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| Features \ \ The Legend of JulyZerg | |||||||||||||||||||||
Park Sung Jun began his career in the 2004 Gillette OSL, well that is when he really began his career anyway, he had been playing in PGT and Korean leagues before this OSL. But when he began his road to victory in the Dual Tournament nobody could have guessed that this slightly overweight cute little teddy bear of a player would go on to be the first Zerg to ever win an OSL. He tore through the qualifications like a wildfire in July leaving a wake of bodies that surprised everyone. He then met the player who would become his most important rival iloveoov, in the Semi-Finals. The matches were expected to be close but most people thought that the Gorilla Terran could pull through and go on to the Finals. Gillette OSL: On a Prayer...On the day of the Semi-Finals for the 2004 Gillette OSL JulyZerg must have felt some kind of terror deep inside of himself whether or not he let it show. Sitting across from the legend, Boxers apprentice and the best Terran on the face of the earth at the moment he must have realized where he was finally. The real gravity of the situation must have been heavy on both players shoulders as they contemplated holding the OSL title in their hands. When the players were finally ready and the game was underway it was clear that Brood War History was being made... The series began with a bang as July pulled ahead 2-0 right off the bat putting oov in a most uncomfortable position, having to come back three games in a row to win this. Next oov nearly did just that he came back two games to tie the score up with July, oov was not going to let Tushin walk away with this one easily. After the fourth game July must have felt angry towards himself for letting oov take two games from him when all he had to do was secure one to end the series. That anger shined in his play in game five where he took oov to town in a lesson on how to lose versus JulyZerg in ZvT, the Monster Terran had met his match in JulyZerg and he fell at the hands of Park Sung Jun. Gillette OSL Finals: Reach Vs JulyZergThis OSL featured a huge imbalance in the race category eight Terran and five Protoss competed compared to a measly three Zerg players. July was one of those players along with GoRush and Jju, neither of which made it very far into the OSL which left July alone in the Ro8. Like they say it is lonely at the top, for a new player like July this must have been very true since he only had one iTV league under his belt and not much more. Going into the Finals against the Legenday ManToss, Reach the atmosphere was electric and you could feel the tension in the air. Never before had a Zerg player won an OSL title the closest competitor was Yellow who had been bunker rushed three times in a row by Boxer in the OSL finals. Could JulyZerg be the hope of the Swarm to get the first OSL title ever? Yes he could and yes he was, he defeated reach 3-1 in the Finals making himself the first Zerg to ever win an OSL title. If the history began in Semi-Finals against oov then it really took off here as July stood upon the winners podium and kissed his first OSL trophy you could tell how much it really meant to Park Sung Jun. Reach with his head hung and shoulders slouched walked to the podium gave a despondent look around and left when he could. The ManToss was unable to come back and take his second OSL title, not only that but he was the only player to have lost to a Zerg in the finals as well. A most disheartening loss indeed for the KTF Protoss, but a very dramatic and triumphant win for not only July but for Zergs all across the world. JulyZerg broke the ice for Zerg players, he showed them that nothing is impossible. The Ever2005 OSLAfter winning in the 2004 Gillette OSL against Reach and then going on the next year to lose against NaDa in the Finals of the 2004-2005 IOPS OSL, July entered the Ever 2005 OSL with a vengeance. In the early stages July met a young Stork, Iris, GGPlay the Protoss legend Kingdom and The Perfect Terran Xellos in the Semi-Finals. With a second OSL on his mind July pushed himself hard for victory, taking down the aforementioned players and only losing one series to Midas, though it was in the early stages so he was not eliminated. He then defeated Xellos in the Semi-Finals in a resounding 3-1 victory, next he had to prepare for his the finals against GoodFriend. Once again July sat in his booth across from a legendary Terran in the OSL, last time history was made and this time it would be the same. July lost the first game to GoodFriend on Forte and went on to the second game a bit shaken down 0-1. The next game was on Neo Requiem, this time July as able to pull off a win against GF evening the score 1-1 going into the third game. July then took the lead in the series by winning the third set, now the score was a treacherous 2-1 and GoodFriend had to do something. He defeated July on Ride of Valkyries now the score was tied and both players were going to have pull out there A game as they met again on Forte. What happened next is the stuff of legend, true StarCraft history and the video which made everyone switch to Zerg (at least a little bit). July spawned at the North-West position with GoodFriend below him at the South-West, GoodFriend opens with a marine heavy build right into tanks and vessels. July opts for a 3 hatch Muta build taking his expo and putting a third hatch down at his choke to block off any advancing marines with sunkens while he harasses. Tushin moves out with his Mutas and begins to slow GoodFriends economy a little bit, but nothing impressive or game winning as of yet. Out of nowhere GoodFriend moves out with a huge army of M&M backed by 3-5 tanks, he moves slowly yet surely straight for Julys base as his Lurker upgrade is not yet completed. A perfect timing attack which would destroy nearly any Zerg player at the time, but it could not stop July.  July throws down a bunch of sunkens at his third hatchery to make him seige and waste time getting into his base. While all of this is going GoodFriend is sending reinforcements from his base up the map, this is where July really takes off the gloves and lets the punches fly. Using Mutas like nobody ever has before July manages to pick off GoodFriends reinforcements over and over again, depleting his army at Julys base while July scrambles to finish his Lurkers with a damaged economy. The crowd roars as Julys unbelievable micro is displayed on the screen and GoodFriends army melts under a force with half the technical strength, GoodFriend is lost now his push which should have ended the game and given him an OSL title has failed. July has turned the tide of the game drastically, as the last units of GoodFriends attacking force fall the look on his face describes exactly what he is feeling, "How did I lose?". July wins the game and takes his snatches his second OSL title right from the jaws of defeat.  The Revenge of OovThe 2005 ShinHan Bank OSL was JulyZergs third chance that year to win an OSL title, he had lost once in the finals to NaDa and then defeated GoodFriend for his second title the same year. This time around July met some of the same opponents such as Iris and Stork, he easily defeated both of them in the early stages and moved on to the Ro8. There he met a Protoss who would become known as his whipping boy Rock, of course July defeated him easily and advanced to defeat Pusan 3-0 in the Semi-Finals. At the same time someone he knew was playing against Casy for his Finals spot, the same Terran which he had defeated in 2004, the Monster Terran iloveoov. Oov defeated Casy to move on in the Finals against the man who had robbed him before, the man who had stalled his road to the Golden Mouse. This time it was personal for oov and July, both of them wanted this so bad that they would do anything to win. July was going for his Golden Mouse in this OSL, and oov was looking to take his second in preparation for the same award. This time it was not to be for Park Sung Jun, the God of War fell to the Gorilla Terran in a very disappointing 3-0 loss. He had been robbed once again of the title which he longed for, robbed of the chance to be the first Zerg to win three OSLs and take the Golden Mouse. Julys dream would have to wait for another day....
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