On July 27, 2010, StarCraft II was launched for the first time. Since then, it has grown to become one of the most popular eSports games, ranking alongside League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive as one of the Big 4. Because it's a real-time strategy game created by Blizzard Entertainment, only the most talented tacticians, like the members of this list, can climb to the top. In the almost decade-long history of the game, these are the players who have been able to outsmart, out-plan, and out-execute their opponents.
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1. Jung “Mvp” Jong Hyun
Mvp is a highly renowned Terran player who was born on February 12, 1991. He's the first four-time GSL champion, as well as a WCG, BlizzCon, MLG, and IEM winner. Mvp was a professional Brood War player before joining StarCraft II. He decided to become a Brood War pro gamer when he was seventeen years old but subsequently switched to StarCraft II since the bigger prize pools would be more helpful to his impoverished family.
Mvp didn't lose a single match in the 2011 GSL January Code S until the quarterfinals, when he played NesTea, the previous GSL champion, and triumphed 3-1. He was the favorite because of his 92 percent victory rate in Terran-versus-Terran matchups, and he swept his opponent MarineKing in the finals 4-0. Mvp had a 16-1 record at the conclusion of the tournament. After MMA and MC, Mvp was the third player to win the Triple Crown, and he was one of only two players to qualify for two different Triple Crowns, along with Life.
2. Lee “Life” Seung Hyun
Life, formerly known as NEXLife, is the second most decorated player in Premier Tournaments. He was born on January 11, 1997, and started to get attention in March 2011 when he joined the ZeNEX squad. He was a significant asset to ZeNEX since he was the youngest professional player on any South Korean club at the time.
He would later become the first Zerg to win the StarCraft Triple Crown. Because he was the league's youngest player, he had several challenges, such as being unable to participate in interviews owing to school attendance. It did, however, make wins like his GSL Season 4 title much the sweeter, as he became the first royal roader in the StarCraft II era and the youngest GSL winner at just eighty-two days shy of sixteen.
The 2012 GSL Blizzard Cup championship was the pinnacle of Life's dominance in Korea. He was up against PartinG, a former colleague who was renowned for his ferocious Immortal/Sentry push. This approach won the first two maps, but Life was able to adapt and come out on top, winning 4-2 and earning $37,200.
3. Yun “TaeJa” Young Seo
On January 1, 1995, TaeJa was born. For the first several months of his career, he went undetected since he had no prior competitive experience in eSports. One of the most memorable moments in this player's career was when he led Team Liquid to the Acer TeamSTory Cup Season 2 playoffs, where they defeated Axiom 5-4. Then, against Quantic Gaming, TaeJa stormed through a Zerg-centric lineup, beating HyuN twice more and scoring the 5-0 all-kill that Team Liquid required to qualify for the playoffs.
TaeJa was matched against fellow Terrans in a tough series of opponents during the 2013 DreamHack Open: Winter. One of the most noteworthy TvT series was versus MMA, which ended in a 2-1 victory for TaeJa, ensuring a spot on the podium.
TaeJa was selected by Team Liquid in 2012, and the team's CEO, Nazgul, called the move "Liquid's greatest acquisition in history."
4. Jang “MC” Min Chul
On June 17, 1991, MC was born. His mechanics, especially his Stalker control and usage of the Blink ability, are his greatest assets. Throughout the battle, he loves to apply continuous pressure, annoy his opponents, and rip them apart. Those who can withstand his early assault will be no closer to defeating him, as his playstyle incorporates macro for a lethal late-game performance.
During his career, he has taken two retirements. MC returns at the 2015 Red Bull Battle Grounds: Santa Monica after the first time. He and his Evil Geniuses OGS-TL Teammate, HuK, tied for first place alongside DOngRaeGu and TRUE, who only lost one match against the Protoss Archon Team. MC is well-known for his prowess in the Protoss game. Soon later, MC and Huk reunited for the 2015 Red Bull Battle Grounds: Washington, where MC said, "I am Obamatoss, I can't lose in Washington."
5. Choi “Polt” Seong Hun
On July 2, 1988, Polt was born. Prior to StarCraft, he was a semi-pro player for the South Korean club Lof in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. His StarCraft popularity arose mostly as a result of his 2-1 GSL 3 win against BoxeR in Round 32. Nearly 80% of South Koreans surveyed predicted BoxeR to win, thus Polt's triumph was a big shock. When he won the 2011 GSL Super Tournament, he stunned skeptics by sweeping MMA 4-0 in the finals. Because this was Prime's first title, Polt was given the nickname "Optimus" by his teammates.
After being disqualified from the first best-of-three against HyuN due to connection issues, Polt beat Revival 2-1 in a macro-oriented best-of-three and then proceeded to Round 16 after defeating Sage 2-1 in the WCS America 2013 Season 3 Premier League. He eventually defeated ByuL 4-1 and won the game.
Captain America, Sir Polt of Terran, and The Nexus Sniper are among his nicknames.
Lee “INnoVation” Shin Hyung On July 25, 1993, INnoVation was founded. During the hybrid 2011-2012 Proleague Season 2, he played his first official StarCraft II match. INnoVation competed in the 2012 OSL KeSPA Preliminaries on July 19, 2012. He defeated Sang and herO in the semifinals before facing Crazy-Hydra in the finals. INnoVation progressed to the 2012 OSL KeSPA Dual Tournament after sweeping Crazy-Hydra by a score of 2:0.
INnoVation had a tough time dealing with sOs and his unique Tempest/Templar combination after some tight victories in both the WCS 2013 Season 1 Korea semifinals and the WCS 2013 Season 1 semifinal. INnoVation remained strong and went through to win the series 4-0 against sOs, who "was visibly anxious," and became a champion on one of StarCraft 2's greatest platforms. His achievement earned him the top spot on TL.net's July 2013 Power Rank. He's a Terran who plays the game.
6. Joo “Zest” Sung Wook
Zest, who debuted in StarCraft II during Wings of Liberty, was born on July 11, 1992. He made his official debut during the 2011-2012 Proleague Season 2, similar to INnoVation, with a total of five victories and four defeats. Zest completed Season 1 of the 2012-2013 Proleague with a 29-17 record. After a heartbreaking defeat to Life in the 2014 WCS Global Finals, which included a thrilling fifth match in which Zest came close to winning despite numerous early-game mistakes, 2015 brought fresh hope.
In Katowice, Zest competed in the IEM Season IX World Championship. He was scheduled to face ROOT Gaming's Hydra, whom he defeated 3-2 in a reverse sweep that featured a long defensive in Game 5 against a Roach/Hydra lineup. After that, he barely defeated INnoVation, who had just defeated Life (the BlizzCon champion). The lone Protoss-versus-Protoss series of the tournament pitted Zest against Trap in the finals. Game 4 on Deadwing, where each player built a Mothership and air-based troops, was full of macro-oriented games and Stargate-based tactics. With a score of 4-1, Zest was crowned champion.