Starcraft 2 news » WCS Korea Recap -- The Protoss Invasion Cometh

After three weeks of thrilling competition, the South Korea World Championship Series Nationals concluded last weekend, with Creator beating out Squirtle 4-1 in a protoss vs. protoss final. The road to winning the WCS South Korea Nationals was certainly not an easy one, however. South Korea is jam-packed with StarCraft II talent, and the WCS competition lived up to lofty expectations. Thirty two of the country’s best competed for a total prize pool of $30,000 USD, a chance to advance to the World Championship Series Asia Finals in October, and one direct seed into the Battle.net World Championship in Shanghai, November 17-18.

Sixteen year old Jang Hyun “Creator” Woo qualified for the South Korea Nationals through the Offline Preliminaries, beating Zerg player Pet in the Group G Finals 2-0. In the months leading up to the Preliminaries, Creator was starting to make a name for himself within the StarCraft II competitive scene by qualifying for IGN ProLeague Season 5 and the Team Liquid Star League 4, as well as winning the GIGABYTE NVIDIA Invitational #1. Despite these achievements, Creator had yet to win a major StarCraft II event, and he still had much to prove in the world's most competitive eSports environment.

 

In the South Korea WCS Nationals, Creator would be facing some tough competition. The bracket not only featured the best of the best StarCraft II talent in the world but also some of the biggest names in the industry. From StarCraft Brood War legends Soulkey and Jaedong to GSL champions MC and Mvp, the entire field was overflowing with talent and experience. The South Korea Nationals were the most stacked National event in the entire World Championship Series.



Creator’s road through the South Korea WCS Nationals bracket was an uphill battle. His first opponent was one of the best Zerg players in the world, DongRaeGu. After defeating DRG 2-1, Creator had to face Team Liquid fan favorite, HerO. Once again, Creator won 2-1 and then proceeded to beat fellow Protoss, Puzzle, 2-0. Unfortunately, in Round 4 of the Winner’s Bracket, Creator was defeated 0-2 by Squirtle and would have to make the hard journey through the Lower Bracket.



In the Lower Bracket, Creator persevered through some very difficult matches. His first opponent was Rain, and he won the PvP series 2-1. Up next, he had to beat both RorO and PartinG to advance to the Grand Finals and won both series with a 2-1 score. In the Grand Finals, the young Protoss beat Squirtle 2-0 and 2-1 to win the tournament. Despite his young age and lack of experience compared to the other competitors, Creator came out on top and won the South Korea WCS Nationals as well as his first major StarCraft II title. Not only will he be advancing to the WCS Asia Finals, Creator also snagged himself a direct seed into the Battle.net World Championship by winning the Nationals!

 

In total, three zerg and seven protoss from Korea advanced to the World Championship Series Asia Finals in October:



Hyun-Woo “Creator” Jang -- protoss

Hyun-Woo “Squirtle” Park – protoss

Lee-Sak “PartinG” Won – protoss

No-Yeol “RorO” Shin – zerg

Sahng-Won “Seed” Ahn - protoss

Yoon-Jong “Rain” Jung – protoss

Heyon-Deok “HerO” Song – protoss

Joon-Ho “herO” Kim – protoss

Jong-Bum “Miya” Jun – zerg

Won-Pyo “Curious” Lee – zerg



Be sure to stay tuned for more information on the WCS Asia Finals, where these ten players will do battle with the best of the best from China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.