For those of you who kept the candle burning, congratulations. Your faith proved true in the end. After an excruciating break, the Crown Prince will indeed be returning to Team Liquid.
For the skeptics out there, this comes as no surprise. Quitting in this profession is usually as permanent as the deaths of comic book characters. Of course we regret watching our favorite characters depart to the afterlife; it is customary to grieve, offer well-wishes, reminisce, and ultimately accept their departure. Yet no one dies in comic books except Uncle Ben. TaeJa was finished in the same manner as Jason Todd, Bucky Barnes, Multiple Man, Bruce Banner and every “deceased” character stretching back to Batman’s pistol-wielding days. He was simply waiting in stasis, biding his time until the new story arc began. Players who relinquish their spot in the field inevitably return as something else. They don a new costume for a new team, kick start a rebranding narrative involving a role switch (the most common one being the “coach repentance arc”), or leave the moment of unmasking for a shocking out of left field reveal.
TaeJa’s retirement was accompanied by an atypically somber mood. The sendoff was as grateful and heartfelt as every other epilogue to a player’s career. The sole difference was a lack of that niggling doubt. It felt like an irrevocable swan song. It felt final in a different way than when other great players had quit. It wasn’t a transition into the next stage, but a moratorium on the only avenue TaeJa had into SC2.
The hints had been accumulating for years. In the past they were the subject of in-house jokes and memes, reminding us TaeJa could be unwieldy and goofy as the rest of us mortals. He suffered from bouts of flagging motivation which turned into mock threats of retirement. Every tournament was going to be the last one. If only he wasn’t so darn good. Lack of practice was an easily surmountable obstacle for someone with his talent. Skill alone could carry the day. Hell, it worked for an entire tournament. Once upon a time the wrist soreness was accepted as a minor point of pride. It showed how dedicated he was to the craft in-between the periods of weariness.
Until the intermittent complaints about his wrists became chronic...which revealed themselves to be debilitating. Previous peaks and troughs of enthusiasm dwindled to troughs. He was forbidden from participating in overseas tournaments, where he had earned his fame, and had to grind it out in the sole tournament he had never conquered. Every blow was reflected in TaeJa’s results. By the time he said farewell, he was just another good player in the GSL. Not fantastic, not great, just good. It belied just how spectacular TaeJa had been at his peak.
When Nazgul first announced TaeJa’s signing he said it felt like Liquid’s “biggest acquisition in history”. Over the four years TaeJa played for Team Liquid, he validated that confidence over and over and over. He was undoubtedly the shining star of the roster. During that time span he won 11 premier tournaments and finished in the top 4 of 13 more. He made DreamHack Open his personal playground, terrorized all the tourists attending HomeStory Cup, and generated enough tears to save the Dead Sea for another century. His supernatural consistency served as a bulwark against turbulence for the team. He carried the banner during the times HerO battled with his own demons; he protected the battlements whenever Snute needed time to master the ever-shifting meta.
He spearhead and last line of defense when Liquid played in team leagues. Back before the concept decayed into irrelevance, he was one of the best players in the all-kill format. Outside of Proleague—the bane of many great players—TaeJa remained as composed and fearsome as a typical showing at Jönköping. Innumerable examples exist but his legendary run in IPL TAC 3 stands head and shoulders above the rest. All-killing Prime alone was impressive considering their intact reputation at the time. Almost single-handedly defeating Incredible Miracle—the undisputed kings—twice in the grand finals thrust him into the limelight.
Example 2,492 of TaeJa carrying us.
To watch TaeJa evoked admiration and slight puzzlement. His playstyle was distinguished by a lack of panache incommensurate with his success. From his days slaughtering scrubs in the ESV TV Korean Weekly to the bitter end, TaeJa never possessed a sole feature that outshone the rest of his repertoire. He had few to zero technical all-ins. His micro rarely dazzled us in the way Maru or Polt could dance their marines. His macro was top-tier, but the same could be said for Innovation or ForGG. He never pioneered builds the way Mvp revolutionized TvZ and TvT. He almost never took the monumental risks that characterized some of his contemporaries. Why would he need to? He was simply good at...everything (except maybe mech).
The famous battle on Newkirk Precinct.
The typical TaeJa victory demonstrated his uncanny ability to make better decisions second to second, minute to minute over the course of an entire game. To watch him at his apex was like witnessing a sand castle besieged at high tide. Anyone could predict the incoming surf. Barely anyone could shield such a frail structure from it. Among the great players from that era, only TaeJa could nonchalantly walk over foes with so little apparent effort. He was the best StarCraft player Team Liquid has ever boasted, and perhaps the best individual player in the team's history.
The cynic in me chides against indulging in nostalgia. Every successful player’s career is like catching lightning in a bottle and despite TaeJa’s lack of gimmicks, he faces a grueling road upon his return. Every factor conspires against him. He’s been gone for 2 years for a punishing game where professionals noticeably degrade after a few weeks off; unless Jesus has blessed him in the interim, he’ll still have the same wrist impediments. And if he does shake off the rust, relearn the new baseline for LotV and grit his teeth through the pain, TaeJa still must best his bête noire. Despite plain sailing in international waters, the inability to win a GSL championship leaves a blot on his legacy. It will only be reinforced every time he appears onstage. On the other hand, it provides an obvious redemption arc for his return.
The idealist in me still believes in magic. TaeJa is neither feckless nor amenable to popular whim. If he wanted to wash his hands clean of SC2, he would’ve stuck to his decision to leave. He had plenty of reasons to question whether he could reestablish himself in a new era. Those doubts still linger, waiting to be addressed. Yet doubts were omnipresent when he first threw on the jersey too. TaeJa, serious and driven underneath his unassuming demeanor, defied them during his first run on the team.
I expect our expectations to be shattered again.
Two years ago, I watched TaeJa play his last game in the GSL. When we announced soon after that he was retiring, it really felt like we were saying goodbye to a part of Team Liquid's identity, especially because of what he meant to the team and to me personally. Even though all SC2 fans knew that TaeJa left something unfinished in his career, between wrist problems and his cool indifference, it was difficult to tell what he would do after his military service. Still, there was lingering hope that he would come back one day.
21 months after leaving pro scene, TaeJa announced that he was about to be discharged. Two years away from the game is a very long time, but TaeJa has always been something special. We asked him if he had plans to come back and compete, and in his typically nonchalant way, he simply told us yes.
Today, Liquid`TaeJa makes his return. We are incredibly proud to have our most decorated individual player back on the team, and we're excited to see how his experiences over the past two years have helped him grow as a person and a player.
TaeJa has always been a special competitor, and I think I speak for all of his fans when I say that we expect a lot from his return. TaeJa is one of the real geniuses of the game, and that's something that doesn't go away after two years. It might take him a while to get back to his previous level, but I know that it's only a matter of time before we all get to watch TaeJa back in the GSL, and perhaps even more. In our chats, he told me that he could win GSL if he practices hard, and I believe him. No mustache, beard, or eyepatch necessary.
Hopefully, we won't have to wait till next summer. Welcome back, TaeJa.
- Victor "Nazgul" Goossens
Hello I'm TaeJa and I am honored to rejoin Team Liquid, the world's best team. I will work hard to show my old skills again. I plan on streaming frequently, so please take a look.
Thank you to all the fans that have greeted me on my return.
So much hype. This is the guy who taught us all back in wol how to play terran proper. Inno b4 inno. Grim reaper of observers. <3 taeja so hyped to see if he can get back in form. Where will he be streaming?
I was a Toss before until I saw MVP then Taeja put some magic into Terran. It has been 2 years since he left pro-scene. Feel so old right now. Go Teaja. Make your fans proud again.
I haven't felt this happy in a while. I'm so glad to see TaeJa joining the Liquid family again. Let's go TaeJa! 2019 is your year! GSL champion + BlizzCon champion baby!
[14:57] DSK: WCS or GSL? [14:59] DSK: The big question is did his training in the forces enable him to achieve the insurmountable task of opening a champers bottle? [15:00] CynicalDeath: no, that's an impossibility
Not only because one of the greatest minds of Terran is now back on the proper team. Even more because of the signal that comes from TL by signing TaeJa again.
"We're here to stay and we value SC2"
Thanks. SC2 will be more exciting than ever before, and I'm considering the excitement already at peak levels.
Taeja was really good but has anyone ever come back to the highest level in any sport after 2 years absence?
When Björn Borg got back into tennis he was not even top 100 anymore. Tiger Woods is still good but nothing like his old self. Stephano is just a shadow of his old self.
I am trying to think of any sport were someone come back to the same level after 2 years. Is it even possible?
He's one of the top players that I'd really like to see win a GSL and can definitely give Maru a run for his money if he gets back into shape. He's one of the best ever when it comes to crisis management and reactionary defensive play.
That IPL TAC3 finals performance is the definitive example of Taeja. It wasn't like IM was choking in yet another team league as they were prone to do, no, they were living up to their potential and dominating hard. The score doesn't do it justice, so many of those with Taeja were nailbiters where he just kept hanging on. Even the game where he finally fell to Seed (who had just become a GSL champ) was an epic macro TvP that went back and forth numerous times.
I don't think it's an exaggeration at all to say Taeja single-handedly saved that tournament given the poor production, immense downtime between games, and how much of a quick blowout it would've been if he wasn't there. A prime example of how good WoL could be.
On September 24 2018 23:50 MockHamill wrote: Taeja was really good but has anyone ever come back to the highest level in any sport after 2 years absence?
When Björn Borg got back into tennis he was not even top 100 anymore. Tiger Woods is still good but nothing like his old self. Stephano is just a shadow of his old self.
I am trying to think of any sport were someone come back to the same level after 2 years. Is it even possible?
But tiger won last night 😱 Mario lemieux came back after 3 years and insanely good
On September 24 2018 23:50 MockHamill wrote: Taeja was really good but has anyone ever come back to the highest level in any sport after 2 years absence?
When Björn Borg got back into tennis he was not even top 100 anymore. Tiger Woods is still good but nothing like his old self. Stephano is just a shadow of his old self.
I am trying to think of any sport were someone come back to the same level after 2 years. Is it even possible?
Michael Jordan came back and gave Chicago Bulls another 3 chips.
Hell even Floyd Mayweather is still killing it after his 2 year of retirement.
Man, I love that Taeja has rejoined Liquid, but at the same time it reminds me of HerO. Not to start any drama, but I onced asked on his stream (obviously after he retired) why he didn't simply just retire on Liquid. He then said he asked to rejoin, but Liquid declined (for reasons I think are fairly obvious). While I can get the pragmatic side of the rejection, it hurt a little to know that Liquid wouldn't stretch their hand out and give a fairwell to one of their other storied korean players. I'm pretty sure HerO himself isn't too sour about it, but what with Snute not getting anything on the site it kinda makes me feel a little sad that no one except Taeja ever seemed to have been given time on TL.
On September 24 2018 23:50 MockHamill wrote: Taeja was really good but has anyone ever come back to the highest level in any sport after 2 years absence?
When Björn Borg got back into tennis he was not even top 100 anymore. Tiger Woods is still good but nothing like his old self. Stephano is just a shadow of his old self.
I am trying to think of any sport were someone come back to the same level after 2 years. Is it even possible?
On September 24 2018 23:50 MockHamill wrote: Taeja was really good but has anyone ever come back to the highest level in any sport after 2 years absence?
When Björn Borg got back into tennis he was not even top 100 anymore. Tiger Woods is still good but nothing like his old self. Stephano is just a shadow of his old self.
I am trying to think of any sport were someone come back to the same level after 2 years. Is it even possible?
On September 24 2018 23:50 MockHamill wrote: Taeja was really good but has anyone ever come back to the highest level in any sport after 2 years absence?
When Björn Borg got back into tennis he was not even top 100 anymore. Tiger Woods is still good but nothing like his old self. Stephano is just a shadow of his old self.
I am trying to think of any sport were someone come back to the same level after 2 years. Is it even possible?
What about Flash
Flash is called God for a reason
What about literally any BW high profile ex pro who competes only with other fulltime streamers :O
Gz to Liquid for signing another high profile player keeping sc2 alive!
On September 24 2018 23:50 MockHamill wrote: Taeja was really good but has anyone ever come back to the highest level in any sport after 2 years absence?
When Björn Borg got back into tennis he was not even top 100 anymore. Tiger Woods is still good but nothing like his old self. Stephano is just a shadow of his old self.
I am trying to think of any sport were someone come back to the same level after 2 years. Is it even possible?
He's still young though so I think it's not unlikely he can become a championship contender again. Most of the time when someone takes a break they're at an age where their performance would decline anyways regardless of the break they took. The more important question is imo if his wrists will start hurting again.
On September 24 2018 23:50 MockHamill wrote: Taeja was really good but has anyone ever come back to the highest level in any sport after 2 years absence?
When Björn Borg got back into tennis he was not even top 100 anymore. Tiger Woods is still good but nothing like his old self. Stephano is just a shadow of his old self.
I am trying to think of any sport were someone come back to the same level after 2 years. Is it even possible?
Michael Jordan came back and gave Chicago Bulls another 3 chips.
Hell even Floyd Mayweather is still killing it after his 2 year of retirement.
Taeja is still younger than the majority GSL players as well.
On September 24 2018 22:27 DomeGetta wrote: So much hype. This is the guy who taught us all back in wol how to play terran proper. Inno b4 inno. Grim reaper of observers. <3 taeja so hyped to see if he can get back in form. Where will he be streaming?
Orlok wrote: Man, I love that Taeja has rejoined Liquid, but at the same time it reminds me of HerO. Not to start any drama, but I onced asked on his stream (obviously after he retired) why he didn't simply just retire on Liquid. He then said he asked to rejoin, but Liquid declined (for reasons I think are fairly obvious). While I can get the pragmatic side of the rejection, it hurt a little to know that Liquid wouldn't stretch their hand out and give a fairwell to one of their other storied korean players. I'm pretty sure HerO himself isn't too sour about it, but what with Snute not getting anything on the site it kinda makes me feel a little sad that no one except Taeja ever seemed to have been given time on TL.
yeah i feel ya on that. kinda reminds me of when after EG changed ownership and disbanded the SC2 squad there was no recognition given to the guys that literally built the brand. As far as Snute's retirement maybe they haven't finalized the details for a press release yet.
Still, I look forward to seeing Taeja's games. I hope he will establish enough of a presence to earn a new nickname too, "Crown Prince" just doesn't have the same ring to it now that the other prince, modern-day Maru, has ascended.
On September 25 2018 00:30 Orlok wrote: Man, I love that Taeja has rejoined Liquid, but at the same time it reminds me of HerO. Not to start any drama, but I onced asked on his stream (obviously after he retired) why he didn't simply just retire on Liquid. He then said he asked to rejoin, but Liquid declined (for reasons I think are fairly obvious). While I can get the pragmatic side of the rejection, it hurt a little to know that Liquid wouldn't stretch their hand out and give a fairwell to one of their other storied korean players. I'm pretty sure HerO himself isn't too sour about it, but what with Snute not getting anything on the site it kinda makes me feel a little sad that no one except Taeja ever seemed to have been given time on TL.
i won't comment on the hero stuff, but we're still talking to snute to see what his final decision is going to be. we are preparing something, of course.
Looking forward to see his games, I don't expect a championship but since Marus only "vulnerable" matchup is TvT he is one of few that could topple him
One of my random favorite sc2 moments, which I can't for the life of me remember well enough to find the vod of, is a tvt taeja played in one of the homestory cups he dominated. There's a few terran pros casting it, and they are cracking up over how both players are doing exactly identical builds and yet taeja is just ahead in every way just minutes into the game. It was a silly joke that all taejas units just mined/built/attacked faster but also very much real that he seemed effortlessly better throughout that tourney.
We are incredibly hyped about this. I'm so glad that we got this opportunity to show our commitment to SC2 and the players who played such an important role in getting Team Liquid where it is today. Thanks for all the support everyone!
My favourite player of all time! So happy, this really makes my day. What am i saying? This makes my week, at least Man, now i´m excited for summer ´19. Welcome back, Taeja! So good to see you back.
God, I remember that Blizzcon series vs Life, and as a terran player, that loss hurt, especially after he dismantled the then best Zerg in the world, soO, in epic macro games
When he SSSTOMPED innovation in newkirk in one of teh greatest games of all time
Carrying TL in the team leagues
Winning
Being ranked really high in every power rank (liquid bias lol) but nobody was really mad about it
So awesome to see him come back. The Liquid approach was always to pick players and stick with them over time helping them develop and grow. Think it worked out better than EG approach of poaching champions. Hero and Taeja were phenomenal pickups. Zenio not so much, but he did trigger idra easily and effortlessly and BM him a bunch of times, so that was cool
I'm genuinely curious about what Taeja is gonna look like now. He has some rust to shake off, but the level of competition has gotten significantly higher since he was dominating the foreign scene.
I'd estimate he's probably Ro16 material at best in Code S.
Back to finally claim that ever illustrious yet elusive GSL Championship Trophy! I still remember that season where absolutely NO ONE wanted to be in a group with him!
TL Taeja FIGHTING!
ps: Now I have a very good reason to bring out my original TL Jersey and rep with pride again.
This might sound weird, but as a super TaeJa fan I'm actually a little sad about this. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, but nobody who returned to SC2 after an extended hiatus ever reached the same heights as they did before they left. I want my memory of TaeJa to be the titan that he was before retiring.
Selfish thoughts aside, it's hard to complain about more Korean talent in the scene and I sincerely hope he does well. With Snute retiring, my list of people to root for was looking pretty thin, but now I can add one to the list!
Excited to see the worlds greatest team league player back in action.
On September 25 2018 08:35 Vindicare605 wrote: I'm genuinely curious about what Taeja is gonna look like now. He has some rust to shake off, but the level of competition has gotten significantly higher since he was dominating the foreign scene.
I'd estimate he's probably Ro16 material at best in Code S.
Then again he could come back sharper than ever.
It's exciting.
I guess you missed him failing to qualify for the last GSL and ST.
glad that he is back, one of my favourite terrans all time. also, hope he can do well in GSL, I feel like he always lacked korean soil results, whereas he dominated all other tourneys (a bit simillar to TY in that regard - never won in Korea). Hope to see good games, to steal nice builds and ofc, to see you on the top again!
That is an interesting news, however I would not praise him too much as I am a bit concerned that it is going to be a "MMA return" like... Taeja may not even ever catch up on new meta (+ intensive macro/micro). If I remember well in the past his macro was absolutely not the best at all and it was a totally different game. He was also dominating a weaker Western scene at that time.. Hopefully we can see more of him and he will achieve good results, best of luck!
On September 25 2018 16:39 atchosvk wrote: That is an interesting news, however I would not praise him too much as I am a bit concerned that it is going to be a "MMA return" like... Taeja may not even ever catch up on new meta (+ intensive macro/micro). If I remember well in the past his macro was absolutely not the best at all and it was a totally different game. He was also dominating a weaker Western scene at that time.. Hopefully we can see more of him and he will achieve good results, best of luck!
We'll see. His few games so far looked ok considering that he's just coming back. He already managed to take a map of soO and beat Cure in Crank's Teamleague. So I'm quite confident to say that he'll be at least a mid-tier codeS-Player soon skillwise. Considering that next GSL isn't soon at all, he might be even better then. Also he wasn't dominating a weaker western scene back then. Most of his tournament wins were achieved against a field of top Koreans.
On September 25 2018 16:39 atchosvk wrote: That is an interesting news, however I would not praise him too much as I am a bit concerned that it is going to be a "MMA return" like... Taeja may not even ever catch up on new meta (+ intensive macro/micro). If I remember well in the past his macro was absolutely not the best at all and it was a totally different game. He was also dominating a weaker Western scene at that time.. Hopefully we can see more of him and he will achieve good results, best of luck!
Hmm GSL top 8 was a weaker western scene? And that was his planned last tournament.
I am pretty sure the military training gave him stronger wrists. So if he can properly train and find the motivation to practice hard, we will see taeja up in the circuit.
Awesome to see Taeja return. Hope to see him crush nerds in GSL next year, but upcoming events like HSC and online leagues will help everyone get a gauge to see how well he'll do in the new meta.
It's great to see influential past Korean Terrans returning like MMA, Fantasy, and now Taeja.
This..this is unreal. With the demise of proleague 2 years ago, we heard so many false prophets announcing the death of SC2, yet in 2018 SC2 still standing strong. Korean players finding teams and the likes of TaeJa and FantaSy returning accentuates it the most.
Great news considering we have so few good Terrans these days but I do wonder how good he can actually get to. After all there have been not a single player who regained form after military service, guess we'll see.
What a shining beacon of hope this gives us, for some reason this whole partnership and endeavor feels to me like something that goes well beyond the game, like it truly matters.
On September 26 2018 20:31 JoeCool wrote: I was never a fan of TaeJa and I'll probably never be one but I'm still really happy for anyone who decides to come back to this glorious game. :-)
That beeing said, is there any progamer who returned after some time and won anything?
Until now very few players came back after a serious hiatus at all. And many of them just quite recently. I think Stephano might be the most promising player to achieve such a feat, considering that he became a serious contender this year again and just needs to fix his zvz to get really dangerous. Parting also looks quite promising. He just needs time and has to take the competition serious - I'm not quite sure about that ^^ Fantasy is making good progress, too. But considering that he's never really breaken throug in SC2 he'd have to climb to new heights, to win somethin. We can't say very much about Taeja so far. He didn't look like garbage so far but we didn't have enough examples yet. Perhaps we'll know more after HSC if he gets invited.
Other examples like MMA, Genius, Ragnarok or TOP don't look like they're getting back into the game.
welcome back taeja! i'm personally not a big fan of him or his race, but it's hard not to be positive about someone of his stature returning to our game. here's to celebrating what we have in sc2 rather than shitting on what we don't have.
On September 26 2018 20:31 JoeCool wrote: I was never a fan of TaeJa and I'll probably never be one but I'm still really happy for anyone who decides to come back to this glorious game. :-)
That beeing said, is there any progamer who returned after some time and won anything?
Brood War obviously has a ton of examples. Mata from LoL basically retired for a year or more and is once again the best support in the world and maybe best player in the world (won the Korean league too I think). Bengi retired for a year and came back to win the world championship. SC2 doesn't have many examples because there aren't many examples of top players retiring and then returning.
On September 26 2018 20:31 JoeCool wrote: I was never a fan of TaeJa and I'll probably never be one but I'm still really happy for anyone who decides to come back to this glorious game. :-)
That beeing said, is there any progamer who returned after some time and won anything?
Brood War obviously has a ton of examples. Mata from LoL basically retired for a year or more and is once again the best support in the world and maybe best player in the world (won the Korean league too I think). Bengi retired for a year and came back to win the world championship. SC2 doesn't have many examples because there aren't many examples of top players retiring and then returning.
Byun dropped off the face of the Earth for 2 years, came back, and won GSL and Blizzcon.
On September 26 2018 20:31 JoeCool wrote: I was never a fan of TaeJa and I'll probably never be one but I'm still really happy for anyone who decides to come back to this glorious game. :-)
That beeing said, is there any progamer who returned after some time and won anything?
Brood War obviously has a ton of examples. Mata from LoL basically retired for a year or more and is once again the best support in the world and maybe best player in the world (won the Korean league too I think). Bengi retired for a year and came back to win the world championship. SC2 doesn't have many examples because there aren't many examples of top players retiring and then returning.
Forgive my lack of knowledge about other games, but wouldn't it be easier to return to a MOBA than SC2? Aren't the mechanics and especially requirements for speed higher for SC2 since you constantly have to manage multiple bases, armies, support units etc? I haven't played LoL, but from some streams it looks more about micro management, positioning, tactics and accuracy, while in SC2 things happen quicker and you have to change camera location all the time. You also have to manage a lot more units. A two-year absence in military puts a big damper on mechanics, including the fact you get older. The faster a game moves, the more age makes a difference and young players can excel.
I hope Taeja will do well in his comeback. Even if he doesn't win anything premiere, just playing in the tournaments and making it entertaining.
On September 26 2018 20:31 JoeCool wrote: I was never a fan of TaeJa and I'll probably never be one but I'm still really happy for anyone who decides to come back to this glorious game. :-)
That beeing said, is there any progamer who returned after some time and won anything?
Brood War obviously has a ton of examples. Mata from LoL basically retired for a year or more and is once again the best support in the world and maybe best player in the world (won the Korean league too I think). Bengi retired for a year and came back to win the world championship. SC2 doesn't have many examples because there aren't many examples of top players retiring and then returning.
Forgive my lack of knowledge about other games, but wouldn't it be easier to return to a MOBA than SC2? Aren't the mechanics and especially requirements for speed higher for SC2 since you constantly have to manage multiple bases, armies, support units etc? I haven't played LoL, but from some streams it looks more about micro management, positioning, tactics and accuracy, while in SC2 things happen quicker and you have to change camera location all the time. You also have to manage a lot more units. A two-year absence in military puts a big damper on mechanics, including the fact you get older. The faster a game moves, the more age makes a difference and young players can excel.
I hope Taeja will do well in his comeback. Even if he doesn't win anything premiere, just playing in the tournaments and making it entertaining.
Mechanics in LoL are lower in the sense that there is less thing to do but it's very micro and positioning intensive and those things are pretty much as "hard" as Starcraft mechanics, you need to work on it as much as sc2 macro-micro, so if they were able to build their mecanics back I would guess Taeja could too even if it's not exactly the same kind of mecanics. If his wrist stay healty I would not worry to much about his mechanics, when you had it once it's much easier to get it back, altough it dosen't mean he's gonna as good as before, but it's not just a mechanical thing.
And for the age thing I am not sure, I know it's common knowledge to say the reflexes are worst when you grow older, but at the same time if you look at the FGC a lot of the top tier performer are well in their 30 and those games need super fast reflexes. Sako won 2 premier Street Fighter 5 event this year at age 40 so I would think that if you keep working and have already a big experience your reflexes dosen't get too bad. Esport are still very young it's hard to know how long a carrer can last especially since there is a rotation in the games.
On September 26 2018 20:31 JoeCool wrote: I was never a fan of TaeJa and I'll probably never be one but I'm still really happy for anyone who decides to come back to this glorious game. :-)
That beeing said, is there any progamer who returned after some time and won anything?
Brood War obviously has a ton of examples. Mata from LoL basically retired for a year or more and is once again the best support in the world and maybe best player in the world (won the Korean league too I think). Bengi retired for a year and came back to win the world championship. SC2 doesn't have many examples because there aren't many examples of top players retiring and then returning.
Byun dropped off the face of the Earth for 2 years, came back, and won GSL and Blizzcon.
You're right. Somehow I totally forgot to take Byun into consideration.
Broodwar isn't a good reference. Most comebacks have been done by players who didn't actually retire but switched to SC2 and then returned to BW. Those players never stopped training their mechanics.
On September 26 2018 20:31 JoeCool wrote: I was never a fan of TaeJa and I'll probably never be one but I'm still really happy for anyone who decides to come back to this glorious game. :-)
That beeing said, is there any progamer who returned after some time and won anything?
Brood War obviously has a ton of examples. Mata from LoL basically retired for a year or more and is once again the best support in the world and maybe best player in the world (won the Korean league too I think). Bengi retired for a year and came back to win the world championship. SC2 doesn't have many examples because there aren't many examples of top players retiring and then returning.
Byun dropped off the face of the Earth for 2 years, came back, and won GSL and Blizzcon.
You're right. Somehow I totally forgot to take Byun into consideration.
Broodwar isn't a good reference. Most comebacks have been done by players who didn't actually retire but switched to SC2 and then returned to BW. Those players never stopped training their mechanics.
Yeah, I think that is an important point. Two years in the army makes you lose mechanics. Did Byun go to the army and come back? Didn't hear much about what he did those years.
On September 26 2018 20:31 JoeCool wrote: I was never a fan of TaeJa and I'll probably never be one but I'm still really happy for anyone who decides to come back to this glorious game. :-)
That beeing said, is there any progamer who returned after some time and won anything?
Brood War obviously has a ton of examples. Mata from LoL basically retired for a year or more and is once again the best support in the world and maybe best player in the world (won the Korean league too I think). Bengi retired for a year and came back to win the world championship. SC2 doesn't have many examples because there aren't many examples of top players retiring and then returning.
Byun dropped off the face of the Earth for 2 years, came back, and won GSL and Blizzcon.
Marineking also switched to LoL for 1-2 years, came back and reached the Hot6ix Cup finals.
Seems like a perfect opportunity for Taeja to train with the new test patch and then If he is invited for Homestory cup, he could leave some good trace in the end of the year.
On September 26 2018 20:31 JoeCool wrote: I was never a fan of TaeJa and I'll probably never be one but I'm still really happy for anyone who decides to come back to this glorious game. :-)
That beeing said, is there any progamer who returned after some time and won anything?
Brood War obviously has a ton of examples. Mata from LoL basically retired for a year or more and is once again the best support in the world and maybe best player in the world (won the Korean league too I think). Bengi retired for a year and came back to win the world championship. SC2 doesn't have many examples because there aren't many examples of top players retiring and then returning.
Byun dropped off the face of the Earth for 2 years, came back, and won GSL and Blizzcon.
You're right. Somehow I totally forgot to take Byun into consideration.
Broodwar isn't a good reference. Most comebacks have been done by players who didn't actually retire but switched to SC2 and then returned to BW. Those players never stopped training their mechanics.
Yeah, I think that is an important point. Two years in the army makes you lose mechanics. Did Byun go to the army and come back? Didn't hear much about what he did those years.
Who knows what they make you do in kespa jail?
How soon until the first "i'm going to retire"?
If it's takes as long as last time until he actually retires, we have years of Taeja ahead of us
I think if all the KESPA houses were still around he'd probably struggle to get back but they're not so I think he can get back to being competitive with the best. He's a gifted player, that's a saying that is probably overused but i always got that impression with him.
Taeja said on stream today he had problems setting up VODS and that he's been trying to email twitch about it. Idk if it's already known but maybe someone at liquid can help him with it?
Welcome back to one of my very favoritest players ever, and a peach of a human being. I really enjoyed the photos he shared on his stream of his time in the military... it gave me a better idea of what the Korean military service is like, which had been a big mystery for me up til then.
Some of my fondest memories are of watching Taeja play, and his shy interviews and all-round good nature. So very excited to hear that he'll be with Liquid again. Now...come back, Sheth!! :-)