Baek “Dear” Dong Jun earned himself $40,000 USD and an invitation to the Grand Finals at BlizzCon 2013 with a convincing 4-0 triumph over fellow Korean Kim “Soulkey” Min Chul.
The 2013 StarCraft II World Championship Series (WCS) Season 3 Finals ended in an undisputed victory for Baek “Dear” Dong Jun over Kim “Soulkey” Min Chul. Min Chul had been on a roll entering the finals, winning nine games in a row, and he was widely considered a favorite to win. He entered the tournament comfortably ranked among the top sixteen WCS competitors. Dong Jun entered the tournament at 36th place, having skyrocketed up through the rankings since the start of Season 3. The first place win for Dong Jun earns him $40,000 and moves him to sixth place in the overall rankings. Min Chul’s second place finish comes with a prize of $20,000 and puts him at first place in the rankings. Both players have earned an invitation to the Grand Finals at BlizzCon 2013.
The Grand Finals features a $250,000 prize pool, with the first place winner receiving a whopping $100,000 USD. The sixteen players invited to compete are those with the most WCS points, earned by placing highly in WCS tournaments. Only a single non-Korean player remains in the top sixteen. Swedish player Johan “Naniwa” Luchessi is ranked sixteenth, after narrowly missing a first place finish at IEM NY that would have guaranteed him a spot at BlizzCon. Depending on the outcome of the WCS America Challenger league, Luchessi will qualify for BlizzCon or face Kim “Revival” Dong Hyun in a best of five for the rank of sixteen and a place at the Grand Finals.
Thirteen WCS tournaments occur over the year, divided into three seasons of regional events that culminate in global seasonal finals. The three regions are WCS Europe, WCS America, and WCS Korea. The Season 3 Finals saw sixteen players from all three regions compete for a total prize pool of $150,000 USD and 17,000 WCS points. The sixteen players are the top six players from WCS America and the top five players from each of WCS Korea and WCS Europe. The North American Star League (NASL) hosted the tournament at the Toronto Congress Centre in Toronto, Canada from October 25 to 27.
The WCS Grand Finals will be held November 8 to 9. BlizzCon tickets are sold out, but the tournament will be streamed live for free. A high definition stream will be available to those buying a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, priced at $39.99 USD.
Source: Cadred.org
