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-translator's preface- Daum was a post on the korean forum pgr21 about the 2007 Daum Starleague written by user Hannibal. I have always debated about translating this because this goes against my 2 biggest beliefs that I have while inside the SCBW/SC2 community. 1. The greatest punishment to a gamer is to forget he has ever existed. 2. You should not look upon the past with a nostalgic lens. However, after the recent Remastered release and many former pros playing the game, I have grown more and more saddened and disappointed and found myself wishing me back to the ages of old legends, (hence making me a hypocrite). Maybe I was younger, maybe the stars were shining brighter and SGall alive, but something about watching the former pros streaming cuts away from some of their mystique, their character that they built themselves with the little fluff I could get from their interviews and fanmeets.(ex: Sea) But certainly, the pre- Afreeca era had room for grandiose analytic fiction such as DAUM to pop up. Daum is an interesting read, not only because of the league itself, but also in that the finalists, GGPlay and Iris, were never considered 'bonjwa' after. These were mortals, fighting for their own glory in the land of bonjwas and elite 4s, trying to make a mark. After all, isn't that what all progamers wish for in the end? To be remembered as one? As Hannibal chose not to black out certain progamer's names(contrary to custom), I will honor his style and maintain them as well. I don't know if I can emulate Hannibal's meticulous writing style with my rusty fob vocabulary, but please, sit down, and enjoy. - A hypocrite in the end, RCCar
Daum <1> (1)
Prologue "He is but a word among millions of paragraphs in the thick book history writes. He had been dying slowly during a story of hundreds of pages. Perhaps he was destined to die on the first, or the hundredth line, and the time had come. ... he could not change the story." "Then what can one even do?" - The Children of the Rune (Demonic) by Minhee Jeon
If one really wants to classify this scene, it will largely be divided into three parts with Boxer, Savior, and TBLS as its main characters. Boxer and the three who spawned from his blood, soon to be called the Elite 4, led what people now call the "Romance Age", the iron rule of Savior that did not leave any new seeds will fittingly be the age of "Bonjwa theory" and today, which started with Bisu Stork and continues with Flash JD has no clear pivot or requirements, fitting to be called the "Warring States Period".
However, the talk today focuses not on the Elite 4 fighting their bloodbath to leave the mark of the Romance Age, and takes place after the 7 holy days of Savior, but before TBSL show their true potential. Thus, we talk about something not classified in any of the three big parts, and our protagonists are not a legacy of anyone, nor a predecessor to anything. Even so, we remember this story like it was yesterday, and no giant's footprints have managed to soil this story, and here, I will attempt to tell you why that is.
We have seen the distant conclusion of the Romance Age as we hoped(So1), and thus the stars entered a new horizon (UZOO). And now, our story, perhaps just a spin off in this long history, has the title that refuses for this to be the end, a word that signals tomorrow, and the future- here. it is Daum (다음).
turning point: Into the Storm "Their novel will come to a close, and their history shall begin" - 로뮤 비류즈(cannot find who he is)
Rain falls with no sign of stopping, and gradually, as he gets used to the howling wind and distant thunderclaps, the guard settles in for a nap- a wondrous feat considering the circumstances- but hears a soft but periodic knock on the wooden door. A traveler, late at night. With the realization, the guard stands up with an oath and a groan, while the rain continues to fall. The darkened sky continues its deluge, without hesitation, with the flash of lightning and the boom of thunder. It rains.
2007 was a period of change and conflict. Each day, the heroes of the Romance Ages were falling from their glory. 5 days a week, there was Proleague that would clash with individual leagues. Blizzard announced their plans for Starcraft 2, and the debate of progamers' rights would become heated as JulyZerg "God of War", would be hounded by a waiver disclosure. The bonjwa theory thought solidified with Savior's OSL victory was disproved once more with Bisu's revolution. Not one thing was guarenteed in the heart of the storm, and nobody involved could pretend it didn't exist. The elements that stabilized the scene, whether they were people, theories, or the system, whirled around and showed their contradicting sides, setting the scene in a new peril. Everyone was clamoring to be heard, and no one listened to each other. All rushed in for their own profits. OSL, the league of almost 10 years, was no exception. And for the first time, after Shinhan came to a close, the OSL started a new season with no sponsor.
During the Romance Ages, it was always OnGameNet that created and maintained the story of the scene. OnGameNet was the battlefield that Boxer conquered to be emperor, and the stage where Yellow and Reach dueled with him. The Elite 4, Legend of the Fall, Three Protoss, JoJinRak, Golden Mouse, etc; were all created through OnGameNet's hands. By contrast, MBC Game was a colosseum where you would see the strong players. Nada would take three straight wins in MBC Game earning him titles like 'Machine', 'Genius', 'New Throne', and would give up his throne to iloveoov in the relentless cell games. But with this wind of change- the fall of the Romance Age, the introduction of Savior, this structure was also affected. Suddenly, Savior pops up in UZOO MSL. His generation of gamers, such as Silver, Hwasin, Daezang, and Midas would compete with Savior in the MSL making a name for themselves. With Savior, MSL received a chance to shape the story of the scene for the first time, and slowly managed to do it, adding more casual gamers into their viewership. This almost made the phrase, OSL for story, MSL for games irrelavant. MSL became focused on giving players nicknames and was oh so sensitive on the brackets. While it did come at a risk, MSL believed in the star that was Savior, and believed that their leap at historian would be justified with the pinnacle of Zerg. Savior actually does live and die on MSL, with his fall at March 3rd at the hands of Bisu being on MSL as well. With these series of events, it seemed as though MSL would start being the storymaker of the scene.
OnGameNet, however, was now faced with a dilemma. Even Bisu was the star of MSL. Everyone talking about Savior switched to Bisu, right after Savior won OSL. While OnGameNet did pull of Shinhan S2 wonderfully, with the "Death God" Anytime vs "Genius" Nada, the focus was still on the storyline that was Savior into Bisu. The bonjwa theory finally began to edge out "Post Boxer". And with OnGameNet failing to get a sponsor, people began to talk about the future of OSL.
Of course, crisis always exists at a turning point. OGN would eventually get Daum as a sponsor, albeit slightly later, and the OSL had to go on. The roads of the pilots who would start this new age met at the critical spot where OGN had prepared 15 seats.
Nada, as the witness of all generations, iloveoov, as the king of a legacy, Savior, as a 'savior' They were all players who have took and had been taken from. Boxer v Nada was a celebrated legend, and Nada v iloveoov left a magnificent epic. Savior fought against these Terran predecessors, and became mythological by surviving the test of maps. However, Bisu's feat that fell Savior was called a revolution. A revolution is different from a legend, an epic, a myth - revolution makes history. The ones who sat opposite the three former bonjwas were the ones who would shape the post revolution. Thus, they were the ones who would make new history. They were Bisu, Flash, and Stork. GGPlay and Iris stood between them all, and the rest were looking for the smallest of chances. The ones who could see further then others realized that the scales have already tipped and history will start with an unstoppable tide. New history. In the light of this revelation, as everyone silently chooses a path to follow, then- the door opens.
The sixteenth man, the visitor in the storm, he was the one who disavowed history. Revolution creates history. Legends make recollections- old, faded, easily crumbling, and thus overwhelmingly nostalgic and painfully happy ones. Perhaps, a memory that we are fond of. And so he returns. As one of the Romance Age, as a part of the four who led the tide of legend, the noble hero returns. While he may have been a little late, he will attack till the last, and hence promise us. 2007. 4. 20 Reach returns.
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On September 29 2017 05:40 RCCar wrote:
I have always debated about translating this because this goes against my 2 biggest beliefs
You made the right choice, thanks a lot for the translation. I always appreciate veterans of this scene sharing lore from times before I was part of it.
On September 29 2017 05:40 RCCar wrote:
[...] something about watching the former pros streaming cuts away from some of their mystique
Man I love watching Flash stream now, but I remember watching Flash's games in 2011... only some a week (if at all) and in the middle of the night, maybe on some unstable stream, with the atmosphere of the korean casters only (at least in the background of Sayle's stream) and hardly any glimpses at his FirstPersonView... really had a different feeling about it, really mystical as you write.
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Thank you so much for translating this! I had chills reading this. As awesome as the current scene is with everyone streaming, I too miss the days of old. It's really sad to think that all these story lines that OGN and MBC build just kinda ended. Yes a lot of former pros are competing in ASL, but it doesn't feel like there is as much story building as before. Maybe if we get that rumoured fall OSL it'll be like the old days again. But I think most of all I miss Proleague. Individual leagues are great and all, but I always felt like the heart of Starcraft was PL.
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Daum <1> (2)
Even a healthy man will one day falter: 盛者必衰 O Fortune, like the moon you are changeable, ever waxing or waning; hateful life! first oppresses and then soothes as fancy takes it; poverty and power it melts them like ice. - O Fortuna by Carl Orff in Carmina Burana
The waxing moon will unavoidably wane, and a blooming flower will someday wilt. There is always a fall after a peak, with no exceptions. If something never seems to grow weak, it must have never been strong in the first place. The ten years of the Terran dominion was also now coming to a close. It was because they could not stop a single Zerg. Of course, the three Terran who ruled ten years of Starcraft did not let the maestro's orchestra get off without any damage. Nada showed his skill against him in Masters with a convincing display of skill- but it was after March 3rd.
Savior's myth can be summarized as thus: "The Zerg's messiah liberates them from the three Terran overlords and enjoys a blessed seven days, only to have revolution's dagger stab him through the heart in the end." He returned from the vast wastelands of Desert Fox, rebuilt the long lost temple, and was reborn even after being stabbed through with the spear of Longinus. He tore through everything blocking his way and walked on water. He became a god, a savior. He was all. And his everything- the seven days of false godhood, was revealed by a mere Protoss. A new upstart, related to nothing of the Romance Age. Everything was done outside of Terran influence. Terran could do nothing but rip off the wings of the maestro that had already fallen from grace. While Terran had 10 of the 16 seats at Daum, 9 of them, including Nada and iloveoov, was of no importance to the onlookers. The Terran Republic could not have eternal glory. But the Savior couldn't either. Kings and Gods alike were victim to the passage of time. And so they chose. They reached out in spite of their looming downfall. Nada chose Bisu, the future of everything. iloveoov picked Flash, the future of Terran and bonjwa Savior decided iloveoov, his past glory.
Nada chose Bisu. Nada wished to see the 'beginning of a new history' itself, and Bisu was the young Protoss that was the start of it. The thing that made him move was a flow that he didn't completely know about and the competitive spirit that he felt from it. He could never resist the temptation of a new challenge. After he overtook Boxer in terms of winnings, he ceaselessly threw his glove at loveoov, and challenged Savior when he appeared, and now was looking to battle Bisu, the newcomer, and would forever fight the new age that would come with Bisu's arrival. Also, Nada possessed the talent to overcome all those challenges. Nada is cut in half by Bisu's all-in Dark Templar drop. He then loses his matches against Hwasin and Darkelf and finishes the tournament with 3 losses. Even so, I don't think that this frustrated him or gave him a sense of defeat. He had suffered worse, and gained much more. When Nada overcame numerous toil and held up the Shinhan S2 trophy, I had already given up following his traces. He already had the power to achieve everything he wanted, and was a man who could throw away all of it for one new title. Amongst the stars in this tournament, Nada was one of the first explorers to sail off into the great beyond. And when I heard the news, I was not surprised. I don't know who gave Nada the nickname "genius", but true to it, Nada will remain in my memory as a shining, unreachable back.
iloveoov picked Flash. He wanted to see the future of Terran. He also wanted to see the future of bonjwa. Now I wonder if iloveoov may have been getting tired. His saying "I want to give 2007 my all" habitually, sounded like he wanted to burn out rather than fade away. "Zerg cannot be my rival"- the pride close to arrogance became an ironic prophesy looming over iloveoov, and made him face Savior not as a rival, but as prey. iloveoov's suffering grew with the fact that Boxer and Nada- the only other 2 Terran that had his respect- was going through the same shame as him. Midas fought tooth and nail and Hwasin pulled his trigger until his demise, but to Savior, it would only be another obstacle to overcome, feats to add to his myth. iloveoov had lost. And T1 had lost, and the three Terran emperors as well as all of Terran had lost. Not only iloveoov, but everything iloveoov represented, had stood for was defeated by Savior. iloveoov's shoulders were burdened even more by the fact that his teacher- the partner who would have created new builds to overcome this crisis- was absent. So iloveoov decided to step back and watch. Half curiosity, half forced. "盛者必衰, even a healthy man shall one day falter", a proverb he once scoffed at, he was now forced to accept its truth. Savior will also lose someday - Terran will have a future again. And behold, the day of revolution had come. And the future of Terran, the future of bonjwa had also shown himself. Only then, iloveoov stopped watching and approached Flash. Flash v iloveoov was held on 2007.06.15- Daum starleague Ro16 week 6 game 1. The last game of group A, and Ro8 was on the line for both players. iloveoov lost to Flash in this fateful game.
Flash opened no rax double, and iloveoov opened with a proxied 3 Fac. However, Flash held. With SCVs, Marines, and solid plays reminiscent of iloveoov way back when, Flash stopped, and defeated iloveoov. iloveoov turned back. He had seen enough, fought enough, and realized. We do not know if iloveoov already foresaw what exactly 'Flash' would become. But one thing we do know is that it was around this time iloveoov started to ready the second Terran of clan 'By', the spreader of fear(Terrorist), the future leader of the anti- TBSL faction from his debut to end, and his student, for the stage. Why? Why would he prepare to stop Flash? iloveoov wanted to see the future of Terran and bonjwa. However, I think that what iloveoov truly wanted was the safety of SKT T1- the empire that he and his teacher built brick by brick.
In conclusion, of the three, the only one to reach the Round of 8 was Savior, the one who retraced his steps. Savior beat iloveoov like it was fortold many times before, and broke Flash with a three hatchery zergling all-in. Post match, when asked about Flash, Savior said this:
"I don't know who he is, and I haven't seen his games."- Savior post match v Flash, 2007.05.25
His glory was born on the massacre of Terran, and he reaffirmed it by trampling the past and future of Terran. Revolution? He seemed to scoff. After time passes, and more victories are added onto my cape over and over again, that day would just be a tiny mark. The thing that should start before history was the his second coming. He was a maestro. His eyes were always on his orchestra that was playing, and all that the audience needed to do was clap. Savior was used to the audience's cheers, the pleasure that came with it. He was the only one who could feel it. When the encore starts, he would look back at his audience, cheer even louder, and I will reply with courtesy. That would be enough, and Savior would be satisfied.
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TLADT24918 Posts
Thanks for the translations!
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Daum <1> (3)
The Last Generation I don't know if this still is the case, but if you visit starcraft communities on March 3rd, the anniversary of the 3.3 Revolution, you can see an interesting sight. Almost as though rehearsed, people go back to 2007 March 2nd, the night before, and talk about the match to come tomorrow. And of course, nobody talks about the 2.69% of success. The community is full of people downplaying this upstart protoss and preordained loss. It is undeniable that this is an odd way to celebrate the anniversary of the most shocking event to happen in all 12 years of starcraft that was even called the "revolution of heart" by some Protoss as it gave them the courage to persevere against Zerg. But, this is indeed a celebration, complete with clowns. The clowns just also happen to be the partygoers. This is a giant scene of self-scorn. What are they laughing at? Themselves, the fools who believed to the point of religion. What did they believe? The self-proclaimed messiah of a a man, and the stupidity of the rookie who dared to challenge him. What was the outcome? Revolution- one that will not be forgotten. What did they learn? That there is no value in declaring something impossible. The celebration of the anniversary of revolution is truly a fitting one, where the participants go over all the meanings that the revolution held for them.
The Revolutionary, Bisu, gave people everything. Now the numbers 3.3 and 2.69 are burned into the minds of people and Bisu became the main of this new 'history'. Bisu continued his path fitting of a new era. The revolution must continue - he seemed to say as he seemed to wipe out all before him, even the remains of the desert that Savior created. The Terrans who challenged Savior during his time, Nada who challenged him during Shinhan S3 Masters, Hwasin who showed his grit as the "Red Sniper", all the other stars of Terran who resisted the grasp of Savior were all on the podium to be tested if they would be fitting for the new era. Bisu sliced Nada open with a DT drop, and said nothing about Hwasin then the world "insurance".
-Daum Starleague Ro 16 week 5 Group B game 2, Hwasin v Bisu in Python
Bisu pulled out the same blade for Hwasin- a Dark Templar drop. It was a lot of damage, but Hwasin bided his time for one shot that would determine the winner. Once would be enough. Getting the last shot in, that was all that would be needed. It would have been a difficult thing for Hwasin to accept. There were so many people who opposed the rule of Savior, never giving up their dreams for a rebel yell, but the glory of an uprising was suddenly taken away by a new Protoss. Furthermore, this rookie completely changed the paradigm of the game, and even had insane talent. That would have been enough to fuel Hwasin, but to top it all off, he 'slips up' and calls him 'insurance'? Hwasin's already scratched pride was severely damaged. Bisu would be an opponent he was rearing to slice open with his keen blade. But Hwasin's final move was completely smashed. And almost as though laughing at his fighting spirit, Bisu tapped on Hwasin's base with scouts. Hwasin glared at the monitor, not able to bring himself to type gg, but the game was long lost. Hwasin finally conceded, looking as though he could kill someone.
Bisu v Hwasin was a game between two players that already had secured places in Ro8. Even so, the audience could not take their eyes off of the game. Perhaps they felt that this was a forshadowing.
While the Terrans who endured Savior's era were silenced, there was a different, new Terran at this time. He had never endured Savior's ruthless desert. Not even that, during Savior's rule, he was non-existent. This 16 year old Terran had just made his debut with only a few games under his belt. But he had won all of them, had come straight into Starleague, and was now the youngest candidate for a Royal Roader who was already a contender for the next bonjwa. Back then, he was called "young monster", for his similarity with iloveoov. And today, we call him thus: "Ultimate Weapon" "Last Generation" "The God"
- Daum Starleague Ro 16 Week 5 group B game 2, Flash v Light in Python
An anonymous viewer summarized this match with one sentence: "Light lost because he built a bunker" Light and Flash both took expansions. Light, built a bunker in his natural to defend potential attacks, but Flash did not. Both failed to reach the other's main. Flash saw Light's bunker- decided that Light would have an expansion- and at that point made goliaths faster, killing Light's scouting rax more quickly then anticipated. Light canceled his goliaths to afford money for extra factories before the rax would fall. In return for canceling the goliaths, Light received Flash's goliath drop. <Bunker- opponent must have expanded- then lets skip defense and get out goliaths quickly- If I intercept his rax first, he will use money to build more factories - and thus will have less units during that time.> This thought process had happened in a 16 year old's brain in real time. Of course, there was no guarantee Light would have followed that thought. It was true that there were some ballsy assumptions that luckily held true. But in the end, Light went exactly as thought, played right into Flash's hands, and couldn't show his famed late game, even though the build order was largely similar. This was the talent of Flash. It was devilish insight of a young genius. To tell truth, for a long time, Terran had forgotten the subtle dance of baiting and reacting to the opponent. Even during their bloody battle with Savior, Terran did not realize its importance. The fact that Midas and Nada, the two most threatening Terrans to Savior, could read the opponents moves and react flexibly, went unrealized, and as a result, Terran became a brainless race. Hence, it was evident what the appearance of Flash meant. He was the hope of Terran.
On one side, there was the dawn of revolution. On the other, a 16 year old royal roader hopeful. People who watched their games tentatively asked themselves: perhaps the winners of this tournament are already decided. Boxer to Nada, Nada to iloveoov, to Savior, and after Savior... potential can be recognized from the start, and Bisu and Flash were different from other Protoss and Terran. They had all the rights to be the main of the new epoch.
But, even so-.
Daum <1> has come to an end. Will be continued on Daum <2>. Might be late because faucet burst and house flooded a bit and I still have homework and ahhhh
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Daum <2> (1)
The man, unyielding "Run away, run away, I'll attack Run away, run away, go chase yourself ... Your promises (promises) I promise you (promise you) I promise you (promise you, promise you...)" - Attack by 30 Seconds to Mars
May 11th, 2007, the Yongsan stadium was full of applause and people shouting out Reach's name. It was his first starleague victory after 584 days. Reach defended Iris's 2fac siege with his trademark dragoon control, used accurate reaver shots and mudang storms to rid the Terran of his economy, and ended his dominant game with carriers. Everything Protoss- that was the praise given to Reach after this game. Hero... our hero protoss... people continued their applause at their hero Reach, who was standing amidst all with but a faint smile at his lips. How was his second name, Hero, created? We must go back five long years to answer that question.
For old fans, SKY 2002 would be an unforgettable memory. In this magical fall season, Reach knocked out Yellow in the semi finals, and Boxer in the finals. It was Boxer's second fight against legend of the fall, and his second defeat. Psionic storms set the emperor's dreams ablaze in the Forbidden Zone. The Romance Age finally let the Protoss named Reach be a part of it. But at that moment, the crowd wasn't filled with joy, but rather perplexity. The crowd wasn't awaiting a shiny new star. Instead they wanted the completion of the empire. Boxer's legend of winning with no losses, and a three time champion was broken into shatters. With the end of a potential myth, flames shot out congratulating the new winner as he walked out of the booth. But the audience was silent. The polite, sporadic clapping seemed awkward. The atmosphere stayed that way until towards the end of the interview. And as the interview ended and the finals were about to end- commentator Um Jae Kyung suddenly said:
"Why is there no emperor of Protoss, I'm hearing a lot of people say that. Well actually, Protoss never had one. Protoss has heroes.... Protoss has no emperors, instead they have heroes, and I think that Reach has been born - as a hero."
People were silent for a short while. Then broke into applause once more. But this was different from previous applause, and as they clapped and cheered, the audience looked once more upon their victor. And they remembered. They remembered the young man, who shyly said that he "wanted to go back to Busan and eat his mother's kimchi jiggae" with the dialect. They finally remembered the Hero of Protoss who would continue to light flames in their hearts for the next 10 years. And during that time, Reach had stood where he belonged, with but a faint smile at his lips.
His second name, "Hero", means a man who doesn't submit. It means a man who will not yield. It means the back that will stand in front of his disciples and show them that he has not yielded and will not yield in the future. The students of Reach grew in the dark. They were one of the two- a forgettable loser or an unwanted victor. They were owners of slow but steady footsteps and a rock sabotaging someone's road to glory. So people named them league breakers. Ones who damaged a league just by being there. They were not the owners of victory, loss, celebration, sadness, but rather ridicule, blight, pity, and indifference. Even so, they did not yield, and silently, patiently, stood in their place and endured all, thanks to the man who came before them who had never taught them submission.
It was later known that SKY 2002 was OnGameNet's final try. After Nate's poor showing, it was one, potentially final step that Starleague took. And that step was the start of a lasting success, and Starleague continued 10 years after that. There was Boxer there. But there was also Reach, a nameless league breaker, your 'Hero'. His back that his disciples saw was one of a man who could silently smile, even when he was not a welcome victor. It was one of the man who would stay in place and ready the next 10 years of the world who abandons him. And thus, the disciples of Reach did not learn submission. What they learned was how to be silent, a rock, a headstone in a place where nobody would bother to look.
In group D, GGplay had 3 games, all of them early rushes. Stork with a proxy Robo, Casy with a cheese rush, and UpMagic with proxy 3 fac - all prepared weapons the three had designed to eliminate GGplay, known for his lategame strength. Even so, GGplay was already a "losing ace", who was always in the ace matches that Hanbit always lost. His entry as the Ace was always forseen, and thus fought, always analyzed from head to toe. He was a man of virtue completed with all the dents- a man who walked the road with no fear of its muddy ditches.
Stork was also targeted with early game plays excluding his GGplay game. Casy with the proxy rax, UpMagic with 2 rax into Biomech. But Stork was also a man with steady footsteps, and a disciple of Reach. He had been flattened under his own banner of "Neo Three Protoss", but he was a giant tree in the making who would decide to send his roots deep into the ground rather than grow crookedly. GGplay and Stork followed Reach into Ro8 after enduring all the strategies thrown at them. They had not yielded til the end.
And here, there was one more guy who didn't know submission. He wasn't a man of virtue, nor a giant tree, and probably didn't even care about being one of those boring things. He was called a shameless rogue, and had no qualms being called that.
"It's been way too peaceful recently. I think that's why I don't have much energy. I feel better when things happen and there is crisis. ... I wish there was an opponent. A worthy foe who would stimulate me." - Iris, 2007.5.25 Daum Starleague Ro 16 Week 3 post game.
During group drawing stages, Iris selected Reach, to be his rival. When he said that, I guess that he was looking for not the "Hero" Reach, but the "league breaker" Reach. Of course, to Iris, a league breaker wouldn't have been something like an unwanted victor. It would have been someone, true to the name, overturning and breaking whatever expected order in the league, a rough and tough gangster who didn't give a flying fuck about anything. And truthfully, that was similar to what Reach did in 2002. He tore down the great Terran v Zerg- Boxer v Yellow matchup and forced another trifecta. This was what Garimto had done before him, and what many Protosses have done after him- the tradition of rebellion. Even though Iris was stomped by Reach, he would subdue Shark and Justin to climb up to the Ro8. Hero and the rogue, an unlikely pair, but it is undeniable that Iris was a man who would not yield, like GGplay, like Stork. So in a sense, Iris was also Reach's student. But the hero's back that Iris chased after was not a one of the patient builder, but that of the rebel, and that was indeed an image that Iris needed more than the former. For the one waiting for Iris at Ro8 would be Savior.
It is only later that Iris realizes: both a builder and a rebel are still part of the same Hero.
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Daum <2> (2)
The story of the sun, rain, and firefly "Don't leave, don't leave, please don't leave... please, just once, would you sing for me?" - Firefly by Shin Hyeong Won
Of the players eliminated in the Ro16, there are three who are permanently banned. Justin, DarkElf, UpMagic And of the players in the Ro8, there are two permanently banned, Savior, Hwasin.
October 22nd, 2010, Seoul Central District Court ruled the defendants guilty of match fixing and illegal betting and announced the punishment each of the players would serve accordingly. This course of events were announced on the three major television stations and lead to investigation of other sports such as soccer, baseball, and volleyball for matchfixing as well.
"Now, when I meet run into old friends and we have a drink together, when e-Sports is mentioned, they will reply, "Oh, the matchfixed thing?" and shut off everything. And we will go silent without being able to say anything. We lived through this scene, supported the players, and became the pillars of eSports with a passion of a child. Now that a decade has passed we are older and have acquired the cynical eyes to look upon the hidden wound festering in eSports. ... ... All of this, we still stepped forward, despite it being a tiny childlike step, spawned from a childlike anger, from a childlike passion full of innocence. To prepare the next 10 years, we fought with that kind of hope. Your great hands condensed the past, present, and the future into a word- 'matchfixing'. I loathe you." - "The day Savior, former bonjwa will weep" by Hannibal.
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Let us rest for a moment and listen to a story. It's about a professional gamer.
He debuted in 2002. His overall records are 82 wins, 102 losses, and his peak was making it to Round 1 of Dual Tournament 2005. His favorite moment while progaming was "Every time when I won, and my team won", and the last team he played for was eSTRO.
His name, one that you still probably don't recall, is Jo "Eliza" Yong Sung.
1.
I don't know how many people who read this can remember the man called Eliza. He never discovered something innovative like Shark, wasn't a quiet but steady player like Light, nor could he blaze his potential like Casy. He was one of the many fireflies that scattered before the path of history. What was he lacking? Talent? Chance? Maybe it was good looks. Whatever the case, Eliza never became a big player. Its a common story. Everywhere, everytime....
But here and now, I remember him.
How is he remembered? How do I remember a Zerg named Eliza? How does a common Zerg like Eliza, with no great accomplishents, with no stand out features, stay in the story?
I know I sound like a hypocrite, but I can't really recall an impressive game Eliza played. I can still tell you a bit about his last ever game, though. STX and eSTRO's final proleague game in the 07 season. 2008 Jan. 5th, eSTRO gets 3:0ed as custom, and Eliza contributed to the team's losing streak by being defeated by Calm. eSTRO was this kind of team. It was a team that wasn't allowed any dramatic moments, no upsets or plot twists. It was a team where players sent out by other teams gathered, where young gamers who showed potential either moved or were forced to move to different teams under circumstances, and thus a team dubbed "player cemetery". Eliza was just an average Zerg in that kind of team and was about to retire just like that. Daniel Lee (이지호) was a manager in that kind of team, and that kind of players, and that kind of fans. And it was a normal day, where the reporters all gathered for a normal eSTRO loss and leave. The one thing that kept them from walking away was the shameless general of eSTRO hesitantly walking up to stage.
Daniel started off with the phrases every manager of a weak team says, like he was sorry to the fans for a disappointing season, and how he will try harder and the team better next season. Then he hesitantly spoke, "Eliza's been with me for three years, but now he's going to the military..."
- Please remember
I don't exactly remember what he said after that. What I do remember is that many times during it, he haltingly stopped trying to hold in his tears, and every time, the fans clapping enabled him to continue, and with that he gained the courage for the conclusion - a poorly choreographed, funny dance on stage in front of everyone. Manager Daniel Lee told Eliza to think about his dancing whenever military life grew hard. After his dancing, he gave an embarrassed smile, confidently said, "Eliza! Come back safely!" and stepped down. It was those kinds of things that a manager of that kind of team could do for his player, whom he had bestowed nothing but defeat.
Its impossible for everyone to feel the same thing. Even that day, some clapped and others just stared wondering "what is he even doing" Yes, true- but, you remember. There was a manager who suddenly broke out into a funny dance, people whose eyes held back tears as they saw it, and a no-name Zerg who smiled silently, but happily, and went off with the words, "I liked every time I won, and my team won." All of that is in someone's memory.
- Please remember
If what Bisu brought was the dawn of revolution, the story of Eliza was that of a lightning bug- a firefly's light. When dawn comes over the horizon, the tiny light of the firefly disappears. It was a miniscule, blinking light to begin with. It is a small, common, firefly's light that exists everywhere.
Last night, and the night before, and the night before that, how many fireflies would have shined their insignificant lights? And how many would have disappeared unnoticed?
2.
Warm midsummer's night, the children look for fireflies beside the creek, splashing around reaching for bushes, trying to reach the seemingly unattainable light. Its difficult, and they grumble and sigh. But when their small hands finally close around that light, then, the children make their hands into a circle, and peer into it oh so carefully. They stare hypnotized, mouths slightly open at the pulsating light, then carry the hands that hold the precious cargo it to their chests. When their small hands open up, the firefly will fly up and away, and become forgotten in the rising sunlight, but for now, the precious, mystic light is the starlight and moonlight to the boy.
In their precious childhood memories untarnished by rain and clouds, there, the firefly becomes eternal dawn.
3.
Remember, please remember, Eliza was with us.
That's what the dance of Daniel Lee felt like it was saying. Daniel, and so many others, and I- we wanted to be the children looking for the fireflies. But like the people who didn't understand Daniel's dance, some fireflies we could not reach, and they flew off forever, to become the clouds and the rain to pour down on us. Daniel Lee himself lost his only player that made it to the Ro4, a player he polished in the face of so much adversity, like that.
However, others still became the stars and moon in our hearts. And others flew away from our hands to become a new Sun. That is something, even his "great" hand, can't tarnish.
And now, Let us continue on our story.
For at the end of it, a Sun that used to be but a firefly awaits us.
This is the end of Daum<2> See you guys at Daum <3> Its been so long since I've last translated, and I like it better then ever.
Link to Daniel Lee, former manager of eSTRO, dancing for ELIZA <iframe title='이스트로 이지호 전 감독님과 조용성 선수 은퇴하던날' width='500px' height='280px' src='http://tv.kakao.com/embed/player/cliplink/16896151?service=flash' allowfullscreen frameborder='0' scrolling='no' ></iframe> I could only find iframe link and i don't think TL embeds that
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Daum <3> (1)
In this Starleague, all the named players succeeded in reaching the Ro8. Savior who achieved dominance of a previous age, Bisu who tore him down, the wind of Protoss Stork, Terran's new hope Flash, no explanation was required for Reach, and Hwasin and Iris were leading talents of Terran before Flash. GGplay, with them, put his name on the list. So the 8 who had fallen were the ones who were, comparatively, less known, and the fact that 7 out of the 8 were Terran was probably somewhat related to the "mass produced terran" of the time. With the increase of the number of games stemming from Proleague and the introduction of "bonjwa", the audience wanted the "select few" to dominate, and amongst that sentiment in grew harder for unnamed rookies to mark their spot. Yes, the age where only four people will get everything, the age of TBLS, was coming. As if to announce that, Bisu and Flash met on the quarterfinals. But, there was still come time left. Savior and Hwasin still yearned for their glory on the wasteland, and Iris and GGplay stood to oppose them. Stork- he had a second test to take with the Protoss counsel. This was just the beginning. We must wait a little bit, just a bit longer.
Demonic "A prince must learn to act like both the fox and the lion: he must learn, like the lion, how to frighten off wolves and, like the fox, how to recognize the traps." - The Prince by Machiavelli
If one asks me what a Terran needs to rule the empire I will have four things. Pride, Cunning, Shamelessness, and Cruelty. Besides Nada, who had insurmountable talent that didn't make it necessary for any of those, the other two: Boxer and iloveoov had all four. And the only otherTerran with all four qualities, is Flash. If one asks me what a Protoss needs to become a legend, I will pick one thing: Resistance to authority. Starting with Garimto- leading to Reach, Nalra, Kingdom of the Three Protoss, Anytime and Pusan of So1, not one of them denied rebellion. However, the only one among them that did not end with the revolution is Bisu alone. And also, there is a player who was an emperor, but also a rebel. The leader of Terran, but understood the Protoss way. Before Daum, we could see him face off against the two rookies. Most onlookers did not doubt that these new keys to the future would end the old king in a heartbeat, but were left open mouthed by the result. The emperor's old blade had stabbed through the young men's hearts. Shinhan Proleague 2007, the time when BoxeR let out his final roar, he had a stat of 11-10 and received the award for most wins along with Sea, and fell big names like Mind, Savior, Bisu, and Flash. This brought out both astonishment as well as glee, reasons differing. But to say just one of the effects of this, Airforce ACE became the superstar of Proleague, higher ups rode on the Boxer hype train and worked even harder to promote Proleague, and with it brought about much dispute. This is a story for another time. As the old emperor's blade pierced Bisu and Flash, it was a sensation back then, but became bigger once the age of TBLS dominance came to be.(And Yellow creates a sensation later, also in Airforce ACE, by defeating Jaedong and Bisu) It must have created quite a funny picture, seeing the old king, considered a jaded relic by many, reaching out and giving the rookies- children, if you take the average progamers' age into order- a good spanking. But what did he leave them- a fight where we could see overlaps of this great king of old.
It took protoss 8 years to succeed its revolution. It took around 10 minutes for Flash to smash its dream. The preview of the Age of TBLS, the future meetings of Terran and Protoss. The result? The time it took for Bisu to fall, 2 games in a row- 10 minutes. Flash smiled.
-Daum Starleague 2007 S1 Ro8 Week 1 Group C Match 1 Bisu v Flash in Hitchhiker.
Flash chose a scan rush. It was the build Boxer had used the day he had faced him, against Flash's team senior, Nalra. The scan on the enemy's high ground- the SCVs shoved aside Protoss' defending force, and some marines followed suit. There was no way for Bisu, who had chosen 1 gate expand, to defend.
-Daum Starleague 2007 S1 Ro8 Week 1 Group C Match 2 Bisu v Flash in Monty Hall
Flash quickly slipped his scvs over and proxied 2 barracks, building a refinery to create a space through Monty Hall's mineral patches. It was a build shown by firebathero back during Star Challenge. It took 4 minutes and 20 seconds for Flash's marines to pop out and secure Bisu's main. It was demonic.
Flash used Boxer's build in game 1, and firebathero's in game 2 to silence Bisu. As said earlier, Boxer's build was the one he used to stab Nalra, before he would stab Flash as well. What remained when Boxer's old, rusty sword pierced through the heart of KTF? This. Flash used that loss not as a painful memory of defeat, but a stepping stone in his journey of dominance. He hid the dagger in his heart, and brought it out to stab Bisu through. And who is firebathero? He earned the nickname 'blockbuster' by having legendary games with Savior, and wasa compared often with Flash as fellow rising newcomers. Flash had no qualms about copying a rival's build. This isn't all.
"I lost a lot during practice. I still couldn't think of what to do in the booth. I decided to scan rush him as I was splitting my scvs. ... They say Fantasy (the 3rd map) is hard to play on as Terran. I'll try to end it at Monty Hall (2nd map)." - June 22, 2007 Flash, after the first game vs Bisu
"I don't like the second map, but I like the third map. So I practiced for game three a lot and just prepared the opening for game 2." - June 26, 2007 Flash, after Ro8 Week 2 Game 2.
Isn't it all so obvious that Flash's famous 'anti carrier build' could have already been foreseen with Flash's start to dominance? I had doubts about saying this at first, but I shall say it again now, with confidence- He was demonic. 16 games after his debut with a 14W 2L record. 12 years younger then Boxer but with the cruelty of his that could cut through the 'storm', 9 years younger than iloveoov but with the cunning that ruled the world. Anything for the victory- Flash arrived with the motto of the empire already emblazoned on his chest. This genius, older than his age, was the future of Terran, and the doom of Protoss that they would suffer for 5 years.
What remained when Boxer stabbed through Bisu? It was his first shame followed by ridicule. mukja, Boxer, today's Flash, tomorrow's Mind, Fantasy, Iris... Even while this story of Daum continues, Bisu will win another MSL defeating Stork, and in the future will complete his hat-trick and rise to the holy seat of Protoss by defeating Jangbi and winning his third MSL. However, he would never win an OSL, and be called a halfling due to his terrible performance in individual leagues. Going back and forth between glory and shamefulness, he will suffer people's mockery.
And today, maybe Bisu's fans want to go back to 2007. The time where the tinge of revolution was still fresh in the air. Where even though they would be harassed by the demonic genius, they could still believe and hope for a Protoss dominance. The star of revolution is now weak, and have betrayed the fans' hope too many times. The ones who dreamed of a new start have pushed the notion to the back of their minds, disguised as memories and romantic thoughts.
But you know, Savior sneered. - You will lose, because you are playing Protoss against me. And at that moment, a Protoss that belonged to no lineage, an orphan, stepped up with his sword and roared. All Protoss heard the roar and stood up invigorated, rampaged across Savior's desert wasteland and opened up the age where Six Dragons lived. When you hear the roar once more, do you truly think you can continue as though you didn't hear? You have been fooled time and time again, with your hopes dashed against the wall, but do you really think that can be your reason not to reply? The man who does not dream of revolution is a man with no heart, and an elder who dreams of one is a man with no head. You all who still look upon Bisu are all Don Quixotes past saving. So to save my words, I will end this story with another man's words, who has willingly taken on the name of Don Quixote like you.
- Conflict is like a circle, it can start anywhere, but never ends.
-translator's note- The last quote is apparently from a book by a former ELZN member, Subomandante Marcos of the Zapatistas. There is no english version of the book. (apparently there were plans for a book to come out in english but was abruptly canceled. No clue if its the same book though) the Korean title of his book is '마르코스와 안토니오 할아버지' (Marcos and Grandfather Antonio), and is a collection of fables.
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Very entertaining!
One small point: Makaveli => Machiavelli
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omg holy shit, this is the story behind the reach headphones?? This predates me, my body was not ready for the mantoss
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Daum <3> (2) Enemy in the Mirror "MAX Woe's me! Luck has forsaken me.
KUNO AND CHORUS O trust!
MAX Invisible powers are angry, Dread foreboding fills my breast!
CHORUS And trust to your fate!
MAX Invisible powers are angry Dread foreboding fills my breast! I could never bear the loss!
KUNO If heaven's powers will it, Then bear the loss like a man.
CHORUS No! He could never bear the loss!
KASPAR Let the lucky bullet spin; He who knows of higher powers Defies all change and loss!
MAX Give up Agatha, How could I bear it? I could never bear the loss! Never!
KUNO Bear it!
CHORUS No, no, he'd never bear the loss!" - Carl Maria Von Weber, Der Freischütz Libretto
Who is Hwasin? One has said- " 拔刀一劍 天下第一" (single sword draw, best in the world) What kind of Terran is Hwasin? One replied- "The red sniper of the soul" While one says sword and the other says gun, the two names do have a similarity. The drawn blade, the shot bullet, both cannot return. Choose, and throw yourself into the result. This was Hwasin's way. Hwasin decided early on that he would fight in Savior's wasteland, live in its desert. But there would have been other choices. Facing GGplay, Hwasin asked himself what his path was. He gazed at his reflection in the mirror of a calm pond.
First bullet. loaded. pulling trigger- misfire. - Daum Starleague 2007 S1 Ro8 Group D Game 1 Hwasin v GGplay in Fantasy
Hwasin's single strike was parried, and that was game. I don't really think this fight was anything more then that. GGplay took aggressive expansions, Hwasin attempted to punish with a strike of 4 rax but was foiled by mutas and sunkens. The rest was just GGplay's virtuous plays. Victory and loss decided by a single stroke. The same, almost annoyingly straightforward way reminds one of white, a color that doesn't allow any disturbances. The pure white that is almost ocd in its quest of the ultimate. White is the color of beginning. It has nothing added to it. There is no fancy trick, talent, innovation in it. Anyone is allowed to have it, and everyone starts with it. This was the color of Hwasin. The team he was in, Soul, was also known as the Zerg Swarm, and had many great Zergs to fit the a.k.a. Growing out Zergs such as ChoJJa and JJu would definitely be one of Soul's great achievements. But today, ChoJJa is more famous as a member of KTF, and JJu is known widely as Samsung's great Aces. Later Soul begins its journey to greatness with Calm of Zerg, Hwasin of Terran, and Goojila of Protoss, but this is after they get a conglomerate sponsor, STX, and before this they were quite an unlucky team. When there was once a documentary showing the difference between a sponsored and non-sponsored team, and Soul was the example. TheWinD and Yooi, pillars of Soul, showed with heavy footsteps the shadows that existed in e-Sports. It was an already known fact, but people sighed heavily and grew silent with the revelation. Hwasin was just another Terran of Soul back then, had some sort of instinct in his TvZ timings, and had nothing else.
- Daum Starleague 2007 S1 Ro8 Group D Game 2 GGplay v Hwasin in Python
GGplay 9 drone lings invaded Hwasin's main early game and started harassing. GGplay followed up with a huge wave of lings to attack Hwasin's natural.
Slight buzzing in ear. Reloading.... Second bullet.
But Hwasin held on through scv pulls, and decided to go for a risky aggression with a bio/tank comp without a science vessel.
Pullling trigger. Hit confirmed.
Using his long experience, Hwasin invested the bare minimum in defense. A lesson learned from his losses, he set up the perfect composition with just the right amount of the right units. And with those, he pushed his speed and timing to the limit. The white extreme attained through countless practice of the basics. This was the path a normal man, Hwasin, opted to walk. He used it to enter the bonjwa's wasteland, and aimed for the savior's heart. It was a priceless attempt, and a meaningful change. And during that, Soul earned a conglomerate sponsor STX and becomes one of the richer teams, and Hwasin, another mediocre man in the swarm of Zergs, was suddenly in the core of Terran players. He was a great rebel who decorated the age of Savior, and was a proud marksman who used his sweat and determination to wage war against insurmountable talent.
The dawn of revolution came, and with it, everything he ever created in the desert began to whittle down. And Hwasin comes face to face with GGplay. While Hanbit began to lose its meaning as a sponsor, the Hanbit Stars gave away Blaze and Reach to KTF, sent Silent_Control to Pentech, and lost Garimto, HOT-Forever, and junwi. GGplay was the ace of that dying Hanbit Stars, had some sort of talent in late game macro, and had nothing else.
-Daum Starleague 2007 S1 Ro8 Round 2 Group D Game 3 GGplay v Hwasin in Hitchhiker
In this game, there was no lucky start for GGplay, so the game looked similar to the last except the early game was even.
Reloading... Third bullet.
At that moment, as Hwasin's army was about to shoot out, scourge kamikaze'd themselves into Hwasin's first Vessel. As he looked upon the defenseless Vessel exploding in air, Hwasin asked himself.
Pull the trigger?
GGplay stood in front of him. On the ruins of the wasteland that could now give him nothing, on the ruins that he lost everything he was proud of, there was GGplay facing Hwasin. There was a small, yellowing sprout with withering leaves that was fighting against the burning sunlight and dry soil. Yes, like Hwasin already had. Was he viewing GGplay? Or was he viewing his past self, the road he had already taken? The moment he doubted, a haze threw off the image.
Hwasin blinked.
And now, standing in front of him, was a great marksman. A marksman that survived the hard years with patience and grit, and fought against overwhelming genius with dignity despite knowing his demise, a great marksman of the desert stood there. - Time, stop, for you are too beautiful. The marksman's hands stopped, and with it his life.
Hwasin waited for his next vessel, and the shot fired late was blocked by the work of two lurkers on the high ground and a defiler that popped out at the nick of time. GGplay continued on to completely dominate the bottom side of the map, and ended the game with the famed ultralisks. GGplay did not look back at Hwasin as he went forth. Hwasin did not want to look back at GGplay v Hwasin.
After the period where Hwasin spent his "midsummer's night's dream" era shining brightly, he becomes a dominator of the lower leagues, the unlucky man who could never go past Ro8. Many were brought to tears looking at the man who continued to reach for the unattainable sky.
But today, we doubt. Was the sky truly unattainable for him? What if he was never even looking at the sky in the first place? Perhaps, I think, perhaps what his hands were reaching for was the marksman of the desert, the beautiful mirage. Perhaps Hwasin had been looking at the image of a lonely hero who challenges the impossible and is brought to a magnificent ruin- a great failure - his own past. Drunk with those memories, perhaps he reenacted it over and over again.
June 7th, 2010, permanent removal due to match fixing and illegal gambling-. That was the end of the road of the man once called the blade of mortals, determination of a normal man, the magic marksman. There was no turning back.
/*When I heard about the matchfixing scandal, S***** was a shock, but H***** was the real anger. I liked him the same way I love Gumiho now, and Fantasy during SC2- no astounding genius or "star sense", but he overcame the players that had them with sheer practice and his own style that stemmed from it. He was truly a normal man, but wielded a blade that could slice even the gods. But, as said by Hannibal here, I have to doubt. Now I have to wonder if he actually wanted to become great. And I think this is when the whole 'having character images for players' gimmick began to break apart for me. Sorry this was late, no excuse but I promise I will finish the series no matter how long it takes me. And I don't break promises. */
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Daum<4>(1)
Roll Over Beethoven 베토벤을 날려버려 "Beethoven's Op.35, 15 variations and fugue in E-major - later turns into the finale of Symphony No.3, and that piano piece will come to be called thus...." - Sugii Hikaru, Sayonara Piano Sonata
Q. Find what Savior and Iris have in common. A. Well, firstly, they were both central figures leading CJ Entus. Next, they have distinct play styles that showcase their character. aaand that's it. Other then those two similarities, I don't think I would be surprised if the two had one of the worst relationships in the world. Savior is a man who looks down. His power that made Terran get to their knees is amazing insight that cannot be compared. He puts the opponent in the palm of his hand, analyzes and predicts their movements, and fells them with silent and flexible reaction. Based on that almost omnipotent talent, Savior's war is usually one sided and so Savior barely has to break a sweat to achieve victory.
Iris is a man who looks up. He is known to people by his aggressiveness and fiery pride. He hits below the belt and strikes nerves, and tears apart the enemy who dared not expect this. His randomness is almost to the point of smashing buttons and winning, and gives him the energy to look upon the 'higher ups' that don't want dirt on the edges of their coats. One walks on water wit hnary a ripple, and the other plows through mud. One leads his cj sheep, the other is a wolf throwing itself onto a blaze. They do say opposites attract but looking at these two, it is doubtful. Maybe that was why, in Shinhan S3 Ro4, the two met and fought with the ferocity that one could not believe it was a match against teammates. But Iris lost that fight. He overcame the dark swarms by charging through them, and cut off Savior's last breath dropping SCVs- he broke everyone's expectations, even making Savior go out of breath, but in the end, Iris lost that fight of pride, and Savior fell Nada soon after, beginning his 7 days of holiness. So this time, Iris decided to understand SAvior. He decided to play with Savior in his concert.
He would meet Savior's classic with rock. It is impossible to beat the Maestro's speed and accuracy with the improvised guitar riffs, but Iris decided, and would play with Savior, not Savior's band. Iris decided, for the fight, a song with hidden origins and full of aces. It would be right to read it as a concerto, but call it a duel.
-Daum Starleague 2007 S1 ro8 Round 1 Group A Game 1 Savior v Iris in Python
The start of the concerto is a single melodic line, and the first 32 phrases are taken by Iris. "While I was thinking of builds to use against Savior, I carefully chose a strategy that was well known or worked previously on Savior. Pure marine aggression is a build that is risky for Terran and is blocked easily by Zerg. So I thought that Zerg would be lax about it" -2007.6.22 Iris after victory in game 1 v Savior.
When Iris's marines marched across the map, it was probably within Savior's expectations. When the 4 rax bionic army stimmed blazing into Savior's sunken line, that was probably within Savior's expectations too. Still, Iris did both, and so Savior lost to both. - Classical music? Savior was astonished, and so Iris was satisfied with his choice. The first trick. The first 32 phrases were short but familiar to millions, and so the omnipotent maestro could not help but think of the tune. He could not help but humming to Iris's music, play along to Iris's guitar. The 32 phrases, the first move Iris made without fear will decide the speed of the accompaniment. Not stopping his guitar, Iris looks up at the stage triumphantly. With it, Savior looks down silently. Savior thinks back on what he knows. The song Iris selected has both ritardando(gradual decrease in tempo) and fermata(pause) in it. That means the song will stop soon. The pause will almost certainly break the flow of the play. And every time it pauses, the control of the music will go over to the other. It was probably another trick that Iris implemented into his play. But the one who loses control doesn't have to be the maestro, no? Savior comes down from his podium. He looks straight at Iris. This time, omnipotence shines through ignorance.
Daum Starleague 2007 S1 Ro8 2nd Round Group A Game 2 Savior v Iris in Hitchhiker.
The next hidden blade of Iris was a fast vulture harass using a lifted factory. As if laughing at the nerve, Savior disallowed its landing by putting a drone following the factory. Savior knew even that. But despite the hardship, Iris continues to play. He flies the factory back to his main, he plays the music of the marine army that knows no retreat, their fearless charge and death that does not fear the roaming mutalisk flocks. At the same time, Savior plays the chorus of the Zerg Swarm, that covers the ground and sky like clouds and waves. Not conducting- playing. The maestro finally puts down his baton and picks up the guitar. Amongst the smoldering Terran ruins, Iris smiles, revealing his white teeth. It is the start of the fugue!
-Daum Starleague 2007 S1 Ro8 2nd Round Group A Game 3 Savior v Iris in Monty Hall.
Savior starts with twin hat in main, Iris with cc first. Savior tries a surprise with lings but is stopped and the early game goes silently. Neither can damage the other and they run through their respective pieces. As expected, the silence is broken by Iris. The thunderous fugue begins with his bio/tank push. Fugue is a type of composition technique perfected by Bach in the Baroque ages. It is started by an exposition with one voice, and is later joined by another voice chasing the first in its inverted key. As Iris kicks off, Savior chases. A small group of lings enters the main of Iris and holds him at bay while Savior speeds up to 3/4 beat of sunken/lurker/guardian. Now there is no benefit of being the starter of the song. There is no ritardando or fermata that stops him. The maestro of the wasteland, the great conductor follows Iris's guitar sound with his steady classical music. Savior's forces enter Iris's main, and Savior is confident of his victory. - I caught up. Savior reached his hands out, to call the fugue to a close. And Iris, shook him off.
Iris's third trick. This song was E flat major. The E flat is one of the hardest songs to play on a normal guitar or bass. The E flat melody is a half tone lower then the lowers sound guitar can play, so it is inevitable to press the strings in a high, uncomfortable position that make the hand motions confusing, same to both players. But there is a way to avoid this. It is to start off with the guitar tuned a half tone lower. At the moment Savior entered Iris's main base, Terran and Zerg had a equal number of expansions, but Zerg was using guardians, which cost 200 gas per unit. While the great conductor hastened his pace on the E flat without missing a beat, Iris used his half tone lowered guitar to speed along the E flat major of the easiest difficulty. It sounds the same, but different in its execution. Multiple Vessels and 2/2 bio reclaimed the terran main, and dropships soon took control of the skies. Savior's defiler made a screech as it was cut off from the harmony, and the swarm wrecked havoc in terran's expansions in its death throes, but Iris was the one standing for the finale. With the final boom echoing the stadium, Iris took a bow in the following silence and walked off the stage. Only a devastated Savior remained.
The song Iris played with three tricks up his sleeve. It would be the first time since UZOO he would not have his name in the semis, the winrate at 70% in 2006 now plummeted to 50% in 2007 and it is 8-11 vs other races. Now, there would be no audience clapping at his orchestra. Savior finally realized that he had walked down the conductor's podium, instrument in hand, drenched in sweat from the performance, facing the audience. He lifted his head and registered that the audience was looking back at him. Would the audience still applaud even now, when we are face to face? Or what else would they throw at me? Savior ran away from the stage, consumed by his own anger and embarrassment. He could hear some indiscernible sounds behind him, which prompted him to wrap his cloak more tightly and walk away faster. Savior's listeners, even at that moment, were giving a standing ovation to their maestro.
Alone in his exit, Iris replayed his game against Savior. His song had three tricks and four aces. The final fugue: Savior cannot resist the thrill of the chase, to jump upon him. And when that happens, with the clash of strings, instead of blades, Iris would be able to tell him this. Just as a viking needs an enemy to demonstrate his bravery, There is music that cannot be played alone. This was a song for him. Had he conveyed that message? Maybe not. But it didn't matter. Iris forgot about Savior and left the stadium behind
The simple yet memorable exposition. A characteristic of variations is that it has both ritardando and fermata near the ends. And the following fugue, classic of E flat major. Beethoven's Op.35, 15 variations and fugue in E-major - later turns into the finale of Symphony No.3, and that piano piece will come to be called thus... Eroica- Variation: Hero.
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I tried my best to hunt down Daniel Lee, when I visited Seoul in 2014. The closest I got was finding the PC Bang he used to operate, but by the time I got there, it was closed down I still really want to contact him, cuz he has tons of really good stories, but also really good English (commentated GomTV)
Here's me peering into the closed PC Bang.
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Nice! Keep up the good work.
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Daum<4> (2) Heroic- Eroica “Hope isn’t the kind of thing that you can say either exists or doesn’t exist,” I thought to myself. “It’s like a path across the land—it’s not there to begin with, but when lots of people go the same way, it comes into being.” - Lu Xun, Hometown
The Romance Age where the four kings roamed the skies came to an end with the appearance of one man. All new talents entering in his age will become sacrificed for sake of his glory, and he himself will not move from the sky like the blazing sun. However he will send down blinding light and suffocating heat, disallowing any new seeds to take root and flower. He is the owner of the desert, ruler of the wasteland.
UZOO was the last chance given to the stars of the Romance Age, and they gathered as one at the new horizon, for one final stand. Amongst themselves, they determined who would be the one to face the owner of the desert. And thus, the hero, with the lineage of the Romance Age heavy on his back, faced the owner of the desert, and he became the first offering to the dry, desert sand.
Yes, he was the first loser. The Romance Age gave way to the cruel heat. Because Reach- the soul of protoss, the hero, lost to him. Nobody could find a trace of him during the year of Savior's dictatorship, and he only came back after Bisu's revolution. After all the legends and romance fell victim to the blistering sands, and after the sun that heated the land had sunk into the horizon, the ragged hero trudges through the freezing cold and the howling, cutting, wind and faces the future of Protoss that he had defeated years ago. Reach faces Stork.
When they first met in So1, Reach asked Stork what was needed to become part of the Three New Kings, and Stork could not answer. This time, it was Stork's turn to ask. To the man who became the final, derelict symbol of the age of legends and romance, he questioned the right to be called 'final' Reach answered with his sword.
-DAUM Starleague 2007 S1 Ro 8 Round 1 Group B Game 1 Reach v Stork in Monty Hall
As soon as his center Robotics was scouted, the hero gave up expanding and risked an aggressive attack, and Stork, who had chosen to take his natural, crumpled like paper as Reach's forces punched through. It was Reach's roar. He was the one who finally burned the dreams of the emperor, the last protoss of IOPS that Mercury could not destroy rose to the finals of Gillette fighting intense pain, shutout iloveoov and overcame ChoJJa. The roar was one of the last hero. Many, many, times, he was the last man standing, and the final hope. Why ask if I had a right to be the final? He could not understand, so he asked back at the future of Protoss.
At this, Stork is saddened. Saddened that while there are many cases Reach overcame fear and became the final hope, at the same time there were just as many cases where he could not, and thus turn that hope to naught.
-DAUM Starleague 2007 S1 Ro8 Round 2 Group B Game 2 Reach v Stork in Fantasy
He set the emperor's dreams in flame, but lost to Nada, was the final Protoss of IOPS but was eliminated without accomplishing anything, woke the potential of July, the bane of Protoss in the Gilette finals, and shutout iloveoov and overcame ChoJJa but lost to Savior.
This game, Reach decided to attack first once more, aiming for Stork's back with reavers. But this time, Stork did the same and their scarabs hit their respective targets. The wounds that Stork left were more grievous. Asking of the value of hope that could not do anything, Stork took game 2 after an intense cross-counter.
Reach knew and understood that only Stork could ask him these questions. The revolutionary is nobody's heir. He is an orphan, will stand up himself and will live for himself. He will be a Protoss, yet not a Protoss. But if Stork defeats him here, and goes higher, he will inherit everything that is him. Not him, but Stork will become the nostalgic ruins of the Romance Age. Not him, but Stork will be the final voice pitted against god-given genius. The heir receives the debt as well as the inheritance. If the 6 years of Reach's heroics as the Protoss soul were giving nothing but false hope to the onlookers, the times Stork will battle through will be the same.
It had been two years since he failed Stork in the first test. And now, the incomplete rookie had come back with slow, steady footsteps to take the test once more. Reach decided his answer. And he instinctively knew that whether his answer was valid to Stork or not, the time allotted for him was now over. What might change with the answer was the kind of Protoss Stork would grow into, and Reach understood. The last hero was satisfied. The hero's hand went to the hilt of his sword once more.
-DAUM Starleague 2007 S1 Ro8 Round 2 Week2 Group B Game 3 Reach v Stork in Python
Stork didn't sit around waiting for Reach's answer. As though taunting for it, he took an aggressive natural expansion after 3 gate observer/dragoon. Reach was 2 gate reaver/dragoon. Like the first game, he didn't look back as he shoved into the eye of the storm. The frontline of his forces were 2 reavers to instantly destroy the enemy's single one. The strategy was a common one, to start off the fight with eliminating the enemy's shuttle-less reaver, then sending the own reavers back to the backline to start picking off dragoons. At the beginning of the battle, the two scarabs shot out as expected- and blasted the single dragoon that stood in front, protecting Stork's reaver. The cost of the missed strike was the loss of both reavers. Stork's counter attack stabbed through Reach. Reach's army dove, one by one as they were produced from the gateways, like moths diving into fire, into Stork's forces, until not a single one was left.
This is where it ends. It comes to a close. Everyone watching it could tell. The Romance Age finally closes. Even the twilight will be swallowed up by the night with the end of this game. Slowly, ever so slowly, the hero of the Romance Age topples forward, impaled by the counterstrike. Stork held his opponent up, keeping his knees from touching the ground, and the hero, for a final time, whispered something in Stork's ear, but the words he uttered could not be heard by anyone but Stork. However, as one of the audience, all I could think of was the opening of the league, where he had looked so solemn. 'The beginning of new history'- with that cruel catchphrase, the lyrics reverberating in my head.
I promise you... I promise you... I promise you...
I didn't and will never know what exactly he promised but as the words rang in my ears, I didn't understand why they did. Man, Reach, why did you have to make me hope again, we both knew it was gonna be like this. I muttered resentfully swearing under my breath, but I couldn't really bring myself to resent him, but I didn't understand why I couldn't. Stork won, he will move on. Reach's flight ends here. I couldn't believe that one fact for a long time, but I didn't understand why.
And here I ask again, How was his nickname, "hero" created? I will answer now. Nal_ra was the head of Protoss, and Kingdom was the hands, but Reach was the heart of Protoss. The only way we can feel our heart is through its pulse. When darkness settles on our eyes, and the silence is as though we are the only ones left in this world, that is when we finally feel the slow, steady beating of our hearts. We cannot see Reach, nor explain him in words, but he is there in our hearts. The name hero is just one of the futile ways we try to express that fire in our hearts when we call out his name. It is but one of the ways we have tried to tell the man, who was the shield in the face of impending doom, and the unwavering navigator and majordomo, something we could not quite tell him in words. We cannot want something without struggle and call that 'hope'. In the grim certainty of despair we have chased after his back the silent beating that we can only feel in the darkest night, in that solitude- that place, the name of the twilight, is hero. It is the heart, and a rock. That name was Reach and perhaps we also had called him "Hope."
- Continue in Daum <5>
/* Stork... my favorite moment of him is in SC2 then BW, I think. When he became a player-coach of Samsung, everyone thought he would never make it big again. But in 2016, he beat the last year's champion Innovation in an intense Bo5 to qualify for Code S. During the game, he opted for Colossus instead of Tempests, which went against the meta. He didn't make it far in Code S, but I was happy to see the glimmer of old Stork.
As for Reach, he was a cool guy, but I liked Yellow more. In paradox (Mycube starleague), Yellow was losing vs Reach when Reach's computer started to lag out so Yellow conceded instead of holding on and waiting for a rematch. */
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Daum <5> (1)
There were two brothers. As custom of the family, the brothers grew with much freedom, and acted like they had nothing to fear in this world. Some years passed, and their land was struck with a famine. After much consideration, the older one left his homeland for a far away land. The younger decided to stay behind.
The older brother, who reached the far off land, learned the ways of their royal court- complete with the lofty gestures, flashy lifestyle, expansive knowledge, and refined swordsmanship. The younger one, despite continuing hardships, continued to uphold his past lifestyle. So the older brother became a great knight of some distant land, and the younger became just another thug off in the countryside. And one day...
Yesterday. 1 "Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster. For when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you" - Friedrich W. Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil
Not many dispute the opinion that iloveoov started the age of mass produced Terran. He had created the term "proactive defense", and the style that opted for early expansions and following defense, and used his genius to come up with the numerous build orders as part of the style's utilization. Due to iloveoov, old attack methods were usually identified, and enemies who didn't realize that fell flat against the tailored defense and fell into ruin. The "Terran Empire" T1, with iloveoov at its head, continued to make a myriad of optimized builds, and the results were collected and condensed into a manual. It would be a sort of a swordfighting textbook of the empire. Due to its rational logic and easiness to follow, it spread across the entire Terran.
There was an overflow of them in Proleague and individual leagues alike- and they all used the optimized plays using the expand/defend method. People were baffled at this situation, and even felt terror that these Terrans, mass produced using the exact same builds, were strong. While the abundance of Terrans who knew the Empire's sword techniques grew, it was the Terrans of the Empire themselves who understood it and used it better then everyone else. Of course the most adept user would be iloveoov, and nobody could say thy understood the way of the Empire better than him. But there was also another Terran in the empire that was close to iloveoov. Interestingly enough, he wasn't from the Empire originally. He came from a countryside called G.O. Perhaps, if he hadn't left G.O., the one to succeed Xellos wouldn't have been Iris. It is Midas.
Once upon a time, to fight against FD, Protoss had to wake Pusan and Anytime. They rode the winds of legend and pulled up Protoss to the peak of its potential, to refute Xellos, Goodfriend, iloveoov and Boxer. But now, iloveoov's defense was over tenfold stronger then the FD days, and during the course of that improvement, armed tens of players like himself. They couldn't come up with iloveoov's original, but they were capable of copying it. They couldn't understand, but could use it. For the teams struggling with new players for their entries, the mass-produced Terrans were a tempting choice. The increasing size of Proleague meant that it was hard to fill the schedule up with existing a-team players, so some teams needed more manpower. Mass produced Terran could be an answer, so as their usage increased, their numbers increased as well. If you didn't look at their whole process, Protoss basically had to deal with many iloveoovs. There needed to be a solution. The situation grew worse each day. Even if the magical fall continued all year long it would be impossible to wake all the legends in every field of battle. After long thought, the desperate Protoss came up with an answer. If they could not become legends, falling into the abyss would also be a solution.
After that decision, a new wave of Protoss emerged. These were nothing but anti- mass produced Terran. An example would be this: in a battle against a typical mass-produced Terran, the Protoss doesn't need to build observers, instead opting for a faster, bigger army. How? Because the mass produced Terrans all place their mines in the same place. Mass- produced Terrans eliminate variables in the game through their optimized plays. Then the opponent may as well not think about those variables, and use basic macro mechanics to win. That was the idea behind these mass-produced Protoss. Their mission was to counter the mass-produced Terran, and their builds perfectly matched those of their counterparts. Their "mission" was their "usefulness", and there was no guarantee that they would have a future after this fad of Terran. It was difficult to find traces of their seniors: Reach, Nal_ra, Kingdom, who were all revolutionaries of different colors. They were ironically most similar to their fated opponents- the mass-produced Terran. Protoss who have become too much like Terran, that was all that they were. And Stork was the Protoss who struggled the hardest in that somber assembly line. "Neo Three"- that was what he was called once, but now he was too far behind the others. He became the straggler.
Today. 1 "The time of heroes is dead, Wiglaf" - Robert Zemeckis, Beowulf (2007)
After his victory over Reach, Stork had changed somewhat. This upward trend of Stork wasn't completely unexpected. Many coaches had already labeled Stork as the player who would have the best 2007 season, and his impeccable basic mechanics have already, more than once, made Protoss hope for his future. Before the battle against Iris, Stork had already defeated the Joker- firebathero, who had previously mocked Savior, and would be at the final stage of MSL. Now, if he took out Iris with his famed PvT, he would be the first Toss since Nal_ra to aim for two final victories at the same time. Who could have forseen this 'today' of Stork?
The year he stepped into this scene, 2004, was still a time where legends and romance ran free. The Emperor and Storm Zerg crossed blades. Nada and iloveoov fought. ChoJJa, JJu, and JulyZerg roamed the leagues, and more then anything, the Three Protoss stood proud amidst the carnage, leading their race. Anywhere you looked there would be a giant with a story, maybe dozens, to tell. Among them, Stork was a bare handed rookie. The smiles of the giants were not sneers, but a sort of smile that old veterans give to young bloods fresh out of bootcamp. The remorse, and something else contained in the smiles, made Stork scared, also found himself trying his best to suppress his excitement. The giants standing in front of him were the people who built this world up. The men once called "prize money hunters", going from one PC Bang to another, received help from destiny, took risks to grab every chance, and finally forced people to admit the value of this obscure universe. During that long time, some fell, too tired to soldier on, and others turned back holding in tears, but there were people who stuck it out until now. They were the people in front of him. Stork will be part of these heroes smiling at him, and would fight so that their world will see another day of light. And that was the fact that excited Stork to no other.
A year passed, and Stork was now a part of the "Neo Three", his name with the other rookies. The three stars of Protoss who had, at first, seemed unreachable- he was inheriting their title. The dream came true in a year. Stork confidently stepped forward to embrace it. He could feel the other two step with him. Stork closed his eyes. That was the end of the end of the age filled with romance and legends. It was the grand, solemn, and bittersweet finale. The legendary league So1, the party that the Neo Three were invited to, was the final supper of their heroes.
After, Stork spent a long time in the abyss, trying to find his way back up. With the blade honed in that darkness, he stabbed it forward to dispatch the final star of a faded age- 'hero' of the Three. Stork could not remember the final whispers of the hero as he collapsed on top of Stork. Instead, he remembered the crowd from the Romance Age, whose faces fell, forlorn as their hero succumbed. - I had to defeat to move up. What do you want me to do? Continuing his rhetorical self-defense, the faces of the crestfallen fans etched in his mind, holding back the anger brewing inside, Stork faced the charging berserk almost robotically.
/*Sorry I am late! This is hard episode to break up. Stork was very mediocre after So1 but his 2007 form is the start to his TBSL status! I'm in America right now, so hope everyone had a great turkey day! I also applied for Blizz internship so fingers crossed for that
Also, I realized that TL had a blog function. Is this more fitting there? I don't know because this isn't my original piece of work (just translating). Are there any mods that will shed light on this?*/
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Daum <5> (2)
- Daum Starleague 2007 S1 Ro4 Group A Match 1 Stork vs Iris in Monty Hall
Previously- Stork v Iris: 4:1 Stork favored. But, the 3 out of 4 wins was on the map 815. It is the battlefield where Stork's plan of Nexus First/ Fast Expand builds were noticeably strong. And taking Iris's personality into consideration, he wouldn't even be pressured by the previous win records. People like Iris are always difficult to play against. People would later call Iris the "variable maker", talking about not just his playstyle, but his existence itself. He turns the tide in a game where he is counted out, keeps hanging on to a situation long spiraled out of control, and sometimes allows his stubbornness to get the better of him in a winning game. He is definitely not a "normal" player, as proved by his keyboard on which he wrote "I will kill anyone who stands in my way." There was no doubt Stork's macro was on the verge of godliness. It was plain, but without weakness. Looking at his play, one had applauded: "How will iris break the back of a giant boulder?" It was an apt comparison. To this question, I think Iris would have replied- "Boulders don't have backs- you don't break it, but you smash it to pieces. Besides, humans aren't boulders". People aren't boulders, and thus aren't always solid. And you smash into those dents.
Game 1 in Monty Hall. Stork at 11o'clock, Iris at 5 o'clock spawn. To Stork's double nexus, Iris responds with a CC first. The one who gets more money, secures more expansions wins. To satisfy this win condition, Stork takes the 12 o'clock third as he increases his gateway count to 5, preparing to explode his army size. - Wrong. As though laughing at Stork's decision, Iris runs his vultures like a pack of wolves into Stork's third. - You win when you strike first. There was no defense in the third base. Stork's face turned pale.
In the age where mass-produced Terrans were all the rage, TvP gained a silent rule. Lets not attack until we're both ready. Lets fill ourselves up, meet at the center, fight, and let that decide the victor. Fly out some shuttle reavers as a formality, and show some signs of pressure. Then the opponent returns the gesture, using some resources for a defense. Its manners. Empty gestures. There are some who don't know this formal dance. Flash, with his immature scan rush, would be an example, and Iris would also be considered one of these rude players. CC first into 2 fac vulture with speed and mines? What a thug. But shouldn't Stork have known that Iris was this kind of guy? A barbaric berserker. A rabid dog that knows no owner. The thug that knows no manners. Iris loves these names. Stork should have seen it coming from miles away, and should have placed spotter probes on routes where vultures could have invaded. But Stork had forgotten Iris. What was on his mind?
The probes at the third all died, and a few vultures even ran into the main to stir up some ruckus. Thanks to the elegant building placements, the vultures died without too much problem, but Stork couldn't stop some of his dragoons bumbling into the mines during the chaotic situation. What made it even scarier was that Iris, despite being a Terran, was almost Zerglike in his philosophy "attacking is the best defense".
As expected, Iris began his waves of attack. 4~6 tanks and many vultures moved along the 3 paths of Monty Hall knocking on Stork's doors. His dragoons moved and fast as they could between the bases, but Stork could not stop the natural, and then the third falling in order. Vultures were the heroes of the battlefield, adding insane speed to Iris's attack. In the aftermath of the crazy assault, Stork called the semifinal's first gg.
Yesterday. 2 "A great wind came forth, the clouds rose on high. Now that my might rules all within the seas, I have returned to my old village. Where will I find brave men to guard the four corners of my land?" - Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of Han
The Neo Three who had fallen to the level of Mass-Produced Protoss chose to chase after the others no matter what it took. Stork attempted to learn whatever he could. He didn't know where this desperateness came from, but he was filled with the dread that came from the knowledge that this could be the end of his line. Stork was already highly renowned for his basic mechanics, and as he continued to learn away his weaknesses, perhaps it was only natural that he should be a man of no faults. I went on a tangent, but TL:DR Stork at this time searched a lot of "teachers", including the "Teamplay Master" sigamari.
What Stork tried to learn from sigamari was the style of rotating armies common in 2:2s, and in sigamari's eyes, I guess it would have been weird that a Protoss wanted to learn a way of a team player Zerg. sigamari was annoyed, but eventually caved in to Stork's persistent requests and taught him some knowledge that only 2v2 players could master, And Stork uses that knowledge in later days to mobilize his army and run the Terran armies into dust, showing us the hard work Stork put in in those dark times. But even despite this passionate research, the Terrans were hard to defeat. The new Terrans who but copied the empire's blade were easy, but the ones who had learned it to heart were difficult to overcome, even for Stork. There was just so much power in a 3-3 upgraded full supply mech army. Stork needed a way to end the game, and found it in the games of older protoss. It was the Carrier. After research, Stork finally completed the pattern of creating an army of Carriers while still utilizing his ground forces so that he took good trades against the Terran mech. With the basic skills he perfected from learning with various teachers, Stork put the Terran in a vice early/mid game, and finished the game later with the accumulated carriers. No mass-produced Terran could ever be his opponent now. Here and now, there was a mass produced Protoss who had reached the limit, and upon that completion he became free from the others. The one Protoss to line up with the Revolutionary stood in its place.
/*short, but a good time to end. */
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