There was Nony, reigning champion of T★SL2 and the best player in the foreigner world. When no one thought that IdrA could be stopped there was Tyler 'Nony' Wasieleski accomplishing the seemingly impossible as he went on to take out the previous T★SL champion IefNaij and the ever dominant Mondragon to win his crown. At that time Nony looked unstoppable, but jump ahead to today and those wins of the past feel forgotten. Forget the title of best non-Korean, today it is hard to even find reasons to call Liquid Tyler the best American Protoss player. Many newcomers to TL.net have not witnessed Tyler’s history and see only a struggling player that they write off, but this was not always the case.
That was my first introduction to this player, a 1 second blip of a half transparent guy with his arms folded across his chest on a brick wall during the Razer T★SL intro video back in 08. Still there was something about that image that stuck with me. Like many recent Esports converts at the time the foreigner competitive scene was an unknown entity to me with MSL, OSL and Proleague hogging the limelight and it was only through the T★SL that our view of the SC world was expanded beyond Korea, and by the end of the tournament Nony’s 4th place finish was enough to generate at least one new fan.
From there he took WCG USA and followed that up with a brief stint in Korea playing on Estro which garnered him even more acclaim. While in Korea, Nony managed to make it to the finals of a Courage Tournament on his first attempt, an unbelievable feat, before his return to American and his temporary retirement from the game. At the time it was (like other player’s withdrawal from Korea) a topic of fierce debate until word slipped out of his marriage to “Mrs. Tyler” whereupon (of course) the community generally agreed that he made the right decision.
Nony was only brought back to the competitive scene by the T★SL2 one year later for what became the most hyped up match TL.net would ever see (except for maybe Jinro vs Idra). Because of Nony’s 4th place finish in the Razer T★SL he did not need to take part of the ladder to qualify for the tournament, instead he was to face the top ranked player from the ladder in a best of five for a seed into the tournament. When Idra finished an uncontested first in the ladder the match was made perfect.
The word on the street was that Nony had only been practicing for a few weeks while in contrast Idra had been practicing daily with the best players on CJ Entus and Estro for the past two years. It was not known if Nony would even have a chance given this lack of practice. As anticipated by the community Idra took the day, but it was not the landslide victory that some expected infact the match lived up to all expectation. On Andromeda, while the commentators were still questioning Nony’s decision to attack he proved beyond doubt that he was on his game as the sky tore open and a god of storms emerged. Nony made it out of the group stages and on to face Idra again, this time in the round of eight. What followed next was one for the history books.
Nony was not able to repeat his performance on Andromeda as Idra countered his fast nexus for a quick win. In the second game Idra accidentally cancelled his halfway finished command center and promptly left the game instead of trying to salvage the match. (I haven’t pulled an scv from a building using a hotkey since) On outsider Nony proved that he didn’t need free wins when he eventually broke through Idras’s defenses and in the fourth match Idra fended off one of the most aggressive rushes in the entire tournament leaving it tied 2-2 in the final match. Here Nony, knowing Idra preferred to fast expo, proxy’d 3 gateways in the middle of the map.
Unbelievable moment here! What an epic final match! Idra has to hang on! He’s suppose to be the one who’s gonna win he’s suppose to be the one who’s been in Korea this whole time and is therefore is more experienced and can handle any situation training all day with progamers. Nony coming back from the dead emerging from the middle of the wrestling map like it’s a WWF match here! -Nick Plott
That was the Nony that players feared, the player that could take out the best of the best when everything was on the line.
It feels like ancient history now as so much has changed since Starcraft2 beta, but it was only a little more than a year ago. When Jianfei won Razer T★SL it cemented him as the foreigner bonjwa for the year while Nony’s reign lasted for but a month before the beta gobbled up everyone’s attention.
Now with T★SL3 less than a week away where has Nony gone? With his name change Tyler has failed to live up to expectations. His results this past year have been disappointing for him and his fans with only a few showings in major tournaments and hardly any real accomplishments to speak of(The only exception being his triumph over Idra in the Gosucoaching.com Showmatch Series #1). Even on the ladder Tyler’s presence has been lacking with only a brief visit to the top 100 during September. You can say that it is not fair to hold Tyler up to high standards with a new game, but certainly other players such as Idra and Whitra have made the transition and Tyler himself made it clear what his expectations were when he told David Kim to watch his back during beta.
MC vs Tyler: I'll let you guess which graph belongs to who
This year's lacking performance has even caused Tyler’s seeding into T★SL3 to become controversial. While it's been the practice of almost all major tournaments to seed players from previous event this time with the change of game and the unimpressive performance of Tyler, Mondragon, and Sen in Starcraft2 competitions has left the community wondering if they can bring it well in the tournament.The list of talented players who have posted good results yet haven't managed to qualify for T★SL3 is so large that it is hard not to wonder if it would have been in the tournament's best interest to just start from scratch.
For right now Tyler stands favored to win his first match of the TSL3 against the Ukrainian Strelok after his victory in the round of 32 during last month's ASSEMBLY Winter: SteelSeries Challenge, but simply moving to the round of 16 again isn’t enough for the American Protoss. In numerous interviews Tyler has made his desires clear and when asked about the importance of the tournament for him personally he said, “This is what I do.” In order to actually win the T★SL 3 he will need to make his way through a bracket of GSL champions FruitDealer, MC, MVP, and NesTea could all stand in his way towards the title. With such a difficult road ahead of him, repeating his accomplishment of last year seems unlikely, but even so the current reigning TSL champion stands undaunted welcoming the challenge. With everything on the line the one question left unanswered from this player is if Tyler can become Nony again.
awesome write up, I think we are going to see history in the making once again, I have faith that nony will win TSL again...I can only imagine the epicness... gl nony :D
I'm getting "chills" down my spine just reading this. It certainly will be interesting to see the aging kings of the old school foreign scene facing up against the dominant newcomers, the revived elders, and the frightening Koreans. The game is new and different. The competitive landscape is altered. It is only a matter of time until we see if Nooonie/Teeler has finally turned super-saiyan and brought us his A-game.
I think he wants it like this. On SotG he said his ultimate ambition was to be the undisputed top guy in the lesser scene who was still fully capable of taking down a tournament with the very best of the world rather than a perennial top 8 threat in GSL or some other huge Korean tournament. I can't really imagine a better way to accomplish that goal then going through the first four GSL champions on the way to a win in the largest tournament outside of Korea to date.
How i first came across nony was his FPVODs that were on youtube in 2006/2007, my friends and i still discuss what nony was on when he made fpvod #5. ^_^ nony fighting!
On March 15 2011 04:24 eviltomahawk wrote: I'm getting "chills" down my spine just reading this. It certainly will be interesting to see the aging kings of the old school foreign scene facing up against the dominant newcomers, the revived elders, and the frightening Koreans. The game is new and different. The competitive landscape is altered. It is only a matter of time until we see if Nooonie/Teeler has finally turned super-saiyan and brought us his A-game.
Couldn't have said it better myself. This is so exciting. I think someone should spotlight this.
HYPE! I don't see Tyler winning TSL4 given the strength of the Korean invites, but I definitely would not write him off given his past history. To do so would be foolishness to the max.
He definitely is the best American Protoss (remember, Huk and Kiwikaki are canadian ^^)
If Tyler went to Korea with the rest of Liquid, I think he would of been placing like Jinro is. The kid just "has it", as an RTS player. Some people can work their whole life in korea practicing 12 hours a day and still not "get it", but Tyler does. His less-than-stellar results lately is directly a correlation with him not playing as much as others, and getting married/living life. If he went back to full SC mode, he would be even scarier than he is now.
The way that NonY works is very similar to the way that mondragon works, he takes breaks from the game often to deal with real life, but has the ability to go into a starcraft godmode simply due to his talent
i believe that he could be destroying Flash/JD/Bisu as a bonjwa in bw had he stayed in korea i stand by his decisions as he has chosen his own path and this path will lead him back to glory Tyler will rise again, he will get to the finals, and he will dominate
My favorite, most favorite game of all time is that Nony vs Idra match on Andromeda with the storms, and hearing Chill shout out "HUGE storms on those tanks, oh my god! Storms everywhere cutting up so many tanks, OH MY GOD". SO AWESOME.
On March 15 2011 04:45 Crais wrote: you can never count Tyler out.
I agree, the guy is a fierce competitor, and I have the faith. I have him taking third in my TSL3 bracket behind a NesTea vs. MVP final. Just couldn't quite see him taking out MVP.
If you have some favorite memories I haven't added, please post them and I will add them to the op. No one has posted any of their favorite moments yet
Tyler walks over the GSL champions to get to the top in my bracket. ^^
As a Tyler fan that didn't play BW I have to say thanks for the biography there, its always nice to know more about the pro's you cheer on from the sidelines.
im glad to have people like this who make awesome blogs regarding players! I believe NonY has every intention of winning the tsl3 and I believe he has the capacity to do so. I can't imagine him not doing well after he took out jinro, It really shows me that he has the capacity to be really good at this game.
Due to the nature of TSL it looks like he will have a bit of time to prepare for matches, and this looks like where he will shine.
Yeah, there is no doubt in my mind, that if Nony sets his mind to it, he can easily take the TSL, no big deal.
If there is any progamer right now with the most unrealized potential (because, you know, he chose to have a life), it's Nony. This man is a freak of nature.
This is some of the best hype for TSL 3 I have read yet, so much history and such an epic showdown coming between Tyler and the world.
Koreans might own white dudes, but Tyler owns the world. The valiant knight returns to bring the foreigner scene out of the darkness. Liquid`Tyler FIGHTING!
Excellent read. I'm so hyped for TSL, As a fellow brotoss, I'm quite impressed with a lot of his recent play and I think he's a real contender for the finals of TSL3. YAKNOW WHY?! Being Chill=solid play yo.
Very nice write-up. It's sad that some of these newer SC players don't know about NoNy and his ability to force IdrA to GG by attacking with a single worker. People should not underestimate NoNy. I think this TSL is going to be the best one yet and Tyler will rise to the occasion.
On March 15 2011 04:56 happyft wrote: My favorite, most favorite game of all time is that Nony vs Idra match on Andromeda with the storms, and hearing Chill shout out "HUGE storms on those tanks, oh my god! Storms everywhere cutting up so many tanks, OH MY GOD". SO AWESOME.
On March 15 2011 04:56 happyft wrote: My favorite, most favorite game of all time is that Nony vs Idra match on Andromeda with the storms, and hearing Chill shout out "HUGE storms on those tanks, oh my god! Storms everywhere cutting up so many tanks, OH MY GOD". SO AWESOME.
When I read your post and remembered that epic epic moment I thought to myself, "hmm someone should add the jangbi storm audience to that battle and post it on youtube"
Then I opened your spoiler and I'll be honest.. I might have orgasm'd a little.
the OP neglects to mention Tyler's complete disassembling of Jinro in their showmatch, despite Jinro having lived and trained in Korea for months upon months at this point.
Great post but you're leaving out a very important topic.
How Nony fucking crushed his first Courage tournament in Korea compared to any other foreigner in the history of BW. Courage tournament is one of the hardest things for any amateur and even many korean progame team practice partners to over come. Even Idra with all his skill was not able to get a progamer license through courage.
I think he's going to have a tough time against Strelok in TSL3, I hope he proves me wrong. It's hard to say where he's at since I never see him play any tournies. He was a great BW player, whether his mechanics skills have moved over to SC2 I'm not sure.
On March 15 2011 13:05 Dhalphir wrote: the OP neglects to mention Tyler's complete disassembling of Jinro in their showmatch, despite Jinro having lived and trained in Korea for months upon months at this point.
It was little more than a showmatch though, and taking place just before TSL I doubt either of them showed their best play and builds. I wouldn't read too much into that.
On March 15 2011 04:56 happyft wrote: My favorite, most favorite game of all time is that Nony vs Idra match on Andromeda with the storms, and hearing Chill shout out "HUGE storms on those tanks, oh my god! Storms everywhere cutting up so many tanks, OH MY GOD". SO AWESOME.
NonY has always been a hero of mine. And has 'appeared' in my dreams several times. The only one I remember is he was getting drunk in my garage building a rube goldberg machine and I couldn't park my van.
I *really* want to see him pop up again. This reminds me of my favorite moments of my favorite passion at it's peak. TSL1 and Ascension.
That intro made me pretty emotional, actually. Too much nostalgia and has me missing the 'golden years'.
Tyler should definitely name change back to NonY, such a sick name. I really want Tyler to do good, If he can get out of round 32 I'll be happy. He has a pretty hard seed, I hope all practicing on the Korean server will pay off
Two days ago I actually re-watched that out standing series. For the first time since the TSL2. It still gives me nerd chills Nony is a total boss. I have no doubt that he's gunna bring it this weekend.
until now i still dont understand the fact why JF didnt get invited to TSL3? Its true that when the game came out he has been really busy with school and such but now he is BACK!!!
Starting with a win vs qxc in fnatic vs root ace match. He started to dominate the recent lan tourneys in Toronto Ontario area without much practice. High rank on NA ladder, JF is extremely underated atm but he is a truely fearsome enemy to anyone who has been followed BW scene long enough to know who he is.
On March 15 2011 22:23 NB wrote: until now i still dont understand the fact why JF didnt get invited to TSL3? Its true that when the game came out he has been really busy with school and such but now he is BACK!!!
The only invites were Korean-server people and I guess you could say the seeded top 3 from TSL2. If JF wanted to participate, he had to qualify just like everyone else...
Such a great write up, thanks for sharing the nostalgia with those of us who weren't around. I really hope we can see him repeat his success. That riptide state of the union that was linked was sooo epic.
On March 15 2011 22:23 NB wrote: until now i still dont understand the fact why JF didnt get invited to TSL3? Its true that when the game came out he has been really busy with school and such but now he is BACK!!!
The only invites were Korean-server people and I guess you could say the seeded top 3 from TSL2. If JF wanted to participate, he had to qualify just like everyone else...
no, mondragon and Tyler has been seeded... also sen? i mean as incontrol said: "that qualifier is FREAKING DAMN HARD" and impossible for a university student to committ that much time to practice. JF just recently get back to the serious scene... there is noway he could pass that.
about skill? i mean he beated qxc while qxc was on top shape and qxc qualifed the thing while he was exaushted after some EU LAN tourney......
On March 15 2011 22:23 NB wrote: until now i still dont understand the fact why JF didnt get invited to TSL3? Its true that when the game came out he has been really busy with school and such but now he is BACK!!!
The only invites were Korean-server people and I guess you could say the seeded top 3 from TSL2. If JF wanted to participate, he had to qualify just like everyone else...
no, mondragon and Tyler has been seeded... also sen? i mean as incontrol said: "that qualifier is FREAKING DAMN HARD" and impossible for a university student to committ that much time to practice. JF just recently get back to the serious scene... there is noway he could pass that.
about skill? i mean he beated qxc while qxc was on top shape and qxc qualifed the thing while he was exaushted after some EU LAN tourney......
Right, the top 3 from TSL2. You could maybe argue for seeding past champions as well as the top 3 from the previous TSL, but that could make things fill up rather quickly.
Wouldn't it be awesome if he busted out the NonY tag for a big match in TSL 3? Like Jordan busting out the 23 for one big game (I think against the Knicks?) after he came back from retirement.
I think he has very solid foundations but unlike BW where at the end some of his fiercest competitors like Mondragon also have been somewhat inactive most of the good players now switched to full-time gaming (and in many cases full-time may be interpreted literally). So I ask myself if Nony`s triumph at the TSL2 also had his detrimental side in that he relies to much on his ttalent and too less on actual effort. But yea, I guess we all will be smarter in a few weeks.
Do you guys want to hear a fun Nony Fact that you can use to impress your friends? Before getting into Starcraft, Nony really love the MMORPG Everquest, so much so that he would to play multiple characters at the same time to get that extra edge! Perhaps this was when he realized he needed a game to truly test his multitasking?
On March 15 2011 03:57 Fraidnot wrote: With everything on the line the one question left unanswered from this player is if Tyler can become Nony again.
Tyler can chill to such a degree that it has materialized and taken the form of an S-class moderator, even pornstars aren't up to his level of mutlitasking.
Aww.. I barely watched any SC2, so I ONLY remember him for his BW accomplishments - I was actually under the impression he was doing well in SC2 since I saw his name mentioned quite a few different places. I still think he's gonna surprise everyone and utterly crush in TSL3 though.
Amazing write up, i can not agree more that his TSL 2 recognition was cut way to short. I do hope however that he comes back fighting i would love for him to be the first person to win it twice in a row. Tyler Fighting!
Nony is the bomb, and has been my favorite foreigner since back in the BW days.
I remember when he first went to Korea, cheering him on in that almost-Courage win, hearing about his marriage...and I remember the great TSL2 run and most of all that beautiful, beautiful Nony vs Idra series. The TSL2 thing was an amazing display of skill...and it is a shame that I don't think he's really been able to express his talents fully in SC2 so far (though he's still obviously a top player). But I have faith... for it has been this way before.
Cause as Idra learned in TSL, Nony with talent and very little practice is already a frightening thing...but Nony with talent AND practice is nigh unstoppable.
Nony caught my attention during TSL1 and became my favorite player in TSL2, it's sad to see he hasn't won any big tournaments in SC2, but trust me, this year in the MLGs and NASL he'll tear stuff apart.
I really liked the last line "can [Tyler] become Nony again." I think that's a great way to illustrate then versus now.
As for the TSL hype videos, yeah the original TSL had the best one, but there's something about TSL3's that just makes me smile. TSL1's video is more adrenaline, but TSL3's is, well, chill. Even watching it now, once that TSL logo fades into place... oh man, it's a great feeling.
nony is the true hype master. he is mother fuckin chill, and doesn't give a fuck. he plays for a bit, and comes back to win tsl 2. he's playing even less this time around to show that his ballerness has increased tenfold and he gives even a less of a fuck (if possible) than before. "Korean opponents this time? Psh plz, bitches. This is my tournament." (what I invision Nony thinking to himself)
On March 16 2011 01:07 EquilasH wrote: Aww.. I barely watched any SC2, so I ONLY remember him for his BW accomplishments - I was actually under the impression he was doing well in SC2 since I saw his name mentioned quite a few different places. I still think he's gonna surprise everyone and utterly crush in TSL3 though.
same, i thought he was doing well in the sc2 scene. no idea he was slumping and struggling.
It's not so much that he's slumping as it is he just never kept pace with the current skill level of SC2 pros, so he hasn't accomplished anything to parallel his BW accomplishments. If he just sits down and fuckin practices hardcore I'm sure he'll have no problems this tournament season.
On March 15 2011 04:56 happyft wrote: My favorite, most favorite game of all time is that Nony vs Idra match on Andromeda with the storms, and hearing Chill shout out "HUGE storms on those tanks, oh my god! Storms everywhere cutting up so many tanks, OH MY GOD". SO AWESOME.
Yah, sadly SC2 storms will never be as awe-inspiring.
It'd be interesting to see how that 5 minute game panned out without the Esc key debacle. Also, NonY > Tyler for an ID. Just accept the correct English pronunciation.
On March 16 2011 01:07 EquilasH wrote: Aww.. I barely watched any SC2, so I ONLY remember him for his BW accomplishments - I was actually under the impression he was doing well in SC2 since I saw his name mentioned quite a few different places. I still think he's gonna surprise everyone and utterly crush in TSL3 though.
I think he is doing quite well. He got top 8 I think at every MLG. And did pretty good at dreamhack aswell. Also recently winning from jinro in a best of 5.
can [Tyler] become Nony again? Nope, most likely not. The top and the middle of the pack is separated by a fairly thin line in the competitive foreigner scene. His biggest strength in BW was mechanics, and it allowed him to distance himself quite a bit from other top players. In SC2 that obviously isn't the case.
Loved it. Great blog. Tyler is awesome. I legitimately don't know if he can make it far in the TSL--the odds seem stacked against him, despite his BW victory--but I'll be rooting for him in that tournament as well as MLG and NASL. I hope he starts getting results.
Great write up, hes always gonna be nony in my eyes. razor TSL was when i was at the peak of my BW addiction.. how i miss those days. sc2 just doesnt do it for me for some reason
i remember watch the idravs nony matches nearly shitting my pants at every moment i love nony then and still do now i really hope he can do good he had less then a month practice then and pulled it off i got faith in him.
I appear to have read this post wrong or something, because far from making me excited or hyped up for TSL3, it's essentially a massive downer that seems to cast doubt on tyler doing well in TSL3. Yet everyone else seems to love it and it even got spotlighted 0_o what have i missed?
On March 16 2011 05:21 cujo2k wrote: can [Tyler] become Nony again? Nope, most likely not. The top and the middle of the pack is separated by a fairly thin line in the competitive foreigner scene. His biggest strength in BW was mechanics, and it allowed him to distance himself quite a bit from other top players. In SC2 that obviously isn't the case.
I'd say his builds and preperation for specific matches played just a big role in being the best. He just needs to be able to practice more - he does have his RL now though.
On March 16 2011 05:21 cujo2k wrote: can [Tyler] become Nony again? Nope, most likely not. The top and the middle of the pack is separated by a fairly thin line in the competitive foreigner scene. His biggest strength in BW was mechanics, and it allowed him to distance himself quite a bit from other top players. In SC2 that obviously isn't the case.
I'd say his builds and preperation for specific matches played just a big role in being the best. He just needs to be able to practice more - he does have his RL now though.
Tyler is extremely smart when it comes to starcraft. His mechanics are great and like cujo2k said, his ability to create builds and prepare for matches is outstanding. TSL3 was made for Tyler and he will be ready. There is no doubt about that.
Well I think if Tyler wants to win this, hes gonna have to improve his practice. Hes even stated this fact himself, and others have joked (at his expense) that he doesnt practice. I do find it a little unsettling that hes playing (apparently but I dont know) alot of WoW. I want Nony to repeat his performance from TSL2. He is the one Im picking to win. But he needs to play more, needs to stop playing WoW (even if he wins every SC2 tourny ever, no more WoW! lol)
Anyone with a brain would have said the big three during TSL2 were Nony, Ret and Idra so to pick Nony who won TSL2 when the other two didn't as the best non korean seems quite reasonable.
I'm definitely rooting for Tyler to win it all. Imo, he should just switch his name back to Nony as that's obviously the reason he had so much success. I feel like he can most definitely beat anyone in TSL3 despite his somewhat lackluster SC2 career.
I think he's going to definitely cause some upsets even if he doesn't take it all.
Oh and at the end of Brood War Nony was hands down the best non-Korean, I don't get why anyone would call that a stretch.
Lookin at this makes me remember how good is to watch a starcraft 1 battle, will flank and fight from everywhere, spread units... I hate SC2's balls omg i hate it.
On March 15 2011 04:24 eviltomahawk wrote: I'm getting "chills" down my spine just reading this.
This, absolutely! I'm so excited for TSL3!!!!
Also, on a O/T note: I remember watching SC Center when it first started back before JP joined, and then chobo stopped putting them out for a while, which made me very sad. I'm glad to see it back up and running; I'll definitely be tuning back in!
This is the best write up I've ever read on a player since sc2 came out. Amazing job getting all the history on Nony! It feels so strange to call him Liquid`Tyler now. This thread brought back so much nostalgia for sc:bw! 5/5!
Good read and thanks for posting the trailer of 08's TSL. I only started following the pro scene when SC2 came up and it's always good to see some awesome stuff from the past I haven't seen yet. Thanks!
Very well written, it made me watch the games from last TSL, and this I thank you for. And yeah, I guess I just became a little more of a fan of NonY (which IS what he should be called), but it'll be tough for him against Thorzain. At least it will be a very good series, I hope!
Make Tyler promise that if he wins this TSL, he changes his nick back to Nony. Nony is like the coolest nick of all time, and now it's just a shadow from the past
This post actually touched me. I'm really hoping Tyler can bring it up to where he used to be. I really do believe he can and I want him to know that TL.net is behind him. We need to who our support to our players!
Tyler has more potential than just about anyone, not because hes "a freak of nature" but because he actually knows what it takes to get good. He may not have everything ironed out in sc2 as of now (alike 100% of the world) but he will be the best in no time. I have him winning the whole TSL, Tyler Fighting!
I think the problem with Tyler is lack of hardcore practice, Even for your average joe laddering isn't the most optimul of training methods and that seems to be what Tyler does for the vast majority of hes practice. It's still a testament to just how good Tyler is without even really trying but if he wants to be the best i think we all know including Tyler what needs to be done.