Southpaw
There is a saying, "A hero is born in every empire." Throughout history, there have always been illustrious heroes in every kingdom, many that are considered legends of their time – Alexander the Great, the King of Macedonia and student of Aristotle that set out to conquer the world at the age of twenty-one; Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria, distinguished for his leadership and military strategy; and Frederick II, King of Prussia that employed geometric strategy to hold back the surrounding forces of Austria, Russia, France, and Sweden. In the Starcraft universe, the unruly Pirates of Space were remarkably transformed through the leadership of July, the God of War, into a sovereignty that has proclaimed themselves as the MBC Heroes. Similarly, the transcendental advent of the God of Death, Anytime[gm], brought order to the chaotic realm of Lecaf Oz, securing its future with sharp and fearless subordinates such as the Zerg n.Die_Jaedong.
Over the years, the dwindling colony of Estro with its history of fickle sponsors has suffered immensely. Their ancestry of heroes, including the forefathers Grrrr, the Blue-Eyed Warrior Protoss and Elky, the Gambler Terran was already long-forgotten. As other veterans also continued to retire, it seemed that Estro was on the brink of collapse. Then in the midst of the desolation and despair, a hero was born. History was being made the moment he defeated the leviathan Oov at the Dual Tournament in December 2006, only a few months after entering the progaming world. UpMagiC became the first from Estro in two years and six months to enter Starleague, ever since VGundam entered the Hangame Starleague in 2004. A hero had finally emerged to make way for the reconstruction of Estro.
But whether it was from his nervousness or lack of experience in battle, UpMagiC frequently seemed as though he was caught in a difficult position. In the match against Oov, UpMagiC's defensive line was severely pushed back and cornered from Oov's powerful attack. Even against the "Super Terran" Light[Alive], UpMagiC's two-factory build was discovered and it seemed that Light was at a huge economical advantage. In such desperate conditions, however, UpMagiC was surprisingly always able deliver the critical hit that was needed to knock out his opponents. His ability to recover and counter has left a lasting impression to the public, as a commentator even compared him to the celebrated boxer Salvador Sanchez that was recognized for his brutal counter-blow.
UpMagiC could be best described as a southpaw. In boxing, a southpaw fights with his right foot forward while holding his left hand in the back for a lethal blow. Because this left-handed fighter leads the fight with his right hand, the abnormal positioning makes it difficult for an orthodox right-handed boxer to anticipate punches that come from opposite directions. In addition, when it seems that the southpaw is being pushed back and cornered, the unexpected fatal hit is executed. This is the style that UpMagiC has shown many times in battle.
At this point, one may question whether UpMagiC is just a lucky rookie with a lot of vitality. After all, rookies are known for their vigor and are often underestimated by many experienced players. His "southpaw style" could simply be nothing more than enduring the quick and possibly reckless punches from overconfident opponents and getting a lucky hit at the right time. At first glance, this may seem to be the case, but when his plays are examined again, there are definitely signs of deliberate misdirection and efforts to mislead his opponents. Could it be that his southpaw style uses feints to make himself appear vulnerable to the enemy?
Um Jaekyung, a commentator for Ongamenet, stated, "I thought he was just lucky when I saw him defeat Oov at the Dual Tournament, but it's impossible for such luck to repeat itself over and over." Clearly, UpMagiC is no ordinary rookie. In the match against Firebathero on the map Neo Arkanoid, UpMagiC pretended to use a decisive marine-medic rush, deceiving his opponent into thinking that he was at an economical advantage after blocking UpMagiC's supposed rush. Meanwhile, UpMagiC increased his resource line by taking one more expansion than his opponent. By the time Firebathero realized what was happening, UpMagiC was significantly ahead in resources and units, and continued to maintain his lead. Towards the end of the match, Um Jaekyung realized that UpMagiC's games against Light[Alive], Oov, and Firebathero all had something in common. It was that his adversaries had all thought that they were at an advantage.
It became clear that his style was more strategic than the typical rookie when he faced off against Yellow[name]. UpMagiC expanded very early to induce the Zerg to open with an economy-focused play, while he utilized wraiths and vultures simultaneously to attack his opponent's weakness of having minimal defenses. While giving sufficient damage to his opponent, he prepared a five-barracks Spark-Terran composition with dual engineering bays for upgrades, which even Yellow and his notorious "crazy mode" could not handle. Shortly after his victory, commentators Kim Taehyung and Um Jaekyung chose UpMagiC to be the most likely royal-roader – a title given to those winning the Starleague upon their first entry – even over Savior, the Maestro Zerg that had also entered Starleague for the first time.
After seeing such a technical and calculated play in a Terran versus Zerg matchup, many made remarks of his likeness to the Terran Emperor. In fact, the reason why UpMagiC confidently picked Nada, the Genius Terran in the 16th round of the Starleague was because he had analyzed Boxer's games against Nada and tried to learn his style, as Boxer was one of the few Terrans that effectively defeated Nada various times. UpMagiC remarked, "Boxer is particularly strong against Nada, and out of respect for him, I will definitely win with his style." Though the confidence in his strategic play and efforts to imitate Boxer's style was admirable, Nada demonstrated that a rookie was still a rookie, swiftly defeating UpMagiC with an initial BBS build in the first round. Still, UpMagiC proved his ability to read Nada's plays ahead of time, and overwhelmingly crushed Nada by a significant lead in game two on the map Reverse Temple, a map that was considered to favor Nada. Unfortunately in game three, UpMagiC was defeated on the map Neo Arkanoid while using an innovative strategy of an early battle cruiser-siege tank composition. Though he was eliminated from Starleague, the public was captivated by the birth of a hero that they had not seen for a long time.
That was an important season for UpMagiC. In 2006, he had exactly 12 wins and 12 losses – 5 wins and 5 losses versus Terran, 4 and 4 versus Zerg, and 3 and 3 versus Protoss. He commented, "I learned a lot from Nada during the last game. I don't know if it was because he had a lot of experience, but his adjustments were quick and he didn't seem nervous. I was nervous of the thought, 'If I lose, I get eliminated,' and I couldn't move as freely as I wanted. Matches against powerful opponents became a valuable experience for me to grow to another level." UpMagiC also received the much-revered title of "strategist," as well as being compared to the golden standard of Boxer. Commentator Kim Jungmin, formerly TheMarine, boldly stated, "Excluding Boxer, there has never been such a novel player as UpMagiC." Even the prominent commentator Kim Taehyung acknowledged, "It's been a long time since I've become anxious to know a player's strategy in the game. I'm already in anticipation of his next match."
Though being compared to the iconic Boxer in terms of sense and strategy is an honor, one cannot ignore the fact that such talents must be supported by hard practice and dedication, as Boxer has demonstrated many times. UpMagiC excels in this area as well. His level of concentration is remarkable; he listens closely to the instruction of his seniors and coach Kim Hyunjin, formerly kOs, as well as to the feedback from his junior teammates. After completing the basic training period of ten hours a day, he will continue to practice further on his own accord. In fact, to prepare for the single match against Firebathero on the map Neo Arkanoid, he practiced 40 games a day for five days, from the 21st to the 26th of December, a total of 200 games.
Additionally, it is interesting to note that some of his games have uncanny similarities with the Emperor's. Three years ago on the map Requiem, Boxer successfully used an SCV rush against TheRock[3.33], even when the opponent noticed the two barracks. On the map Reverse Temple, a map similar to Requiem, UpMagiC also used an SCV rush against Anytime[gm], even when his two barracks were discovered. Though UpMagiC's play was not as smooth as the Emperor's, it was enough for a commentator to say, "A strategist that I thought would never appear after Boxer has been born." In a more recent match that allowed him to enter the Starleague for the second time, UpMagiC used an unorthodox four-barracks Spark-Terran composition against Pusan[S.G], "The Spirit" Protoss. With his distinctive southpaw style, UpMagiC gave his opponent the impression that his marine-medic rush had failed, while taking two expansions. He then produced only tanks from four factories, which were supported by the constant production of marines and medics. While watching such an unexpected play, the commentators mentioned that the match resembled the Emperor's infamous battle versus Foru, where he used a bio-mechanic timed rush against the Protoss on the map Guillotine.
Though UpMagiC's style is obviously not the same as Boxer's, their strategic basis and unconventional plays both make it difficult for the traditional "right-handers" to anticipate such hits. With such a dynamic and dangerous contender in the Starleague as well as Proleague, Estro is well on its way to expanding its territories with its hero, the southpaw.
Highlights:
Dual Tournament 2006, UpMagiC vs iloveOov @ Arcadia II
2007 Starleague Season 3, UpMagiC vs Yellow[name] @ Longinus II
Parallel Highlights 1: UpMagiC & SlayerS_`BoxeR`
Challenge League, SlayerS_`BoxeR` vs TheRock[3.33] @ Requiem
2007 Starleague Season 3, UpMagiC vs Anytime[gm] @ Reverse Temple
Parallel Highlights 2: UpMagiC & SlayerS_`BoxeR`
Olympus Starleague 2003, SlayerS_`BoxeR` vs Foru @ Guillotine
Dual Tournament, UpMagiC vs Pusan[S.G] @ Hitchhiker
Over the years, the dwindling colony of Estro with its history of fickle sponsors has suffered immensely. Their ancestry of heroes, including the forefathers Grrrr, the Blue-Eyed Warrior Protoss and Elky, the Gambler Terran was already long-forgotten. As other veterans also continued to retire, it seemed that Estro was on the brink of collapse. Then in the midst of the desolation and despair, a hero was born. History was being made the moment he defeated the leviathan Oov at the Dual Tournament in December 2006, only a few months after entering the progaming world. UpMagiC became the first from Estro in two years and six months to enter Starleague, ever since VGundam entered the Hangame Starleague in 2004. A hero had finally emerged to make way for the reconstruction of Estro.
But whether it was from his nervousness or lack of experience in battle, UpMagiC frequently seemed as though he was caught in a difficult position. In the match against Oov, UpMagiC's defensive line was severely pushed back and cornered from Oov's powerful attack. Even against the "Super Terran" Light[Alive], UpMagiC's two-factory build was discovered and it seemed that Light was at a huge economical advantage. In such desperate conditions, however, UpMagiC was surprisingly always able deliver the critical hit that was needed to knock out his opponents. His ability to recover and counter has left a lasting impression to the public, as a commentator even compared him to the celebrated boxer Salvador Sanchez that was recognized for his brutal counter-blow.
UpMagiC could be best described as a southpaw. In boxing, a southpaw fights with his right foot forward while holding his left hand in the back for a lethal blow. Because this left-handed fighter leads the fight with his right hand, the abnormal positioning makes it difficult for an orthodox right-handed boxer to anticipate punches that come from opposite directions. In addition, when it seems that the southpaw is being pushed back and cornered, the unexpected fatal hit is executed. This is the style that UpMagiC has shown many times in battle.At this point, one may question whether UpMagiC is just a lucky rookie with a lot of vitality. After all, rookies are known for their vigor and are often underestimated by many experienced players. His "southpaw style" could simply be nothing more than enduring the quick and possibly reckless punches from overconfident opponents and getting a lucky hit at the right time. At first glance, this may seem to be the case, but when his plays are examined again, there are definitely signs of deliberate misdirection and efforts to mislead his opponents. Could it be that his southpaw style uses feints to make himself appear vulnerable to the enemy?
Um Jaekyung, a commentator for Ongamenet, stated, "I thought he was just lucky when I saw him defeat Oov at the Dual Tournament, but it's impossible for such luck to repeat itself over and over." Clearly, UpMagiC is no ordinary rookie. In the match against Firebathero on the map Neo Arkanoid, UpMagiC pretended to use a decisive marine-medic rush, deceiving his opponent into thinking that he was at an economical advantage after blocking UpMagiC's supposed rush. Meanwhile, UpMagiC increased his resource line by taking one more expansion than his opponent. By the time Firebathero realized what was happening, UpMagiC was significantly ahead in resources and units, and continued to maintain his lead. Towards the end of the match, Um Jaekyung realized that UpMagiC's games against Light[Alive], Oov, and Firebathero all had something in common. It was that his adversaries had all thought that they were at an advantage.
It became clear that his style was more strategic than the typical rookie when he faced off against Yellow[name]. UpMagiC expanded very early to induce the Zerg to open with an economy-focused play, while he utilized wraiths and vultures simultaneously to attack his opponent's weakness of having minimal defenses. While giving sufficient damage to his opponent, he prepared a five-barracks Spark-Terran composition with dual engineering bays for upgrades, which even Yellow and his notorious "crazy mode" could not handle. Shortly after his victory, commentators Kim Taehyung and Um Jaekyung chose UpMagiC to be the most likely royal-roader – a title given to those winning the Starleague upon their first entry – even over Savior, the Maestro Zerg that had also entered Starleague for the first time.
After seeing such a technical and calculated play in a Terran versus Zerg matchup, many made remarks of his likeness to the Terran Emperor. In fact, the reason why UpMagiC confidently picked Nada, the Genius Terran in the 16th round of the Starleague was because he had analyzed Boxer's games against Nada and tried to learn his style, as Boxer was one of the few Terrans that effectively defeated Nada various times. UpMagiC remarked, "Boxer is particularly strong against Nada, and out of respect for him, I will definitely win with his style." Though the confidence in his strategic play and efforts to imitate Boxer's style was admirable, Nada demonstrated that a rookie was still a rookie, swiftly defeating UpMagiC with an initial BBS build in the first round. Still, UpMagiC proved his ability to read Nada's plays ahead of time, and overwhelmingly crushed Nada by a significant lead in game two on the map Reverse Temple, a map that was considered to favor Nada. Unfortunately in game three, UpMagiC was defeated on the map Neo Arkanoid while using an innovative strategy of an early battle cruiser-siege tank composition. Though he was eliminated from Starleague, the public was captivated by the birth of a hero that they had not seen for a long time.
That was an important season for UpMagiC. In 2006, he had exactly 12 wins and 12 losses – 5 wins and 5 losses versus Terran, 4 and 4 versus Zerg, and 3 and 3 versus Protoss. He commented, "I learned a lot from Nada during the last game. I don't know if it was because he had a lot of experience, but his adjustments were quick and he didn't seem nervous. I was nervous of the thought, 'If I lose, I get eliminated,' and I couldn't move as freely as I wanted. Matches against powerful opponents became a valuable experience for me to grow to another level." UpMagiC also received the much-revered title of "strategist," as well as being compared to the golden standard of Boxer. Commentator Kim Jungmin, formerly TheMarine, boldly stated, "Excluding Boxer, there has never been such a novel player as UpMagiC." Even the prominent commentator Kim Taehyung acknowledged, "It's been a long time since I've become anxious to know a player's strategy in the game. I'm already in anticipation of his next match."
Though being compared to the iconic Boxer in terms of sense and strategy is an honor, one cannot ignore the fact that such talents must be supported by hard practice and dedication, as Boxer has demonstrated many times. UpMagiC excels in this area as well. His level of concentration is remarkable; he listens closely to the instruction of his seniors and coach Kim Hyunjin, formerly kOs, as well as to the feedback from his junior teammates. After completing the basic training period of ten hours a day, he will continue to practice further on his own accord. In fact, to prepare for the single match against Firebathero on the map Neo Arkanoid, he practiced 40 games a day for five days, from the 21st to the 26th of December, a total of 200 games.
Additionally, it is interesting to note that some of his games have uncanny similarities with the Emperor's. Three years ago on the map Requiem, Boxer successfully used an SCV rush against TheRock[3.33], even when the opponent noticed the two barracks. On the map Reverse Temple, a map similar to Requiem, UpMagiC also used an SCV rush against Anytime[gm], even when his two barracks were discovered. Though UpMagiC's play was not as smooth as the Emperor's, it was enough for a commentator to say, "A strategist that I thought would never appear after Boxer has been born." In a more recent match that allowed him to enter the Starleague for the second time, UpMagiC used an unorthodox four-barracks Spark-Terran composition against Pusan[S.G], "The Spirit" Protoss. With his distinctive southpaw style, UpMagiC gave his opponent the impression that his marine-medic rush had failed, while taking two expansions. He then produced only tanks from four factories, which were supported by the constant production of marines and medics. While watching such an unexpected play, the commentators mentioned that the match resembled the Emperor's infamous battle versus Foru, where he used a bio-mechanic timed rush against the Protoss on the map Guillotine.
Though UpMagiC's style is obviously not the same as Boxer's, their strategic basis and unconventional plays both make it difficult for the traditional "right-handers" to anticipate such hits. With such a dynamic and dangerous contender in the Starleague as well as Proleague, Estro is well on its way to expanding its territories with its hero, the southpaw.
Highlights:
Dual Tournament 2006, UpMagiC vs iloveOov @ Arcadia II
2007 Starleague Season 3, UpMagiC vs Yellow[name] @ Longinus II
Parallel Highlights 1: UpMagiC & SlayerS_`BoxeR`
Challenge League, SlayerS_`BoxeR` vs TheRock[3.33] @ Requiem
2007 Starleague Season 3, UpMagiC vs Anytime[gm] @ Reverse Temple
Parallel Highlights 2: UpMagiC & SlayerS_`BoxeR`
Olympus Starleague 2003, SlayerS_`BoxeR` vs Foru @ Guillotine
Dual Tournament, UpMagiC vs Pusan[S.G] @ Hitchhiker
masterfully written... a wonderful read ;) thx
Posted by
Anonymous |
4:42 AM
OMG. I've never realized so many parallels between BoxeR and UpMagic. This was probably one of your best pieces of work Marencielo. I honestly was waiting VERY anxiously in the past few months for your next entry.
Posted by
jkillashark |
1:05 PM
once again, great job, man.
Posted by
Anonymous |
11:05 AM
Wonderfully written piece. I'm eagerly awaiting the next starleagues and proleague, to inspect up.magic's play a bit more. Thanks for this awesome column!
Posted by
Anonymous |
12:51 PM
I don't know.
SUCH a great post and so few comments. That does not give it credit. I'll add one and say to you, your text is acknoledged by the right people and then it doesn't count if it's 1 or 1000... eagerly awaiting your next entry :)
Posted by
Anonymous |
2:34 PM
hehe maybe I`ll have to start following the pro scene a little more now, need a new hero now that Boxer is in the army :)
Posted by
Anonymous |
4:31 PM
Hey man! I have been looking several months for your next analysis. Where is it? Pliiiiiz write sumethin about bisu or stork
Posted by
Anonymous |
1:12 PM
I enjoyed reading this.
Thanks =)
Keep up the good work.
Posted by
LeTaLiS |
1:04 AM
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