November 7th, 2013 
Mark The race to BlizzCon is over. Now that we know which players have been called to BlizzCon, the time has come to focus on the competition at hand. The mix of hopefuls includes icons of competitive StarCraft®, newcomers with fresh styles, and dominant players showing no signs of slowing down. In various ways, they’ve all done enough to get to Anaheim for BlizzCon, and they now each stand four wins away from hoisting the Gosu Trophy.
Where these players were before the 2013 WCS doesn’t matter anymore. They’ve all travelled the globe and redefined themselves over the last several months. Beginning November 8 at the WCS Global Finals in Anaheim, they’ll have one last chance to show the eSports world who they are and what makes them great.
The profiles below are mere snapshots of a particular group of players. They’ll write their final 2013 WCS stories at BlizzCon.
Full name: Choi ‘Bomber’ Ji Sung Race: Terran Team: StarTale
Best matchup: vs. Terran, 18-6. Bomber went 6-1 versus Terran in WCS action in July.
How he got here:
Champion – WCS Season 2 Finals (3000 WCS points)
3rd(t) – Korea Premier League Season 2 (750 WCS points)
5th(t) – Korea Premier League Season 1 (500 WCS points)
How good he was in 2013: Bomber’s aggressive Terran tactics helped him make his mark in WCS in 2013. Once he got rolling in the Season 2 Finals, Bomber trounced some of the best players in the world in succession, finishing his championship run with a 4-0 sweep of Jaedong. His matchup againt Taeja in the tournament was one of the best battles of the summer.
Full name: Cho ‘Maru’ Sung Choo Race: Terran Team: Prime
Best matchup: vs. Terran, 24-11. Maru hasn’t lost a WCS match vs. Terran since August (aLive).
How he got here:
Champion – Korea Premier League Season 2 (1500 WCS points)
3rd (t) – Season 3 Finals (1500 WCS points)
3rd (t) – Korea Premier League Season 3 (750 WCS points)
How good he was in 2013: When Maru swept INnoVation on the way to the Korea Premier League championship, he served noticed that he was going to be a force for the rest of 2013. His semifinal matchup against Dear at the Season 3 Finals could be the WCS marquee matchup of the year. The 16 year-old’s composure is one of his greatest strengths, as he’s always able to find the answer he needs in the moment he needs it most. His recent form makes him a favorite at the Global Finals.
vs. MMA at the Season 3 Finals (Polt on the call)
vs. MMA at the Season 2 Finals
Full name: Baek ‘Dear’ Dong Jun Race: Protoss Team: SouL
Best matchup: vs. Zerg, 20-8. Eight of those Zerg wins came in best-of-seven championship series victories over soO (Korea Premier League Finals) and Soulkey (Season 3 Finals).
How he got here:
Champion – Season 3 Finals (3000 WCS points)
Champion – Korea Premier League Season 3 (1500 WCS points)
25th(t) – Korea Challenger League Season 2 (25 WCS points)
How good he was in 2013: You can debate who's the best StarCraft II player in the world right now, but there’s no question that Dear is the most feared. He punished veteran stars and promising up-and-comers alike on his way to making history as the first regional champion to win a Season Finals WCS play. He waited until the last minute to book his ticket BlizzCon by claiming 4500 WCS points in the month of October.
vs. Soulkey in the Season 3 Finals
Full name: Song ‘HerO’ Hyeon Deok Race: Protoss Team: Team Liquid
Best matchup: vs. Zerg, 52-25. HerO had a 12 game win streak versus Zerg in all tournaments and leagues from July to mid-September.
How he got here:
Champion – America Premier League Season 1 (1500 WCS points)
9th(t) – Season 1 Finals (750 WCS points)
9th(t) – Season 2 Finals (750 WCS points)
How good he was in 2013: HerO was dominant in the first season of WCS America Premier League. Scarlett, Suppy, and Revival all fell as he took the championship in convincing fashion. He used clever sky Protoss play to dominate the skies over his opponents, especially Zergs. Look for his creative Phoenix play when we get to the Global Finals.
vs HyuN in America Premier League Season 3
vs Scarlett in America Premier League Season 1
*statistics courtesy of Team Liquid
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