Hey, TL.net!
After long marathons of writing (mostly during the small hours of the night), I give you "From Bogus to INnoVation", an in-depth article on WCS Season 1 champion and STX SouL ace Lee INnoVation Shin Hyung. The article follows the story of INnoVation from the early Brood War days filled with fluctuating results, through the rough switch to a new game, to his ascension as WCS Season 1 champion after many months of being denied a championship despite all praise. It's also rich on VODs from all those periods (including games against sAviOr, Jaedong, sOs and Life), so I hope you enjoy those.
A few quotes from the text to get you going:
On upsetting Brood War legends in 2009 NATE MSL
The odds are beaten once again and Bogus conquers the first round of competition, eliminating 2008 WCG champion Luxury as well as Woongjin’s Free, the player with the highest ELO peak within his team. The Round of 32 is an even tougher challenge but Bogus overcomes it as well as he wins against undisputable legends Bisu and Savior. Although, granted, Savior is not in his best ZvT shape at that point of time, Bisu is on a 31-12 PvT record in 2009 alone, a record which includes wins versus Flash, Fantasy, Nada, Mind and SkyHigh, all recognized names within the Terran pool of BroodWar.
On the rough, to say the least, transition into SC2
Bogus’ first televised match is a loss to Woongjin Stars’ sOs and it goes downhill from there as finishes 0-6 in SPL '12, losing four TvPs and two TvZs in the process. The Protoss players will continue to be a nuisance and Bogus coats his Proleague misfortunes with elimination from ODT 2012 after losing to Flying and Rain, the latter of whom would later become the champion of the same event. Thrown into an hitherto unknown scene, the STX Terran fails to have a break-out analogical to the ones of his early years and by the fall of 2012, things are not looking too great for Bogus.
On his strengths and failing to secure a championship in WoL in spite of them
So, why isn’t INnoVation a champion by March 2012? Some will attribute his lack of crown to bad luck, other to his opponents being better or more experienced but minds like GosuGamers strategist and caster Chris “Cyniko” Messer considers the game itself to be a restraining factor with the amount of possibilities it offers and the way Terran is played. As a player relying on mechanical prowess and understanding every playstyle and concept of the game more thoroughly than everybody else, INnoVation was, in a weird way, so good he could never be the best in WoL.
On where he stands at the time of writing of the article
Second in the GosuRankings, mere 20 points behind miracle kid Life
First in TLPD HotS ranking with 2295, 70 points ahead of Flash
First in the Aligulac rankings with 1996, 20 points ahead of Life
Is the highest peaking player according to TLPD, at 2295
Has the highest TvZ win-rate (TLPD, Aligulac) and the highest TvZ Elo peak (TLPD)
Has the highest TvP win rate (TLPD, Aligulac) and the second highest TvP Elo peak (TLPD)
Is 15-5 in his last 20 games
First in TLPD HotS ranking with 2295, 70 points ahead of Flash
First in the Aligulac rankings with 1996, 20 points ahead of Life
Is the highest peaking player according to TLPD, at 2295
Has the highest TvZ win-rate (TLPD, Aligulac) and the highest TvZ Elo peak (TLPD)
Has the highest TvP win rate (TLPD, Aligulac) and the second highest TvP Elo peak (TLPD)
Is 15-5 in his last 20 games
The entire article can be read here. I hope you have a good reading.