The Ultimate Weapon - 이영호
By Peter Eliopoulos
"When I watch Flash play the game, without pretense, I'm amazed. Simply amazing. I've never seen anyone who can manage the eco as well as he does. Every eco falls into perfect timing. PERFECT timing. Not only that, it seems like he's spending all his eco, yet he always have spare mineral to expand more... That really is breathtaking to watch. Is he really calculating all the timing? Or is this by his sense?" - Hong Jin Ho
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Ultimate Achievement
This is not a boy. This is a weapon.
The Ultimate Achievement
This is not a boy. This is a weapon.
Not since NaDa has a player won both Starleagues simultaneously. Many have come close in the past and all have fallen short. In this age, one player stands at the cusp of a dual Starleague victory. That players name is Lee Young Ho. With a dominating performance, Flash has grabbed progaming by the throat and taken his position at the top with stunning confidence and skill.
If anyone can take two Starleagues home, it's Flash. While he may lack Stork's experience or Bisu's charm, Flash makes up for it in spades with his mechanical prowess and innovation. What Flash has is the mentality of a champion. Flash was born to win, to innovate, and to achieve. At the age of seventeen, Flash is following in the footsteps of NaDa, the most successful progamer of all time.
Jaedong was older than Flash is now when he qualified for his first Starleague. Flash's achievements at the age of fifteen are perhaps the most astonishing aspect of his career. He didn't just break the age records, he shattered them to pieces.
From the beginning as a rookie to his current domination, Flash was a unique and important player all throughout his career. Although he wasn't appreciated from the beginning, as a mere fifteen-year-old, he destroyed Stork in the OSL finals and revolutionized TvP. Flash has since led the Terran race, even during his slumps.
This is the story of The Ultimate Weapon, The Little Monster, Lee Young Ho...
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Ultimate Beginning
A child will become a king.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Ultimate Beginning
A child will become a king.
Flash's story began with a young shooting game enthusiast, who hung out after school in Internet cafes. Professional StarCraft gamers like BoxeR and YellOw captured the interest of many young video game enthusiasts such as Flash. After he purchased the game for himself, it was not long before he was one of the best amateurs in Korea, showing an immense amount of natural talent and ability to synthesize other people's strategies into his own play. The young BoxeR fan soon passed the KOR (now Hite Sparkyz) gameplay test and became a practice partner. He was not satisfied with the attention he received and transferred to Pantech and Curel. In April of 2007, KTF purchased him after hearing of his high skill in Pantech practice tournaments.
Lee Young Ho went 39-24 in his first year of televised StarCraft, an excellent record for a newcomer. He qualified for his first OSL (Daum) by defeating Bisu and Free in the qualifying rounds, and went on to surprise everyone in E-Sports by beating Bisu 2-0 in the Ro8, using a controversial cheese rush on Monty Hall. Flash would lose to eventual champion GGPlay 3-2 in the semifinals. Despite these results, Flash was written off by many as just another lucky rookie who won many games by fluke.
Following Daum, Flash qualified for the OSL but did not show particularly strong play, cruising through easy groups. While he contributed in Proleague, Flash was not yet the star of KTF. It was not uncommon for mediocre players to find their way into a Starleague either through cheese or luck. To his naysayers, Flash was no different. However, Flash was something else in the practice house. After leaving Pantech in which he was infamous for his exploits in practice, he tore things up in the KTF House, shocking even the likes of YellOw and nal_rA. His dedication to practice and deep understanding of management made him the prize of the coaches. Flash was KTF's secret weapon, the ultimate Terran.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Q: Because of your time in Pantech and Curitel, everybody regards Nada as your mentor. What are your thoughts on this issue? Who is your mentor?
A: I was not yet ready to mimic Nada then. To be honest, I tried to learn from him, but I couldnt. So I decided to improve on my own. I was on friendly terms with Firefist, Hero V and Pepe. I went to school everyday, so I had to practice during the night. These three helped me progress so much by playing with me all night. So they can be called as my mentor. Many people say that Nada was my mentor, but to be frank he was not. It was difficult to ask elder gamers for a game at such a young age, but Firefist, Hero V and Pepe took the initiative to help me out.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Q: In you earlier interviews, you often mentioned that you were not affected by your nerves at all.
A: Although I said such things, in truth I was a nervous wreck. Once I reached the OGN Starleague, there were too many people there. I actually couldnt sleep the night before. I woke Hery up at dawn and practiced with him all night. I played Light without an ounce of sleep, but luckily was able to defeat him. The cheering after I won was unbelievable. I was able to turn heads with that victory, and was able to gain confidence from the match and perform well in that Starleague.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Q: Because of your time in Pantech and Curitel, everybody regards Nada as your mentor. What are your thoughts on this issue? Who is your mentor?
A: I was not yet ready to mimic Nada then. To be honest, I tried to learn from him, but I couldnt. So I decided to improve on my own. I was on friendly terms with Firefist, Hero V and Pepe. I went to school everyday, so I had to practice during the night. These three helped me progress so much by playing with me all night. So they can be called as my mentor. Many people say that Nada was my mentor, but to be frank he was not. It was difficult to ask elder gamers for a game at such a young age, but Firefist, Hero V and Pepe took the initiative to help me out.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Q: In you earlier interviews, you often mentioned that you were not affected by your nerves at all.
A: Although I said such things, in truth I was a nervous wreck. Once I reached the OGN Starleague, there were too many people there. I actually couldnt sleep the night before. I woke Hery up at dawn and practiced with him all night. I played Light without an ounce of sleep, but luckily was able to defeat him. The cheering after I won was unbelievable. I was able to turn heads with that victory, and was able to gain confidence from the match and perform well in that Starleague.
_____________________________________________________________________________
As nal_rA, YellOw, and Reach diminished in skill, Flash became a consistent performer in Proleague, a trend that would continue for the rest of his career. Mentally, he was not yet in the shape for a StarLeague victory, although that day would soon come. The time between his debut and first OSL win was astoundingly short.
Mind's victory in the GOMtv MSL S3 was astounding not only because Park Sung Gyoon was the youngest progamer to ever win an individual league, but also because he defeated the dominant Bisu with apparent ease. The annihilation of a top Protoss by an extremely young Terran player surprised fans of BroodWar and brought tears to angry netizens everywhere. The sixteen-year-old Mind was a glimpse at the new generation of Terrans, a group which Flash would soon come to lead.
While Mind showed dominant timing pushes in TvP, Flash would bring the match-up to the next level and claw his way to the top in the same fashion: defeating the world's best Protoss in dominant fashion. 2007, statistically speaking, was a good year for Flash. 2008, however, would be the year that made him an unforgettable and beloved progamer.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Ultimate Cheese?
The Ultimate Cheese?
Flash's destruction of Bisu in the Daum OSL Round of Eight made him probably the most hated progamer amonst netizens. While Flashs unpopularity was not quite as intense as Shines, Flash was definitely considered a player who did not really deserve to be in the Ro4. Which now, of course, is a prospect that would be considered ridiculous. Even though Flash had proved he was more than capable of a straight-up TvP and had shown his strong management, he was instantly labeled a "cheddar terran" because of this game.
Recently Flash used a bunker rush to take Jaedong out of the OSL, a decision that stirred up quite a bit of disdain amongst Jaedong fans. Much like the flaming against Shine in live report threads, some netizens have found themselves banned for their comments against Flash.
Regardless of his late-game prowess, his smart use of cheese in series games has left many aghast. When he pulls out his management builds he is criticized for being stale and predictable and when he rushes he is criticized for being a skill-less cheeser.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Ultimate Champion
"What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease" - Sun Tzu
The Ultimate Champion
"What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease" - Sun Tzu
Already in the KESPA Top 16, Flash qualified for both StarLeagues in 2008 and was invited to the GOMtv Star Invitational. This was a time in which Stork, Anytime, Bisu, Kal, and Free dominated Terran players; with a map pool including Katrina and Baekmagoji, it was no surprise. Few people expected Flash to go as far as he did in the 2008 season, as Flash was still considered a weak and lucky rookie player.
Flash dominated the group stages of the OSL and GOMtv Star Invitational. His streak of Starleague domination was ended in the MSL by Jaedong, who went on to win the GOMtv MSL S4 against Kal. Flash used a mech build on Katrina in the OSL to dominate Jaedong, who had difficulty responding to Flash's unusual unit mix. By this time, Flash was starting to turn heads for his versatile play and strong macro.
In TvP, Flash initially had only mixed success with his yet unrefined double armory build in the group stages of the OSL. After much work on the build, he defeated Stork in the GSI finals 3-2. This close and entertaining series gave Flash a great insight into Stork's PvT strategy. Stork learned the build Flash had used to defeat him in the GSI and prepared for it in the OSL. Stork prepared to play an extremely greedy series of games against Flash, who he expected would use his lategame oriented double armory build. While Stork adapted smartly, Flash was one step ahead of him.
Flash's prison rape of Stork caught people off guard. In the first set, Flash used smart tank pressure to dominate Stork. Stork was caught off guard by Flashs deep understanding of Blue Storm and it cost him the game. In the second set, Flash assumed a greedy build from Stork on Katrina. His prediction paid off. Flash bunker rushed Stork and ended the game in less than 8 minutes. Flash trashed Stork in the third set with a strong timing attack, ending the OSL finals in record time. Flash predicted Stork would adapt to his double armory build and instead played in the exact opposite way Stork expected him to. Flash's foresight, preparation, and mental sharpness demolished his Protoss opponent.
Stork, the strongest PvT player in the world, had been utterly annihilated by the 15-year-old Terran. Stork was completely outclassed by Flash in the OSL. Flash's iron will and champion mentality left the more experienced Protoss in the ditch. Flash had surpassed Mind by becoming the youngest StarLeague winner in history. With this victory, Flash had also revolutionized TvP. The double armory build would be a staple for seasons to come, ending the dominance of 2 base reaver into carrier. Flash had proven Terrans could win with ease against Protoss on Katrina. His innovation was a ray of hope for the stagnating Terran race.
"The Flash build is more than capable of producing mid or late game Vulture harass. However, instead of relying on Vultures to hurt the Protoss economy to set up the mid to late game, the Flash build approaches the match-up with a different philosophy. In place of trying aggressively to limit Protoss expansions, particularly in the early mid game, Flash build users generally respond instead with aggressive expansions of their own, relying on the fact that the Protoss invested minerals into his economy instead of attacking units as well as the general defensive strength of Terran - particularly with the use of building walls, Mines, Siege Tanks and weapons upgrades. It should be noted however that Vulture harass is an acceptable part of the Flash build mid game." - Wikipedia on the Flash Build
The flash build depends on early goliaths and a strong defense. Because of this strong early defense, the Terran can reap full benefits from his early expansions without fear of reavers. As a result, the standard carrier follow-up is severely weakened. The Flash build relies on few units in the early-game, in return for faster expansions and upgrades. The result is a late-game attack with strong upgrades, knocking carriers out of the sky as if they were paper planes.
Protoss players attempted to respond to the greedy Flash build with aggression but the fast upgrades and generally defensive nature of the build deflected it with ease. Protoss struggled pathetically against the dynamic management style until its weakness were gradually exposed and Protoss players began devising new strategies to counter the double armory build.
The Flash builds main weakness is its inability to punish a greedy Protoss. It takes full advantage of the defense-oriented nature of the Terran race, but lacks in early offensive capabilities. Protoss players can merely take multiple early expansions with no danger. Therefore, the best way to counter the aggressive expanding of the Terran is to expand aggressively as Protoss. Even though Protoss eventually rebounded from their period of being dominated by even mediocre Terrans using the flash build, it still to this day remains a huge part of TvP strategy. It's lasting nature has proven that the build isn't just a gimmick, but a philosophy.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Q: Lets discuss the anti-carrier build in detail. It cannot be denied that the topic springs to mind the moment you are mentioned.
A: I played a similar style beforehand but was unable to show it on televised games. Then after I lost my game against Stork in the round of eight, I had a sudden flash of inspiration. The revelation was so sweet that I smiled all the way back to the KT Rolster house. It was so strong against carriers. I first used it against Free on Loki. I did not plan to use it. I was left with almost no SCVs after being surprised by proxy gates in my base, and had no choice but to use the build in order to make a come-back. I started to use the build frequently after this game, and refined it as time passed by.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Q: So nerves dont affect you now?
A: Nope. I still get nervous. I took medications to help with my nerves even after I won for the first time. I won on televised matches, but the games were not indicative of my skill level. On the few occasions that I perform up to my practice games standards I mention it during my interviews. Regular fans dont know much about the level of gaming that goes on in the practice room. Even now, I cant play as well as I did during practice. If Im to be blunt, I rarely lose during practice. It doesnt matter whether I play my teammates, or even Bisu or Jaedong. I think if I play as well as I do during practice theres no reason to be the underdog against these players.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Q: Lets discuss the anti-carrier build in detail. It cannot be denied that the topic springs to mind the moment you are mentioned.
A: I played a similar style beforehand but was unable to show it on televised games. Then after I lost my game against Stork in the round of eight, I had a sudden flash of inspiration. The revelation was so sweet that I smiled all the way back to the KT Rolster house. It was so strong against carriers. I first used it against Free on Loki. I did not plan to use it. I was left with almost no SCVs after being surprised by proxy gates in my base, and had no choice but to use the build in order to make a come-back. I started to use the build frequently after this game, and refined it as time passed by.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Q: So nerves dont affect you now?
A: Nope. I still get nervous. I took medications to help with my nerves even after I won for the first time. I won on televised matches, but the games were not indicative of my skill level. On the few occasions that I perform up to my practice games standards I mention it during my interviews. Regular fans dont know much about the level of gaming that goes on in the practice room. Even now, I cant play as well as I did during practice. If Im to be blunt, I rarely lose during practice. It doesnt matter whether I play my teammates, or even Bisu or Jaedong. I think if I play as well as I do during practice theres no reason to be the underdog against these players.
_____________________________________________________________________________
After his Starleague victory, Flash began a dominating streak in the Proleague. After ranking number one in both KESPA and the Power Rank, Flash cemented himself as the top Terran in Korea. His uncontested TvT and mental strength had made a young boy the most feared progamer in the world. The dominance he showed in 2008 is stunning to this day.
Flash's slow push execution was the best in the world, as was his management. Very much a neo-iloveoov, Flash's economic sense and the timing of his expansions and tech was flawless; however, it was his fluid defense and responsive play combined with strong economic sense and willpower that made him the "Ultimate Weapon". This solid defense made harassment nigh impossible, creating a situation in which his opponent overcommits himself to harassment and loses the macro war.
"Yes, Flash is still unquestionably the best player on earth. This kid has utterly exploded since his GSI win over Stork. Between that time and now, Flash has gone 23-3, a stretch of dominance that is unheard of in today's field. He has no weak matchups. His games aren't just victories, but sad, one-sided affairs that leave his opponent laying on the floor in the fetal position, weeping and wondering why they ever picked up a copy of StarCraft." - FakeSteve on Flash (June 2008)
Flash doesnt just play mindgames; he wages a full-scale mental assault against his opponent. Although his play goes through occasional periods of predictability, Flash is anything but stale. His cunning rushes bring him victory after victory against S-Class opponents in important series games. No matter the circumstance, Flash plays to win.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Ultimate Rivalries
The Ultimate Rivalries
Flash and Stork
Flash versus Stork was the rivalry that launched Flash to superstar status. Their first series encounter was quite embarrassing for Flash; he lost 0-3 to Stork in both the Daum OSL and the 2007 EVER OSL. Their next meeting would be in the GOMtv Star Invitational, where Flash took a win in the finals 3-2. Flash really showed the strength of his double armory build in this series and went on to dominate Stork 3-0 in the following OSL finals.
Since their meeting in the Bacchus OSL finals, they've played only three times. Stork took a game off Flash in very convincing fashion in the recent OSL Round of 16, showing some of his old PvT brilliance. While Stork's chance for OSL revenge has been stolen by Shine, fans are anxious to see another clash between the two titans.
Flash and Jaedong
Flash versus Jaedong is one of the most prominent and famous rivalries of the modern age. It all started when Flash eliminated Jaedong from the Bacchus OSL and the GOMtv Star Invitational and Jaedong took Flash out of the GOMtv S4 MSL. Both players went on to win their respective individual leagues and cemented their position as the top player of their race. Their Bo3's in 2008 live in infamy, particularly Flash's metal build against Jaedong on Katrina.
Their next series meeting was a huge disappointment, with Jaedong absolutely crushing Flash 3-0 in the GOMtv Classic finals. Flash's greediness and poor defense against early mutalisks led to an embarrassing defeat. The showdown between the two gamers failed to live up to the hype and left Flash fans worrying about the little monster.
Springing back from the brink of defeat, Flash wiped the floor with Jaedong in the 2009 EVER OSL. After a straight-up victory in the first set, Flash drove home the win in the second set with a bunker rush. The series enraged Jaedong fans and propelled Flash into the semifinals where he will face inter.Calm.
When Lee Young Ho and Lee Jae Dong are scheduled to play, nerds everywhere begin to drool. His rivalry with Stork is what launched his career as a top progamer. However, LeeSsangRok is one of the most important rivalries of the modern era. Much like BoxeR versus YellOw defined TvZ in 2002, Jaedong versus Flash defines TvZ in the current age.
Facebook
Twitter