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: Kim ‘sOs’ Yoo Jin Race: Protoss Team: Woongjin Stars

Best matchup: vs. Protoss, 28-12. In WCS Korea Premier League Season 3, sOs was one of the few players to win a match with eventual champion Dear.

How he got here:
Runner Up – Season 1 Finals (2000 WCS points)
3^rd (t) – Korea Premier League Season 1 (750 WCS points)

How good he was in 2013: He was the last player to run into the INnoVation buzz saw at the Season 1 Finals, so sOs has a taste of championship level competition in the WCS. He is among that gang of players that hit big WCS point jackpots in Season 1 and then maintained enough to qualify for the Global Finals at the end of the year. Will sOs be able to turn it back on again?

vs. Curious in Korea Premier League

vs. Ruin in Korea Challenger League

Full name: Yoon ‘TaeJa’ Young Suh Race: Terran Team: Team Liquid

Best matchup: vs. Protoss, 56-18. At the Season 2 Finals, TaeJa took down duckdeok and Rain during his run to the semifinals.

How he got here:
3^rd (t) – Season 2 Finals (1500 WCS points)
Champion – DreamHack: Bucharest (750 WCS points)
3^rd (t) – America Premier League Season 2 (750 WCS points)

How good he was in 2013: TaeJa’s play in America Premier League was strong throughout 2013 as his creative Terran style elevated the quality of the entire region. Heading into the Global Finals, he’s one to keep an eye on because of his current form and focus. Him Jjumping all over a desperate Revival in America Challenger League on October 31 is all the evidence you need to know that TaeJa will be a factor at BlizzCon.

vs. Polt in America Premier League

vs. INnoVation at Season 2 Finals (aka That Match)

Full name: Jang ‘MC’ Min Chul Race: Protoss Team: SK Gaming

Best matchup: vs. Terran, 50-25. Over their last 10 WCS matches against each other, MC and MMA are each 5-5.

How he got here:
Runner Up – Europe Premier League Season 3(1000 WCS points)
Runner Up – Europe Premier League Season 2 (1000 WCS points)
5^th (t) – Season 3 Finals (1000 WCS points)

How good he was in 2013: Aggressive play followed by even more aggressive play characterized MC in 2013 WCS action. It’s taken him far enough in the Europe Premier League that he’s seen no reason to alter course. MC is a player who’s much more comfortable dictating the action with unorthodox builds than reacting to an opponent. The Boss Toss’s variety of builds and aggression make him dangerous in any tournament, especially a single-elimination affair like the Global Finals.

vs. ThorZain in Europe Premier League Season 3

vs. MMA in Europe Premier League semifinals Season 2

Full name: Mun ‘MMA’ Seong Won Race: Terran Team: Acer

Best matchup: vs. Zerg, 52-15. MMA didn’t lose to a Zerg player at any point in Season 3 — a streak that included wins over Vortix and Jaedong.

How he got here:
Champion – Europe Premier League Season 3(1500 WCS points)
5^th (t) – Season 3 Finals (1000 WCS points)
3^rd (t) – Europe Premier League Season 2 (750 WCS points)

How good he was in 2013: After winning the Blizzard Cup at the last BlizzCon (2011), it took a while for MMA to regain his championship form in the WCS. He got it going with a 3^rd-4^th place finish in Season 2 of WCS Europe, before finishing strong as the EU champion for Season 3. Maru dispatched him easily at the Season 3 Finals, so a meeting of the two at BlizzCon could be a very interesting TvT match indeed.

Crushing MC with aggression

Sturdy defense sets up swift counter attack win

*statistics courtesy of Team Liquid