Three years ago, two unique ZeNEX Zergs stood apart from their peers. The more celebrated of the two, Line (later Suhosin), was a conductor of madness. Players had not yet had time to fully map out the game, and Line revelled in the chaos and the unpredictability by utilizing builds and unit combinations drastically different from those of his peers. Playing against Line meant facing the unknown – it was difficult to prepare for, harder to grasp and even harder to properly play against what Line was doing at the time. Often, the sheer insanity of Line's play backfired, leaving gaping holes in his play that saw him eliminated before he could place highly in the GSL or before his insane plans could come into fruition.
"It’s very regrettable. I lost to San. He’s so good at all-ining. "His less famous and much younger teammate ZeNEX_Life also epitomized deviation from the norm, but did so in a more ”orderly” and sensible fashion. There was a distinct method to Life's madness that wasn't quite there in Line's, the beginning of a pattern that would eventually reshape competitive Zerg play. Although the two didn't seem to share any close personal bond, the close similarities between how the two played that likely stemmed from practice together on ZeNEX. It's impossible to say whether Line acted as Life's mentor but there are certainly aspects that, even three years later, are reminiscent of Line's legacy as the craziest player in the GSL.
Life showed potential early in 2011 by beating the soon-to-be GSL champion jjakji in the finals of the sixth ESV Korean Weekly, taking him out in a tense series that went all 7 games. However, Life had trouble maintaining consistency. He faltered, stumbled and picked himself up only to do it all again, learning a few things each time and slowly but steadily climbing to the top of the Zerg hierarchy. Popularizing a number of new builds in ZvT and ZvZ, Life began to make a name for himself. In ZvT he made use of builds like 2base muta, punishing Terrans for adhering to the recently greedier standard and the 10pool openings in ZvT that would later become his trademark. In ZvZ, his broad repertoire of builds (ranging from different upgrade timings to roaches or pure speedling play) made him one of the most feared Zergs in the online scene. He reached the top of the Korean ladder some time in early to mid-2012, becoming a regular fixture on most player streams and catching the attention of many fans just in time for his real breakthrough.
L'enfant Terrible
"Because it's impossible for others to emulate my style, I wouldn't call it a paradigm shift."
Life would not draw real international attention to himself until he was allowed to show his face to the world in the GSTL. An effortless all-kill of Team Liquid set off a chain reaction that quickly led to his conquest of the GSL in the first ”real” Royal Road championship the tournament had ever seen. At this point, after the merging of ZeNEX and StarTale, the madness Life had inherited from the now-overshadowed Suhosin had coalesced into something that was palpable, instinctual and championship-winning. But not only was the style he played strong, it was also a style no other Zerg player could successfully incorporate into their own play.
"I can't lose. Confidence alone has won me games so far. That's why I know I will win."
The details of his ensuing dominance are well-known. Excluding an awkward dual loss to Soulkey's meticulous preparation in Season 5, Life became the player, a favorite to win each tournament he entered. More often than not, he delivered on those expectations. He possessed a kind of confidence no other player could match, an immunity to pressure that allowed him to approach each game as though he was by far the superior player, as if losses were out of the question. And even when losses came, he shrugged them off as if they were nothing but flukes and proceeded to rebound and win.
Life lifts his fifth trophy in six months after defeating a rising Flash at MLG Dallas
But nothing lasts forever, and Life's eventual fall – shortly after his win hard-fought win at 2013 MLG Dallas – crushed the image he had created of himself as a player apart from his peers, both in terms of style and in terms of skill. He remained a stylistic and innovative player - setting the 2base muta trend in ZvZ that was only broken after Blizzard stepped in with the spore crawler buff - but others now rose up to challenge him. Players like Roro, Soulkey and Innovation would all face him in the coming months, and he would lose each time while they went on to win championships. By the summer of 2013, Life's reputation had been irrevocably tarnished by a certain Swede. Suddenly, things crumbled around the Startale prodigy. He retained his singular love for zergling play and offbeat aggression, but no longer had what it took to force his way through unfavorable engagements and the disadvantages he had previously wiggled out of with grace. The aggression and the all-over-the-place style of play that Life is all about was there, it simply wasn't as refined or as efficient as it had been. He fell from the top, and his results dropped with him.
A cursory glance at Life's results since the summer of 2013 might tell you that something changed soon thereafter, that he rediscovered what he had lost. After the six-month championship drought that followed MLG Dallas, Life conquered IEM New York to once again become a champion. His victory would tell many that he had returned to form. And while it is true that Life has regained some of what made him king in late 2012, it is not the whole story. ”L'enfant Terrible” and the ”6-pool Master” still describe a fraction of what Life is, but they no longer represent the whole.
Pinpointing exactly what defines Life is today is difficult. He is a champion, a stylistic outsider, a kid with an ego too big for his own good, a competitor who always wants to win now, a Triple crown winner, a patchwork of different ideas that only sometimes work in cohesion, someone washed up, a player appearing past his hour. He has looked like all of these, sometimes all at once. He is the player who for months completely lacked confidence in his play because it didn't feel right, but he is also the player who told me ”Fighting? No, easy!” as he walked on stage to face Taeja in Jönköping.
Life hides his disappointment after losing the finals to Taeja. Life is an erratic player by nature, and to me that is what has come to define him. Containing Life in a few words or attempting to describe his career concisely without looking past important points is impossible. At the heart of things, both Life's style and his career are chaotic. No other player is so characterized by disruption or so insistent on maintaining aggression beyond reason, no other player so defined by his irregular ups and downs. Few players swing as violently between championship-caliber wins and losses against inferior opponents, and only Life seems to have such clear issues with finding his own identity within the game. When he is on, Life knows exactly what he needs to do to win and executes. When he isn't, he fumbles with strange decisions and trips over his own feet in his attempts to make perplexing unit compositions work. Too often, it looks like an idiot attempting to fit the square into the triangle, when it may in fact just as well be a genius working with tools that cannot match the brilliance of his mind.
But brilliant or not the fact remains that Life, through more than three years of competitive Starcraft, has something no one else has: a mastery of a unique, chaotic style of Zerg that seems to work on some base, instinctual level. He directs zerglings as though they are extensions of his will, finds cracks in defenses that look flawless and creates chaos and disruption almost as if they were goals in and of themselves. He is a meticulous conductor of a style that is chaotic by nature, in many ways an improvement upon the aspects that first set Line apart in 2010. When one plays against Life today, one faces not only the builds and the units but the knowledge that something might be coming that you simply will not know how to deal with. Life is not like other players, who play toward a singular goal with a build that they execute to a tee. His play is fluid, abstract and, for the lack of a better word, different. Four 10 pools in a row are just as likely as four greedy triple hatch builds, and it is rarely possible to discern the reasoning behind his decisions, perhaps because there is no reasoning beyond what Life instinctually feels is the right move.
Life is not the strongest player at Blizzcon. Two years ago, he would have been. Back then, he was an unbeatable monster of tender age upsetting his elders by dethroning Mvp and crushing the established elite. Now, he himself is part of the established elite, a player at risk of being overthrown by a new generation of hungry fortune seekers and prodigies looking to expand their list of achievements. But despite belonging to that group, he still stands apart. Life's rise to power came through an explosive transformation of the Zerg race into something that fit his style, a reliance on disruption and chaos rather than safety and order. No other player has an identity as unique as Life's, and no other attending player can claim to possess quite the same flair as the Ling King.
In a field of sixteen of the world's most accomplished players, Life is one of the few who has been on top, fallen from that peak and once again made the climb. Life isn't what he used to be, but he still has the essence of what made him great.
On October 19 2014 06:48 Shellshock wrote: Word on the street is that the articles are being released in reverse order of the writers' belief of chances to win blizzcon
On October 19 2014 06:48 Shellshock wrote: Word on the street is that the articles are being released in reverse order of the writers' belief of chances to win blizzcon
I can totally imagine soO's article coming second to last
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
u wat
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
u wat
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
u wat
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
u wat
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
u wat
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Love that guy. But cannot see him win anything currently. Life shines when Zerg can dictate the game. He's shit in the current turtle or allin ZvT meta and ZvP against Zest...
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
u wat
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
u wat
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
u wat
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
Awesome article, looking forward to reading another 14 :3
Quick question tho :
Life showed potential early in 2011 by beating the soon-to-be GSL champion jjakji in the finals of the sixth ESV Korean Weekly, taking him out in a tense series that went all 7 games.
i was looking for Vods of said game. Do you guys happen to have them? I tried checking wikipedia and old esv youtube chan but could only find season 3.
The mentioned finals was ESV season 1 weekly#6, if its of any help finding a source. Would love to be able to check out that finals :D
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
u wat
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
u wat
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
Yes. You can decide the terms
So I guess if Jaedong does not make the final I will put "Life is 10 times the player Jaedong is!" in my sig until WCS begins next year, vice versa for you if Jaedong does make it.
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
u wat
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
Yes. You can decide the terms
So I guess if Jaedong does not make the final I will put "Life is 10 times the player Jaedong is!" in my sig until WCS begins next year, vice versa for you if Jaedong does make it.
No true Jaedong fan would willingly walk into this.
Your subconscious must be trying to tell you something.
I hated Life so much in his days walking the royal road. MKP and Mvp were my absolute favorite players and I was 100% sure that MKP would face Mvp in the finals, and finally breaking his kong curse, and his Mvp curse, but along comes Life and NOPES all that away from me. I had never heard of him, being all ignorant I went "who does this kid think he is?!". "Surely he's no match to the 4 GSL champion Mvp!". NOPE.
Now I'm such a Life fan-boy. Realistically however, I think he's one of the weakest in Blizzcon right now, but that's the thing about Life, he always finds a way. Counting Life it is like counting Mvp out. Both have this way of just retaliating right when you stop believing in them.
I really hope that Life doe's a miracle showing this Blizzcon!
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
Yes. You can decide the terms
So I guess if Jaedong does not make the final I will put "Life is 10 times the player Jaedong is!" in my sig until WCS begins next year, vice versa for you if Jaedong does make it.
No true Jaedong fan would willingly walk into this.
This must be your subconscious trying to tell you something.
What the hell, does really nobody have any faith? Nobody thinks I can win this? Jaedong at Blizzcon will be another level above Jaedong at the last DH and he already looked damn good there.
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
Yes. You can decide the terms
So I guess if Jaedong does not make the final I will put "Life is 10 times the player Jaedong is!" in my sig until WCS begins next year, vice versa for you if Jaedong does make it.
No true Jaedong fan would willingly walk into this.
This must be your subconscious trying to tell you something.
What the hell, does really nobody have any faith? Nobody thinks I can win this? Jaedong at Blizzcon will be another level above Jaedong at the last DH and he already looked damn good there.
Can he make it to the finals? Yes, if he manages to cheese out the monster Bomber currently is. Can he win the whole thing considering he's very likely to play a player that is at least a semifinalist from the last GSL? I honestly don't think so. And come on, JD winning last year after five or six second place finishes would have been great, but JD winning this year while he has been totally eclipsed by players such as Zest, soO, Bomber or even Hyun all year long would make me sad. Anyway great article, although I fear that Zest will show no mercy
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
Yes. You can decide the terms
So I guess if Jaedong does not make the final I will put "Life is 10 times the player Jaedong is!" in my sig until WCS begins next year, vice versa for you if Jaedong does make it.
No true Jaedong fan would willingly walk into this.
This must be your subconscious trying to tell you something.
What the hell, does really nobody have any faith? Nobody thinks I can win this? Jaedong at Blizzcon will be another level above Jaedong at the last DH and he already looked damn good there.
I can see Jaedong painfully reach semifinal if he cheeses Bomber then MMA, but I don't see him in final.
Either intentionally or through lack of knowledge, Zealously has pre-cursed Life.
I am surprised you would use the Tower for any player - it is perhaps the only card in the entire deck (of most Tarot decks) with an almost universally negative interpretation in any position, whether normal or reversed. Seriously, that card is a horrible thing to see.
On October 19 2014 08:38 felisconcolori wrote: Either intentionally or through lack of knowledge, Zealously has pre-cursed Life.
I am surprised you would use the Tower for any player - it is perhaps the only card in the entire deck (of most Tarot decks) with an almost universally negative interpretation in any position, whether normal or reversed. Seriously, that card is a horrible thing to see.
it was a trap to show us who has an awkwardly high degree of knowledge about tarot
On October 19 2014 08:38 felisconcolori wrote: Either intentionally or through lack of knowledge, Zealously has pre-cursed Life.
I am surprised you would use the Tower for any player - it is perhaps the only card in the entire deck (of most Tarot decks) with an almost universally negative interpretation in any position, whether normal or reversed. Seriously, that card is a horrible thing to see.
it was a trap to show us who has an awkwardly high degree of knowledge about tarot
This is not an awkwardly high degree of knowledge. If I were to go into a speech about why the knave of cups would work better, that could be.
Didn't like the comparison to some guy named Line, when Life is such a unique and accomplished player. Also calling a guy so young washed up, doesn't really do him justice. Overall described the feel of his play pretty well though.
Life showed potential early in 2011 by beating the soon-to-be GSL champion jjakji in the finals of the sixth ESV Korean Weekly, taking him out in a tense series that went all 7 games.
i was looking for Vods of said game. Do you guys happen to have them? I tried checking wikipedia and old esv youtube chan but could only find season 3.
The mentioned finals was ESV season 1 weekly#6, if its of any help finding a source. Would love to be able to check out that finals :D
Find Orb, beat him up, steal his pc, and hope to god he still has the replays.
Those games are back from when it was still the iCCup KR Weekly, which the games from weren't really stored. You can still find some Line games on youtube though. You could watch those and pretend it's just Life playing terribly.
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
reading this with the voice of RvB's Sarge in my heard, sound funny. Hope he will win without even fighting. But Zest, Inno and soo are kinda ........................
On October 19 2014 07:06 REyeM wrote: I really like Life but I'm kind of sad that he has to play Zest in Ro16. Wish he had an easier opponent someone like MMA or Bomber.
u wat
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
Yes. You can decide the terms
So I guess if Jaedong does not make the final I will put "Life is 10 times the player Jaedong is!" in my sig until WCS begins next year, vice versa for you if Jaedong does make it.
this is a terrible bet statistically
only 1/8 of players will make it to the final, so you're pretty likely to lose unless JD is significantly better than his opposition
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
Yes. You can decide the terms
So I guess if Jaedong does not make the final I will put "Life is 10 times the player Jaedong is!" in my sig until WCS begins next year, vice versa for you if Jaedong does make it.
this is a terrible bet statistically
only 1/8 of players will make it to the final, so you're pretty likely to lose unless JD is significantly better than his opposition
He's a jaedong fan, for him it's at least a 50/50 chance
No Zerg has ever matched, even remotely, the level he was at in these times, he was the 4th race kinda and the current top Zergs seem so slow and dull compared to that.
I guess it was just a 6 month miracle, too bad it couldn't last longer.
On October 19 2014 06:48 Shellshock wrote: Word on the street is that the articles are being released in reverse order of the writers' belief of chances to win blizzcon
Bomber isn't exactly an easy opponent, but excluding San I don't think there's a worse first-round opponent for Life than Zest. Bomber might be third or fourth on that list.
Yeah, terran or Jaedong preferably.
Jaedong isn't an opponent, he's a free win
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
Yes. You can decide the terms
So I guess if Jaedong does not make the final I will put "Life is 10 times the player Jaedong is!" in my sig until WCS begins next year, vice versa for you if Jaedong does make it.
this is a terrible bet statistically
only 1/8 of players will make it to the final, so you're pretty likely to lose unless JD is significantly better than his opposition
He's a jaedong fan, for him it's at least a 50/50 chance
Finally someone understands, this is not about math, this is about being a fanboy and having faith. And easy bets are no fun.
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
Yes. You can decide the terms
So I guess if Jaedong does not make the final I will put "Life is 10 times the player Jaedong is!" in my sig until WCS begins next year, vice versa for you if Jaedong does make it.
this is a terrible bet statistically
only 1/8 of players will make it to the final, so you're pretty likely to lose unless JD is significantly better than his opposition
He's a jaedong fan, for him it's at least a 50/50 chance
Finally someone understands, this is not about math, this is about being a fanboy and having faith. And easy bets are no fun.
Zealously still has to confirm the bet btw.
Of course it's confirmed. Surely you don't think I'd back out?
I love how people keep underestimating Jaedong before Blizzcon and then we get to call it a "Miracle Run" when he goes to the final .
Sigbet me bro
My sig is still disfigured from my last two sigbets :/. But I guess here goes nothing. Jaedong beat Bomber the last time they met to qualify for WEC and he gets special powers at Blizzcon.
So what's the bet? I say JD makes the final, you say he doesn't?
Yes. You can decide the terms
So I guess if Jaedong does not make the final I will put "Life is 10 times the player Jaedong is!" in my sig until WCS begins next year, vice versa for you if Jaedong does make it.
this is a terrible bet statistically
only 1/8 of players will make it to the final, so you're pretty likely to lose unless JD is significantly better than his opposition
He's a jaedong fan, for him it's at least a 50/50 chance
Finally someone understands, this is not about math, this is about being a fanboy and having faith. And easy bets are no fun.
Zealously still has to confirm the bet btw.
Of course it's confirmed. Surely you don't think I'd back out?
Never, just wanted to make sure. Can't wait for Blizzcon .
On October 19 2014 22:00 The_Red_Viper wrote: JD is more likely to make the finals than Life imo
Did Bomber forfeit? :o
Jokes aside, the two have the hardest opponents they could possibly have gotten in round 1. I'll straight-up say that either player making the finals is unlikely.
On October 19 2014 22:00 The_Red_Viper wrote: JD is more likely to make the finals than Life imo
Did Bomber forfeit? :o
Jokes aside, the two have the hardest opponents they could possibly have gotten in round 1. I'll straight-up say that either player making the finals is unlikely.
Yeah that is true, they aren't really the favorites that's for sure :D But hey, let's wait and see ^^
On October 19 2014 06:48 Shellshock wrote: Word on the street is that the articles are being released in reverse order of the writers' belief of chances to win blizzcon
On October 19 2014 06:48 Shellshock wrote: Word on the street is that the articles are being released in reverse order of the writers' belief of chances to win blizzcon
I doubt it, soO wasn't the first article.
Also jjakji and jaedong haven't been mentioned yet. I would say reverse order of number of accomplishments but it has the same problem
On October 20 2014 01:45 OminouS wrote: 5 major wins in 6 months? I had no idea. Been somewhat living under a rock when it comes to the past couple of years.
2012 GSL Season 4, October (4-3 vs Mvp) MLG Fall Championship, November (4-3 vs Leenock) 2012 Blizzard Cup, December (4-2 vs Parting) Iron Squid: Chapter II, January (4-3 vs DRG) MLG Winter Championship, March (4-2 vs Flash)
On October 19 2014 22:00 The_Red_Viper wrote: JD is more likely to make the finals than Life imo
Did Bomber forfeit? :o
Jokes aside, the two have the hardest opponents they could possibly have gotten in round 1. I'll straight-up say that either player making the finals is unlikely.
??? How is Bomber harder than Innovation, soO, Classic or herO?
On October 19 2014 22:00 The_Red_Viper wrote: JD is more likely to make the finals than Life imo
Did Bomber forfeit? :o
Jokes aside, the two have the hardest opponents they could possibly have gotten in round 1. I'll straight-up say that either player making the finals is unlikely.
??? How is Bomber harder than Innovation, soO, Classic or herO?
Bomber's style owns Jaedong, but he's also just the best player in the world so that's why.
The tower is usually interpreted as a bad sign. Something is bad and its crumbling down (and that is the good part), what follows the fall of this tower is chaos. Zest precision and consistent play will not allow zerglings in, and will not leave a spire unscouted. Cheese and unconventional play for his own standards will come too late to save Life's life. Tarotcrafting is fun Now im feeling sure the series will go exactly like this XD
On October 19 2014 22:00 The_Red_Viper wrote: JD is more likely to make the finals than Life imo
Did Bomber forfeit? :o
Jokes aside, the two have the hardest opponents they could possibly have gotten in round 1. I'll straight-up say that either player making the finals is unlikely.
??? How is Bomber harder than Innovation, soO, Classic or herO?
Life fights evenly with herO and has a good record against Classic (one of two players to beat him during his championship run), and his ZvZ is still god-tier. After soO's loss to Solar, I'm not confident soO would even win the majority of matches against Life.
JD, I think he has a better chance ZvZing soO or taking the fight to Classic than he does against Bomber's style. As for herO, eh, he'd probably be outmatched, but I'd still rate Bomber as the worst opponent.
On October 19 2014 22:00 The_Red_Viper wrote: JD is more likely to make the finals than Life imo
Did Bomber forfeit? :o
Jokes aside, the two have the hardest opponents they could possibly have gotten in round 1. I'll straight-up say that either player making the finals is unlikely.
??? How is Bomber harder than Innovation, soO, Classic or herO?
Life fights evenly with herO and has a good record against Classic (one of two players to beat him during his championship run), and his ZvZ is still god-tier. After soO's loss to Solar, I'm not confident soO would even win the majority of matches against Life.
JD, I think he has a better chance ZvZing soO or taking the fight to Classic than he does against Bomber's style. As for herO, eh, he'd probably be outmatched, but I'd still rate Bomber as the worst opponent.
No way, soO has ridiculous ZvZ. His series against solar in the previous GSL showed that (solar made almost no mistake and just got crushed). He just derp in final.
On October 20 2014 01:45 OminouS wrote: 5 major wins in 6 months? I had no idea. Been somewhat living under a rock when it comes to the past couple of years.
2012 GSL Season 4, October (4-3 vs Mvp) MLG Fall Championship, November (4-3 vs Leenock) 2012 Blizzard Cup, December (4-2 vs Parting) Iron Squid: Chapter II, January (4-3 vs DRG) MLG Winter Championship, March (4-2 vs Flash)
Yeah, had to look it up at liquipedia. Still can't belive I missed that when it happened. Makes Sjow's win a bit more impressive.
On October 19 2014 22:00 The_Red_Viper wrote: JD is more likely to make the finals than Life imo
Did Bomber forfeit? :o
Jokes aside, the two have the hardest opponents they could possibly have gotten in round 1. I'll straight-up say that either player making the finals is unlikely.
??? How is Bomber harder than Innovation, soO, Classic or herO?
Life fights evenly with herO and has a good record against Classic (one of two players to beat him during his championship run), and his ZvZ is still god-tier. After soO's loss to Solar, I'm not confident soO would even win the majority of matches against Life.
JD, I think he has a better chance ZvZing soO or taking the fight to Classic than he does against Bomber's style. As for herO, eh, he'd probably be outmatched, but I'd still rate Bomber as the worst opponent.
On October 19 2014 22:00 The_Red_Viper wrote: JD is more likely to make the finals than Life imo
Did Bomber forfeit? :o
Jokes aside, the two have the hardest opponents they could possibly have gotten in round 1. I'll straight-up say that either player making the finals is unlikely.
??? How is Bomber harder than Innovation, soO, Classic or herO?
Life fights evenly with herO and has a good record against Classic (one of two players to beat him during his championship run), and his ZvZ is still god-tier. After soO's loss to Solar, I'm not confident soO would even win the majority of matches against Life.
JD, I think he has a better chance ZvZing soO or taking the fight to Classic than he does against Bomber's style. As for herO, eh, he'd probably be outmatched, but I'd still rate Bomber as the worst opponent.
No way, soO has ridiculous ZvZ. His series against solar in the previous GSL showed that (solar made almost no mistake and just got crushed). He just derp in final.
He might have, but so does Life. I think Life would be favored statistically, as well. For soO, I think it'd be at best even.
Edit: Ah, yes:
(2012) soO 0-0 Life (2165) ------------------------------------- 43.25% 1-0 0-1 56.75% ------------------------------------- 43.25% 56.75%
Here's my predictions & justifications for the remaining players:
Zest - Strength - one of the easiest matches there are. That's what Zest was this year. Strong. No hidden meanings, no subtleties. Only other cards that could fit are Chariot (less catchy) and Emperor. But I'd rather reserve Emperor for...
Innovation - Emperor - the reigning GSL Code S champion. No one doubts Innovation's raw skill, but after defeating a slew of weaker Protoss, an off-looking DRG, Cure in a messy TvT, and soO in a finals, some might want a little bit more proof that Innovation's really back in top form. BlizzCon is his chance to screw that crown to his head.
Hyun - World - from rags to riches, last year Hyun was on the brink of retiring after being taken advantage of by his team. He closes 2014 as #2 on the WCS ranking, having conquered the world, and would still be #1 if it weren't for...
Bomber - Hierophant - if Red Bull is a religion, Bomber is its devout preacher. In both Atlanta and Washington, he brought cattle to the altar of Red Bull and butchered them without mercy, offering them up as sacrifice to his happy Gods. No one player has been such a good investment for a brand like Red Bull Bomber.
Polt - Star - a rising star in 2014 whose winning personality, love for the West, and matchless domination in TvP earlier this year cemented him as a huge fan favorite. Not for naught the superhero he's come to be associated with, Captain America, is known for wearing stars and stripes into combat.
Taeja - Death - stuck in an eternal wrist-inflamed purgatory, somewhere between the "death" of his willing retirement and the death of everyone else... by his own hands. Taeja's 2014 hasn't looked as unbreakable as his 2013, which raises the question if this BlizzCon will be his last. Until next year.
Either Jjakji or MMA - Wheel of Fortune - could probably fit either considering how long they've been at it and how up and down their careers have been, but I don't follow them too closely.
herO - I'd be tempted to comment on this being a $100,000 tournament and herO narrowly losing the last one he was in, but I'm sure herO fans would have something a bit more substantial to offer than the lack of sOs at this tourney.
Jaedong - Magician - not a single WCS event win in 2014, one premier tournament win period (which he got by beating puck, HerO, and Snute twice... not the scariest of lineups especially given Jaedong's ZvZ), and this guy makes the cut-off for "top 16 in the world"?! If that's not a magician at work, I don't know what is.
soO - Sun - I'm guessing they'll go with this charitable interpretation (as opposed to Fool or Hanged Man or something equally depressing). Four Code S finals in a row have revolved around soO, in fact one might go so far as to say that he's eclipsed the other players and their storylines, despite his inability to seal the deal. There can't be a single person on the planet who would be upset with soO winning BlizzCon at this point.
On October 20 2014 01:45 OminouS wrote: 5 major wins in 6 months? I had no idea. Been somewhat living under a rock when it comes to the past couple of years.
2012 GSL Season 4, October (4-3 vs Mvp) MLG Fall Championship, November (4-3 vs Leenock) 2012 Blizzard Cup, December (4-2 vs Parting) Iron Squid: Chapter II, January (4-3 vs DRG) MLG Winter Championship, March (4-2 vs Flash)
Not to mention that a lot of these were the best series ever played.
On October 20 2014 01:45 OminouS wrote: 5 major wins in 6 months? I had no idea. Been somewhat living under a rock when it comes to the past couple of years.
2012 GSL Season 4, October (4-3 vs Mvp) MLG Fall Championship, November (4-3 vs Leenock) 2012 Blizzard Cup, December (4-2 vs Parting) Iron Squid: Chapter II, January (4-3 vs DRG) MLG Winter Championship, March (4-2 vs Flash)
Not to mention that a lot of these were the best series ever played.
Yeah, I still remember most of those (forgot Iron squid though)
On October 20 2014 01:45 OminouS wrote: 5 major wins in 6 months? I had no idea. Been somewhat living under a rock when it comes to the past couple of years.
2012 GSL Season 4, October (4-3 vs Mvp) MLG Fall Championship, November (4-3 vs Leenock) 2012 Blizzard Cup, December (4-2 vs Parting) Iron Squid: Chapter II, January (4-3 vs DRG) MLG Winter Championship, March (4-2 vs Flash)
Not to mention that a lot of these were the best series ever played.
I still remember each of those vividly. Could probably recite most of the semifinals games as well, they were just amazing to watch for multiple reasons
On October 20 2014 01:45 OminouS wrote: 5 major wins in 6 months? I had no idea. Been somewhat living under a rock when it comes to the past couple of years.
2012 GSL Season 4, October (4-3 vs Mvp) MLG Fall Championship, November (4-3 vs Leenock) 2012 Blizzard Cup, December (4-2 vs Parting) Iron Squid: Chapter II, January (4-3 vs DRG) MLG Winter Championship, March (4-2 vs Flash)
Not to mention that a lot of these were the best series ever played.
I still remember each of those vividly. Could probably recite most of the semifinals games as well, they were just amazing to watch for multiple reasons
On October 20 2014 01:45 OminouS wrote: 5 major wins in 6 months? I had no idea. Been somewhat living under a rock when it comes to the past couple of years.
2012 GSL Season 4, October (4-3 vs Mvp) MLG Fall Championship, November (4-3 vs Leenock) 2012 Blizzard Cup, December (4-2 vs Parting) Iron Squid: Chapter II, January (4-3 vs DRG) MLG Winter Championship, March (4-2 vs Flash)
Not to mention that a lot of these were the best series ever played.
I still remember each of those vividly. Could probably recite most of the semifinals games as well, they were just amazing to watch for multiple reasons
The GSL was Life vs TaeJa wasn't it?
Yeah, 3-0 essentially on the back of zerglings. Taeja derped a few times, admittedly.
These write ups are simply unbelievable. Incredibly well written, informative and beautifully designed.
Life is one of the few players in the tournament that I don't know a whole lot about, but I'm sure I will be coming back to this post several times in the coming weeks to brush back up on his past.
Thanks for these continual Road To Blizzcon's, they are stunning.