It’s been a tough year for the foreigners. Since the very first international tournament in Katowice up to the recently conclude IEM Singapore, DreamHack Winter and WCG 2013, the non-Koreans have been struggling to win a battle against the superior Eastern region. There were sparks of hope but sparks was all they were in the end. After an entire year of competition, the foreigners are yet to take their first premier tournament championship for 2013.
Few can say this predicament was unexpected. The Korean hegemony in StarCraft 2 was predicted by all who followed the BroodWar scene and knew just how superior they are to everyone else. The raw talent of the Koreans combined with the sheer discipline they possessed were strong advocates for the eventual extinction of the Western flame. Even the biggest believers in the non-Korean scene had to admit it was a matter of “when”, not “if”.
By December 2013, it appears that this “when” has finally arrived. The number of foreigners reaching in premier grand finals plummeted. When in 2011 the scene saw 12 champions and 10 runner-ups and 2012 had eight of each, in 2013 the numbers are zero and four. The only players that were given a chance to fight for a championship were Stephano, Snute and Naniwa twice, everyone else was shut out.
With time, the Korean winning streak became a bigger issue than we might be willing to admit. The disappointment of seeing yet another foreigner eliminated desaturated the champions’ stories to the point where it mattered not who won what. The few exceptions like Jaedong’s kong streak or the year of Taeja, although worthy of articles of their own, could only bring so much color into the scene. StarCraft 2 needed a foreign champion and not just because we want to believe our western heroes can still win.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many chances left. In fact, there is just one more tournament where non-Koreans can make a stand. Lured by a $25,000 prize pool, 16 players flock to Neumünster. Half of them fly in to assert their total dominance of 2013. For the rest, it’s the final stand against the enemy and winning is everything. NorthCon needs to be the odd case of foreign victory, a memory we can carry into 2014 because, I imagine, it will be an even tougher year than 2013.
"There never was much hope. Just a fool's hope."
Who can we count on to represent us well, however? The forfeiture of Naniwa has left Scarlett as the brightest beacon of hope that will play at NorthCon. In 2013, Miss Hostyn became one of the best achieving non-Koreans in the world. Even if we disregard her spectacular showing during WCS Season 2, there’s still her Red Bull NYC performance where she beat Bomber and Golden, almost 3-0’d the world champion sOs and then blanked MC for the bronze. The Bomber series in particular showcased just how dominant Scarlett can be in ZvT and how she can turn a game around against seemingly unbeatable odds and that’s a good quality to have when you have Jjakji and Lucifron in your group. Unless something goes very wrong, we’ll have the Zerg queen in the playoffs for certain.
Speaking of Lucifron, the Moreno brothers used to be a duo that packed a large part of the foreign scene’s strength in 2012. Even in the days of the Stephano reign, one that dwarfed almost every other non-Korean, Lucifron and Vortix managed to steal a grand chunk of attention. Their WCS Europe ’12 run became one of the stories of the year alongside Vortix’s inspiring play at IEM Cologne and Singapore. Needless to say, a lot was expected from the brothers coming into 2013.
To their fans’ disappointment, the expectations were never covered. The totality of the Korean presence robbed the Morenos of the spotlights and Vortix’s top four at WCS Europe Season 3 stands as their sole accomplishment this year. If results are any indication of future performances, one should not expect much from the Spaniards coming into NorthCon.
Photo: Brita Jonsson
Unluckily, it doesn’t get any better from here. Nerchio, who’s always been among the pillars of foreign competition, has been off the radar for the entire 2013, a top eight at WCS Europe S3 his biggest accomplishment. Being in a group with Jaedong and DreamHack Champion StarDust cannot be a consolation either.
Then there’s the Finnish duo of Elfi and Welmu, good players in their own rights but ones that are unlikely to survive their group. Even though his opponent in the first match is still unrevealed, Welmu is automatically in the disadvantage, having to share a group with Innovation and Life, both of who are at 60%+ vP win-rate. Elfi might have it easier in Group D but Jjakji and Scarlett are already the favorites and unless he wins against Lucifron in the opening match, it’d be near impossible for him to get out.
Lastly, we have Socke and HasuObs representing Germany, two players that are so alike it’s uncanny. They’ve been in eSports since its dawn. They’ve carried the flags of their race and their country for over a decade. They’ve competed in countless tournaments, placed high in various premier tournaments and are among the most recognizable faces outside South Korea. And they’ve each won zero premier championships.
With all those paragraphs in mind, it’s unlikely that we’ll see a foreign champion in Neumünster. Had the competition not been so tough we might had had a fighting chance but Korea is sending Innovation, Life, Jaedong, MMA and Jjjakji among others. Although they’re outnumbered, the Koreans are not outskilled and have all the right to be confident.
The last ordeal of the foreigners is upon us. Time to start praying for a miracle.
