GOAT Addendum: Maru and the perception of Code S - Page 4

GOAT Addendum: Maru and the perception of Code S

With Code S fully underway, we find ourselves in an increasingly familiar situation. Maru, fresh off claiming his eighth Code S title, has already advanced to the Round of 8, and looks poised to win the tournament for a ninth time.

Maru’s position as the undisputed best player in South Korea is far from surprising. Every truly great player leaves behind a legacy and Maru’s will inevitably be tied to his complete dominance of the most prestigious competition in StarCraft II history. Four titles ahead of the closest contender, Maru is the unquestioned king of Code S. But, given how absolute his reign has been, his success begs questions. One of which is, how do we evaluate Maru’s future success in a competition in which he has lapped the field time and again?

While some might quibble about the current level of competition, Code S remains the gold standard when it comes to individual competition. There are events with larger prize pools and stiffer competition, but none can best Code S when it comes to historical significance and name value. Fourteen years ago, in the nascent days of Wings of Liberty, Mvp, NesTea and MC built their reputation on Code S titles. INnoVation, Zest and Rain continued that tradition—defying the odds by winning seasons of Code S where two thirds of the participants were viable championship contenders. Stats and Rogue added their names to the ledgers in Legacy of the Void and, even now, with an inarguably diminished scene, winning Code S secures you an indelible place in StarCraft II history. TY and Dark may have only won the competition twice, but those triumphs rank among the greatest accomplishments of their decorated careers.

Maru earned his first Korean Individual League trophy in 2013, before doubling his trophy haul during Season 1 of SSL two years later. But, it wasn’t until 2018 that he finally captured the Code S title which had eluded him for eight years.

He followed that up by winning the next three seasons, as well—instantly catapulting himself ahead of Mvp (who had held the record for most championships since 2011). Six years removed from his fourth title, Maru is the undisputed master of Code S. He has won eight of the 17 Seasons held from 2018 onwards. With another three second place finishes to his name, Maru has reached the finals of 65% of the seasons held over the past six years. And, while Maru already possessed one of the highest win percentages in Code S history at 61% by the end of 2020, the steady departure of viable contenders has ballooned his win rate to the verge of absurdity.

While Maru’s grasp on Code S has gone largely uncontested since 2018, the retirement of TY and Stats in 2021, as well as Rogue in 2022 have only tightened his grip. Maru’s record in Code S since the start of 2022 is an astounding 82-42 (67%) in games and 34-12 (74%) in matches. His closest rival during this period, Dark, is 62-47 (57%) in games and 25-12 (68%) in matches. As it stands, Maru has won over 350 games in Code S—a mark that exceeds his closest competitor by more than 100.

Overall, Maru has won four of the five seasons of Code S held since Rogue departed for the military. And, while some might point to the absence of four time champion as one of the reasons for Maru’s recent success, one can’t ignore that Maru pulled this trick when he won four seasons in a row back in 2018 and 2019. He shattered numerous records along the way—becoming the first player to win two consecutive seasons of Code S since NesTea did so in 2010, before increasing his trophy haul to four within the span of ten months. Maru matched NesTea in other ways, becoming the first player to sweep the finals of Code S since the IM Zerg mauled InCa in 2011. Maru tied soO’s record for the most consecutive final appearances (four) and broke Mvp’s record of three Code S titles. Season by season Maru climbed the ladder of the greatest players to ever participate in the competition, with each trophy drastically altering his career. His first victory was long overdue for someone of his talent. His second was the start of something special. His third put him level with Mvp and his fourth was his ascension to a tier all his own.

Then again, it doesn’t feel like it did over a half decade ago. Maru’s first four titles were something out of an epic tale. He wasn’t just defeating his peers, he was grappling fate, logic and the weight of history into submission. His fifth title, the G5L, felt similarly profound—the realization of a collective dream a dozen years in the making.

Nowadays, Maru’s wins border on deflating. Maru was never truly threatened in the most recent season of Code S. Even Cure and herO, the opponents against whom Maru faced off in the semifinals and finals respectively, only managed to steal one game between them. After that Maru took the stage and kissed the Code S trophy amid a shower of confetti for the eighth time. Simply put, he has transformed wonderment into inevitability.




Regardless of what some might insist, the majority of the best players in the world still hail from South Korea. These aren’t the “glory days” where 15 of the 16 qualifiers for the 2015 WCS Global Finals were Korean, Code S awarded over 100,000 dollars and weekenders were a feeding ground for Koreans traveling abroad. That era is gone, but Code S is littered with talented players and all time greats. In fact, while the last three “World Championship” quality events (IEM Katowice 2023, 2024 and Gamers8 2023) were won by foreigners, Koreans took up five of the eight quarterfinal spots and, by and large, outperformed their foreign opposition in the group stage. Serral, Reynor and Clem have illustrated they can compete and defeat top tier Korean pros, but the rest of the foreign scene struggles mightily with players like SHIN, ByuN or Classic—all of whom have had limited success in Code S over the past few years.

Code S may not have as many competitors or the depth of talent it once had, but the results of Group B (and the impending Group of Death consisting of Cure, Stats, Dark and Rogue) prove that every victory, even those in the opening round, are hard fought and well deserved. Ten different players have reached the semifinals of Code S dating back to the first season of 2023. Maru and Cure managed to make it on three occasions but, outside of that, only GuMiho and Dark logged more than one appearance—with ByuN, Bunny, Classic, Solar, herO and Stats settling for a single trip.

The honest truth is there isn’t a progamer in Korea capable of reliably defeating Maru at the moment. herO denied Maru the G5L only two years ago, but Maru’s 4-1 victory in the finals of the most recent season of Code S further illustrated the gulf between him and second best. There isn’t a Protoss in Korea who can rival herO, but even he is nothing more than fodder—at least in Code S.

There is always a note of resignation when Maru wins Code S, but even the harshest critic has to admit his brilliance is undeniable. How many times have we watched Maru’s opponents shatter his economy, reset his tank count or get ahead on bases only for them to flail helplessly once Maru starts to work his magic? There is perhaps no better example of the discrepancy between Maru and his peers than Cure. Maru’s former teammate has been the second best Korean Terran since TY retired, but the two of them could never be confused for one another. Maru 5-0 record against Cure in offline Best of 5+ over the past four years is evidence enough. But when you take into account the fact that Maru’s chances of beating Cure in Best of 3 (70%) rises to an even more daunting 78% in a seven game series, it’s clear as day that Cure needs everything to break his way if he wants to win Code S—including dodging Maru.

The same goes for Dark, who Aligulac gives a 37% chance of beating Maru in a Best of 7. This pattern also applies to herO, whose 4-1 defeat in Code S (which happens 15% of the time according to Aligulac) lines up nicely with Maru’s 56% chance of victory. For once, the eye test lines up with the math. Maru looks, feels, and is the favorite in every match he plays.

All of this begs a question—if Maru’s triumphs in Code S feel so insubstantial, how do subsequent victories affect his legacy and his position as one of the greatest of all time? There is an argument to be made that future titles are simply gratuitous. How much does it matter if Maru retires with nine, 10 or 19 Code S titles? He has already long since claimed dominion over the event and, by extension, Korean StarCraft II.

Alternatively, the fact that Maru outpaces his closest competitor (Rogue) by a full four Code S titles while simultaneously retaining his position as the most likely player to win the event going forward means each Championship has an exponential effect on his legacy rather than a linear one. After all, if Maru retired with twelve Code S titles while everyone else was left languishing with four or less, how could that not further Maru’s case? As much as some seek mitigating factors such as the lack of top tier talent, the relative dearth of competitive players compared to the past or the fact that many players’ pursuit of Maru was effectively ended prematurely by military service, Maru is the one winning Code S at a never before imagined rate—not Dark, not Cure and not herO. It’s Maru that continues to add to his unmatched trophy collection with each passing season.

At the end of the day, Code S hasn’t changed all that much. The format has shifted and the prize money has decreased, but navigating the gauntlet that is Code S is as challenging a prospect as any that exists in the game today. The fact that Maru has won the event so often and with such apparent ease is a testament to his greatness and the continued significance of Code S.

It’s tempting to say that the most prestigious event in StarCraft II is no longer about who qualifies or how balanced the game is at the time. That it’s not about who catches fire or who devises the most effective strategy. There are moments where it certainly seems that if Maru executes as he should and avoids some grave mistake along the way, that this Season of Code S is destined to become his for the ninth time. Fortunately, we only have to wait until June 27th to get our answer. Then we can start asking the same questions all over again.

Writer: Mizenhauer
Editor: Mizenhauer