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Faceless: MVPduckdeok - Road to Blizzcon #3

Forum Index > SC2 General
121 CommentsPost a Reply
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next All

Faceless: MVPduckdeok - Road to Blizzcon #3

Text byTeamLiquid ESPORTS
November 2nd, 2013 15:47 GMT
2013 WCS Finals

by Olli

In the continuing debate about whether or not the WCS system should employ a region lock of some sort, there's one argument that pro-lockers constantly fall back on: boring, faceless Koreans going overseas to win easy money.

At first glance, the Liquipedia entry for WCS Europe Season 2 seems like the perfect example. (P)MVP.duckdeok, a mid-tier Korean with no results of note, made his way through a qualifier, then through Challenger League and then won the entire tournament. Along the way he almost exclusively faced and eliminated fan favorites and national heroes, usually with all-ins. It was as if critics of the WCS system had gone to a laboratory and created the perfect player to prove themselves right.

duckdeok started his conquest of Europe in the online Ro32 against three beloved national representatives in (P)HasuObs, (Z)DIMAGA and (T)Dayshi. The wall of lag initially seemed to be too much of a hurdle for duckdeok to overcome as he lost his initial series to DIMAGA, but he recovered by 4-gating Dayshi twice and winning the rematch against DIMAGA with an immortal all-in and the 2-2-2 immortal/colossus all-in. The forums burned.

Moving to the live Ro16, duckdeok was put in a group with three more beloved and promising foreigners: (Z)Stephano, (P)Welmu and (T)LucifroN. Everyone's eyes were on Stephano, the foreigner great who had declared WCS Europe to be his final tournament. duckdeok ushered him toward retirement with an immortal all-in. Next was Lucifron, a player many fans looked to as the next protector of foreigner hope. With well-executed 3-gate pressure and a miracle hold against the Spaniard's SCV pull, duckdeok snuffed that hope out.

In the Ro8, duckdeok cut the NaNiwa-Stephano debate short by eliminating (P)NaNiwa from the tournament alongside his French rival. In the Ro4, he one-upped himself yet again by eliminating one of the most adored players of all time in two games, the Dutchman (P)Grubby. To cap it all off, duckdeok clinched the title by defeating one of the most popular Koreans and one who worked hard to engage the international audience in SK's (P)MC.

At the end of it all, everyone had to at least acknowledge that duckdeok's PvP was pretty good, and that he had played some entertaining games. But there was no doubt that it was not the ending that anyone had hoped for at the start of WCS Europe.

Then, something happened that made everything alright. duckdeok broke down in tears. After years of hard work, suffering the worst the Korean farm system had to offer, he had finally reached the promised land. Stoic at first, he was unable to stop the waterworks after realizing his achievement, and the tears streamed down his face. In one moment, everyone understood. When duckdeok lifted the trophy, they had witnessed the happiest moment in a young man's life.


In the end, duckdeok ended up being the exact opposite of a faceless Korean, or someone who was ruining the WCS system. Given a chance to compete and show himself in Europe he left the most memorable individual impression of the entire WCS year.

Once upon a time a certain Steven Bonnell stated that there were about 500 players on the Korean ladder who could reach #1 Grandmaster on other servers. This was even before the KeSPA switch introduced yet more talented players, turning the Korean scene into a pit of starved hounds and a few lions fighting for every single scrap. A few months ago, duckdeok was in that pit, another dog battling nonexistence.

duckdeok could have been just another name in your TL news feed, next to a handful of other retiring players you didn't know even existed. Nobody would have witnessed his real love for the game and his moment of joy. But he realized his chance at living the European dream of WCS where anyone can make it as long as they work hard. He stands as a prime example of the system working.

Ironically, for what fans purport to be the world's finest competitive game, it was duckdeok's display of raw, pure emotion that won many foreign fans over, not his skill. But skill is what he needs at Blizzcon, more than a compelling story, more than passion, more than anything else. His opponents are the players whose faces are memorable not for emotional moments, but because they have been photographed next to too many trophies. If duckdeok spent his career fighting against adversity, then they are adversity's personifications.

Duckdeok has only earned himself recognition, not permanence. For now he remains a star outside of Korea, but he is still the product of a single moment, and moments are forgotten with time. It is now time to give everyone something new to remember.

Fly on, little duck.


WCS Grand Finals
Brackets and info on Liquipedia

1: Soulkey - The Tragic Champion
2: INnoVation - The Man in the Machine
3: Jaedong - In Search of Lost Time
4: Polt - Prince of the Tides
5: HerO - Fire and Ice
6: Dear - The Unending Royal Road
7: Maru - The Prince Who Would be King
8: Bomber - I Fought the Law (And I Won)
9: MMA - Out of Exile
10: MC - Cash Rules Everything Around Me
11: TaeJa - Fire and Ice
12: sOs - On the Cutting Edge
13: aLive - The Iconoclast
14: Mvp - The King
15: duckdeok - Faceless
16: NaNiwa
17: Revival - ???


Writers: DarkLordOlli.
Photos: ESL.
Editor: Waxangel.
Facebook Twitter Reddit
TL+ Member
digmouse
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
China4842 Posts
November 02 2013 15:52 GMT
#2
The last paragraphs are just amazing.
TranslatorIf you want to ask anything about Chinese esports, send me a PM or follow me @nerddigmouse.
Fusilero
Profile Blog Joined July 2011
United Kingdom29308 Posts
November 02 2013 15:53 GMT
#3
Go MVP.Finale \o/
Glorious SEA doto
partydude89
Profile Blog Joined August 2012
1831 Posts
November 02 2013 15:56 GMT
#4
i keep watching that video over and over <3 duckdeok
#1 Official Hack Fan|#2 Bomber behind Wintex.|Curious|Life|Flash|TY|Cure|Maru|sOs|Jin Air Green Wings fighting!|SBENU Fighting!|
Koromon
Profile Joined May 2012
United States164 Posts
November 02 2013 15:58 GMT
#5
Do real duckdeok fans not do the quack quack thing?
RainmanMP
Profile Joined October 2007
United States1693 Posts
November 02 2013 15:58 GMT
#6
Didn't realize duckdeoks story but am instantly a fan after reading this and watching that video, wow!
이영호 FIGHTING! Die Hard KT Rolster and Flash fan.
Heartland
Profile Blog Joined May 2012
Sweden23339 Posts
November 02 2013 16:07 GMT
#7
Great writeup!
"I haven't seen a game yet where nuke would kill more than it costs." - Ej_ | " I TOOK 2 MAPS ON AN IMBALANCED MAP POOL" - Nerchio
webas
Profile Joined September 2010
75 Posts
November 02 2013 16:08 GMT
#8
where are the vods? Or they are pay per view only? Im so interested to check all those matchups..
NeThZOR
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
South Africa5183 Posts
November 02 2013 16:10 GMT
#9
Duckdeok <3
SuperNova - 2015 | SKT1 fan for years | Dear, FlaSh, PartinG, Soulkey, Naniwa
neoghaleon55
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States7423 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-11-02 16:11:35
November 02 2013 16:10 GMT
#10
I take credit for getting this guy into WCS EU.
At first he didn't even know how to register, then he registered incorrectly, then he had no flight tickets, then no hotel to stay in...
many a headache were had...
lol
moo...for DRG
Olli
Profile Blog Joined February 2012
Austria23634 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-11-02 16:12:42
November 02 2013 16:11 GMT
#11
On November 03 2013 01:08 webas wrote:
where are the vods? Or they are pay per view only? Im so interested to check all those matchups..


You can find them on youtube! ESL uploaded all of them
Administrator@TL_Olli
PixelNite
Profile Joined August 2011
France1004 Posts
November 02 2013 16:12 GMT
#12
Thank you DarLordOlli, great article
FeyFey
Profile Joined September 2010
Germany10096 Posts
November 02 2013 16:13 GMT
#13
so many players i really like more in WCS ... but I think i want duckdeok to win it.
Pazuzu
Profile Joined July 2011
United States471 Posts
November 02 2013 16:14 GMT
#14
Fantastic write up! Here's hoping he can make another splash at Blizz!
"It is because intuition is sometimes right, that we don't know what to do with it"
ETisME
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
Hong Kong11814 Posts
November 02 2013 16:19 GMT
#15
duckduckkkkk!!
those tears, the best type of tears
其疾如风,其徐如林,侵掠如火,不动如山,难知如阴,动如雷震。
lichter
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
1001 YEARS KESPAJAIL21865 Posts
November 02 2013 16:21 GMT
#16
QUACK QUACK

I hope this dude does some damage
AdministratorYOU MUST HEED MY INSTRUCTIONS TAKE OFF YOUR THIIIINGS
Kingsky
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
Singapore295 Posts
November 02 2013 16:23 GMT
#17
this is a really good write-up. makes me wish he would win. but when legends clash against legends he might just be a duck in the wind
Why do people hate the Colossus? Because the Colossus is like banksters from Wall Street: “too big to fail”. - TheDwF
Bagration
Profile Blog Joined October 2011
United States17427 Posts
November 02 2013 16:23 GMT
#18
These articles are amazing. Every player has a storyline, and we need to learn more about them.
Team Slayers, Axiom-Acer and Vile forever
juicyjames *
Profile Joined August 2011
United States3767 Posts
November 02 2013 16:27 GMT
#19
On November 03 2013 01:23 Bagration wrote:
These articles are amazing. Every player has a storyline, and we need to learn more about them.

If Blizzard were smart they would make a mini-documentary about each player to show, so casual fans who only watch SC2 but don't read about it can also learn the stories.
This Week in SC2Find out what happened 'This Week in Starcraft 2': http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=278126
rave[wcr]
Profile Joined March 2011
United States1164 Posts
November 02 2013 16:27 GMT
#20
too bad innovation will utterly crush him once he starts playing in blizzcon
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