

A rivalry resumes at WCS Leipzig.





His valiant attempt to buck fate started off well. ShoWTimE won the first game after repulsing Neeb’s six-gate aggression. Neeb restored normalcy by winning the next two games, first with the aid of early phoenix harassment and then with a one base contain that allowed him to parlay a faster expansion into a victory. More than the result, the ease with which Neeb pulled the strings on Acid Plant and Catalyst evoked memories of their previous encounters in



Incredibly, ShoWTimE out-clutched the Circuit's big-game king himself and did just that. He evened out the series in a phoenix versus phoenix battle where ShoWTimE’s patience perfectly countered Neeb’s impetuous phoenix control. With no tricks or gimmicks, ShoWTimE merely bided his time and amassed a larger phoenix count. He closed the deal on Eastwatch. Where Neeb opted for a fast twilight and gold base, ShoWTimE went for a sturdier immortal count with +1 attack and charge. Neeb found himself stuck on a stalker-heavy composition which was easily overrun by the horde of zealots. ShoWTimE walked on stage to address the raucous crowd, with a hard earned and relieved smile on his face.



"[Then] I lost the next two and I was like ‘Oh, no. Not again. Not losing to Neeb again please.’ [And then] I was like, all right, let’s just try to focus again and play a standard game because I think the games he won were a bit of gamble on my part and his part as well. [So] I just played standard games and it worked out..."



Playing standard games and having things work out against a multiple time champion? Even with the grand finals still looming, there was no doubt in that moment that ShoWTimE was back.



Ultimately, ShoWTimE lost the final to On paper, Neeb was ShoWTimE’s better in every way. The Ting Protoss had stolen ShoWTimE’s thunder back in 2016 with his unprecedented victory at the KeSPA Cup . While ShoWTimE proved to be a dud in the following year, Neeb claimed three WCS Circuit titles to his name and earned the elusive honorific of 'best foreigner.' He boasted a perfect record against the German opponent in offline matches. ShoWTimE had his work cut out for him.His valiant attempt to buck fate started off well. ShoWTimE won the first game after repulsing Neeb’s six-gate aggression. Neeb restored normalcy by winning the next two games, first with the aid of early phoenix harassment and then with a one base contain that allowed him to parlay a faster expansion into a victory. More than the result, the ease with which Neeb pulled the strings on Acid Plant and Catalyst evoked memories of their previous encounters in WESG 2016 IEM Shanghai and WCS Austin . Down 2-1 and facing elimination, ShoWTimE was faced with the daunting prospect of winning two straight maps.Incredibly, ShoWTimE out-clutched the Circuit's big-game king himself and did just that. He evened out the series in a phoenix versus phoenix battle where ShoWTimE’s patience perfectly countered Neeb’s impetuous phoenix control. With no tricks or gimmicks, ShoWTimE merely bided his time and amassed a larger phoenix count. He closed the deal on Eastwatch. Where Neeb opted for a fast twilight and gold base, ShoWTimE went for a sturdier immortal count with +1 attack and charge. Neeb found himself stuck on a stalker-heavy composition which was easily overrun by the horde of zealots. ShoWTimE walked on stage to address the raucous crowd, with a hard earned and relieved smile on his face.Playing standard games and having things work out against a multiple time champion? Even with the grand finals still looming, there was no doubt in that moment that ShoWTimE was back.Ultimately, ShoWTimE lost the final to Serral in the first of the Finn’s four Circuit triumphs of the year. Like all the runner-ups he must have been bitter when the brass ring swung out of his reach, but he had many reasons to be proud as well. His run granted him a new lease on life and a healthy position on the WCS Circuit leaderboards. On top of that ShoWTimE, a wayward vessel just a year ago, had finally caught the wind in his sails. His once beaming future, which had darkened mightily in 2017, had suddenly regained its luster.

Rank

Circuit Standings

#2 WCS Points

3270 2018 Season Stats*

63-45 (58.33%) vs. Terran

100-37 (72.99%) vs. Protoss

120-63 (65.57%) vs. Zerg

*Via Aligulac.com. Matches between 2017-11-15 and 2018-10-11.