession will bring him as much success as his playing career did, but for now, let's take one last trip down memory lane:

Huge thanks to Pachi and Sonuvbob for their work on the side bars

Editor's Note: This is the first installment of a two-part article on Iloveoov by Plexa. The second part will be released next week.

I Loved Victory (Part One)

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