Foreign Starcraft

This post is part of the ‘Polygon reVue Big Fat Guide to eSports & Starcraft-series’, and will give an introduction to the so-called ‘foreign’ (a term coined by the Koreans, referring to every kind of Starcraft-player outside of their borders, and skillfulness) Starcraft-scene. Since this blog is not geared towards people who are able to watch this fantastic game on regular TV, this article is about us - You and me, and everybody else who are not living in the Holy Land, but are still very much interested in Starcraft. There is some overlap of information between this post and others in the series, but as the topics do differ I hope that You will not find it repetitive.

6 Reasons Why Starcraft is the Manliest game on Earth

1) Balance - the key to making an ever-challenging game

2) Clarity through graphics - why less is more when things get hardcore

3) Professional Korean Starcraft

4) ‘Foreign’, i.e. semi-pro/skilled-amateur Starcraft

5) Enjoy Starcraft as a spectator - where and how

6) The Rebirth of online gaming - Starcraft 2

I hope You will find this informative as well as enjoyable.

In this article, introducing the so-called ‘Foreign’ (as in everything and everyone that is not Korean) Starcraft-scene, I will cover what one might call ‘The Other Side’. As it is the firm opinion of Polygon reVue that South Korean eSports represent the image that the rest of world should follow, it is now time to explore how the amateurs (comparatively speaking) in the rest of the world play the game in order to make a name for themselves.

First of all, don’t get me wrong; these gamers, whether they be Starcraft-players or otherwise, are indeed highly skilled and in many cases the best at what they do in the entire world. Their professionalism is not disputed here, but rather the limited infrastructure (or, if You will, ‘mainstream society’) that prohibit these gamers from achieving their full potential as cyber athletes. In South Korea, to dedicate oneself to full-time gaming is a socially accepted option which in turn allow players to hone their skills to a degree that few in the outside world can achieve. However, ‘foreign’ players still try, and often with quite amazing results.

iCCUP is beyond any doubt the one and only true global arena for skilled Starcraft (and, indeed, Counter-Strike and Warcraft III as well). Forget the old Battle.net; that server is as hack-friendly as Windows 95 and You will find no players with a minimum of skill there anymore. iCCUP is where everyone meet, mix and fight to the death; Korean progamers (rumours have it that none other than sAviOr himself recently held the #1-spot) and aspiring newbies alike. It’s international and all-inclusive, and yet fiercely competitive. Here is how it works:

With servers located in Russia, iCCUP offers it’s own version of the old Battle.net-system, meaning that it looks pretty much the same as Blizzard’s own multiplayer-gateway. However, the differences are immense; via very clever programming iCCUP offer players a virtually hack-free environment, and the promise to swiftly ban any players who still choose to use cheats and/or illegal bugs within the game.

It gets more exciting. The iCCUP-servers are linked directly to their website (at which You must register in order to download the necessary files, for absolutely no cost at all, though Mac-users are not supported), and so all rankings and statistics are updated instantly - making it incredibly easy to actually follow the scene properly.

A new player starts with the ranking ‘D’, and if You are a Korean progamer You just might be able to climb up into the ‘A’-field. Apart from many special events, there are always ongoing 1on1 and 2on2 ladders which are periodically reset and refreshed with new maps. Feels like the basic ingredients for a sport to me. Also, many thanks to ‘Lipton’ at Starfeeder.com for the basis of this information, here.

iCCUP is the global battlefield for Starcraft, all tournaments and challenges that are hosted by the many community-sites are played out on this arena. Anyone can create and host their own personal league, which has enabled some of the most exciting events within the foreign Starcraft-scene:

Teamliquid is, also beyond any doubt, the single most dominant community for Starcraft in the English-speaking world. They have been around since the beginning of progaming and proud themselves on being the number one source for Starcraft as an eSport, Korean and otherwise. TL.net is the forum, the training ground and the platform for greater things. They host different leagues and tournaments that draw the best talent and a very high number of viewers.

Foremost of these is the Teamliquid Starleague, the TSL, where in the conclusion of the first season two Protoss-players stood against each other for the prize of $5000 and gallons of fame. To see who won the best of five-series between JianFei and Draco, click here.

In a less formal but equally highly skilled event, called Liquibition, established foreign progamers fight against each other on an invitational basis. The winner of each series gets a small sum of cash, but the true prize is to remain as last man standing, waiting to see which opponent will try to to claim the title next. These matches are always a joy to watch, with good commentators and many inside-jokes. For some particularly bad ass-Liquibitions; click here, here or here.

All Westerners that have made it big as professionals of Starcraft have gone through route of Teamliquid. Nich ‘Tasteless’ Plott, Dan ‘Artosis’ Stemkoski, Susan ‘lil´suxie’ Kim (commentators at Gom TV in South Korea) are all long time-contributors to the site, as are the two latest Americans (Gred ‘Idra’ Fields and Tyler ‘Nony’ Wasieleski) to go to Korea in search for the progaming-dream. The same goes for practically everyone that is above D- on iCCUP, and for those that are interested in getting a serious and deep Starcraft-experience, Teamliquid is the supreme gateway.

Having said that, it should also be mentioned that this community is not for the fresh newcomer - the content presented there require a degree of knowledge and pre-existing Love for the Game. It is my hope that articles such as these will work as a mediator between the established elite and curious minds. However, TL.net is no longer the only player on the field, new communities have emerged with their own particular flavours:

sc2gg.com is, out of the many (many) noteworthy Starcraft-sites on the web, the most innovative, in my opinion. This is true for one powerful reason: the commentaries. Around this community, since early 2007, a rich flora of enthusiasts have gathered in order to spread their own Love for the Game - by downloading videos of Korean televised progames (which, not accidentally, are provided through contacts at Teamliquid), commentating upon them in English in the manner of proper sports-casters and then uploading it all on Youtube.

Over time, this has become a truly viral phenomenon, where the the most anticipated games are being watched by tens and thousands of viewers within hours. You may find some of the best all-time Starcraft-action by the best sc2gg-commentators here.

On top of all that, sc2gg.com is a place for actually playing Starcraft. I would personally say that they cater to new players more than most of the more established sites, such as TL.net or GosuGamers.com, but they also provide another opportunity for aspiring professionals to gain fame and notoriety.

In the sc2gg Starleague, the SSL - hosted by WC8, You will again find the biggest foreign names on the Starcraft-sky. That list would quite well reflect the top non-Korean ranking on iCCUP; which, of course, is where the tournament takes place. Combined with the sc2gg-trademarked commentaries, this event is a truly good one for players and viewers alike - making it next to the TSL one of the two best community-based Starcraft leagues in the world.

This is certainly not the full story about foreign Starcraft, but this article is getting frighteningly long, and I do think that the information above introduces the most important aspects of the scene as it looks today.
However, I would like to point You towards a bit history, as told by the eSports-veteran and Starcraft-scholar; Daniel ‘SuperDanielMan’ Lee - former head-coach of the eSTRO-proteam and currently a commentator at Gom TV.

In his blog at Starfeeder.com, he tells us the story from the beginning as he saw it with his own eyes. Because, in the Early Years, two foreign faces dominated Korean progaming and their stardom deeply contributed to making Starcraft into the eSport it later became. These were Guillame ‘X´ds~Grrr…’ Patry (Protoss & Random-user) and Bertrand ‘Elky’ Grospellier (Terran), who were part of the legendary AMD Dreamteam. Since then there have been a few others, such as the infamous Protoss-Dragon and ex-progamer ‘Draco’, which makes me believe in more cultural diversity within the sport.

Read on for more introductions to the universe of Starcraft in the articles below. Feel free to leave comments, suggestions and feedback in the comments below - I value all criticism and greatly appreciate Your input. GG!