It's easy to call Kelazhur the year's breakout player, especially among the foreign crowd. After lurking on the fringes of the StarCraft scene for much of his career, 2017 has seen him evolve into a mainstay, making the Round of 8 three times to secure his position as one of the most consistent terrans in the WCS Circuit. In a scene after MarineLorD's retirement, when uThermal disappointed, with the absence of Polt, Kelazhur was given a golden opportunity to shine as the best foreign terran—a double-edged sword, given the relative paucity of options in prior years, but an impressive title nonetheless.
"Kelazhur was given a golden opportunity to shine as the best foreign terran."
But, that's not how it played out. Kelazhur was defined by his quest for greatness—to be the best terran in his region; in WCS; in the world, and thus his rivalry with SpeCial became essential to him. Due to their regional position, they played each other a total of 46 times, with Kelazhur taking the short end of the stick by far—SpeCial leads their annual head-to-head with a 31-15 record. While Kelazhur did get a couple essential wins, especially to take home the gold at Copa America Season 2, he was crushed in arguably their most important match, where he and SpeCial played at GSL vs the World. It was a potential opportunity for Kelazhur to shine in the darkness, for him to truly stand out after a largely faceless career, and he didn't even get that chance. He just lost to SpeCial. Again.
"Kelazhur's entire career has been spent trying to evade defeat, trying to fumble around the shadows until he found the light."
This tinge of disappointment carried on his breath the entire year, turning good events into unfulfilling ones. It began in Austin; early wins over Neeb in the group stages and Snute in the Round of 16 led to him having a real chance to make a run, but he lost in a tight series to Nerchio instead. Even his strongest showing during WCS Jönköping, where he dominated two of his competitors for 'best terran' and made his first career semifinal in Premier competition, ended in disappointment due to an absolutely disastrous series against Neeb. By WCS Valencia, it was a pattern, and one could see the wear on Kelazhur play, the stress given by disappointments. He looked sloppy playing MaSa, and was utterly crushed by Snute.
Montreal was a rebirth of sorts for Kelazhur, a chance for him to return to his prime form one last chance before Blizzcon, to reclaim the tournament runs he had lost. To reach out and grab the victory which so woefully eluded his fingertips. But, it wasn't meant to be. His bitter loss to Harstem in group stages doomed his bracket, and although he did look legitimately good against ShoWTimE, he once again fell short in TvZ, losing to Snute in a fairly solid effort which ultimately mattered little. Good play is always held in high esteem, even when the player ended up losing. We often remember those who played well, alongside those who won. It dulls the blade of defeat, for some. Yet, defeat is ravenous, unescapable—every time it returns, as sharp as ever, ready to inact pain and misery.
Winrate
45.96% vs. Terran 54.14% vs. Protoss 71.15% vs. Zerg
Rank
Circuit Standings 6
WCS Points
3250
Kelazhur's entire career has been spent trying to evade defeat, trying to fumble around the shadows until he found the light. Not only is he present in a region which few give attention to, but he's in the obvious shadow of a Latin American terran who has always exceeded his accomplishments. The comparision to SpeCial has been around ever since he began playing competitively, but this was when it really stung. The two were in direct competition for the title of best terran west of Korea, and it was under this bright light where Kelazhur truly failed—before this year, his win record when playing against SpeCial was close to 50/50. Perhaps a slight edge in the Mexican's favor, but not an indisputable one. Yet, it was this year—Kelazhur's absolute greatest by far as a pro player—which featured him crumbling against his rival in the one year where it mattered; the one year where surpassing SpeCial meant true, honest glory. It's a cruel irony of life for wins to come when they matter least, always tinged by the defeats which unavoidably mattered more.
All this leaves Kelazhur as perhaps the only player—Korean or otherwise—at BlizzCon to never have a moment in the sun. All year, there has never been a definitive moment where one could say Kelazhur had a golden opportunity in his bracket. The event featuring his strongest form, WCS Austin, cruelly matched him up with one of the known foreign killers in Nerchio. He fought, of course - he fought as hard as he reasonably could. But that has come to be Kelazhur's greatest weakness. He fights not only his enemy, but reason, and fate. He's never been in good enough form to win a championship, never favored by the odds, and never blessed by a miracle. But does that matter?
We often speak about championships as though they are the most essential piece of a career, and while that's true in many situations, there's something to be said about silent consistency. There's a certain beauty in being the type of player to show up with good form, having practiced hard, and eliminate one or two great players- even if those players are considered favored. Even if that means losing to someone with more skill, it equally means that an attempt was made, and it usually leads to high quality games due to the practiced passion on display. BlizzCon provides him an opportunity greater than any he has seen before in his career. While he faces difficult odds in his group, he's faced difficult odds his entire career - and that hasn't stopped him yet. Slowed, maybe. Stalled, perhaps. But never stopped. It would be easy to count Kelazhur out. To say he's just another failing foreign terran with a history of disappointments. But, it's every bit as easy to say that he's ruthlessly determined, that he practices as hard as anyone in WCS, and that he'll aim to surprise everyone watching. And, as we saw with Elazer last Global Finals, results accrued over the year mean nothing once one sets foot on Anaheim soil. Blizzcon is a rebirth, a cleansing of all disappointments and heartaches suffered throughout the year. It is Kelazhur who, more than anyone, stands to change his fate, to battle against his destiny, in the dimming light of late October.
What i respect about kelazhur is that he got better and better and one can see the development. I doubt it will be enough for blizzcon but if he can keep the same trajectory going next year might be his year in wcs
My prediction: #15 Major (lol foreigner terrans) #14 True #13 Nerchio #12 Elazer #11 Snute #10 Gumiho #9 Serral #8 TY #7 Neeb #6 herO #5 soO #4 Dark #3 Stats #2 Innovation #1 Rogue Foreign terrans suck, the ranking of foreign zergs is hard to call but its certainly #15-#10. Korean terrans also suck nowadays so Gumiho and TY are quite low. Neeb can hang around with the good koreans but not with the best. Top 3 is Stats, Inno and Rogue, but i'm not sure in which order.
It would have been perfect with one or two videos of his best games but still a good article ! Can't wait for INno Dark and Rogue... (but since they are probably high ranked I'll have to wait ^^)
Well written, and it sets the stage quite nicely for Kelazhur's underdog story at Blizzcon. I do wish his first opponent (Dark) was at least mentioned though.
Also I thought his lengthy training in Korea should have been mentioned as well, seeing as he credited it for his newfound success.
On October 11 2017 00:19 Liquid`Nazgul wrote: Do any Brazilians or South Americans remember Hellghost?
:D
Hellghost was a beast! He was by far the best Brazilian in BW, imo back at his peak time he was probably in the Foreigner Top10. And I feel he was a natural talent. Unfortunately he stopped playing without achieving much. Kelazhur on the other hand is a player that improved every year since SC2. In the past 3 years he really got into another level by working really hard. I don't think he's talented as Hellghost was back in BW, but I believe he's probably going to achieve more things in SC than HG.
Hmmm... if any one remembers last year Elazer didn't win anything all year either but he made it farther than every foreigner at Blizzcon... so there's some hope for Kelazhur to be the underdog that Elazer was.
On October 11 2017 08:20 breaker1328 wrote: Hmmm... if any one remembers last year Elazer didn't win anything all year either but he made it farther than every foreigner at Blizzcon... so there's some hope for Kelazhur to be the underdog that Elazer was.
He did, but Elazer also beat ShoWTimE in the ro8, which is good, but it's not like he beat a Korean in the ro8. However, Elazer getting to the ro8 in the first place was definitely a surprise. However, it must also be taken under the consideration that he essentially had to win two ZvZs to win, which is a complex matchup, but it's one that he had a lot of experience in.
In this case, there are two other races that Kelazhur has to deal with, and all of them are good at killing Terran. You have Dark and herO who are are quite strong in their vT matchup, and you have Elazer, who recently beat Gumi with a combined score of 6-2.
Still, you are correct that being near the absolute underdog, Kelazhur does have some upset potential....sort of.
The event featuring his strongest form, WCS Austin, cruelly matched him up with one of the known foreign killers in Nerchio. He fought, of course - he fought as hard as he reasonably could. But that has come to be Kelazhur's greatest weakness. He fights not only his enemy, but reason, and fate. He's never been in good enough form to win a championship, never favored by the odds, and never blessed by a miracle.
Well, guess what, you actually have to beat opponents to win tournaments! Is his weakness that he has no bracket luck -- or is it that he's playing worse than the opponents?
On October 11 2017 00:19 Liquid`Nazgul wrote: Do any Brazilians or South Americans remember Hellghost?
:D
Of Course I do, I had lose to him on WCG in Brazil, he is from my town, his name is Igor Campolina.
I met him a whole bunch at WCG's. Great guy and fantastic player. Easily top 10 outside of Korea in his prime. I remember having a crazy game against him on Lost Temple that ended in a draw. I miss those days.
On October 11 2017 08:20 breaker1328 wrote: Hmmm... if any one remembers last year Elazer didn't win anything all year either but he made it farther than every foreigner at Blizzcon... so there's some hope for Kelazhur to be the underdog that Elazer was.
Elazer got there of the back of ZvZ, and meeting a foreigner in the ro8. Such a situation is unlikely to occur for kela. He has a group with Dark, herO, and Elazer.
And I don't think we're gonna get a foreigner vs foreigner ro8 match again, unless serral gets 1st in his group (possible)
On October 11 2017 00:19 Liquid`Nazgul wrote: Do any Brazilians or South Americans remember Hellghost?
:D
Of Course I do, I had lose to him on WCG in Brazil, he is from my town, his name is Igor Campolina.
I met him a whole bunch at WCG's. Great guy and fantastic player. Easily top 10 outside of Korea in his prime. I remember having a crazy game against him on Lost Temple that ended in a draw. I miss those days.
On October 11 2017 08:20 breaker1328 wrote: Hmmm... if any one remembers last year Elazer didn't win anything all year either but he made it farther than every foreigner at Blizzcon... so there's some hope for Kelazhur to be the underdog that Elazer was.
Elazer got there of the back of ZvZ, and meeting a foreigner in the ro8. Such a situation is unlikely to occur for kela. He has a group with Dark, herO, and Elazer.
And I don't think we're gonna get a foreigner vs foreigner ro8 match again, unless serral gets 1st in his group (possible)
If Kela places first, he can beat Serral in the ro8.
On October 11 2017 08:20 breaker1328 wrote: Hmmm... if any one remembers last year Elazer didn't win anything all year either but he made it farther than every foreigner at Blizzcon... so there's some hope for Kelazhur to be the underdog that Elazer was.
Elazer got there of the back of ZvZ, and meeting a foreigner in the ro8. Such a situation is unlikely to occur for kela. He has a group with Dark, herO, and Elazer.
And I don't think we're gonna get a foreigner vs foreigner ro8 match again, unless serral gets 1st in his group (possible)
If Kela places first, he can beat Serral in the ro8.
If Kela places first, he will have defeated Dark and herO, meaning he would probably then become the favorite to win Blizzcon. Beating Serral at that point would be a mere formality.
Of course, there is a monstrously powerful Dark-shaped obstacle blocking that path.
My prediction: #15 Major (lol foreigner terrans) #14 True #13 Nerchio #12 Elazer #11 Snute #10 Gumiho #9 Serral #8 TY #7 Neeb #6 herO #5 soO #4 Dark #3 Stats #2 Innovation #1 Rogue Foreign terrans suck, the ranking of foreign zergs is hard to call but its certainly #15-#10. Korean terrans also suck nowadays so Gumiho and TY are quite low. Neeb can hang around with the good koreans but not with the best. Top 3 is Stats, Inno and Rogue, but i'm not sure in which order.
If Kela places first, he can beat Serral in the ro8.
How in the hell is that going to happen? He's going to beat Dark and then Hero?
He will go out 0-2. In the event he was to come out with a freakish win over Dark much like Showtime's shocking victory over Byun in group last year he will lose to Hero in the winner's match and face Dark again in the decider.
How in the hell is that going to happen? He's going to beat Dark and then Hero?
He will go out 0-2. In the event he was to come out with a freakish win over Dark much like Showtime's shocking victory over Byun in group last year he will lose to Hero in the winner's match and face Dark again in the decider.
No chance!
If he wins with Dark.... He will more likely face Elazer in the winners match.
On October 11 2017 08:20 breaker1328 wrote: Hmmm... if any one remembers last year Elazer didn't win anything all year either but he made it farther than every foreigner at Blizzcon... so there's some hope for Kelazhur to be the underdog that Elazer was.
Elazer got there of the back of ZvZ, and meeting a foreigner in the ro8. Such a situation is unlikely to occur for kela. He has a group with Dark, herO, and Elazer.
And I don't think we're gonna get a foreigner vs foreigner ro8 match again, unless serral gets 1st in his group (possible)
If Kela places first, he can beat Serral in the ro8.
If Kela places first, he will have defeated Dark and herO, meaning he would probably then become the favorite to win Blizzcon. Beating Serral at that point would be a mere formality.
Of course, there is a monstrously powerful Dark-shaped obstacle blocking that path.
Well, according to Catz, Kela is favoured to win Blizzcon, and if not him, then herO. So, I think getting out of the groups should be easy, and then he'll face herO in the finals.
On October 11 2017 08:20 breaker1328 wrote: Hmmm... if any one remembers last year Elazer didn't win anything all year either but he made it farther than every foreigner at Blizzcon... so there's some hope for Kelazhur to be the underdog that Elazer was.
Elazer got there of the back of ZvZ, and meeting a foreigner in the ro8. Such a situation is unlikely to occur for kela. He has a group with Dark, herO, and Elazer.
And I don't think we're gonna get a foreigner vs foreigner ro8 match again, unless serral gets 1st in his group (possible)
Neeb beating soO and Rogue is possible, albeit unlikely. Probably more likely than Serral beating INno and GuMi.
On October 11 2017 08:20 breaker1328 wrote: Hmmm... if any one remembers last year Elazer didn't win anything all year either but he made it farther than every foreigner at Blizzcon... so there's some hope for Kelazhur to be the underdog that Elazer was.
Elazer got there of the back of ZvZ, and meeting a foreigner in the ro8. Such a situation is unlikely to occur for kela. He has a group with Dark, herO, and Elazer.
And I don't think we're gonna get a foreigner vs foreigner ro8 match again, unless serral gets 1st in his group (possible)
Neeb beating soO and Rogue is possible, albeit unlikely. Probably more likely than Serral beating INno and GuMi.
Neeb has a modest chance of beating one of soO/Rogue, though I would be surprised if he managed to beat both of them. Serral has the best chance of any foreigner in the opening match, I'd give him around 50/50 against Gumiho, more if Gumi goes bio. But he's got no chance against Inno.
On October 11 2017 08:20 breaker1328 wrote: Hmmm... if any one remembers last year Elazer didn't win anything all year either but he made it farther than every foreigner at Blizzcon... so there's some hope for Kelazhur to be the underdog that Elazer was.
Elazer got there of the back of ZvZ, and meeting a foreigner in the ro8. Such a situation is unlikely to occur for kela. He has a group with Dark, herO, and Elazer.
And I don't think we're gonna get a foreigner vs foreigner ro8 match again, unless serral gets 1st in his group (possible)
Neeb beating soO and Rogue is possible, albeit unlikely. Probably more likely than Serral beating INno and GuMi.
Neeb has a modest chance of beating one of soO/Rogue, though I would be surprised if he managed to beat both of them. Serral has the best chance of any foreigner in the opening match, I'd give him around 50/50 against Gumiho, more if Gumi goes bio. But he's got no chance against Inno.
It's hard to judge his PvZ, honestly. He hasn't played a single korean zerg offline all year. But yeah, I think the uncertainty raises it from 'yeah not happening' to 'probably not, but hard to say'.
Especially because Nerchio beating soO isn't impossible either. [although he's not favored - probably 30/70 in my eyes]
On October 11 2017 00:19 Liquid`Nazgul wrote: Do any Brazilians or South Americans remember Hellghost?
:D
Of Course I do, I had lose to him on WCG in Brazil, he is from my town, his name is Igor Campolina.
I met him a whole bunch at WCG's. Great guy and fantastic player. Easily top 10 outside of Korea in his prime. I remember having a crazy game against him on Lost Temple that ended in a draw. I miss those days.
I used to play quite a bit with HG during early 2000's. I saw this Lost Temple replay back then! One of you was fiercely defending on one of the corner islands!
HG was quite talented indeed. Played beautifully. And he won 2-0 against HOT-Forever at a WCG finals playoff game.
Neeb has a modest chance of beating one of soO/Rogue, though I would be surprised if he managed to beat both of them.
He doesn't have to beat both of them he only has to beat one. If Neeb loses to Rogue and SoO beats Nerchio Neeb plays Nerchio in the losers match and then if he wins plays the loser of the winners match.
Based on recent form that would likely be SoO. The way Rogue is playing hardly anybody can beat him.
Poor Nerchio has no chance in that group. Neeb has the advantage of preparing for one race in group.
In terms of recent form the 4 best players in the world right now are Rogue-Hero-Innovation-Dark. Stats and SoO are always solid and so usually is TY though he has been mediocre lately for him.
In Master's coliseum 2 TY and stats were the last ones in their group with 2-6 map records. Rogue and Hero were in the finals of super tournament, Dark is going deep in every tournament he plays and Innovation is super solid .
If he wins with Dark.... He will more likely face Elazer in the winners match.
So Elazer is going to beat Hero? Hero is probably the 4th best player or better in the world now. He is in better form right now than Stats.
Nah...HerO is like worse than a lot of foreigners right now. He's easy to beat (not even in the top 100 on aligulac). However, herO just avenged his loss to Rogue in the Master's Colosseum. But if Elazer can win against the best foreign Protoss, Neeb,......in the Nydus Open 2 Ro4 on May 13, 2017, then he can win against herO. Also, Elazer's wins against Protoss number at 666, so I don't think there's any question about him beating herO.
But in all seriousness, Elazer's won a number of games against top level Protoss. A lot of them are online matches, sure, but he's beaten players like Classic, Zest, and Stats. So I think he does stand a chance--even if herO is the favourite right now.
Neeb has a modest chance of beating one of soO/Rogue, though I would be surprised if he managed to beat both of them.
He doesn't have to beat both of them he only has to beat one. If Neeb loses to Rogue and SoO beats Nerchio Neeb plays Nerchio in the losers match and then if he wins plays the loser of the winners match.
Based on recent form that would likely be SoO. The way Rogue is playing hardly anybody can beat him.
Poor Nerchio has no chance in that group. Neeb has the advantage of preparing for one race in group.
I think what I'm worried about is if Rogue beats Neeb and then loses to soO in the Winner's match. Neeb would have to play Rogue again. That being said, I'm reasonably confident about Neeb being able to beat soO. Rogue is definitely the harder threat, but it is tough to maintain form from one tournament to another--especially with the large number of replays that Neeb can use to study Rogue whereas Rogue can only study Neeb playing against worse Zergs.