The Triple Crown of Starcraft 2

The Hallowed Hall of Champions
What is a Triple Crown Championship? Maybe it's something that I made up when I got bored waiting for the GSL to come on. Maaybe it's a feat so rare, so amazing, so awe-inspiring, that only a few truly legendary players have been able to acheive it. Simply put, to earn a Triple Crown, a player must be crowned a champion in a three premier tournaments (as defined by Liquipedia), one in Korea, North America, and Europe each. It is such an honor, the Triple Crown now even has its very own Liquipedia page!

Without further ado, I present you our globe-trotting champions:

AcerMMA

North American Title (2011-6-5): 2011 MLG Pro Circuit: Columbus
Korean Title (2011-10-22): 2011 Global StarCraft II League October
European Title (2012-1-22): IEM Season VI - Global Challenge Kiev

The son of Boxer himself, MMA earned his reputation first as one of the most dangerous players in GSTL, taking Slayers to two championships. Also, MMA is the first player to obtain a Triple Crown. Despite starting his career in Korea, he actually won his first title in North America. MLG Anaheim (2011) was the first offline event in North America to allow Koreans to attend, thus beginning the tradition of Korean progamers coming to America to show off their talents and take all the prize money. After being denied a title in the GSL Super Tournament by Polt, MMA took his GSL later that year in GSL October. Finally, MMA rounded out his collection by winning IEM Kiev in January of 2012.

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LG-IM.MVP

Korean Title (2011-1-29): 2011 Sony Ericsson Global StarCraft II League January
North American Title (2011-7-31): 2011 MLG Pro Circuit: Anaheim
European Title (2012-8-19): IEM Season VII - Cologne

Let's face it, what hasn't this guy won? He has not one, but four GSL titles, a WCG title, an MLG title, a Blizzcon title, and an IEM title. Men would create the most difficult tournaments known to the world of eSports only to them conquered by Mvp. The question was not if Mvp could win every tournament ever created, but when. The year 2011 was the year of Mvp's greatest success. He won both his Korean and North American title this year. He cooled off somewhat in 2012 before coming through for his final title of the three in Germany, some 13 months after his MLG victory.

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StarTale_Life

Korean Title (2012-10-20): 2012 Global StarCraft II League Season 4: Code S
North American Title (2012-11-4): MLG Pro Circuit 2012 – Fall Championship
European Title (2013-1-26): Iron Squid – Chapter II

GSL championship at age 15. First ever player to walk the Code S royal road. Titles on three continents at age 16. Life is a young prodigy, a Flash-like character for the SC2 scene. I can only imagine that there is much more in store for Life. Let me simply end this with one more stat. The total number of days from his first title to his third: 98.

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The "Little" Triple Crown
There are two players who clearly stand above the rest. They have traveled across the globe and crushed nerds of every type. However, the third premier title has eluded both these players. That is why I bring you the "Little" Triple Crown, awarded to these players for earning two premier titles and a major title in the three primary Starcraft scenes.

MVPDongRaeGu

Korean Title (2012-3-3): 2012 Global StarCraft II League Season 1
North American Title (2012-6-10): MLG Pro Circuit 2012 – Spring Championship
European Title (2011-9-17): 2011 DreamHack: Valencia

DongRaeGu's story is not unlike that of MMA. DongRaeGu first made his name in the GSTL while success eluded him in the GSL. DRG also took his first title overseas. He has now established himself alongside Lord Nestea as the most dominant Zerg of the Wings of Liberty era. Perhaps what we will remember DongRaeGu best for will be his great rivalries; the great storylines of DRG vs. MMA, DRG vs. MarineKing, and DRG vs. Genius will live in the hearts of fans forever.

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SK.MC

Korean Title (2010-12-10): 2010 Sony Ericsson Starcraft II Open Season 3
European Title (2012-1-8): HomeStory Cup IV
North American Title (2012-5-27): Red Bull Battlegrounds: Austin

Many people thought that MC would be the first player to win a Triple Crown. The BossToss made much of his reputation in 2011 and 2012 by two-basing beating up nerds anytime, anywhere, and, despite never actually taking a premier title in North America, winning a multitude of major events (topped off by a $15000 performance at Red Bull's LAN in Austin) earns him a "Little" Triple Crown. Was it MC's ability to use tried and true Protoss builds with expert execution that won him so many games overseas, or was it his dance moves? Perhaps we will never know.

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Almost There
There are a few players who are one title away from a Triple Crown.
Need a North American title: Polt, MC
Need a Korean title: Huk, Stephano, Hero, Taeja, Puma



I want to thank all of you for making your pilgrimage to this holy ground. Feel free to bring an offering of fan-art or graphics or something, I'll try to add it to the OP.

Last edit: 2013-02-15 09:09:06

Last edit: 2013-02-14 19:17:23