The Alternate History of StarCraft II: Part One Text by Waxangel Graphics by shiroiusagi



This series of articles is a fictional account of StarCraft 2 history centered on one significant change: all champions and runners-up have been reversed. The inspiration was provided by Fomos user 'Lumos,' whose wrote a Brood War post based on this concept.



In July of 2010, StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty was released as a sequel to the legendary StarCraft: Brood War. Since the day its development was announced, it was clear that StarCraft 2 would have to live up to a monumental legacy. Not only did it follow in the footsteps of a best-selling game that was considered the pinnacle of its genre, but it was also the heir to the greatest esports tradition of all time: Korean professional StarCraft.



StarCraft creators Blizzard and Korean broadcaster GomTV took on the challenge of embracing this legacy. In August, the GomTV Global StarCraft 2 League was announced. With a $170,000 prize pool, 64 top players competing for the title, and a studio located in Seoul—the heart of esports, GSL Open Season 1 kicked off with ambitions of continuing a decade-long history of excellence.





The Beginning: 2010 Open Season 1

Ironically, the opening of a new era heralded the return of those from ages past. While plenty of young contenders made their mark on the tournament, it was two former Brood War professionals who reached the grand finals: FruitDealer and HopeTorture. The two possessed a peculiar blend of manual dexterity and strategic know-how that could only be gained from years of Brood War experience, and it allowed them to step to the forefront in a game where there was still much to be discovered.



Even though it was the GSL’s debut tournament, four weeks of play were more than enough to solidly establish the roles of hero and villain headed into the finals. The majority of the fan support came to rest behind FruitDealer, known as “Cool” during his time as a benchwarmer in Brood War. Exhibiting markedly creative and flamboyant Zerg play, FruitDealer alone was able to challenge the Terran hegemony that had risen almost immediately after the game's release. For Zerg players of all ranks suffering on the ladder, FruitDealer’s exploits in the GSL were their sole source of joy.



By default, HopeTorture was the antagonist. He had been a well-liked player during his Brood War days, and for a time his ID “IntoTheRainbow” was regularly seen on the weekly Proleague match-up list. Known for his good looks as much as his skillful play, he offered StarCraft 2 some valuable name recognition headed into the finals. Yet, he played the overpowered Terran race in a tediously orthodox manner. For that, there was no excuse.



The table was set for a finale worthy of StarCraft 2’s inaugural Korean tournament: The lone, maverick Zerg looking to topple the oppressive Terran monolith. A classic David versus Goliath tale.





FruitDealer and HopeTorture shake hands at the first GSL grand final.

Unfortunately, reality turned out to be harsher than myth, and the finals ended in disappointment. FruitDealer’s attempts to surprise HopeTorture with rarely used units like infestors and ultralisks were for naught, and the outside-the-box thinking that had served him so well against lesser opponents became his downfall. Scoffing at FruitDealer’s unusual tactics, HopeTorture administered a 4-1 drubbing to become the first GSL champion.



Although the storybook ending had been swapped out for a brutal reality check, GSL Open Season 1 was a cornerstone moment for StarCraft 2 esports. GomTV and Blizzard reaffirmed their commitment to StarCraft 2 esports going forward, with Blizzard even adding an NPC named "Kim Seong Jae" to the World of WarCraft expansion "Mists of Pandaria" as a vendor of mana-restoring fruit smoothies.



HopeTorture and FruitDealer had ushered in a new age, but they would soon be swept aside in the following seasons of the GSL. Having lit the way, the torch was wrested from them by hungrier, more ruthless challengers.





MarineKingPrimacy: Open Season 2 – 2011 World Championship

GSL Open Season 1 was merely the prologue. True StarCraft 2 history began to be written in the second Open Season. It was the season when the StarCraft 2 world was introduced to Clair. A nondescript Protoss player in Brood War, Clair decided to switch more than his game of choice. Not only did he make a risky race swap to Terran, but followed it with an even more audacious ID change to “Boxer”—the name of Brood War’s most hallowed figure. The so-called “Foxer” (a portmanteau of “Faux Boxer”) immediately came under intense scrutiny from StarCraft fans who wondered if his ID choice would amount to anything else than complete blasphemy.



It soon became apparent that there was no hubris in Foxer’s choice of moniker. Wielding micromanagement skills that were in an entirely different class from his opponents, Foxer cruised through his half of the bracket. In particular, his control over Marines could only be described as otherworldly, and the Terran infantrymen quickly became his signature unit.



Foxer would meet his first true challenge only upon reaching the grand finals. At twenty-seven years of age, Nestea (known as “ZergBong” in Brood War) was a veritable Methuselah in esports reckoning. The old Zerg player was almost Foxer’s polar opposite. Though he was lacking in terms of mechanics, he felled his opponents with his veteran guile just as easily as Foxer did with his micro.



The two clashed in a grueling series that ended up going all seven games. After six games that saw Foxer’s fantastic unit-control equally matched by Nestea’s cunning, Foxer channelled the spirit of the original Boxer and put all his chips down on a proxy bunker rush in game seven. Nestea’s old hands—though guided by a sagacious mind—could not physically keep up with Foxer’s flawless micro. Mowing down a last ditch defensive force of Drones and Zerglings with nary a scratch taken, Foxer pried the final GG from Nestea’s fingers.



In his very first tournament, Foxer had become the GSL champion and the undisputed, best player in the world. It was more than a solid enough foundation upon which to shed the name of Boxer and begin his own legacy. He decided there was no more fitting namesake than the unit that won him his crown.



MarineKing ascended to the throne.





MarineKing had turned the Season 2 finals into his personal coronation ceremony, but the celebration was followed by an equally memorable hangover. Having founded his dynasty, MarineKing was forced to wait through one largely forgettable season before he could assert his dominance once more. Whether it was from complacency or overconfidence, MarineKing looked distinctly out of sorts as he suffered shock elimination in GSL Open Season 3 at the hands of the cheesy upstart MC.



To add insult to injury, MarineKing didn’t even get the consolation of the losing to the eventual champion. MC made headlines with his upset over MarineKing, but was unable to take full advantage of the opportunity. Upon reaching the grand finals, he was in turn upset by another upcoming, cheesy player in Rain. With Rain lifting the Open Season 3 trophy, the GSL came to a close for 2010.



2011 brought in a slew of changes, with GomTV setting aside the Open Seasons and introducing the newly created “Code S” as Korea’s flagship competition. With multiple tiers of qualifiers and a complicated points and seeding system, GomTV had built a tournament structure for the long haul.



Thoroughly embarrassed in the previous GSL, MarineKing came roaring back in 2011’s opening season, Code S January. Crushing opponents with renewed vigor, Marine looked eager to wash away the painful memories of his prior elimination with another championship trophy.



Rampaging his way to the grand finals, the King booked his first, fateful encounter with the “Kong” (the nickname of legendary BW player Yellow, known for his numerous second place finishes). If Boxer and Yellow had been brought together by fate in Brood War, then MarineKing and Mvp were similarly bound in StarCraft 2.



Mvp was a few months delayed on making the switch from Brood War to StarCraft, but he was one of the most anticipated converters. As one of the strongest and highest profile BW players to make the switch to StarCraft 2, Mvp was at the center of attention as he entered his first GSL.



Mvp proved that he deserved the hype. His play was defined by an all-around solidness bordering on sheer perfection. He could not be faulted in any area, whether it was macro, micro, multitasking, scouting, or strategy. Most impressive of all, he appeared to never make mistakes.



Advancing through the Code S bracket almost unchallenged, Mvp earned a spot opposite of MarineKing on the grandest stage. A titanic clash was anticipated, but the result was the most one-sided beatdown in StarCraft 2 to that date. The precise, flawless play that had become Mvp’s hallmark was nowhere to be seen, with costly mistakes marring his play at every crucial juncture. On the other hand, MarineKing had no problem bringing all of his considerable skills to bear. Taking a clean, 4-0 sweep, MarineKing ascended to the throne for the second time.



Once more, MarineKing followed up a season of glory with one of disappointment. He was on the sidelines as the Code S March title went to Brood War great July, who achieved his goal of winning an SC2 title before retiring to fulfill his military service. MC was the familiar face in second place, coming up short once again with his all-in style. His second 1-4 loss in as many finals made him the first two-time runner-up, and he started to be become dubbed the “peasant-toss” and “protoss-peon.”



July may have been the player kissing the trophy in the end, but strangely enough, MarineKing ended up being one of the big winners of Code S March as well. Terran supremacy had been slowly eroding away since HopeTorture won the first GSL, and by March of 2011, only the lack of a non-Terran champion was keeping the cries of imbalance alive. With July’s victory, “Terran OP”—one of the most popular arguments cited by MarineKing’s detractors—was left without a leg to stand on.



Reinforcing his reputation as a player who needed the pain of defeat to reach his maximum potential, MarineKing bounced back in the following 2011 GSL World Championship. The competition had an international theme with foreign stars such as HuK, Jinro, and DIMAGA in participation, but the foreigners ended up being little more than background noise as MarineKing won an incredible third GSL title.



MarineKing’s victim was once again Mvp, who looked like a player hell-bent on revenge as he blazed a path to the finals. A thrilling semi-final match versus MC reminded everyone of just how rock-solid Mvp’s play could be, and his Code S January collapse began to seem like a freak occurrence. The first meeting between MarineKing had been a letdown, but fans were convinced: the rematch would be a classic.



Unfortunately, Mvp’s nerves failed him once more when he stepped onto the grand finals stage. He was able to put up a marginally better fight than before, but he was barely able to worry MarineKing. Easily dispatching of a fumbling Mvp by a 4-2 scoreline, MarineKing added a third GSL trophy to his collection.





"Rivals"

StarCraft 2 had been out for less than a year, but fans could not help but whisper the sacred “B” word. Bonjwa: a title given only to the most dominant, era-defining players in professional Brood War. Achievements from the early stages of a game had to be weighed carefully—that much was clear. The skill level in the GSL had risen rapidly, with the demise of HopeTorture and FruitDealer being a testament to that. But even MarineKing’s harshest critics, those who maintained he benefited greatly from playing in a less competitive, Terran-favored age, were forced to give him their respect for being utterly without peer in StarCraft 2.



Meanwhile, many began to doubt whether the immensely talented Mvp would ever win a title. Though he was nigh unstoppable when he was playing up to his best, his mental frailty seemed to doom him to forever be a Kong and never a champion.





Kingfall: Code S May - Code S August (2012)

When MarineKing lifted his third GSL trophy, it appeared as if his reign would last forever. Even if he was disinterested at times, even if his motivation was erratic, there was simply no player on the planet who could match him when he was fully locked in.



MarineKing’s early elimination in Code S May was brushed off by most as business as usual. The eccentric King had merely fallen into another one of his doldrums. He would be back, soon enough, to topple all the pretenders before him. That was the established pattern, and it would surely repeat itself.



Alas, such expectations could not have been more wrong. There was no triumphant return for MarineKing after his exit from Code S May. In the proceeding GSL Super Tournament (a throwback tournament to the GSL Open days), there was only more sub-par play from MarineKing as he suffered another quick elimination. Not even two consecutive poor finishes could snap MarineKing awake—Code S July saw him flop for the third tournament in a row.



The fire was gone. With three titles won and legendary status earned in less than a year, MarineKing had nothing left to prove.



In the wake of MarineKing’s fall, an era of chaos began, one with no clear ruler. New conquerors arrived and laid their claim to the throne, but no sooner had they donned the crown than they were toppled by another usurper.



The only legacies that were furthered were those of Mvp and Nestea—teammates and close friends who had been brutally oppressed during MarineKing’s reign. But far from attaining glory in MarineKing’s absence, the duo only endured the shame of being branded as the true Kongs of StarCraft 2.



Nestea suffered the worst. In the grand finals of Code S May, InCa humiliated Nestea with four consecutive Dark Templar rushes in a clean 4-0 sweep (giving Protoss their first title along the way). In Code S July, Nestea ended an otherwise perfect, lossless tournament run in another 0-4 sweep against his own pupil Losira.



Mvp’s shame deepened as well. Even with MarineKing out of the title picture, Mvp could not get over the finals hump. He returned to the GSL finals in Code S August to face TOP, only to be pelted by nuclear rain in a 1-4 loss. With three losses in three GSL finals, it was clear that there was something tragically wrong with Mvp’s psyche. There was no doubting that he was an incredible, championship caliber player—but only when nothing was on the line. When it mattered most, he was doomed to choke. MarineKing had left the GSL title picture, but the scars he inflicted on Mvp remained.





Nestea and Mvp: Partners in misery.



The Redemption of Mvp: Code S October - November

Mr. Unclutch. FailVP. The King of Throws. These were just a few of the nicknames that had stuck to Mvp as he headed into Code S October. As Mvp progressed his way up the bracket, his fans were filled with equal parts hope and dread. Was it worth seeing Mvp reach another final if it would only end in inevitable tragedy?



Even Mvp’s anti-fans felt uncomfortable when Mvp confirmed his fourth finals appearance after a routine semi-final victory over teammate Happy. After all, only the cruelest hearts can feel glee for an impending public execution.



Mvp couldn’t have wished for a worse finals opponent: the rising Terran superstar MMA. Together with InCa and Losira, MMA had taken advantage of MarineKing’s fall to insert himself into the GSL championship picture. A 4-0 victory over Polt in the Super Tournament finals had won MMA his first championship. But unlike Top and InCa, MMA was no one-hit wonder. In the post MarineKing world, he was poised to become the first player to enjoy a lengthy reign.



In fact, MMA had already defeated Mvp in a grand final three months prior. Not in the GSL, but across the ocean at MLG Anaheim. There, in front of thousands of screaming fans, MMA had exposed just how weak Mvp was to the entire world, laughing off Mvp’s considerable winner’s bracket advantage to become the MLG champion.



In a perversely cruel twist of fate, Mvp was forced to return to that same, traumatizing site. GomTV and Blizzard’s schedules had aligned, allowing the Code S finals to make an overseas trip to BlizzCon. There, at the very same Anaheim Convention Center that hosted the MLG event, he would face MMA once more for an even more prestigious prize.



And somehow, things got even worse. The crowd for BlizzCon would be even larger than the one at MLG. Western fans were already known for being more raucous than the ones in Korea, and the crowd at Blizzcon was set dwarf all StarCraft 2 audiences before it. If Mvp had crumbled under the pressure in previous finals, then it was conceivable that he would collapse into a black hole of insecurity at BlizzCon.



When all the factors were added up, the end-result was a foregone conclusion. Mvp would come in with his most finely honed strategies. Mvp would play with more desire and determination than ever. Mvp would give it his all, and no one would be able to say he could have done more. And then, Mvp would lose.



The series began with Mvp going up 1-0 as he deflected MMA’s attempt to pull a fast one on him with a proxy factory rush. It was a good start, but hardly cause for optimism—Mvp had thrown away early advantages in three previous finals.



But when Mvp extended his lead to 2-0, even his most jaded supporters found hope beginning to trickle into their hearts. A failed tank push from Mvp in game three made them rue their foolishness. How could they have forgotten? For Mvp, hope was only a road to disappointment.



With three games played and the series at a crucial juncture, the broadcast went to an extended commercial break. Coaches on both sides entered the player booths.



On Mvp’s side, Team Incredible Miracle head coach Hirai entered. There was no questioning Hirai’s leadership in team leagues, but his inability to guide Nestea nor Mvp to individual league glory had weighed heavily on his heart. At three prior GSL finals he had tried to find the words that would let Mvp unleash the world-beating skills he showed in practice, and three times he could only look on as his protege withered away.



At BlizzCon, Hirai took a different approach. He had no fiery language or glib encouragement prepared. Just a few quiet words: “It’s fine. Just like practice.” That, and some of his wife’s home cooking. Mrs. Kang had been coming to the IM house for months to cook them meals and give them a reprieve from endless bowls of instant noodles.



As for MMA, he turned to personal coach Ryu Won for advice. Mvp, declared the bookish tactician, already had one foot in the grave. The loss in game three had irreversibly damaged Mvp’s feeble mind, and all MMA needed to do was to apply the coup de grâce.



Those words, spoken outside the game, would make all the difference within.



Mvp crushed MMA in game four. Executing the immaculate macro-mech style that was his specialty, Mvp forced a third GG out of his opponent. A strange aura began to settle in around Mvp, one that had never shown itself in the finals: that of calm confidence. On the other hand, MMA’s play was rushed and careless. Ryu Won’s words had poisoned his mind with overconfidence and disrespect.



The loss gave MMA a jolt, but it was too little, too late. Though game five was more tightly contested, Ryu Won’s arrogance continued to permeate MMA’s play. Meanwhile, Mvp’s composure held firm. After a protracted losing effort, MMA surrendered in disbelief. Mvp had finally won the GSL.



With the final GG, the crowd at the Anaheim Convention Center let out a collective sigh of relief that rapidly turned into a scream of elation. They had witnessed the impossible: the redemption of a man, through a game.





It was not to be the breakthrough moment some had expected. It was not the breaking of the final seal restraining Mvp’s unlimited potential. Instead of asserting his will as the new king of StarCraft 2, Mvp exited Code S in the Ro16 when November rolled around. Leenock—Zerg’s youngest and hungriest rising star—had no mercy for the champ and took him out in a close match.



In spite of the mediocre finish, few could blame Mvp. Mvp himself didn’t seem to mind at all. He had been to hell and back, and a season’s respite wasn’t much to ask for.



In the meanwhile, the GSL kingdom returned to a state of chaos and flux. Mvp was not the only veteran to fall in the group stages, and the quarterfinal bracket was flooded with a new generation of players. The finals featured two of the youngest players to ever vye for the GSL title: Leenock at just sixteen years of age, and his opponent jjakji at seventeen. In the end, Leenock rode his wave of momentum all to the championship, defeating jjakji at the end of an action-packed series.





Finale: 2011 Blizzard Cup

With Code S November in the books, the GSL wrapped up its 2011 tournament circuit. Yet, even with an exciting final series to bring things to a close, it didn’t feel like a proper conclusion to a historic year full of tragedy and triumph. Fortunately, GomTV and Blizzard had been working behind the scenes to give the first full year of StarCraft 2 a proper sendoff. Alongside an award show to celebrate the year’s best players, there would be one last tournament to end the year: The Blizzard Cup.



Invitations went out to the top performers of the GSL, with familiar faces such as MarineKing, Mvp, MMA, and Nestea entering the fray. More than just a celebration of the GSL, The Blizzard Cup gave seeds to many international tournament winners as well. While the dominance of Korean players (see appendix for details) meant that they claimed most of those seeds, Sweden’s NaNiwa and China’s XiGua came through at the last moment to deliver holiday cheer to foreign fans. With shock end-of-year wins at MLG and WCG respectively, the two players showed that there was still some fight left in the foreign scene and booked their tickets to the GomTV studio.



Though neither foreigner was able to make an impact through their gameplay, NaNiwa won international admiration for his sportsmanship. During his match with Nestea, NaNiwa was able to overhear commentary due to GomTV’s insufficient soundproofing. Rather than play with an unfair advantage, NaNiwa opted to forfeit the match, prompting many Korean fans to call him the true winner due to his classy actions.



The biggest surprise of the tournament, even more so than the foreigner duo, was the return of FruitDealer. The first ever runner-up had scarcely been noticed since GSL Open Season 1. Splitting his time between working at his family’s fruit vending business and practicing on the ladder, he had failed to keep up with the massive influx of full-time pros. Outclassed by newcomers, FruitDealer’s career had nose-dived into a repeated cycle of failure at the GSL qualifiers.



Only a miracle run at IEM New York—a secondary tournament almostly entirely eclipsed by the simultaneous MLG Orlando—kept FruitDealer on the radar at all. There, he defeated a rag-tag group of foreigners who failed to make the MLG cut, and followed it with a lucky finals victory against a ladder-legend named DongRaeGu who still lacked seasoning at live events. Given the roster, IEM hardly counted as a ‘major’ tournament. Yet, GomTV and Blizzard had designated IEM New York as a seed-giving tournament far beforehand, allowing FruitDealer to sneak his way into the Blizzard Cup.





FruitDealer wins an unexpected Blizzard Cup seed at IEM New York.

With virtually no one predicting him to win, FruitDealer stepped back into the spotlight. His first match was a clean victory over MarineKing. It was certainly an upset, but many snarked that it was just a match between has-beens. His second match, a loss to IPL winner Lucky—an average GSL player who had hit the jackpot at the Atlantic city tournament—seemed to confirm everyone’s expectations.



However, a convincing victory over DreamHack champion PuMa—a player unproven in the GSL but still widely considered a Terran powerhouse—made fans turn their heads askance. And when FruitDealer defeated Mvp to go 3-1 and clinch first place in his group, everyone had to wonder: What the hell was going on?



The media swarmed FruitDealer after the group stages, and the once runner-up told his story. He had never expected to win IEM New York in the first place, and he could scarcely believe it when it led to an invitation to the Blizzard Cup. For nearly a year since the GSL Open, FruitDealer had been living in limbo. He was unwilling to let go of progaming fully, but the pain of his wasted years in Brood War preventing him from going all-in again. The Blizzard Cup had been the spark he desperately needed. For one last time, he would give it his all.



For months, FruitDealer had practiced day and night in preparation, and it had paid off in the group stages. But the upsets did not stop there. Facing Mvp once more in the semi-finals, FruitDealer put on his best performance yet. Combining the creativity which had been his signature trait since the very beginning of SC2, with a crispness of execution that could only be gained from long hours of practice, FruitDealer took a comprehensive 3-1 victory over the rigid Mvp.



Just one obstacle remained between FruitDealer and his dream of finally winning a major title. MMA, a champion of both GSL and MLG, had only been motivated to become even better after losing to Mvp at Code S October. The title of “best in the world” had been his for the taking, and he had let it slip through his fingers. It infuriated him. As MMA powered his way through the group stage and brackets, it was clear that FruitDealer was not the only player on a mission.



With MMA looking stronger than ever before, it was all the more shocking when FruitDealer started the series by winning three straight games. On a mental level MMA had vowed never to underestimate an opponent ever again, nor did he make such a mistake against FruitDealer. But on a gameplay level, he was simply not prepared to deal with FruitDealer’s bizarre playstyle that had been missing from top-tier competition for over a year.



Even in the face of imminent defeat, MMA did not lose heart. Each loss had provided him with valuable information, allowing him to make pivotal adjustments to his strategy. By game four, MMA was ready to mount his comeback. A shaky win in game four got MMA on the scoreboard. A more convincing victory followed in game five. Game six was a complete and clinical dissection of FruitDealer’s playstyle.



It seemed that FruitDealer had reached the bottom of his bag of tricks, just one map away from realizing his dream. But he still had one last bit of magic left: a standard game. Starting at the furthest possible position from his opponent on Shakuras Plateau, FruitDealer went all-in on powering up his economy. In contrast, MMA opted for a conservative, better-safe-than-sorry opener, fearing what madness FruitDealer might have saved for a game seven. By the time MMA learned there were no shenanigans except the lack of shenanigans, FruitDealer already had what he wanted: an economic advantage big enough to play a macro game on even ground with a juggernaut like MMA.



What ensued was a hellacious, non-stop exchange of blows. With the momentum swinging dizzyingly back and forth, the result was anything but certain until the last few moments of the game. However, one thing was clear to the viewers even before they saw the final GG. They were watching the best game of StarCraft 2 ever played in its short history.



The match came to a head in a sensational closing sequence. After countless battles that failed to tip the scales in favor of either player, FruitDealer finally seized the advantage with a decisive victory in the field. However, MMA’s dedication to relentless drop tactics had taken its toll, and FruitDealer was left without any resources to work with. His tank running on empty, FruitDealer assembled his army and marched on the Terran main. A spastic game that had covered the entire map in blood would come down to one, final battle.



Entrenched in a defensive position, at first it seemed like MMA could wait out FruitDealer’s siege. But the Zerg magician made a decisive call: there was no time to chip away at the defenses, and his only choice was to commit to a headlong charge into MMA’s entrenched position. The Zerg swarm crashed into the Terran meatgrinder, and absolutely mayhem ensued.



At the end of a devastating battle, only a handful of troops remained on the field. MMA’s army was completely annihilated. For FruitDealer, only a pitifully small fraction of his forces had survived. Small, but still enough to camp MMA’s production.



With his infrastructure paralyzed, MMA lifted his buildings and briefly considered the idea of a base trade. However, the futility of the situation soon became apparent. Shoulders slumped in resignation, MMA tapped out a couple of final inputs. GG.



FruitDealer could not stop tears from flowing down his face as he lifted the trophy. It was the culmination of five years of his life. After allowing FruitDealer to soak up the cheers from the crowd, the tournament hosts went to him for an interview. “I don’t know what to say. I can hardly believe it, even in this moment.”



Given a few moments to collect himself,



“I think… ...I think it was worth it.”















Appendix: In Foreign Lands (2010~2011)

Korea had inherited a proud legacy of competitive Brood War, and through the GSL, it rightfully assumed its place at the center of StarCraft 2 esports.



As for the rest of the world, their previous experience with competitive StarCraft had mostly been limited to getting their ass kicked by Korea at each year’s World Cyber Games. Korea’s dominance in StarCraft 1 had been so severe that the rest of the world had taken to collectively calling themselves the “foreigners,” a deference to Korea that would persist even in sequel.



The advent of StarCraft 2 brought a promise of change, with the game’s popularity exploding around the world and bringing in an enormous player base. A lethargic Western esports industry began stir, and large-scale tournaments sprung up around the world.



As in Korea, the first major championship in the foreign scene was won by a player with professional Brood War experience. America’s IdrA saw his years as a Brood War trainee in Korea finally pay off at IEM Gamescom 2010, as he overcame Sweden’s MorroW and his abuse of the then-overpowered Reapers to win the championship.





IdrA, StarCraft 2's first international champion.

Not long after, MLG made strides toward becoming forerunner in the West, investing considerable capital into holding massive, live events. The 2010 MLG circuit was mostly devoid of GSL players, except for foreigners IdrA and Jinro who had achieved moderate success in the Open Seasons. The skills they had honed in Korea served them well as both managed to take runner-up finishes, but the three MLG trophies on the year went to players trained in North America: KiwiKaKi, SeleCT, and TT1.



Hopes for a competitive foreign scene were further buoyed at the 2010 BlizzCon Invitational when Chinese player Loner vanquished Korea’s Genius in the grand finals. Furthermore, the early elimination of Maka, the other Korean delegate, suggested that the skill pool in Korea was far shallower than it had been in Brood War. International parity no longer seemed like wishful thinking.



In March of 2011, the IEM Season V World Championship arrived to kick such dreams to the curb. Moon, Squirtle, and Ace came in as the Korean invitees. All three were respectable opponents, but they were far from being championship contenders in Korea. They claimed all three spots on the podium: WarCraft 3 legend Moon with the gold medal, flanked by Squirtle and Ace. With the gold medal draped around his neck, Moon made his now-famous declaration: “Koreans own white dudes.”



Moon’s words were reaffirmed shortly after at April’s GSL World Championship. Eight international representatives flew to Korea to challenge eight of the GSL’s best, and seven of them were thoroughly chastised (only DIMAGA returned with an enhanced reputation after winning a series against Nestea). Again, the top finishers were all Korean, this time with MarineKing, Mvp, San, and MC taking the honors.



Foreigners would be given a brief respite to rekindle their hopes, with Korean players leaving the foreign scene largely untouched through June. With players like Jinro and HuK achieving mid-high table finishes in the GSL, it looked like the gap might still be bridged despite the humiliations at IEM and the World Championship.



June’s MLG Columbus crushed those hopes again. MLG opened their wallets and rolled out the red carpet for the GSL’s top tier players and revealed that the gap between Korea and the rest of the world had only grown since the Hannover massacre. Koreans swept the top three spots, with GSL champion Losira defeating the fast-rising MMA (who would go on to take his own GSL title at the Super Tournament in a few weeks time) in the grand finals.



While foreign progamers moaned, fans found themselves greatly enjoying the spectacle (at least, for the time being). They had a taste of truly top-level competition, and they demanded that they be given more. Spots for the top Korean pros became a requirement for all tournaments looking to be taken seriously, and organizations like MLG, NASL, and IPL continued to invite Koreans over to crush the local competition.



A new world had opened itself up to the players forged in the brutal competition of the GSL, and they pounced upon the opportunity. Two-time GSL runner-up MC finally earned himself a championship at the inaugural NASL. Though the tournament did not quite hold the weight of a GSL, $50,000 in first place winnings made it a more than satisfactory consolation prize. Once MC took another first place finish at MLG Orlando, his GSL woes no longer seemed like such a big deal.



It wasn’t just finalists who took advantage of the foreign scene. HerO—a highly-skilled player afflicted by paralyzing stage fright in the GSL—finally overcame his shaky nerves to win the second NASL. Coca—a scintillating rookie bottlenecked by the GSL’s overly difficult qualifying system—was able to demand an immediate spotlight after beating Bomber for the championship at MLG Raleigh.



Even players who were largely unheralded in the GSL found foreign tournaments to be lucrative opportunities. With tournaments taking place over a few days instead of weeks like the GSL, even mid-tier players could be successful if they caught fire at the right time. Lucky was a player who had never touched the hallowed realm of Code S, but nonetheless swept through a fearsome bunch of GSL veterans at IPL3 to take home the $30,000 grand prize. Moon, though far fallen from his storied WarCraft 3 days, showed he still had one more championship run in him at DreamHack Summer.



Only Mvp (until the aforementioned GSL October) and Nestea seemed cursed to remain trophyless, even with the multitude of new competitions. Mvp missed out on a golden chance to win MLG Anaheim, while Nestea somehow found a way to lose to a clearly disinterested MarineKing at Blizzard’s 2011 BlizzCon invitational.





HuK would become known as "Canadian Kong" for his multiple second-place finishes.

As more and more tournaments passed with Korean players standing on the podium, the grumbling from the Western fans started to match that of the pros. Yet, the discontent was tempered by near-victories and bursts of heroism. The GSL-trained HuK came agonizingly close to defeating Koreans in two finals, losing to Moon at DH: Summer and MC at MLG Orlando. The French Zerg Stephano came out of nowhere to reach the grand finals at IPL3, but unfortunately partied too hard the night before the finals and fell 0-4 to Lucky (in retrospect, this would prove to be a valuable experience for Stephano. Success would come later after he swore off drinking and became a model of work ethic). IEM Guangzhou, despite its noticeably weak field of Koreans, was still celebrated for its foreigner vs. foreigner finals (Finnish Protoss elfi defeated IdrA).



Foreign fans would not end their year in darkness. Just before the competitive circuit for 2011 came to a close, two foreigners came through with holiday miracles. NaNiwa, champion of the premier online tournament TSL3, finally rose to the top in live competition as well. Few expected an absolutely stacked MLG Providence to be the site of the foreign scene’s greatest triumph. Providence was MLG’s own grand finale to the year, featuring the most prize money of any MLG event and by far the most stacked line-up of players ever seen outside of Korea. But NaNiwa still beat the odds, running through a gauntlet of top tier players that ended with reigning GSL champion Leenock. The Swede didn’t look like a player who was merely fighting back against the Koreans. Instead, for the first time, a foreigner looked like he might be better.





DongRaeGu congratulates teammate NaNiwa on his MLG championship.

Not long after, the foreign scene struck again, but this time at an unexpected location. Chinese players had hardly achieved anything of note since Loner won BlizzCon 2010, and they had made an especially poor impression at IEM Guangzhou. However, China’s XiGua struck a huge blow for foreigners everywhere at the WCG 2011 grand finals. Defeating Mvp (who else?), XiGua wrested the StarCraft gold medal away from Korean hands for the first time in the tournament’s ten year history.



NaNiwa and XiGua were rewarded with Blizzard Cup spots for their achievements, but neither would make it out of the group stages. However, to foreign fans around the world, that result was of little consequence. A much more important point had already been proven.



This time around, things could be different.





Administrator Hey HP can you redo everything youve ever done because i have a small complaint? In July of 2010, StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty was released as a sequel to the legendary StarCraft: Brood War. Since the day its development was announced, it was clear that StarCraft 2 would have to live up to a monumental legacy. Not only did it follow in the footsteps of a best-selling game that was considered the pinnacle of its genre, but it was also the heir to the greatest esports tradition of all time: Korean professional StarCraft.StarCraft creators Blizzard and Korean broadcaster GomTV took on the challenge of embracing this legacy. In August, the GomTV Global StarCraft 2 League was announced. With a $170,000 prize pool, 64 top players competing for the title, and a studio located in Seoul—the heart of esports, GSL Open Season 1 kicked off with ambitions of continuing a decade-long history of excellence.Ironically, the opening of a new era heralded the return of those from ages past. While plenty of young contenders made their mark on the tournament, it was two former Brood War professionals who reached the grand finals: FruitDealer and HopeTorture. The two possessed a peculiar blend of manual dexterity and strategic know-how that could only be gained from years of Brood War experience, and it allowed them to step to the forefront in a game where there was still much to be discovered.Even though it was the GSL’s debut tournament, four weeks of play were more than enough to solidly establish the roles of hero and villain headed into the finals. The majority of the fan support came to rest behind FruitDealer, known as “Cool” during his time as a benchwarmer in Brood War. Exhibiting markedly creative and flamboyant Zerg play, FruitDealer alone was able to challenge the Terran hegemony that had risen almost immediately after the game's release. For Zerg players of all ranks suffering on the ladder, FruitDealer’s exploits in the GSL were their sole source of joy.By default, HopeTorture was the antagonist. He had been a well-liked player during his Brood War days, and for a time his ID “IntoTheRainbow” was regularly seen on the weekly Proleague match-up list. Known for his good looks as much as his skillful play, he offered StarCraft 2 some valuable name recognition headed into the finals. Yet, he played the overpowered Terran race in a tediously orthodox manner. For that, there was no excuse.The table was set for a finale worthy of StarCraft 2’s inaugural Korean tournament: The lone, maverick Zerg looking to topple the oppressive Terran monolith. A classic David versus Goliath tale.Unfortunately, reality turned out to be harsher than myth, and the finals ended in disappointment. FruitDealer’s attempts to surprise HopeTorture with rarely used units like infestors and ultralisks were for naught, and the outside-the-box thinking that had served him so well against lesser opponents became his downfall. Scoffing at FruitDealer’s unusual tactics, HopeTorture administered a 4-1 drubbing to become the first GSL champion.Although the storybook ending had been swapped out for a brutal reality check, GSL Open Season 1 was a cornerstone moment for StarCraft 2 esports. GomTV and Blizzard reaffirmed their commitment to StarCraft 2 esports going forward, with Blizzard even adding an NPC named "Kim Seong Jae" to the World of WarCraft expansion "Mists of Pandaria" as a vendor of mana-restoring fruit smoothies.HopeTorture and FruitDealer had ushered in a new age, but they would soon be swept aside in the following seasons of the GSL. Having lit the way, the torch was wrested from them by hungrier, more ruthless challengers.GSL Open Season 1 was merely the prologue. True StarCraft 2 history began to be written in the second Open Season. It was the season when the StarCraft 2 world was introduced to Clair. A nondescript Protoss player in Brood War, Clair decided to switch more than his game of choice. Not only did he make a risky race swap to Terran, but followed it with an even more audacious ID change to “Boxer”—the name of Brood War’s most hallowed figure. The so-called “Foxer” (a portmanteau of “Faux Boxer”) immediately came under intense scrutiny from StarCraft fans who wondered if his ID choice would amount to anything else than complete blasphemy.It soon became apparent that there was no hubris in Foxer’s choice of moniker. Wielding micromanagement skills that were in an entirely different class from his opponents, Foxer cruised through his half of the bracket. In particular, his control over Marines could only be described as, and the Terran infantrymen quickly became his signature unit.Foxer would meet his first true challenge only upon reaching the grand finals. At twenty-seven years of age, Nestea (known as “ZergBong” in Brood War) was a veritable Methuselah in esports reckoning. The old Zerg player was almost Foxer’s polar opposite. Though he was lacking in terms of mechanics, he felled his opponents with his veteran guile just as easily as Foxer did with his micro.The two clashed in a grueling series that ended up going all seven games. After six games that saw Foxer’s fantastic unit-control equally matched by Nestea’s cunning, Foxer channelled the spirit of the original Boxer and put all his chips down on a proxy bunker rush in game seven. Nestea’s old hands—though guided by a sagacious mind—could not physically keep up with Foxer’s flawless micro. Mowing down a last ditch defensive force of Drones and Zerglings with nary a scratch taken, Foxer pried the final GG from Nestea’s fingers.In his very first tournament, Foxer had become the GSL champion and the undisputed, best player in the world. It was more than a solid enough foundation upon which to shed the name of Boxer and begin his own legacy. He decided there was no more fitting namesake than the unit that won him his crown.MarineKing ascended to the throne.MarineKing had turned the Season 2 finals into his personal coronation ceremony, but the celebration was followed by an equally memorable hangover. Having founded his dynasty, MarineKing was forced to wait through one largely forgettable season before he could assert his dominance once more. Whether it was from complacency or overconfidence, MarineKing looked distinctly out of sorts as he suffered shock elimination in GSL Open Season 3 at the hands of the cheesy upstart MC.To add insult to injury, MarineKing didn’t even get the consolation of the losing to the eventual champion. MC made headlines with his upset over MarineKing, but was unable to take full advantage of the opportunity. Upon reaching the grand finals, he was in turn upset by another upcoming, cheesy player in Rain. With Rain lifting the Open Season 3 trophy, the GSL came to a close for 2010.2011 brought in a slew of changes, with GomTV setting aside the Open Seasons and introducing the newly created “Code S” as Korea’s flagship competition. With multiple tiers of qualifiers and a complicated points and seeding system, GomTV had built a tournament structure for the long haul.Thoroughly embarrassed in the previous GSL, MarineKing came roaring back in 2011’s opening season, Code S January. Crushing opponents with renewed vigor, Marine looked eager to wash away the painful memories of his prior elimination with another championship trophy.Rampaging his way to the grand finals, the King booked his first, fateful encounter with the “Kong” (the nickname of legendary BW player Yellow, known for his numerous second place finishes). If Boxer and Yellow had been brought together by fate in Brood War, then MarineKing and Mvp were similarly bound in StarCraft 2.Mvp was a few months delayed on making the switch from Brood War to StarCraft, but he was one of the most anticipated converters. As one of the strongest and highest profile BW players to make the switch to StarCraft 2, Mvp was at the center of attention as he entered his first GSL.Mvp proved that he deserved the hype. His play was defined by an all-around solidness bordering on sheer perfection. He could not be faulted in any area, whether it was macro, micro, multitasking, scouting, or strategy. Most impressive of all, he appeared tomake mistakes.Advancing through the Code S bracket almost unchallenged, Mvp earned a spot opposite of MarineKing on the grandest stage. A titanic clash was anticipated, but the result was the most one-sided beatdown in StarCraft 2 to that date. The precise, flawless play that had become Mvp’s hallmark was nowhere to be seen, with costly mistakes marring his play at every crucial juncture. On the other hand, MarineKing had no problem bringing all of his considerable skills to bear. Taking a clean, 4-0 sweep, MarineKing ascended to the throne for the second time.Once more, MarineKing followed up a season of glory with one of disappointment. He was on the sidelines as the Code S March title went to Brood War great July, who achieved his goal of winning an SC2 title before retiring to fulfill his military service. MC was the familiar face in second place, coming up short once again with his all-in style. His second 1-4 loss in as many finals made him the first two-time runner-up, and he started to be become dubbed the “peasant-toss” and “protoss-peon.”July may have been the player kissing the trophy in the end, but strangely enough, MarineKing ended up being one of the big winners of Code S March as well. Terran supremacy had been slowly eroding away since HopeTorture won the first GSL, and by March of 2011, only the lack of a non-Terran champion was keeping the cries of imbalance alive. With July’s victory, “Terran OP”—one of the most popular arguments cited by MarineKing’s detractors—was left without a leg to stand on.Reinforcing his reputation as a player who needed the pain of defeat to reach his maximum potential, MarineKing bounced back in the following 2011 GSL World Championship. The competition had an international theme with foreign stars such as HuK, Jinro, and DIMAGA in participation, but the foreigners ended up being little more than background noise as MarineKing won an incredible third GSL title.MarineKing’s victim was once again Mvp, who looked like a player hell-bent on revenge as he blazed a path to the finals. A thrilling semi-final match versus MC reminded everyone of just how rock-solid Mvp’s play could be, and his Code S January collapse began to seem like a freak occurrence. The first meeting between MarineKing had been a letdown, but fans were convinced: the rematch would be a classic.Unfortunately, Mvp’s nerves failed him once more when he stepped onto the grand finals stage. He was able to put up a marginally better fight than before, but he was barely able to worry MarineKing. Easily dispatching of a fumbling Mvp by a 4-2 scoreline, MarineKing added a third GSL trophy to his collection.StarCraft 2 had been out for less than a year, but fans could not help but whisper the sacred “B” word.: a title given only to the most dominant, era-defining players in professional Brood War. Achievements from the early stages of a game had to be weighed carefully—that much was clear. The skill level in the GSL had risen rapidly, with the demise of HopeTorture and FruitDealer being a testament to that. But even MarineKing’s harshest critics, those who maintained he benefited greatly from playing in a less competitive, Terran-favored age, were forced to give him their respect for being utterly without peer in StarCraft 2.Meanwhile, many began to doubt whether the immensely talented Mvp would ever win a title. Though he was nigh unstoppable when he was playing up to his best, his mental frailty seemed to doom him to forever be a Kong and never a champion.When MarineKing lifted his third GSL trophy, it appeared as if his reign would last forever. Even if he was disinterested at times, even if his motivation was erratic, there was simply no player on the planet who could match him when he was fully locked in.MarineKing’s early elimination in Code S May was brushed off by most as business as usual. The eccentric King had merely fallen into another one of his doldrums. He would be back, soon enough, to topple all the pretenders before him. That was the established pattern, and it would surely repeat itself.Alas, such expectations could not have been more wrong. There was no triumphant return for MarineKing after his exit from Code S May. In the proceeding GSL Super Tournament (a throwback tournament to the GSL Open days), there was only more sub-par play from MarineKing as he suffered another quick elimination. Not even two consecutive poor finishes could snap MarineKing awake—Code S July saw him flop for the third tournament in a row.The fire was gone. With three titles won and legendary status earned in less than a year, MarineKing had nothing left to prove.In the wake of MarineKing’s fall, an era of chaos began, one with no clear ruler. New conquerors arrived and laid their claim to the throne, but no sooner had they donned the crown than they were toppled by another usurper.The only legacies that were furthered were those of Mvp and Nestea—teammates and close friends who had been brutally oppressed during MarineKing’s reign. But far from attaining glory in MarineKing’s absence, the duo only endured the shame of being branded as the true Kongs of StarCraft 2.Nestea suffered the worst. In the grand finals of Code S May, InCa humiliated Nestea with four consecutive Dark Templar rushes in a clean 4-0 sweep (giving Protoss their first title along the way). In Code S July, Nestea ended an otherwise perfect, lossless tournament run in another 0-4 sweep against his own pupil Losira.Mvp’s shame deepened as well. Even with MarineKing out of the title picture, Mvp could not get over the finals hump. He returned to the GSL finals in Code S August to face TOP, only to be pelted by nuclear rain in a 1-4 loss. With three losses in three GSL finals, it was clear that there was something tragically wrong with Mvp’s psyche. There was no doubting that he was an incredible, championship caliber player—but only when nothing was on the line. When it mattered most, he was doomed to choke. MarineKing had left the GSL title picture, but the scars he inflicted on Mvp remained.Mr. Unclutch. FailVP. The King of Throws. These were just a few of the nicknames that had stuck to Mvp as he headed into Code S October. As Mvp progressed his way up the bracket, his fans were filled with equal parts hope and dread. Was it worth seeing Mvp reach another final if it would only end in inevitable tragedy?Even Mvp’s anti-fans felt uncomfortable when Mvp confirmed his fourth finals appearance after a routine semi-final victory over teammate Happy. After all, only the cruelest hearts can feel glee for an impending public execution.Mvp couldn’t have wished for a worse finals opponent: the rising Terran superstar MMA. Together with InCa and Losira, MMA had taken advantage of MarineKing’s fall to insert himself into the GSL championship picture. A 4-0 victory over Polt in the Super Tournament finals had won MMA his first championship. But unlike Top and InCa, MMA was no one-hit wonder. In the post MarineKing world, he was poised to become the first player to enjoy a lengthy reign.In fact, MMA haddefeated Mvp in a grand final three months prior. Not in the GSL, but across the ocean at MLG Anaheim. There, in front of thousands of screaming fans, MMA had exposed just how weak Mvp was to the entire world, laughing off Mvp’s considerable winner’s bracket advantage to become the MLG champion.In a perversely cruel twist of fate, Mvp was forced to return to that same, traumatizing site. GomTV and Blizzard’s schedules had aligned, allowing the Code S finals to make an overseas trip to BlizzCon. There, at the very same Anaheim Convention Center that hosted the MLG event, he would face MMA once more for an even more prestigious prize.And somehow, things got even worse. The crowd for BlizzCon would be even larger than the one at MLG. Western fans were already known for being more raucous than the ones in Korea, and the crowd at Blizzcon was set dwarf all StarCraft 2 audiences before it. If Mvp had crumbled under the pressure in previous finals, then it was conceivable that he would collapse into a black hole of insecurity at BlizzCon.When all the factors were added up, the end-result was a foregone conclusion. Mvp would come in with his most finely honed strategies. Mvp would play with more desire and determination than ever. Mvp would give it his all, and no one would be able to say he could have done more. And then, Mvp would lose.The series began with Mvp going up 1-0 as he deflected MMA’s attempt to pull a fast one on him with a proxy factory rush. It was a good start, but hardly cause for optimism—Mvp had thrown away early advantages in three previous finals.But when Mvp extended his lead to 2-0, even his most jaded supporters found hope beginning to trickle into their hearts. A failed tank push from Mvp in game three made them rue their foolishness. How could they have forgotten? For Mvp, hope was only a road to disappointment.With three games played and the series at a crucial juncture, the broadcast went to an extended commercial break. Coaches on both sides entered the player booths.On Mvp’s side, Team Incredible Miracle head coach Hirai entered. There was no questioning Hirai’s leadership in team leagues, but his inability to guide Nestea nor Mvp to individual league glory had weighed heavily on his heart. At three prior GSL finals he had tried to find the words that would let Mvp unleash the world-beating skills he showed in practice, and three times he could only look on as his protege withered away.At BlizzCon, Hirai took a different approach. He had no fiery language or glib encouragement prepared. Just a few quiet words: “It’s fine. Just like practice.” That, and some of his wife’s home cooking. Mrs. Kang had been coming to the IM house for months to cook them meals and give them a reprieve from endless bowls of instant noodles.As for MMA, he turned to personal coach Ryu Won for advice. Mvp, declared the bookish tactician, already had one foot in the grave. The loss in game three had irreversibly damaged Mvp’s feeble mind, and all MMA needed to do was to apply theThose words, spoken outside the game, would make all the difference within.Mvp crushed MMA in game four. Executing the immaculate macro-mech style that was his specialty, Mvp forced a third GG out of his opponent. A strange aura began to settle in around Mvp, one that had never shown itself in the finals: that of calm confidence. On the other hand, MMA’s play was rushed and careless. Ryu Won’s words had poisoned his mind with overconfidence and disrespect.The loss gave MMA a jolt, but it was too little, too late. Though game five was more tightly contested, Ryu Won’s arrogance continued to permeate MMA’s play. Meanwhile, Mvp’s composure held firm. After a protracted losing effort, MMA surrendered in disbelief. Mvp had finally won the GSL.With the final GG, the crowd at the Anaheim Convention Center let out a collective sigh of relief that rapidly turned into a scream of elation. They had witnessed the impossible: the redemption of a man, through a game.It was not to be the breakthrough moment some had expected. It was not the breaking of the final seal restraining Mvp’s unlimited potential. Instead of asserting his will as the new king of StarCraft 2, Mvp exited Code S in the Ro16 when November rolled around. Leenock—Zerg’s youngest and hungriest rising star—had no mercy for the champ and took him out in a close match.In spite of the mediocre finish, few could blame Mvp. Mvp himself didn’t seem to mind at all. He had been to hell and back, and a season’s respite wasn’t much to ask for.In the meanwhile, the GSL kingdom returned to a state of chaos and flux. Mvp was not the only veteran to fall in the group stages, and the quarterfinal bracket was flooded with a new generation of players. The finals featured two of the youngest players to ever vye for the GSL title: Leenock at just sixteen years of age, and his opponent jjakji at seventeen. In the end, Leenock rode his wave of momentum all to the championship, defeating jjakji at the end of an action-packed series.With Code S November in the books, the GSL wrapped up its 2011 tournament circuit. Yet, even with an exciting final series to bring things to a close, it didn’t feel like a proper conclusion to a historic year full of tragedy and triumph. Fortunately, GomTV and Blizzard had been working behind the scenes to give the first full year of StarCraft 2 a proper sendoff. Alongside an award show to celebrate the year’s best players, there would be one last tournament to end the year: The Blizzard Cup.Invitations went out to the top performers of the GSL, with familiar faces such as MarineKing, Mvp, MMA, and Nestea entering the fray. More than just a celebration of the GSL, The Blizzard Cup gave seeds to many international tournament winners as well. While the dominance of Korean players (see appendix for details) meant that they claimed most of those seeds, Sweden’s NaNiwa and China’s XiGua came through at the last moment to deliver holiday cheer to foreign fans. With shock end-of-year wins at MLG and WCG respectively, the two players showed that there was still some fight left in the foreign scene and booked their tickets to the GomTV studio.Though neither foreigner was able to make an impact through their gameplay, NaNiwa won international admiration for his sportsmanship. During his match with Nestea, NaNiwa was able to overhear commentary due to GomTV’s insufficient soundproofing. Rather than play with an unfair advantage, NaNiwa opted to forfeit the match, prompting many Korean fans to call him the true winner due to his classy actions.The biggest surprise of the tournament, even more so than the foreigner duo, was the return of FruitDealer. The first ever runner-up had scarcely been noticed since GSL Open Season 1. Splitting his time between working at his family’s fruit vending business and practicing on the ladder, he had failed to keep up with the massive influx of full-time pros. Outclassed by newcomers, FruitDealer’s career had nose-dived into a repeated cycle of failure at the GSL qualifiers.Only a miracle run at IEM New York—a secondary tournament almostly entirely eclipsed by the simultaneous MLG Orlando—kept FruitDealer on the radar at all. There, he defeated a rag-tag group of foreigners who failed to make the MLG cut, and followed it with a lucky finals victory against a ladder-legend named DongRaeGu who still lacked seasoning at live events. Given the roster, IEM hardly counted as a ‘major’ tournament. Yet, GomTV and Blizzard had designated IEM New York as a seed-giving tournament far beforehand, allowing FruitDealer to sneak his way into the Blizzard Cup.With virtually no one predicting him to win, FruitDealer stepped back into the spotlight. His first match was a clean victory over MarineKing. It was certainly an upset, but many snarked that it was just a match between has-beens. His second match, a loss to IPL winner Lucky—an average GSL player who had hit the jackpot at the Atlantic city tournament—seemed to confirm everyone’s expectations.However, a convincing victory over DreamHack champion PuMa—a player unproven in the GSL but still widely considered a Terran powerhouse—made fans turn their heads askance. And when FruitDealer defeated Mvp to go 3-1 and clinch first place in his group, everyone had to wonder: What the hell was going on?The media swarmed FruitDealer after the group stages, and the once runner-up told his story. He had never expected to win IEM New York in the first place, and he could scarcely believe it when it led to an invitation to the Blizzard Cup. For nearly a year since the GSL Open, FruitDealer had been living in limbo. He was unwilling to let go of progaming fully, but the pain of his wasted years in Brood War preventing him from going all-in again. The Blizzard Cup had been the spark he desperately needed. For one last time, he would give it his all.For months, FruitDealer had practiced day and night in preparation, and it had paid off in the group stages. But the upsets did not stop there. Facing Mvp once more in the semi-finals, FruitDealer put on his best performance yet. Combining the creativity which had been his signature trait since the very beginning of SC2, with a crispness of execution that could only be gained from long hours of practice, FruitDealer took a comprehensive 3-1 victory over the rigid Mvp.Just one obstacle remained between FruitDealer and his dream of finally winning a major title. MMA, a champion of both GSL and MLG, had only been motivated to become even better after losing to Mvp at Code S October. The title of “best in the world” had been his for the taking, and he had let it slip through his fingers. It infuriated him. As MMA powered his way through the group stage and brackets, it was clear that FruitDealer was not the only player on a mission.With MMA looking stronger than ever before, it was all the more shocking when FruitDealer started the series by winning three straight games. On a mental level MMA had vowed never to underestimate an opponent ever again, nor did he make such a mistake against FruitDealer. But on a gameplay level, he was simply not prepared to deal with FruitDealer’s bizarre playstyle that had been missing from top-tier competition for over a year.Even in the face of imminent defeat, MMA did not lose heart. Each loss had provided him with valuable information, allowing him to make pivotal adjustments to his strategy. By game four, MMA was ready to mount his comeback. A shaky win in game four got MMA on the scoreboard. A more convincing victory followed in game five. Game six was a complete and clinical dissection of FruitDealer’s playstyle.It seemed that FruitDealer had reached the bottom of his bag of tricks, just one map away from realizing his dream. But he still had one last bit of magic left: a standard game. Starting at the furthest possible position from his opponent on Shakuras Plateau, FruitDealer went all-in on powering up his economy. In contrast, MMA opted for a conservative, better-safe-than-sorry opener, fearing what madness FruitDealer might have saved for a game seven. By the time MMA learned there were no shenanigans except the lack of shenanigans, FruitDealer already had what he wanted: an economic advantage big enough to play a macro game on even ground with a juggernaut like MMA.What ensued was a hellacious, non-stop exchange of blows. With the momentum swinging dizzyingly back and forth, the result was anything but certain until the last few moments of the game. However, one thing was clear to the viewers even before they saw the final GG. They were watching the best game of StarCraft 2 ever played in its short history.The match came to a head in a sensational closing sequence. After countless battles that failed to tip the scales in favor of either player, FruitDealer finally seized the advantage with a decisive victory in the field. However, MMA’s dedication to relentless drop tactics had taken its toll, and FruitDealer was left without any resources to work with. His tank running on empty, FruitDealer assembled his army and marched on the Terran main. A spastic game that had covered the entire map in blood would come down to one, final battle.Entrenched in a defensive position, at first it seemed like MMA could wait out FruitDealer’s siege. But the Zerg magician made a decisive call: there was no time to chip away at the defenses, and his only choice was to commit to a headlong charge into MMA’s entrenched position. The Zerg swarm crashed into the Terran meatgrinder, and absolutely mayhem ensued.At the end of a devastating battle, only a handful of troops remained on the field. MMA’s army was completely annihilated. For FruitDealer, only a pitifully small fraction of his forces had survived. Small, but still enough to camp MMA’s production.With his infrastructure paralyzed, MMA lifted his buildings and briefly considered the idea of a base trade. However, the futility of the situation soon became apparent. Shoulders slumped in resignation, MMA tapped out a couple of final inputs. GG.FruitDealer could not stop tears from flowing down his face as he lifted the trophy. It was the culmination of five years of his life. After allowing FruitDealer to soak up the cheers from the crowd, the tournament hosts went to him for an interview. “I don’t know what to say. I can hardly believe it, even in this moment.”Given a few moments to collect himself,“I think… ...I think it was worth it.”Korea had inherited a proud legacy of competitive Brood War, and through the GSL, it rightfully assumed its place at the center of StarCraft 2 esports.As for the rest of the world, their previous experience with competitive StarCraft had mostly been limited to getting their ass kicked by Korea at each year’s World Cyber Games. Korea’s dominance in StarCraft 1 had been so severe that the rest of the world had taken to collectively calling themselves the “foreigners,” a deference to Korea that would persist even in sequel.The advent of StarCraft 2 brought a promise of change, with the game’s popularity exploding around the world and bringing in an enormous player base. A lethargic Western esports industry began stir, and large-scale tournaments sprung up around the world.As in Korea, the first major championship in the foreign scene was won by a player with professional Brood War experience. America’s IdrA saw his years as a Brood War trainee in Korea finally pay off at IEM Gamescom 2010, as he overcame Sweden’s MorroW and his abuse of the then-overpowered Reapers to win the championship.Not long after, MLG made strides toward becoming forerunner in the West, investing considerable capital into holding massive, live events. The 2010 MLG circuit was mostly devoid of GSL players, except for foreigners IdrA and Jinro who had achieved moderate success in the Open Seasons. The skills they had honed in Korea served them well as both managed to take runner-up finishes, but the three MLG trophies on the year went to players trained in North America: KiwiKaKi, SeleCT, and TT1.Hopes for a competitive foreign scene were further buoyed at the 2010 BlizzCon Invitational when Chinese player Loner vanquished Korea’s Genius in the grand finals. Furthermore, the early elimination of Maka, the other Korean delegate, suggested that the skill pool in Korea was far shallower than it had been in Brood War. International parity no longer seemed like wishful thinking.In March of 2011, the IEM Season V World Championship arrived to kick such dreams to the curb. Moon, Squirtle, and Ace came in as the Korean invitees. All three were respectable opponents, but they were far from being championship contenders in Korea. They claimed all three spots on the podium: WarCraft 3 legend Moon with the gold medal, flanked by Squirtle and Ace. With the gold medal draped around his neck, Moon made his now-famous declaration: “Koreans own white dudes.”Moon’s words were reaffirmed shortly after at April’s GSL World Championship. Eight international representatives flew to Korea to challenge eight of the GSL’s best, and seven of them were thoroughly chastised (only DIMAGA returned with an enhanced reputation after winning a series against Nestea). Again, the top finishers were all Korean, this time with MarineKing, Mvp, San, and MC taking the honors.Foreigners would be given a brief respite to rekindle their hopes, with Korean players leaving the foreign scene largely untouched through June. With players like Jinro and HuK achieving mid-high table finishes in the GSL, it looked like the gap might still be bridged despite the humiliations at IEM and the World Championship.June’s MLG Columbus crushed those hopes again. MLG opened their wallets and rolled out the red carpet for the GSL’s top tier players and revealed that the gap between Korea and the rest of the world had only grown since the Hannover massacre. Koreans swept the top three spots, with GSL champion Losira defeating the fast-rising MMA (who would go on to take his own GSL title at the Super Tournament in a few weeks time) in the grand finals.While foreign progamers moaned, fans found themselves greatly enjoying the spectacle (at least, for the time being). They had a taste of truly top-level competition, and they demanded that they be given more. Spots for the top Korean pros became a requirement for all tournaments looking to be taken seriously, and organizations like MLG, NASL, and IPL continued to invite Koreans over to crush the local competition.A new world had opened itself up to the players forged in the brutal competition of the GSL, and they pounced upon the opportunity. Two-time GSL runner-up MC finally earned himself a championship at the inaugural NASL. Though the tournament did not quite hold the weight of a GSL, $50,000 in first place winnings made it a more than satisfactory consolation prize. Once MC took another first place finish at MLG Orlando, his GSL woes no longer seemed like such a big deal.It wasn’t just finalists who took advantage of the foreign scene. HerO—a highly-skilled player afflicted by paralyzing stage fright in the GSL—finally overcame his shaky nerves to win the second NASL. Coca—a scintillating rookie bottlenecked by the GSL’s overly difficult qualifying system—was able to demand an immediate spotlight after beating Bomber for the championship at MLG Raleigh.Even players who were largely unheralded in the GSL found foreign tournaments to be lucrative opportunities. With tournaments taking place over a few days instead of weeks like the GSL, even mid-tier players could be successful if they caught fire at the right time. Lucky was a player who had never touched the hallowed realm of Code S, but nonetheless swept through a fearsome bunch of GSL veterans at IPL3 to take home the $30,000 grand prize. Moon, though far fallen from his storied WarCraft 3 days, showed he still had one more championship run in him at DreamHack Summer.Only Mvp (until the aforementioned GSL October) and Nestea seemed cursed to remain trophyless, even with the multitude of new competitions. Mvp missed out on a golden chance to win MLG Anaheim, while Nestea somehow found a way to lose to a clearly disinterested MarineKing at Blizzard’s 2011 BlizzCon invitational.As more and more tournaments passed with Korean players standing on the podium, the grumbling from the Western fans started to match that of the pros. Yet, the discontent was tempered by near-victories and bursts of heroism. The GSL-trained HuK came agonizingly close to defeating Koreans in two finals, losing to Moon at DH: Summer and MC at MLG Orlando. The French Zerg Stephano came out of nowhere to reach the grand finals at IPL3, but unfortunately partied too hard the night before the finals and fell 0-4 to Lucky (in retrospect, this would prove to be a valuable experience for Stephano. Success would come later after he swore off drinking and became a model of work ethic). IEM Guangzhou, despite its noticeably weak field of Koreans, was still celebrated for its foreigner vs. foreigner finals (Finnish Protoss elfi defeated IdrA).Foreign fans would not end their year in darkness. Just before the competitive circuit for 2011 came to a close, two foreigners came through with holiday miracles. NaNiwa, champion of the premier online tournament TSL3, finally rose to the top in live competition as well. Few expected an absolutely stacked MLG Providence to be the site of the foreign scene’s greatest triumph. Providence was MLG’s own grand finale to the year, featuring the most prize money of any MLG event and by far the most stacked line-up of players ever seen outside of Korea. But NaNiwa still beat the odds, running through a gauntlet of top tier players that ended with reigning GSL champion Leenock. The Swede didn’t look like a player who was merely fighting back against the Koreans. Instead, for the first time, a foreigner looked like he might beNot long after, the foreign scene struck again, but this time at an unexpected location. Chinese players had hardly achieved anything of note since Loner won BlizzCon 2010, and they had made an especially poor impression at IEM Guangzhou. However, China’s XiGua struck a huge blow for foreigners everywhere at the WCG 2011 grand finals. Defeating Mvp (who else?), XiGua wrested the StarCraft gold medal away from Korean hands for the first time in the tournament’s ten year history.NaNiwa and XiGua were rewarded with Blizzard Cup spots for their achievements, but neither would make it out of the group stages. However, to foreign fans around the world, that result was of little consequence. A much more important point had already been proven.This time around, things could be different.