The StarCraft II World Championship Series ends 4-1 for Yoo Jin over Lee “Jaedong” Jae Dong in a tense best-of-seven series.
The 2013 World Championship Series (WCS) began April 4 and ended decisively tonight, crowning Kim “sOs” Yoo Jin as the greatest StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm player of 2013. Yoo Jin will take home the $100,000 USD prize, bringing his lifetime earnings from StarCraft II to $135,260. In second place, Lee “Jaedong” Jae Dong wins $45,000. The best of seven series began with two wins for Protoss player Yoo Jin, narrowly taking victory in the first game and rushing to victory with cannons and early units in the second. In a long third game that saw both players come close to winning, Jae Dong took his first and only victory in the series. Jae Dong was unable to take another game, and Yoo Jin claimed his trophy when the series ended 4-1.
Jae Dong, playing for team Evil Geniuses, is a StarCraft legend. Jae Dong played StarCraft: Brood War professionally beginning in 2005, earning himself the nickname “The Tyrant” for his tournament domination and becoming one of four professional gamers to earn a Golden Mouse. Kim “sOs” Yoo Jin, playing for team Woongjin Stars, fought his way through other veterans to face Jae Dong. Jae Dong entered the tournament ranked No. 3, while Yoo Jin ranked No. 12. Yoo Jin faced and bested Choi “Bomber” Ji Sung, Song “HerO” Hyeon Deok, and Choi “Polt” Seong Hoon, ranked No. 8, No. 5, and No. 4 respectively. The first place finish for Yoo Jin his first in the 2013 WCS, with his highest previous tournament placement being second place at the WCS Season 1 finals. Jae Dong adds his second place finish at the Grand Finals to four other second place finishes this year. He has performed consistently well but failed to take first place at any tournaments in 2013.
The 2014 WCS will begin earlier in the year, allowing for four seasons of competition. Each season is composed of regional events from the three regional leagues and culminates in a Season Finals event. The three regions are WCS Korea, WCS America, and WCS Europe. In each Season Finals, the top five from each region (and a sixth from the region hosting the Season Final) compete in a 16-player cross-league tournament. Placing highly in WCS tournaments earns players WCS points in addition to cash prizes. WCS points determine player rankings, and the top sixteen ranked players qualify for the Grand Finals held at BlizzCon.
