#19 | Soulkey, The 5th Highlander







Achievements:

Tier 1

GSL Season 1 2013 - 1st

WCS Season 1 Finals 2013 - Top 4

GSL Season 3 2013 - Top 4

WCS Season 3 Finals 2013 - 2nd

WCG KR - Top 3

Hot6ix Cup - 2nd

IEM Taipei - Top 4



Tier 4

WCG 2013 - 1st



Greatest Series Ever Played:

Soulkey vs INnoVation - GSL Finals S1 2013

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Set 6 | Set 7



Soulkey vs Supernova - WCS Korea OSL 2013

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3



Soulkey vs INnoVation - OSL Ro8 2013

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3



Soulkey vs PartinG - GSL Ro8 2013

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5



Soulkey vs INnoVation - Proleague 2013 on Whirlwind

Set 1



Soulkey vs PartinG - IEM Katowice qualifiers

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3



Soulkey vs INnoVation - IEM WC 2014 qualifiers

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3



Soulkey vs Rain - Hot6ix Cup 2013 Finals

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Set 6



Soulkey vs Rain - IEM Taipei Ro8 2015

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3



Soulkey vs PartinG - Kespa Cup 2015 Season 1

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5



The entirety of SC2 zerg history can be summed up as a game of highlander. In every era of SC2 there has always been only one zerg at the top of the game. First there was Fruitdealer as he won the first ever GSL Open. He was then surpassed by Nestea, who would ritualistically defeat Fruitdealer in GSL May and cement his place as the greatest zerg on earth. He was then succeeded by DRG. After becoming the greatest zerg on earth, he slayed Nestea on the altar of GSL in one of the greatest ZvZs (and games) ever played in GSL Season 1 2012. Once Life entered the scene, he took the #1 spot and ended DRG’s career in the first ever reverse sweep in a finals at Iron Squid. Soulkey then cut down Life in GSL Season 5 of 2012 and took the mantle from Life’s hands in order to become the best zerg of 2013. His reign lasted one year, and just like all the zergs before him, he fell at the hands of the next great zerg soO in GSL Season 3 2013. (Incidentally, the mantle has yet to be passed on as Life and soO have yet to meet since Life’s return to #1).



And each of the highlanders (except Fruitdealer) had a rival. A counterpart that challenged them for dominion of the era. For soO it was Zest, for Nestea it was Mvp, for DRG it was MMA, for Life it was Leenock, and for Soulkey it was INnoVation. And their rivalry was what shaped the history of 2013.







Both were aces of their teams Woongjin_Stars and STX. Both teams ended up reaching the most historically prophetic Proleague match of all time. Though both teams disbanded after the finals, 6 of the 12 players in that finals moved on to become Champions (INnoVation, Soulkey, sOs, Dear, Classic and Trap). And among them Soulkey and INnoVation fought for the throne of 2013.



In total the two have met 8 times: three times in Proleague, twice in GSL (once a GSL Finals), once in OSL and twice more in WCG and IEM qualifiers. It was a battle between INnoVation's aggression against Soulkey’s defense. A battle of Soulkey’s composure against INnoVation's nerves. A battle that spanned across multiple tournaments both online and offline and led to some of the greatest matches ever played.



For Soulkey and INnoVation, their stories were were intrinsically connected.Two players whose skills and playstyles naturally clashed and defined the landscape of the entirety of 2013.



Play Style:



Perhaps the most apt way of describing the way Soulkey plays is to use the nickname Koreans have given him, “The Iron Wall.” Just as Life is all about attacking, Soulkey is very much about defense. This is especially true against protoss players as the shift into HotS caused many protoss players to resort to 2 base all-ins or cannon rushes early on in the expansion. The most notable thing about Soulkey’s defense was that he had the perfect sense of how to play around forcefields against protoss as well as pull drones at the exact moment to overwhelm the protoss offence when defending an all-in.



His ZvT was similarly defensive as he preferred to go for the mid to late game with muta ling bling. Despite that he was never above mixing in all-ins (particularly the roach-bane all-in) and adopted the TSL roach styles fairly well. He would sometimes also include Life style counter-attacks in his ZvT play to whittle down the enemy with his superior mechanics.



And finally, he was one of the major proponents of aggressive swarm host play. He was only able to pull it off because of his very strong game sense and map awareness, allowing him to use a strong mobile army to support his multi-pronged attacks.



Difference between Soulkey and the rest (HerO, herO, Stephano, Dear, Hyun, Jaedong)



The drop off between Soulkey and the rest of the players is the largest. The players below Soulkey can be split into three groups. Either those with strong international results, those with some Korean results and international results, and Dear. Soulkey trumps Dear by having a larger body of work within Korea for a longer amount of time and a longer period of consistency. Against the players outside of Korea, he outdoes them all in terms of prestige and path difficulty. Of course it wasn’t all straightforward. HerO and Stephano are both miles ahead of Soulkey when it comes to innovation. herO is much stronger in recent times (and the only one I’d bet on outside the top 19 to crack into it, unless Dear makes an MMA/Bomber like revival) and HyuN has a longer period of consistency. Basically all of the players below Soulkey just don't have enough of everything (and often only one thing) to really contest him.



What it takes to break into the Top 15:



What Soulkey lacks compared to Bomber, PartinG and sOs is a super massive win or a longer streak of consistency. In order to break into the top 15, Soulkey needs to win another tier 1 event and get a Top 4 at a Tier 3 event while staying strong through that period of time.



Achievements:Tier 1GSL Season 1 2013 - 1stWCS Season 1 Finals 2013 - Top 4GSL Season 3 2013 - Top 4WCS Season 3 Finals 2013 - 2ndWCG KR - Top 3Hot6ix Cup - 2ndIEM Taipei - Top 4Tier 4WCG 2013 - 1stGreatest Series Ever Played:Soulkey vs INnoVation - GSL Finals S1 2013Soulkey vs Supernova - WCS Korea OSL 2013Soulkey vs INnoVation - OSL Ro8 2013Soulkey vs PartinG - GSL Ro8 2013Soulkey vs INnoVation - Proleague 2013 on WhirlwindSoulkey vs PartinG - IEM Katowice qualifiersSoulkey vs INnoVation - IEM WC 2014 qualifiersSoulkey vs Rain - Hot6ix Cup 2013 FinalsSoulkey vs Rain - IEM Taipei Ro8 2015Soulkey vs PartinG - Kespa Cup 2015 Season 1The entirety of SC2 zerg history can be summed up as a game of highlander. In every era of SC2 there has always been only one zerg at the top of the game. First there was Fruitdealer as he won the first ever GSL Open. He was then surpassed by Nestea, who would ritualistically defeat Fruitdealer in GSL May and cement his place as the greatest zerg on earth. He was then succeeded by DRG. After becoming the greatest zerg on earth, he slayed Nestea on the altar of GSL in one of the greatest ZvZs (and games) ever played in GSL Season 1 2012. Once Life entered the scene, he took the #1 spot and ended DRG’s career in the first ever reverse sweep in a finals at Iron Squid. Soulkey then cut down Life in GSL Season 5 of 2012 and took the mantle from Life’s hands in order to become the best zerg of 2013. His reign lasted one year, and just like all the zergs before him, he fell at the hands of the next great zerg soO in GSL Season 3 2013. (Incidentally, the mantle has yet to be passed on as Life and soO have yet to meet since Life’s return to #1).And each of the highlanders (except Fruitdealer) had a rival. A counterpart that challenged them for dominion of the era. For soO it was Zest, for Nestea it was Mvp, for DRG it was MMA, for Life it was Leenock, and for Soulkey it was INnoVation. And their rivalry was what shaped the history of 2013.Both were aces of their teams Woongjin_Stars and STX. Both teams ended up reaching the most historically prophetic Proleague match of all time. Though both teams disbanded after the finals, 6 of the 12 players in that finals moved on to become Champions (INnoVation, Soulkey, sOs, Dear, Classic and Trap). And among them Soulkey and INnoVation fought for the throne of 2013.In total the two have met 8 times: three times in Proleague, twice in GSL (once a GSL Finals), once in OSL and twice more in WCG and IEM qualifiers. It was a battle between INnoVation's aggression against Soulkey’s defense. A battle of Soulkey’s composure against INnoVation's nerves. A battle that spanned across multiple tournaments both online and offline and led to some of the greatest matches ever played.For Soulkey and INnoVation, their stories were were intrinsically connected.Two players whose skills and playstyles naturally clashed and defined the landscape of the entirety of 2013.Play Style:Perhaps the most apt way of describing the way Soulkey plays is to use the nickname Koreans have given him, “The Iron Wall.” Just as Life is all about attacking, Soulkey is very much about defense. This is especially true against protoss players as the shift into HotS caused many protoss players to resort to 2 base all-ins or cannon rushes early on in the expansion. The most notable thing about Soulkey’s defense was that he had the perfect sense of how to play around forcefields against protoss as well as pull drones at the exact moment to overwhelm the protoss offence when defending an all-in.His ZvT was similarly defensive as he preferred to go for the mid to late game with muta ling bling. Despite that he was never above mixing in all-ins (particularly the roach-bane all-in) and adopted the TSL roach styles fairly well. He would sometimes also include Life style counter-attacks in his ZvT play to whittle down the enemy with his superior mechanics.And finally, he was one of the major proponents of aggressive swarm host play. He was only able to pull it off because of his very strong game sense and map awareness, allowing him to use a strong mobile army to support his multi-pronged attacks.Difference between Soulkey and the rest (HerO, herO, Stephano, Dear, Hyun, Jaedong)The drop off between Soulkey and the rest of the players is the largest. The players below Soulkey can be split into three groups. Either those with strong international results, those with some Korean results and international results, and Dear. Soulkey trumps Dear by having a larger body of work within Korea for a longer amount of time and a longer period of consistency. Against the players outside of Korea, he outdoes them all in terms of prestige and path difficulty. Of course it wasn’t all straightforward. HerO and Stephano are both miles ahead of Soulkey when it comes to innovation. herO is much stronger in recent times (and the only one I’d bet on outside the top 19 to crack into it, unless Dear makes an MMA/Bomber like revival) and HyuN has a longer period of consistency. Basically all of the players below Soulkey just don't have enough of everything (and often only one thing) to really contest him.What it takes to break into the Top 15:What Soulkey lacks compared to Bomber, PartinG and sOs is a super massive win or a longer streak of consistency. In order to break into the top 15, Soulkey needs to win another tier 1 event and get a Top 4 at a Tier 3 event while staying strong through that period of time.

#18 | Bomber, I am the Law









Achievements

Tier 1:

MLG Fall 2012 - Top 4

IPL 5 - Top 4

OSL 2013 - Top 4

WCS Season 2 Finals - 1st

Blizzcon 2013 - Top 4

WCS NA 2014 S2 - 2nd

WCS NA 2014 S3 - 1st

IEM San Jose - Top 4



Tier 2:

Red Bull Austin - 2nd

Red Bull Washington - 1st



Tier 3:

DH Summer 2011 - Top 3

MLG Raleigh 2011 - 1st



Tier 4:

Red Bull Atlanta - 1st



Greatest Series Played:

Bomber vs Mvp - Code A Finals

Set 1 | Set 2 (English) | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Set 6



Bomber vs Idra - MLG Orlando

(Can't find original vods, here's a community cast)

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3



Bomber vs Freaky - GSTL

Set 2



Bomber vs Scarlett - RB NY

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3



Bomber vs PigBaby - WCS NA Season 2 Finals

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Set 6 | Set 7



Bomber vs Creator - IPL 5

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3



Bomber vs Polt - IPL 5

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3



Bomber vs DRG - IPL 5

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3



Bomber vs Heart - WCS NA Season 2 Ro4

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4



Bomber vs Polt - WCS NA Season 3 Ro4

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5



Bomber vs Goswser - MLG Winter 2013

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4



“Even though I have failed many times, it makes those victories I do have all the more meaningful.”- Bomber



Bomber’s career and story is one that has a strange parallel with both MMA and Nestea. It is one very much couched in struggle. After spending years in obscurity against all wisdom, Nestea bet it all for one last chance to make his dream of becoming a pro-gamer become true. For MMA it was a struggle against his old team, against the pressure of trying to force himself back to the top, against the oncoming wave of new players that were ushered in with the KeSPA switch.



Bomber’s own struggle was no less arduous. From past to present, Bomber has struggled against the expectations he has placed on himself and the expectations that his fans have for him. After all, starting in 2011, he was the new hottest terran on the block. He had defeated Mvp in one of the great TvT matches of that era in Code A. No one could touch his macro, and though his control was sometimes sloppy, he more than made up for it with the massive amounts of units he could produce at any one time. Many believed—and some still do today—that he was one of the most skilled players of that era. And very briefly he fulfilled that promise as he made a run to his first ever Code S appearance before falling to ByuN in what could only be described as a choke.



He then followed it up with a MLG Raleigh 2011 title, but after the initial haze of victory he was unable to make it happen again in Korea for the rest of the year. Despite his best efforts, he fell back into mediocrity.



It was then that Bomber’s Law was codified.



Bomber's Law: Bomber will always disappoint.



Corollary to Bomber's Law: If Bomber does not disappoint, it will be in order to set up a bigger disappointment later.



For the next 3 years after MLG Raleigh, Bomber’s career was forced into a Sisyphean hell. Every time he entered a tournament, he’d push the boulder up the hill just far enough to make you believe he could finally win a tournament. Then, reality would snap back in and kick the boulder back down. Every time he forced himself to face this immense pressure of being a failure and every time he got close to the finish line, he’d stumble and never make it across.



The tragic farce continued as his fate was exacerbated when the calendar turned to 2013. By that time many had written him off as a has-been. A relic of a bygone age. A good player once, but not someone people expected to be able to compete with the new wave of KeSPA players. Despite reaching the Ro8 in GSL S1 2013, Tastosis called him a “Third-Rate Terran.” A player good enough to get into Code S, but one that was essentially a free win for “better” players like INnoVation or Flash. Bomber in typical fashion crushed them both, and just as he was building momentum to make you think he could finally make a big Korean finals, he lost to Rain.



Expectations for him were tepid entering WCS Season 2 Finals. After all, players like INnoVation, Rain and Maru were in attendance. Yet it wouldn’t be the superstars of the OSL that would claim victory that day, but Bomber. On August 25th, three years since Bomber had won his last Premier, Bomber had finally done it. Against people’s expectations, against some of the best players in the world, against a law that had cruelly haunted him his entire career, Bomber fought the Law and won.



And in typical Bomber fashion he then subsequently bombed out of every tournament before showing up again for another strong run at Blizzcon. Yet there is a lesson to be learned here. Bomber’s Law was not just a law about Bomber, but a law about all players. Everyone must inevitably face disappointment, face failure, face a time that makes one feel as though no matter what one does or what one tries, the very universe feels like its conspiring against him.



And yet stuck in this never-ending hell, Bomber got back up, again and again and again to challenge his fate for three years. Bomber had defeated the law. And in defeating it he had rewritten it. Look at the law again.



Bomber's Law: Bomber will always disappoint.



Corollary to Bomber's Law: If Bomber does not disappoint, it will be in order to set up a bigger disappointment later.



Before 2013, it was a statement of derision, a statement of failure, a statement of disappointment. Yet afterwards it became a statement of triumph. An encapsulation of all the struggles he had faced and the day he had finally defeated them.







Playstyle:



In terms of playstyle, Bomber is a very interesting player. Like Mvp, Bomber started off as one of the great macro players in 2011. For all of WoL, Bomber tried to make it work as he moved from meta to meta without flinching, using standard (albeit very greedy) styles of play no matter what. Beyond that, Bomber was never particularly impactful on the meta as his personal builds and tactics were often weird, unique and greedy.



As time went on however, Bomber came to realize the limits of playing a style so heavily dependent on mechanics. Since the beginning of 2013, Bomber has started to deviate from the way he has been known to play. While for the most part he still sticks to the standard, he now incorporates random strategies or builds from his countless years of experience, often leaving his opponents shocked and confused as they get run over. The best example of this was his finals against Jaedong, where he pulled out early mass marine stim timings, surprise combat shield marines attacks, anachronistic marine tank, and a triple bunker rush.



When watching a Bomber series now, you can basically expect anything he’s ever done from 2011 until now.



Difference between Bomber and Soulkey



This is fairly straight forward. Bomber just has more total runs of equal or greater competitive merit over a longer period of time in multiple metas and expansions. In terms of consistency it is extremely hard to measure. Soulkey’s consistency lasted for about 1.5 years as a top 5 zerg (1 year of which he was the top zerg). Bomber on the other hand is all over the place. For most of 2011 he was in or around Top 5 terrans and after that he was extremely sporadic. In 2012 he showed up for exactly 2 months as a Top 5 terran before falling down the ladder. In 2013, that peak went up to 3 months (OSL/Season 2 Finals and then an appearance at Blizzcon). 2014 was his most consistent year (though to be fair it was also the year he spent in WCS NA). Depending on how you look at it his total peak time was about 1.5 years, just a bit higher than Soulkey’s. Overall the amount of work Bomber has put in over the years is enough to push him over Soulkey’s consistency for that one year. Coupled with the longer resume sheet in tournaments, Bomber is the clear favorite over Soulkey.



What it takes to break into Top 15:



Bomber is on the cusp of breaking into the Top 15. All he'd need is a 1st place at a Tier 2 event or a Top 4 at a tier 1 event to break through.



AchievementsTier 1:MLG Fall 2012 - Top 4IPL 5 - Top 4OSL 2013 - Top 4WCS Season 2 Finals - 1stBlizzcon 2013 - Top 4WCS NA 2014 S2 - 2ndWCS NA 2014 S3 - 1stIEM San Jose - Top 4Tier 2:Red Bull Austin - 2ndRed Bull Washington - 1stTier 3:DH Summer 2011 - Top 3MLG Raleigh 2011 - 1stTier 4:Red Bull Atlanta - 1stGreatest Series Played:Bomber vs Mvp - Code A FinalsBomber vs Idra - MLG Orlando(Can't find original vods, here's a community cast)Bomber vs Freaky - GSTLBomber vs Scarlett - RB NYBomber vs PigBaby - WCS NA Season 2 FinalsBomber vs Creator - IPL 5Bomber vs Polt - IPL 5Bomber vs DRG - IPL 5Bomber vs Heart - WCS NA Season 2 Ro4Bomber vs Polt - WCS NA Season 3 Ro4Bomber vs Goswser - MLG Winter 2013“Even though I have failed many times, it makes those victories I do have all the more meaningful.”- BomberBomber’s career and story is one that has a strange parallel with both MMA and Nestea. It is one very much couched in struggle. After spending years in obscurity against all wisdom, Nestea bet it all for one last chance to make his dream of becoming a pro-gamer become true. For MMA it was a struggle against his old team, against the pressure of trying to force himself back to the top, against the oncoming wave of new players that were ushered in with the KeSPA switch.Bomber’s own struggle was no less arduous. From past to present, Bomber has struggled against the expectations he has placed on himself and the expectations that his fans have for him. After all, starting in 2011, he was the new hottest terran on the block. He had defeated Mvp in one of the great TvT matches of that era in Code A. No one could touch his macro, and though his control was sometimes sloppy, he more than made up for it with the massive amounts of units he could produce at any one time. Many believed—and some still do today—that he was one of the most skilled players of that era. And very briefly he fulfilled that promise as he made a run to his first ever Code S appearance before falling to ByuN in what could only be described as a choke.He then followed it up with a MLG Raleigh 2011 title, but after the initial haze of victory he was unable to make it happen again in Korea for the rest of the year. Despite his best efforts, he fell back into mediocrity.It was then that Bomber’s Law was codified.: Bomber will always disappoint.: If Bomber does not disappoint, it will be in order to set up a bigger disappointment later.For the next 3 years after MLG Raleigh, Bomber’s career was forced into a Sisyphean hell. Every time he entered a tournament, he’d push the boulder up the hill just far enough to make you believe he could finally win a tournament. Then, reality would snap back in and kick the boulder back down. Every time he forced himself to face this immense pressure of being a failure and every time he got close to the finish line, he’d stumble and never make it across.The tragic farce continued as his fate was exacerbated when the calendar turned to 2013. By that time many had written him off as a has-been. A relic of a bygone age. A good player once, but not someone people expected to be able to compete with the new wave of KeSPA players. Despite reaching the Ro8 in GSL S1 2013, Tastosis called him a “Third-Rate Terran.” A player good enough to get into Code S, but one that was essentially a free win for “better” players like INnoVation or Flash. Bomber in typical fashion crushed them both, and just as he was building momentum to make you think he could finally make a big Korean finals, he lost to Rain.Expectations for him were tepid entering WCS Season 2 Finals. After all, players like INnoVation, Rain and Maru were in attendance. Yet it wouldn’t be the superstars of the OSL that would claim victory that day, but Bomber. On August 25th, three years since Bomber had won his last Premier, Bomber had finally done it. Against people’s expectations, against some of the best players in the world, against a law that had cruelly haunted him his entire career, Bomber fought the Law and won.And in typical Bomber fashion he then subsequently bombed out of every tournament before showing up again for another strong run at Blizzcon. Yet there is a lesson to be learned here. Bomber’s Law was not just a law about Bomber, but a law about all players. Everyone must inevitably face disappointment, face failure, face a time that makes one feel as though no matter what one does or what one tries, the very universe feels like its conspiring against him.And yet stuck in this never-ending hell, Bomber got back up, again and again and again to challenge his fate for three years. Bomber had defeated the law. And in defeating it he had rewritten it. Look at the law again.: Bomber will always disappoint.: If Bomber does not disappoint, it will be in order to set up a bigger disappointment later.Before 2013, it was a statement of derision, a statement of failure, a statement of disappointment. Yet afterwards it became a statement of triumph. An encapsulation of all the struggles he had faced and the day he had finally defeated them.Playstyle:In terms of playstyle, Bomber is a very interesting player. Like Mvp, Bomber started off as one of the great macro players in 2011. For all of WoL, Bomber tried to make it work as he moved from meta to meta without flinching, using standard (albeit very greedy) styles of play no matter what. Beyond that, Bomber was never particularly impactful on the meta as his personal builds and tactics were often weird, unique and greedy.As time went on however, Bomber came to realize the limits of playing a style so heavily dependent on mechanics. Since the beginning of 2013, Bomber has started to deviate from the way he has been known to play. While for the most part he still sticks to the standard, he now incorporates random strategies or builds from his countless years of experience, often leaving his opponents shocked and confused as they get run over. The best example of this was his finals against Jaedong, where he pulled out early mass marine stim timings, surprise combat shield marines attacks, anachronistic marine tank, and a triple bunker rush.When watching a Bomber series now, you can basically expect anything he’s ever done from 2011 until now.Difference between Bomber and SoulkeyThis is fairly straight forward. Bomber just has more total runs of equal or greater competitive merit over a longer period of time in multiple metas and expansions. In terms of consistency it is extremely hard to measure. Soulkey’s consistency lasted for about 1.5 years as a top 5 zerg (1 year of which he was the top zerg). Bomber on the other hand is all over the place. For most of 2011 he was in or around Top 5 terrans and after that he was extremely sporadic. In 2012 he showed up for exactly 2 months as a Top 5 terran before falling down the ladder. In 2013, that peak went up to 3 months (OSL/Season 2 Finals and then an appearance at Blizzcon). 2014 was his most consistent year (though to be fair it was also the year he spent in WCS NA). Depending on how you look at it his total peak time was about 1.5 years, just a bit higher than Soulkey’s. Overall the amount of work Bomber has put in over the years is enough to push him over Soulkey’s consistency for that one year. Coupled with the longer resume sheet in tournaments, Bomber is the clear favorite over Soulkey.What it takes to break into Top 15:Bomber is on the cusp of breaking into the Top 15. All he'd need is a 1st place at a Tier 2 event or a Top 4 at a tier 1 event to break through.