Fire and Ice: TaeJa and HerO - Road to Blizzcon #13 Text by TL.net ESPORTS 2013 WCS Finals

by DarkLordOlli



In a time long before StarCraft II, when even Brood War was still in its infancy, Team Liquid was founded. For over a decade it has remained an exclusive group for skilled players with the required quality of character, known only by team leader Liquid`Nazgul. The explosion of StarCraft 2 and the rise of eSports in the West brought Team Liquid into the spotlight, both for the skill of its championship-winning players and also for the team's unifying identity.



For a while, 'good players with good character' seemed to be the closest thing to a mission statement for Team Liquid, represented by a roster with players like Jinro, HuK, Nony, Ret and TLO. But with a blockbuster move that saw the wealthy Evil Geniuses buy out superstar HuK's contract, a more specific goal began to emerge: find promising talent, integrate them, and give them best possible opportunity to fulfill their potential.



And so, HerO and TaeJa. One of the most powerful one-two punches in the business. There was never any doubt that both HerO and TaeJa were talented players, but few ever expected them to become the forces they are now. They are at the heart of Team Liquid's success.





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TaeJa: A Fiery Demon



TaeJa was not a complete unknown when he joined Team Liquid. In hardcore fan circles, his online cup games were considered a must-watch and many thought him to be one of the most talented players on SlayerS. But to most of the StarCraft world he remained out of the spotlight, just another Terran without any chances to impress in front of a large audience. Aware of this situation himself, TaeJa left SlayerS to see what opportunities might lie overseas.



It came a small surprise that TaeJa would end up signing with Liquid, and the majority of fans passed off Nazgul's promise of a championship for TaeJa as standard hyperbole. It would soon become clear that the truly shocking part of TaeJa's signing was that no other team had raced to receive his signature. Placed in a tough Code S group with two GSL champions in DongRaeGu and Jjakji, TaeJa defeated them both to advance to the Ro16 in grand fashion. Though his first Code S for Liquid was eventually ended by in the Ro8 by Squirtle, it was but a preview of what would eventually come.



TaeJa's momentum didn't stop, and he took full advantage of his newly gained ability to compete in overseas tournaments. He began making a name for himself by eliminating big names from qualifiers and brackets, all the while continuing to place high back home in Code S. However, he would have to wait until summer to make his most important breakthrough.



In the sweltering heat in a New York July, TaeJa found the spark to set the world ablaze. All of his incredible macro, micro, and multitask came together in a destructive harmony, and he swept aside his opponents at MLG Summer Arena to win his first championship. Once TaeJa started heating up, other players became but more fuel to the fire. No one could stand up to TaeJa as he took a second title at ASUS ROG Summer. ForGG nearly quenched the flames at the finals DreamHack Valencia, but lacked the endurance to defeat TaeJa in a five game series. Meanwhile, the online IPL Team Arena had become a massacre with entire teams falling to TaeJa alone.



But such power has limits, and every inferno will burn itself out. TaeJa paid the price with injured wrists, and after a roaring summer where no player looked like his equal, he quickly cooled off as the mercury begin to drop. At DreamHack Winter, he was finished off by his teammate and polar opposite in Liquid`HerO who, with no other choice, handed TaeJa the most thorough defeat of his career in a vicious 4 - 0.



Still, the spark has remained. A voice inside TaeJa's head still whispers tales of the destruction to come once the summer returns. In 2013, Assembly, HomeStoryCup and Dreamhack were unable to withstand his wrath. As the winter approaches again TaeJa seeks to keep the fire burning for just a few more days. The target is Blizzcon. HerO: A Frozen Dragon



The arrival of HerO to Liquid' from oGs was a significant moment for the international scene. With little opportunity for the young talent to shine amongst the veterans of oGs some wondered whether the move was premature, but the players on Liquid` and oGs knew him for the beast he was. Both HuK and MC were thrilled about HerO joining the team as both saw the talent in him to be one of the absolute best Protoss players in the world. Still, there was this feeling of cold coming from him, like a protective shell of cautiousness and self-doubt.



HerO arrived in Liquid` at a time when the Protoss race was in despair -- too many of their brethren were being decimated by merciless mass mutalisks from the Swarm and cruel 1-1-1 timings from the Terrans. His arrival brought new hope to the race through his masterful usage of the warp prism; dropping templar, colossi, zealots, sentries, immortals and the jaws of fans. The signs were there, yet we were still waiting for the inner beast to emerge from his shell like MC had foretold.



The word was spreading across the eSports world that a new dragon had been found. There had been tales of dragons in an ancient game, one of which, a being called Bisu, had once terrorized the world with fearsome harass, micro like none had seen before and a strategic eye that was unparalleled. It wasn't long before the community drew the comparison. "Mini-Bisu" they called him, which roughly translates to "Handsome Toss".



HerO's first few international tournaments caused uncertainty among spectators -- nobody knew how good he really was. Then Dreamhack Winter 2011 came along. Not even the king of 1-1-1s, Puma, could stand in the way of HerO as he took his first major victory. In that moment everything became clear; the ice had broken down, the growling of the dragon could be heard through the cracks, and the community discovered something unexpected. When fall ends and the world becomes cold, HerO gains the power to slip through the cracks in his shell and unleash his real potential as the Frozen Dragon.



Winter brought more runs for HerO as he left his mark on many tournaments and reached Code S. Eventually winter ended, TaeJa's summer began and HerO enjoyed fewer victories but he had already made his statement and established himself as one of the best. A year later he broke out again and another Dreamhack and NASL fell victim to him. Many were expecting HerO to disappear again after winter ended but he took WCS America Season 1 - a tournament in June and won the Rookie Award for his performance as EGTL's ace player in Proleague. Famous fortune teller Artosis even asked the question whether this meant that HerO had finally escaped the ice entirely. But defeats at two Season Finals raised doubts about his level and whether he was able to compete at the same level as his teammate TaeJa. HerO is desperately looking for another big win.



The leaves are falling again, temperatures are low. It won't be long now.



The Dream



The one thing that has eluded both HerO and TaeJa is the biggest trophy in the world. Their hard work and tremendous skill has shown through in the form of trophies at numerous international events, but neither has won THE single championship that commands the most respect in the world. That one championship used to be Code S, but in a world re-ordered by the WCS system it can only be the WCS Grand Finals.



On Team Liquid, HerO and TaeJa have realized their dreams of becoming successful progamers known around the world. In turn, they have repaid Team Liquid for the opportunity with their success and by becoming two of the most well-known pro-gamers in StarCraft 2. But the ultimate dreams have yet to be attained by either Liquid or its Korean duo, and these dreams happen to go hand in hand. For HerO and TaeJa, it is to stand above all others as the undisputed best player. For Team Liquid, it is to write the final chapter in a coming of age story, to have taken a young charge and journeyed together to the promised land. There is one trophy to fulfill it all.



WCS Grand Finals

Brackets and info on Liquipedia

1: Soulkey - The Tragic Champion

2: INnoVation - The Man in the Machine

3: Jaedong - In Search of Lost Time

4: Polt - Prince of the Tides

5: HerO - Fire and Ice

6: Dear - The Unending Royal Road

7: Maru - The Prince Who Would be King

8: Bomber - I Fought the Law (And I Won)

9: MMA - Out of Exile

10: MC - Cash Rules Everything Around Me

11: TaeJa - Fire and Ice

12: sOs - On the Cutting Edge

13: aLive - The Iconoclast

14: Mvp - The King

15: duckdeok - Faceless

16: NaNiwa

17: Revival - ???



In a time long before StarCraft II, when even Brood War was still in its infancy, Team Liquid was founded. For over a decade it has remained an exclusive group for skilled players with the required quality of character, known only by team leader Liquid`Nazgul. The explosion of StarCraft 2 and the rise of eSports in the West brought Team Liquid into the spotlight, both for the skill of its championship-winning players and also for the team's unifying identity.For a while, 'good players with good character' seemed to be the closest thing to a mission statement for Team Liquid, represented by a roster with players like Jinro, HuK, Nony, Ret and TLO. But with a blockbuster move that saw the wealthy Evil Geniuses buy out superstar HuK's contract, a more specific goal began to emerge: find promising talent, integrate them, and give them best possible opportunity to fulfill their potential.And so, HerO and TaeJa. One of the most powerful one-two punches in the business. There was never any doubt that both HerO and TaeJa were talented players, but few ever expected them to become the forces they are now. They are at the heart of Team Liquid's success.The one thing that has eluded both HerO and TaeJa is the biggest trophy in the world. Their hard work and tremendous skill has shown through in the form of trophies at numerous international events, but neither has won THE single championship that commands the most respect in the world. That one championship used to be Code S, but in a world re-ordered by the WCS system it can only be the WCS Grand Finals.On Team Liquid, HerO and TaeJa have realized their dreams of becoming successful progamers known around the world. In turn, they have repaid Team Liquid for the opportunity with their success and by becoming two of the most well-known pro-gamers in StarCraft 2. But the ultimate dreams have yet to be attained by either Liquid or its Korean duo, and these dreams happen to go hand in hand. For HerO and TaeJa, it is to stand above all others as the undisputed best player. For Team Liquid, it is to write the final chapter in a coming of age story, to have taken a young charge and journeyed together to the promised land. There is one trophy to fulfill it all.