You’ve seen these guys. In the crowded Korean SC scene they have distinguished themselves with memorable performances in the top leagues, with varied amounts of success. These are the current generation of pros, who have snatched the baton from the old boys and intend to hold on to it as long as they can. They are fresh yet hardened, hungry yet experienced. Which one of these familiar faces can take that next step?
In order of qualification:
Iris
G.O.
Terran
Best finish: OSL quarter finals.
How did he qualify?
Through the Dual Tournament. Iris was one of the eight Terrans in the Shinhan OSL, but he went 1-2 [L July L Stork W Boxer] and was knocked out in the round of 16. It didn't take long for him to come back, beating GoRush and Anytime in ODT Round 2 to return for his 3rd OSL.
Meet Iris, the 2005 ProLeague MVP. His many wins in team play and individual play during the ProLeague won him that award, and the up-and-coming Iris said he wanted awards in the individual leagues next. He plays a solid style of Terran (not unlike his G.O. teammate, Xellos) but he has yet to prove that he can consistently beat opponents of the highest level. He is currently on form, so this OSL is his chance to take it to the next level and show that he belongs.
IntoTheRainbow
SKTelecom T1
Protoss
Best finish: MSL quarters
How did he qualify?
Through the Dual Tournament. Rainbow went 1-2 in the Shinhan OSL (L Midas L GoodFriend W Zergman), eventually getting eliminated through rematches. He bounced right back in ODT Round 2, beating Chojja (with hardcore zeals!) and Child to return to the OSL.
IntoTheRainbow is a stylist. He is called "the god of harrass tactcs": hit and run reavers, templar drops in the mineral line, carriers over cliffs. But how far can style get you? In all the OSLs he’s been in, Rainbow has never made it past the group stage. His recent CYON MSL play has been a slight improvement, making it to the final eight. When he's on, Rainbow will win in the most improbably spectacular ways, like when he beat GoodFriend without a single direct engagement, by killing every single SCV with reavers and templar drops. But Rainbow will also lose lop-sided games without putting up much of a fight. Can his style compete with the top level of competition? Only Rainbow can answer that.
Stork
Samsung Khan
Protoss
Best finish: OSL round of 16
How did he qualify?
Through the Dual Tournament. In Shinhan OSL, Stork went 1-2 (W Iris, L July, L Boxer) to be eliminated. But he got two straight wins in ODT Round 2, beating Silver and Cloud to qualify.
Stork is a big ball of potential. The coaches have voted him as “young player to watch for 2006,” and deservedly so. Stork’s resume includes many flashes of brilliance, such as demolishing Nada in ODT (even mind-controlling Nada's SCVs and building Terran tech), and beating GoRush in a tense macro/spell-fest marathon in the 2005 ProLeague finals. In the major tournaments though, his potential has been unrealized so far. He has never advanced further than the group stage of the OSL, simply bouncing between the OSL and ODT Round 2. But this is year two of Stork’s pro career. Having qualified for both the OSL and MSL, this is Stork’s time to fulfill his untapped potential and enter the elite.
Nal_Rock
P&C Curriors
Protoss
Best finish: OSL quarters
How did he qualify?
Dual Tournament. Rock reached the quarters in an OSL for the first time, going 2-1 in his Shinhan OSL group (W iloveoov W Cloud L Saferzerg). Unfortunately, his quarterfinals opponent was the protoss-eating July. Following a 0-2 dismantling, Rock found himself in ODT Round 2. After losing to Nal_Ra, Rock beat Siva and Boxer to book a ticket to the next OSL.
Rock is another player in limbo. He is good enough to always qualify for OSLs, but he’s not yet on that level of going deep into the tournament. But if he didn't meet July in the quarters, who knows, he could have gone into the semis or further. Rock is still in the stage of his career where he needs to define himself through results and play. After a series of solid but unspectacular performances, it is time for Rock to distinguish himself from the crowd. This OSL will show if he can place himself in the company of A-level protosses.
Zergman
Samsung Khan
Zerg
Best finish: OSL round of 16
How did he qualify?
Dual Tournament. After going 1-2 in his Shinhan OSL group (W Midas L GoodFriend L IntoTheRainbow) Zergman was eliminated in the rematches. In the following ODT, he went [L Sync W DarkElf (G.O.) W Sync] to advance to his 3rd OSL in a row.
Zergman is another player who is just good enough to get through the Dual Tournament and reach the OSL, but not good to advance any further. What he needs on his resume is a good run in a major tournament to show that he's not just cannon fodder for better players. Zergman was once famous for staying at Lair tech no matter what, but times have changed (and Terran players have evolved) and he had to ditch his trademark style for Hive tech, especially Defilers. Only time will tell if this will lead to success in the majors.
Cloud
KOR
Terran
Best Finish: OSL Group of 16
How did he qualify
Through the Extra Eight qualifiers. After finally making the OSL for the first time in ten tries, Cloud bowed out early, going 1-2 (L iloveoov L Rock W Saferzerg). In the following Dual Tournament Round 2 Cloud lost to Yellow and Stork. Since he was seeded in the Extra Eight qualifiers, Cloud was given a second chance. Though he lost to ShinHwa, Cloud beat Silver twice and qualified for the next OSL.
Known as the “Giant Killer,” Cloud has made a reputation for defeating top players. He was also behind KOR team's incredible ProLeague championship a year ago, capping it off with a dramatic Game 7 win in the finals. Cloud's specialty is patiently gathering enough troops to unleash an unstoppable “all-in timing rush” to mow down his opponents. It took a long time for him to get into his first OSL, and he didn't make much of it, going out early. Now that he has one OSL under his belt, he could be ready to live up to his reputation as a tough nut to crack, a handful of problems for the giants of the SC scene.
Jju
Samsung Khan
Zerg
Best finish: OSL 4th
How did he qualify
The Extra Eight qualifiers. Jju’s last OSL was the SO1 OSL, where he went 2-1 in his group (W Xellos, W Chojja, L Pusan) but was eliminated after rematches. From there he went on a freefall, dropping out of the ODT and failing to qualify for the next ODT Round 1. But when the OSL was expanded to 24 players, Jju made it out of the nasty dogfight that is the offline qualifiers. His reward was the Extra Eight group of death. Grouped with Anytime, Boxer, and super rookie jy, Jju went [L Boxer W Anytime W jy] to advance to the OSL.
Jju is on the edge of, on the verge of, at the doorstep to greatness. He is just half a step from the elite level. Jju was the force behind Samsung's incredible 2005 ProLeague, winning almost every game he played on Rush Hour. He is known for his very direct and straightforward, manly style of play, and his ZvZ might be the best out there. On a good day, he can be unbeatable – in one MSL he completed an SKT all-kill, defeating GoRush and iloveoov. Jju can go far on the strength of his ZvZ and Rush Hour alone, but his homework for this OSL is to take that last step, improve on his best finish of 4th, and finally place himself firmly in the ranks of the top level players.
GoodFriend
KTF MagicNs
Terran
Best finish: OSL 2nd place
How did he qualify?
Extra Eight qualifiers. GoodFriend had his usual solid, if unspectacular, Shinhan OSL. After going 3-0 in the group stages (W Midas W IntoTheRainbow, W Zergman) he lost 0-2 in the quarters to the newly improved Casy. Falling to the ODT Round 2, he lost to Midas and Stay[Hyo] and failed to qualify, but was later seeded for the Extra Eight qualifiers. He defeated Saferzerg and Yellow[name] to seize his second chance and make the next OSL.
GoodFriend is not your regular Familiar Face. He has already placed second in an OSL, and has placed top4 in a couple more major tournaments. Even though his career is relatively short, his lists of accomplishments are long. In short, he is already at the elite level. But recently he has lost a lot of momentum, failing to go further than the quarters in three straight major Starleagues and he wouldn't have qualified for this OSL if the change to 24 players wasn't made. Has GoodFriend fallen to the dreaded KTF slump? He looked sharp in the Extra Eight qualifiers, displaying his typical standard, (if unspectacular) Terran style, mixed in with sharp timing and strategic flexibility. What GoodFriend needs is a championship to prove once and for all that his name belongs with the greats.
Previous:
1-6 Old Boys http://teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=38439
Next:
15-18 New School Rookies
19-24 The Top Seeds