Reynor put up a video talking about how he prepared for IEM Katowice 2024, where things went wrong, and his plans to compete in GSL this year.
Some key takeaways:
Was never fully confident in PvZ, even though he was winning a lot in practice.
He went into a very intense practice mode ahead of the tournament which had worked for him in the past, but he's rethinking his approach this time. Says he'll be a bit more consistent with practice going forward (2~3 hours a day)—don't want to read between the lines too much but maybe he was too much of an all-or-nothing practice player before? Also, he said he had some wrist problems flair up due to this mode of practice; will get it checked out.
He plans to go to Korea for GSL after ESL Dallas (Season 2). There are other foreign pros who are interested, but it seems like it's still in the planning phase so there's no names or details.
On February 26 2024 06:24 Waxangel wrote: ... don't want to read between the lines too much but maybe he was too much of an all-or-nothing practice player before?
Yes, I think at one point in the video he actually literally says that he has taken too much of an all-or-nothing approach when it comes to practicing in the past.
as the kid grows up and matures I like him more and more. now there are so many nice dudes and dudettes in the sc2 pro scene so maybe I'm liking too many but that's ok I guess.
On February 26 2024 08:05 Yoshi Kirishima wrote: Whoaa, imagine if foreigners go to GSL, viewership skyrockets, they get enough viewers and sponsors to continue into 2025 xD
I promise you right now, mark these words: If Serral goes to Korea, the amount of individual contributions and maybe even sponsorship funds will go through the roof. The Korean SC2 fans love him, maybe not as much as their favorite Korean player, but they would love to see him compete in GSL, if not just for the chance to get an autograph. Serral has a lot of Korean fans.
On February 26 2024 08:05 Yoshi Kirishima wrote: Whoaa, imagine if foreigners go to GSL, viewership skyrockets, they get enough viewers and sponsors to continue into 2025 xD
The absolute dream!
I guess second to that would be a big foreign presence to give the GSL as good a send off as possible. It would be kind of fitting in a poignant kinda way, those early GSLs where the foreign scene and the Korean were closer than they’d been for years, for the last one to have a bunch of foreign land’s finest trying for that elusive Starleague
I wish Reynor the best of luck, maybe he can try to drag Serral into it as well, especially if it's really the final season of the GSL. Really put the G in Global of GSL. Be even more amazing if he plays protoss in GSL and actually does well there. Regardless I am rooting for him to go deep in GSL.
@Wombat Yeah that would definitely make things end on such a sweet note. It'd be much easier to say goodbye to GSL that way.
@yoshi245 It would be awesome if Reynor used Protoss and beat a Zerg and got farther than Classic haha. (Since he beat Classic last time in GSL).
Damn though it really feels so sudden. Just 2 years ago it felt like, we were having players like Percival, Spear (even if he's ex-pro), and Prince compete and occasionally get into GSL... it felt like there was a hope of new blood if the scene could remain stable. I remember Tastosis getting excited too about returning military players, and it seemed like we could get exciting Ro24s... I still remember 2022 when we got Ro10 Round Robin, that led to so many matches and I feel those matches were a bit more exciting than normal, and Creator and Ragnarok were both spiking up that year... and Creator going 2-4 vs Rogue (SO CLOSE to 3-3 if he killed that Hatch in g1!!) was so epic. Perhaps, perhaps if GSL opened crowd funding back then, it could have delayed the shrinkage of things and GSL would have been in at least a bit better spot... though I guess perhaps without Blizz funding, maybe they would have still had to close down soon cus it still wouldn't increase viewership much or anything.
I so so wish I could see Creator and others rise up to the top and accomplish their dreams. It's really too bad it's really coming to a close T^T I hope and wish Microsoft can throw a little money and get GSL to continue and enough money for a KR scene to be around for another few years. Even if I know that no matter how good the gameplay has gotten since WoL, KR fans unfortunately will just never be too interested compared to BW
On February 26 2024 10:57 yoshi245 wrote: I wish Reynor the best of luck, maybe he can try to drag Serral into it as well, especially if it's really the final season of the GSL. Really put the G in Global of GSL. Be even more amazing if he plays protoss in GSL and actually does well there. Regardless I am rooting for him to go deep in GSL.
Pretty sure with his military service and everything Serral wouldn't be able to participate in GSL this year - not that he wants to.
On February 26 2024 11:07 Blargh wrote: They're trying to take the residual peanuts on the floor from the Koreans
We need region lock!!!!!!!
How do you region-lock the Global Starcraft 2 League?
On February 26 2024 11:59 Balnazza wrote: How do you region-lock the Global Starcraft 2 League?
The World Championship Series can region lock, why can't Global Starcraft 2 League?
Region lock the GLOBAL Starcraft 2 League? It would go against their narrativ, that they have the best players in the world. Also it already is a soft region lock, because you have to live in KR for like 3 months.
Not sure why Reynor would waste his health (wrist) and time for the GSL. It’s not even worth it and the tournament itself has become a joke for years now ($$$)
On February 27 2024 00:14 FFXthebest wrote: Not sure why Reynor would waste his health (wrist) and time for the GSL. It’s not even worth it and the tournament itself has become a joke for years now ($$$)
They are probably going cause they want to get as much global EPT points as possible for the world championship in case they miss top 2 regional rank or top 4 Spring. Because from what we can find on ESL website : " in case any player earns more than one slot, the competitor with the highest EPT Global Standings rank will be invited. " So top 2 EU 99% chances Serral already blocks one spot which leaves only one left for EU Rank with Clem already way ahead. So top4 Spring or global rank points.
On February 26 2024 11:59 Balnazza wrote: How do you region-lock the Global Starcraft 2 League?
The World Championship Series can region lock, why can't Global Starcraft 2 League?
The World Championship Series was never region-locked. The World Championship Series Europe (or NA, or LAT or...) was region-locked. Huge difference.
(Just for clarification: I'm not saying GSL can't region-lock itself to protect the remnants of the korean scene. But then it stops being the GSL completly and really should just rename to ESL Masters AfreecaTV Korea or whatever. It just becomes "another Regional" without any identity)
On February 26 2024 11:59 Balnazza wrote: How do you region-lock the Global Starcraft 2 League?
The World Championship Series can region lock, why can't Global Starcraft 2 League?
The World Championship Series was never region-locked. The World Championship Series Europe (or NA, or LAT or...) was region-locked. Huge difference.
(Just for clarification: I'm not saying GSL can't region-lock itself to protect the remnants of the korean scene. But then it stops being the GSL completly and really should just rename to ESL Masters AfreecaTV Korea or whatever. It just becomes "another Regional" without any identity)
Then what is this tournament? 2019 WCS Spring (just one example among many)
On February 26 2024 11:59 Balnazza wrote: How do you region-lock the Global Starcraft 2 League?
The World Championship Series can region lock, why can't Global Starcraft 2 League?
The World Championship Series was never region-locked. The World Championship Series Europe (or NA, or LAT or...) was region-locked. Huge difference.
(Just for clarification: I'm not saying GSL can't region-lock itself to protect the remnants of the korean scene. But then it stops being the GSL completly and really should just rename to ESL Masters AfreecaTV Korea or whatever. It just becomes "another Regional" without any identity)
Then what is this tournament? 2019 WCS Spring (just one example among many)
1)Yes, the "Masters"-Events used to be region-locked, but the entire WCS wasn't - that was my point. After all, WCS included GSL (btw with the distinct intention that "every player gets the chance to play with the best in Korea". 2)It is a slight difference to lock-out one region from an event vs. locking every region but one, don't you think?
On February 26 2024 11:59 Balnazza wrote: How do you region-lock the Global Starcraft 2 League?
The World Championship Series can region lock, why can't Global Starcraft 2 League?
The World Championship Series was never region-locked. The World Championship Series Europe (or NA, or LAT or...) was region-locked. Huge difference.
(Just for clarification: I'm not saying GSL can't region-lock itself to protect the remnants of the korean scene. But then it stops being the GSL completly and really should just rename to ESL Masters AfreecaTV Korea or whatever. It just becomes "another Regional" without any identity)
Then what is this tournament? 2019 WCS Spring (just one example among many)
1)Yes, the "Masters"-Events used to be region-locked, but the entire WCS wasn't - that was my point. After all, WCS included GSL (btw with the distinct intention that "every player gets the chance to play with the best in Korea". 2)It is a slight difference to lock-out one region from an event vs. locking every region but one, don't you think?
1) My point was that this event is called the "World championship series spring", and nowhere does it say in its name that Korea should be excluded, much like GSL is the "Global starleague" and nowhere does it say in its name foreigners should be excluded. 2) No, I don't think it's that different, and it's completely unfair that korea wasn't region locked along with the rest of the regions (I don't care that supposedly, GSL and koreans didn't want to be region locked).
On February 26 2024 11:59 Balnazza wrote: How do you region-lock the Global Starcraft 2 League?
The World Championship Series can region lock, why can't Global Starcraft 2 League?
The World Championship Series was never region-locked. The World Championship Series Europe (or NA, or LAT or...) was region-locked. Huge difference.
(Just for clarification: I'm not saying GSL can't region-lock itself to protect the remnants of the korean scene. But then it stops being the GSL completly and really should just rename to ESL Masters AfreecaTV Korea or whatever. It just becomes "another Regional" without any identity)
Then what is this tournament? 2019 WCS Spring (just one example among many)
1)Yes, the "Masters"-Events used to be region-locked, but the entire WCS wasn't - that was my point. After all, WCS included GSL (btw with the distinct intention that "every player gets the chance to play with the best in Korea". 2)It is a slight difference to lock-out one region from an event vs. locking every region but one, don't you think?
1) My point was that this event is called the "World championship series spring", and nowhere does it say in its name that Korea should be excluded, much like GSL is the "Global starleague" and nowhere does it say in its name foreigners should be excluded. 2) No, I don't think it's that different, and it's completely unfair that korea wasn't region locked along with the rest of the regions (I don't care that supposedly, GSL and koreans didn't want to be region locked).
WCS Spring and co. was a part of the World Championship SERIES. Those events combined with GSL formed the WCS, so in the end, every region was included.
In the end, you can name anything however you like. If you want to make an online-tournament for three Bronze Players and call it "World Championship of Starcraft 2 More Important than anything ever" that is fine aswell. GSL (which btw isn't the "Global Starleague" but the "Global Starcraft 2 League"...probably an Anti-Kespa-Thing?) always defined itself as THE Starcraft 2 Tournament, the place where the best can compete. That is what the "Global"-part of the name stands for. If you region-lock GSL even further than it already is, you lose that identity completly. They could do that, but it would kill even more of GSL than already died. And yes, GSL is already kinda region-locked, since you have to physically live in Korea...a rule that doesn't apply to the other regions I believe.
When region-lock was implemented, it also wasn't "unfair" to exclude GSL from it, since there was so little point. Before the time of Serral, Reynor and Clem, did anyone really believe that foreigners could even make a dent into GSL? It was a fun little gimmick that mostly Scarlett and Special used, nothing more.