Finals, Finals, Finals - view all the epic endings to the Summer of Starcraft

by kneff on September 11, 2009

The summer of eSports has been long, bright and filled to the brim with golden moments of Starcraft. Now, as September has come upon us, the fighting has come to a brief end, stopping for a moment of two so that we can all catch our breath for a while. However, if You are anything like me, too many days without any professional Starcraft to watch is like physical pain. Luckily, Polygon reVue offers one fat remedy.

In this high-calibre collection of games You will find all the matches from all the recent finals from all the Korean leagues. Truly, it does not get any better than this, and if You missed any of these matches earlier in the summer You now got them all here in one place. If Starcraft was ammunition, this post would be a cruise-missile.

Proleague, Ongamenet Starleague and MBC Game Starleague, World Cyber Games Korea Qualifiers, Gom TV Season 3 and eStars Heritage League, and with the STX Masters Cup as icing on the ownage-cake - it’s all finals, finals, finals. Get your feet up and enjoy Starcraft as the splendid spectator sport that it is, because fall season will begin sooner than You can say g-o-o-d g-a-m-e.

 

Starting off with the biggest and most spectacular Starcraft-event in the world, we come to the conclusion of the Proleague. Incidentally, it’s also the only event that takes place on an actual beach just by the sea. As tradition has it, the two best teams in Korea come to the city of Pusan in August to find out what band of gamers are the true champions.

This year, Hwaseung OZ had fought themselves to the very top by riding on the back of the unstoppable force that is Jaedong. Against them stands the immovable object known as SKT1, housing old legends like ilOveOv and the Emperor, SlayerS_`Boxer`, as well as fresh talents like Bisu, Best, Fantasy and… Huyk. For two nights they fought, Mutalisks and Marines perished in the hundreds, but in the end there could be only one. Enjoy the fray.

 

In the individual leagues - the Ongamenet and MBC Game Starleagues - Zergs have dominated the field for most of the past year. Partly that has been due to the maps currently used (which will change before next season), but also and undeniably because there are some truly fearsome Zerg-players out there right now. Four different Zergs are pitted against each other in the finals, two in each league. There will be blood, and goo.

In the MSL, the two commanders of the Swarm are Kwanro and Calm. It has been said that Zerg vs Zerg-matches are like sushi - quick, precise and very filling. This final will be no different, only with a bucket of extra Wasabi on top. Commentated upon by the knowledgeable SC2GG-member RanshinDA, the intense action and quicker-than-fast moves of these players are transformed into quality entertainment. That is especially true in the first game, where we get see some high-risk strategies being performed by the player who at the time must have had a lethal dose of testosterone in his body… Watch and learn.

 

In the OSL more things are at stake. By now, the name of Jaedong echoes through the halls of Starcraft-fans over the entire world - the skill, dedication and death stare of the man are known and feared by all. Should he claim this very title, then he will have won three Starleagues - earning for himself the treasured prize that is the (solid) Golden Mouse. This feat has only ever been achieved by two other players since the beginning of time, so the question is - will Jaedong be joining JulyZerg and NaDa in sharing this honour?

His foe is Yellor[arnc], a formidable Zerg who - unlike Jaedong - has not been competing in every other league at the same time and carried the world on his shoulders. He is rested, eager and hungry for victory - will that be what enables him to take down the best Zerg who has ever lived, and thereby also got the most to lose? Click here to get blown away

 

Since GomTV entered the stage of Korean professional gaming, things have only become better and better. The amount of content provided to the English-speaking community has, at the very least, quadrupled and in terms of pure skill exhibited by the players we have come to expect the best without being disappointed. Now, the third season is all but over, only a final clash between true titans remain.

For the first time in years, two Terran players will determine the outcome of a Korean Starleague, and their names are Flash and Berserker (also known as Iris). The former has been described as The Shield, the ultimate defensive player, whereas Berserker is being called The Spear - the very epitome of aggression. What style is stronger than the other? Click here to watch the action to the tones of Nich ‘Tasteless’ Plott and Daniel ‘SuperDanielMan’ Lee.

 

The World Cyber Games will be held in China later this autumn, and all over the world ambitious gamers are training and preparing to represent their countries in this contest that is the Digital Olympics. In the eSport known as Starcraft, the Koreans are always favourites for the top three spots, the question is rather who they will be this time around.

Jaedong has already grabbed the third place and will be going to China. So will Bisu and Stork, but which one of these Protoss Dragons will be leading the field? Watch the WCG 2009 Korean Qualifiers and find out who the currently best Protoss-player in the world is.

 

Earlier this summer, a very special event took place that shook the foundations of the earth for quite some time. Set apart from all the regular leagues - a battle of the ancients took place, an invitation show match that featured nearly all great legends of Starcraft-history who now once again stepped into the booths and brought on the ownage. This was the eStars Heritage League, and it was like nothing else we have ever seen.

Not even in the glory days of old did these many Starcraft gods come together in one tournament. sAviOr was there, once again pitted against his old arch-rival Nal_rA. Reach, the ManToss, fought against his wingman [NC]Yellow - the original first master of Zerg. Kingdom, one of the very first Protosses to rule the realm, stepped up the challenge and so did TossGirl - the only remaining female progamer in Korea. There were also the one and only NaDa, rivalled in his might only to the Emperor - SlayerS_`Boxer`, the greatest Starcraft player to have ever won a game.

In the end, the only two remaining titans were sAviOr - the old bonjwa and Maestro of Zerg - and NaDa, the Tornado Terran and Golden Mouse-winner. In the ensuing battle, original strategies were blended with old school-moves and new school-tricks, but who could outlast the other? Join the SC2GG-commentator star crew in this truly epic battle and find out.

 

Last but certainly not least, Polygon reVue presents the finals of the STX Masters Cup - an off-shoot event to the regular Proleague, sponsored by the pro-team STX Soul. As the owners of this league (rather than actual skill…), they are in the finals against the formidable foes of the SKT1-team - stepping up against players like Bisu, Fantasy, Best and more.

The final is a best of 7, meaning that in order to win a team must get four wins. It’s a King of the Hill-format - the winner of the first game stays in the booth to meet a new opponent, and can potentially take home four straight victories and thereby doing an ‘All-Kill’. First out are STX’s Hwasin, an accomplished Terran-veteran, and Huyk from SKT1 - a Zerg-player that is known for being anything but good. Who will get ‘Hyuked’ this time though, I wonder? You do want to watch this…

 

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