_____________________________________________________________________________ “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checked by failure...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” -Theodore Roosevelt
A Finale in Five by Arrian TeamLiquid: Final Edits
Preamble
Only a stage away, two players are about to clash across worlds. Mentally, they exist in different universes. Soon, they will be deities. They have stepped over the bodies of their enemies to get to that booth, and there is only one obstacle remaining. No sound proof environment can seal away the tsunami of anticipation from thousands of onlookers. No touch of a familiar keyboard or the caring caress of a hand warmer can calm their nerves.
The scene is set at the Batoo OSL finals: Two players One stage Thousands of fans Five games
This is the setting of a Starleague finals. The most intense moments of an entire season are about to commence. Over the next hours, a champion may rise, (sAviOr), a prodigy may come to fulfillment (Flash), or a legend may be anointed (NaDa).
At the Batoo OSL finals, both players are ready. The countdown begins.
Set 1: Definition
The five-count metronoming ends as swiftly as it begins, and the first set is joined. Both players feel a faint flutter in their chests just before their hours of practice, now an instinct in rhythm with their beating hearts, take full control. Assuming their roles: executor, commander, cerebrate, they are not the ones for whom the cheers sound. Those are mere mortals, trapped in a booth with a mouse and a keyboard. The first game has begun.
Almost invariably, when asked about which is the important set in pre-match interviews, it is said to be the first. The importance of the first set is intrinsic; whoever wins it takes a clear advantage and sets the pace for the rest of the series. The mental edge, whether acknowledged or not as an important factor by the players, leans heavily on the result of the first set, and the result of the series relies heavily on the mental edge.
A mental edge is by its own nature unquantifiable, though analysts seek to understand it and players seek to use it. A finals series is sometimes little more than a war between wills, a constant fight over possession of the mental edge, with the superficial contest of a game overlaid on top of what is otherwise a purely mental struggle. Whether it is chess, baseball, or StarCraft, the mental competition is extraordinarily difficult to understand and control but it is at the same time equally difficult to deny.
The mental edge, as has been said, is not a concept unique to StarCraft, though series competition in StarCraft has its own uniqueness. StarCraft itself is both strategic and technical, and playing the game requires both skills in extremo, which are developed over excruciating practice hours and nonstop coaching. This is common to other forms of competition, but StarCraft is different in that any weakness, even the smallest chink in a mental armor, can be exploited to the complete rout of the player. All of those practice hours and superior coaching can amount to absolutely nothing in the face of a mental weakness, which reveals itself no more clearly than in the first set.
Because of this, the paramount importance of a mental edge comes with the initial definition in the first game of the series. No matter the outcome, a pace is set. Whether it is reversed, or whether it predicts in straight sets the winner and the champion, the mental edge is first manifest in the result of this set.
When July opened the 2008 EVER OSL finals with a 5 pool on Othello, the tactic completely threw BeSt. It sent a message of complete, unapologetic control. The series was over after that first set; it was clear to everyone, including BeSt, that July would be steering that series from then on. And so it was. July dominated the second set again in the early game, and then in a protracted third set where July, with the most merciful of descriptions, toyed with BeSt, it was assured that the definition established in the first set had never left BeSt's mind. What had been, to that point, merely a crack in BeSt's concentration had been jarred open and ruthlessly exploited by July's superior mental edge, turning from what started as a cheap victory into an easy Golden Mouse for the God of War.
In the first set of the Batoo OSL finals, the message was loud and clear: fantasy was not intimidated by his opponent, and Jaedong had not shown up to play. In the tradition of the SKT1 Terrans, fantasy used clever strategy and strangling control to define the start of one of the best series in recent memory.
Set 2: Defiance
On a stage, a spotlight, with millions of leering souls, wills are being tested. One has been dealt a blow, the other has asserted a definition. Both players let out a sigh and test their fingers. The outcome of this game will reverse of enforce the result of the last. At the end, either both will have shown weakness, or one will be all too human.
The second set is most often characterized by a sense of defiance. The mode of this defiance is mental, as much a struggle against the opponent as against the disappointment and the spectre of failure brought about by the outcome of the first. For the losing player of the first set, the second is always an exercise in defiance: defiance of the last result, defiance of a damaged confidence, defiance of the opposing player, and defiance of surrender.
Because of this, first and second sets are often closely intertwined. When the prospect of elimination is first visited in the third set, the mental game shifts from controlling the direction of the series to fighting to stay alive, or fighting to end the struggle. Before the third set, the games act as the definers, the parameters, and the foundation, of the remaining sets.
But a foundation only goes so far. Good mental players are not intimidated away from victory by the loss of the first game, and superior mental players not even by a loss in the second. In this way, defiance becomes not only an element of the second set, but for these players, a tool which they use until the final game. Indeed, only the weakest of mental players cultivate defiance for the second set and simply abandon that sense after a second defeat, giving in to the superior play and mental edge of the opposition.
At the same time as the desperation for the loser of the first set, the winner of that set is himself desperate to keep his opponent from recovering the mental state possessed in the first game. To win the first game easily, and then lose the second just as easily, is more jarring for the loser of the second set because it is fresher in his mind.
The second set of the EVER 2007 OSL between Jaedong and Stork on Katrina saw Jaedong's defiance reverse the definition of the first set. Up until Jaedong fought off Stork's one gate harassment, everything had gone Stork's way. But Jaedong's now-famous mutalisk (eee-han) timing threw Stork's game plan and secured victory in the set. Eventually, the defiance which Jaedong first employed in this set brought him the series win over a then-feeble and suppliant Stork.
The second set of the Batoo OSL finals saw Jaedong’s rising defiance crushed underfoot. Fantasy, in the second set, defied the expectations of the StarCraft universe by twice profoundly defeating the best player in the world. As fantasy gathered himself for the coup de grace, he had no idea that the house of cards so cleverly laid by the SKT1 game plan was about to collapse around its foundations.
As Jaedong rubbed his eyes amid reassurances from his coaches, defiance congealed in him, and gave way to another idea.
Set 3: Domination
The fates have taken sides. There has been only one victor on this day. As their chosen player goes to flaunt their favor once more to an expectant crowd, his opponent steels himself for one last stand.
For some series', this is the end of the line. Those which end in this way have witnessed nothing but the domination of one player over another, a psychological rout ending in complete submission with the final tap out. If this is the end, then the foundations laid in the first two sets, having backed one player into a corner, now damn him while they exalt the victor.
A 3-0 victory is the most resounding conclusion to any finals. It may seem self-evident that a 3-0 set is a 'domination,' but it is important to consider the method and style of this domination. A 3-0 victory could be 3 straight bunker rushes, or it could be 3 intensely long macro games. It could be three quick and dominating wins, or 3 games which could have ended with either player as the victor. But the result is still 3-0. No matter the character of this result, the mental damage is the same, the mental domination is identical.
Series which end with the third set are infamous rather than famous. A finals is the most-hyped and dramatic moment in a season, with the finalists passing through such trials that they must both be talented and capable killers, and both equally capable of defeating the other. A finals sweep may be a disappointing outcome, but it is also a moment to marvel at, because the practice, talent, and sense which goes into winning three straight games against an equally capable opponent leaves as its conclusion feelings of awe.
No domination, in the history of Starcraft, is so infamous or so characteristic of a dominant series and performance than Bisu over sAviOr in the third set of GomTV MSL on Blitz X. From Bisu denying sAviOr’s expansion to his overlord genocide, Bisu outclassed and outplayed the erstwhile bonjwa at every turn. It was the ending chord to Bisu's domination and one of the most infamous finals of all time, and it left the audience in complete disbelief and awe. To so thoroughly dominate a player in a finals is difficult, but to dominate a bonjwa is nearly impossible.
With the third set at the Batoo OSL, the scales had tipped. Fantasy’s former patroness, Nike, had become Jaedong’s mistress, the goddess of victory herself. Jaedong routed fantasy as mercilessly as he had been in the first two sets. Vengeance had taken up roost in Jaedong’s booth. A comeback was stirring.
Set 4: Desperation
Image credit to BoxerForever.com
Everything is on the line. One player battles against the odds, both against themselves, and both against each other. To go out in the fourth set has no glory, no fanfare, only a silent crowd, and a distant trophy. Both players struggle to quell their nerves, and to keep their plans in focus. The glint of a trophy is the last thing on their minds.
A fourth set is always a desperate fight. For one player, survival is in jeopardy, for the other, failure means humiliation in defeat, the loss of a mental edge, and the swing of momentum. This is the first set where both players have something to lose. For one player, defeat, and for the other, the final lifeline and the mental momentum. In the first contest where both players have something to lose, there can be no question that desperation has come into play.
When a series arrives here, one player is facing elimination, and the other is smelling blood. The first and second sets have long been forgotten, and the focus descends upon the immediacy and urgency of the moment. The result of the set is the only thing that matters, and though the outcomes of the first three games have shaped the mental game as it stands in this set, the games themselves and their lessons have been largely forgotten. One choice remains when a fourth set is reached: fight for a fifth, or surrender.
But that is merely background. A fourth set requires that both players have lost at least one game; blood has been drawn on either side. Whether a player chooses to blame his opponent's loss on a bad build or an unfavorable map, the idea that the opponent is vulnerable cannot be shaken. A player is never as sure of defeat as he is when he believes that his opponent is invincible, or better than him; that he is simply incapable of defeating his foe, no matter the circumstances. The fourth set dispatches with such notions, and this leaves the players resolved. A player who believes his opponent is invincible is in a position of hopelessness; one who believes his opponent is difficult but not immortal instead becomes desperate.
In the fourth set of the EVER 2004 finals on Requiem, BoxeR, in a flash of desperation and brilliance, went double barracks medic/marine against iloveoov's safer standard opening. This game, and indeed the whole series, is one of the best in the history of professional StarCraft. There is no question Boxer's play was motivated by genius, but also a measure of desperation. If the rush failed, Boxer would have failed. If the rush was scouted, doubtless, Boxer would have lost and handed so simply to his rival the joy of an OSL trophy.
The fourth set in the Batoo OSL finals was a more desperate attempt from fantasy than from Jaedong. His proxy factory into double port wraith was meant to be a cute, surprise build that was designed to have an opponent helpless with the vulture by the time the wraiths were revealed. An unnaturally calm Jaedong, faced with a desperate situation, rebuked, rebuffed, and riposted fantasy's play until fantasy himself was helpless.
Set 5: Destiny
It has been a long night. Both players are tired and sweaty. The hot lights and the flashing monitor, which have never in countless hours of practice become malignant, now sting. The players wipe their eyes, and in their minds go over their plan while in their hearts at the same time they throw it out. They both nervously fiddle with their hand warmers while they breathe in a heavy sigh. This one is for fate to decide.
The fifth and final set is for destiny. However the game is decided, whatever the outcome and with whatever players, it is the best. The fifth set is the cipher to a player's mind and soul, and what, with everything on the line, decides a champion. It is simultaneously a trial which all wish to avoid, but none can ever shy from. Fifth sets may be summed up with a phrase, or with an essay; a gasp, or with a sigh; a smile, or with a tear; a silence, and then gg.
The fifth set showcases epic improvisation, desperate tactics, and the most dramatic of all conflicts. In a sense, there can be no precursor, no foundation to a fifth set. It stands alone; both players finally on the same ground, both equally in jeopardy, and both equally as desperate to bring home the victory after the long affair. In a fifth set, the mental game comes the closest to the actual game. It is the culmination of a whole tournament, a whole series, and in some cases, a culmination of a career.
A series which comes to a fifth set without a doubt has the force of destiny behind it. A series which ends with the third set, no matter how close the games, has little excitement within the games themselves. A series which ends on the fourth has an air of disappointment, one with the potential to be great, with both players showing their ability to win but with one faltering along the way.
A fifth set suffers from neither of those, and instead series' which ends with fifth sets are called the greatest in the history of the game: Boxer over YellOw in the 2001 Coca-Cola OSL, GARIMTO over Boxer in the SKY2001 OSL, XellOs over YellOw in the 2003 Olympus OSL, iloveoov over Boxer in the 2004 EVER OSL, GoRush over Nada in the 2004 YATGK MSL, Anytime over Boxer in the 2005 So1 OSL, July over Goodfriend in the 2005 EVER OSL, NaDa over Anytime in the 2006 Shinhan Bank OSL, GGPlay over Iris in the Daum OSL, Bisu over Stork in the 2007 GOMTV MSL S2, and Stork over fantasy in the 2008 Incruit OSL.
In the history of the OSL, few fifth sets have been as epic as July v Goodfriend on Forte in the EVER 2005 OSL. From start to finish, this final set was exactly what a fifth set should be, exactly what a fifth set is. The non-stop action, improvisation of strategies, flashy micro and unrelenting macro made this game a thrilling conclusion, and a sacrifice to destiny. Watch this game.
At the Batoo OSL finals, the fifth set had finished. Victory had descended upon Lee Jae Dong, and for only the second time in StarCraft history, the fates had granted a complete reversal of fortune, from 0-2 to 3-2. The fifth set of this finals, in dramatic fashion, brought Jaedong within one OSL victory of his destiny.
Aftermath
The finals of a Starleague is part of what makes StarCraft professional competition as interesting to watch as it is, nearly ten years since its creation. Epic finals have built the history and the lore of the game and created rivalries which in turn gather fans to this day in unprecedented numbers. These finals have produced some of the best games ever played, and some of its most emotional moments.
Finals are as much about drama and entertainment as they are about the game itself. It is as much a battle against the monumental pressure and expectations as it is against the opponent, and this leaks into the games themselves. The best of five is an art form; it is a rare challenge which incorporates the mental aspect in a way that is rarely otherwise seen in e-Sports. It is the final test; a test of a skill that cannot be taught, and of a setting that cannot be replicated or prepared for.
No matter how tense the situation, however, either one player or the other must win. This is the gripping reality of any series, of any contentious finale. Two players step into their booths; only one steps out a champion. Whether through asserting a definition, or through powerful defiance, epic domination, breathless desperation, or the will of destiny, however a champion is chosen, all face the same challenge: a finale in five.
Allow me to offer some criticism. Maybe it's just because I've read too many of these now, but I feel that this writeup was somehow so awkwardly stuffed with artificial enthusiasm and hype, with so many words that seem proportionally out of place, that it seems terribly excessive.
Finals deserve to be hyped, but this write up goes a bit too far and I can't help but think if a bit of self-consciousness would improve the scope of this article.
It is a Kingdom of Conscience, or nothing.
GoSu Korea (South). August 18 2009 01:10. Posts 1773
On August 18 2009 01:04 LostWraithSC wrote: Allow me to offer some criticism. Maybe it's just because I've read too many of these now, but I feel that this writeup was somehow so awkwardly stuffed with artificial enthusiasm and hype, with so many words that seem proportionally out of place, that it seems terribly excessive.
Finals deserve to be hyped, but this write up goes a bit too far and I can't help but think if a bit of self-consciousness would improve the scope of this article.
Not an unfair criticism I would say, especially from our place as a community, but really it is what you make of it. Some members here watch every proleague game, some watch only their favorite matchups or their favorite players, some watch only the finals or some watch none at all.
The bottom line is that what I try to do with every article I write is get us as a community a little bit closer to progaming. Yes, it's presumptuous to say that I have that ability with my words alone, but it is nonetheless my goal, and when you see the crowd at the OSL, when you listen to the cheers and see their enthusiasm for this game, then it is not over-the-top, if you will. We cannot naturally be as enthusiastic as they because we feel the separation from the game and competition we love because of the language barrier, time differences, and physical separation, but the enthusiasm I portray in the article is not itself artificial, it may just seem so from our perspective and I try and make it so that this enthusiasm becomes not so artificial through my words.
But I can understand what you're saying and I can't altogether disagree with it, though I do not, obviously, share it.
I read the whole thing with chills the entire time. Fucking amazing.
"Jinro soo manly wearing only a T-Shirt while the Koreans freeze in their jackets" -- Double_O
"He's from Sweden, man. We have to fight polar bears on our way to school." -- Yusername
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Nice banner too
Singapore. August 18 2009 00:37. Posts 44465
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