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The title ofStarCraft 2 ’s " Best in the World " is n’t as cut and juiceless as it felt just a few months ago when 2018 ’s campaign had ( mostly ) come to a close . Lee " INoVation " Shin - hyung throw his name back into the discussion for the lofty accolade after winning WESG 2018 this preceding weekend , pulsate Joona " Serral " Sotala in a engrossing 4 - 3 finals to make headway $ 150,000 USD .
While most esports titles have passionate , subjective debate fury on for years about who the good actor or team is , StarCraft 2experiencedsomething of a rarity in 2018 when Serral rive through the game ’s western and Korean scene at the same time , cementing himself as the undisputed king of the secret plan by the conclusion of that year . In that span , Serral won every individual WCS stop in the westerly cerebral hemisphere , pull ahead the GSL vs. The World tournament that pitted South Korea ’s full against him , and then capped it off by winning the World Championship in November . While Cho " Maru " Seong Ju had a likewise impressive Korean campaign by winning all three major tournaments there in 2018 , he fell well poor of the refinement line at Worlds , not even making it to the finals clash against Serral about every analyst predicted .
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Serral ’s sovereignty of terror might not be over , but it has at least abated . INoVation meet Serral in thefinals of WESG 2018earlier today , and the two play an vivid grand finals that go back and forth until a deciding Game 7 that see to it the Korean Terran claim his first Major prize since 2017 . While losing by a 4 - 3 scoreline does n’t remove Serral from the discussion of skillful in the reality , it has re - opened it for others , with the most obvious contender being INoVation . Maru is n’t that far behind , either : he finished 3rd after completing a inverse expanse in the consolation finals . If there ’s a debate to be had , it surely set out with those three thespian .
WESG 2018 was an interesting experience . The game were fascinating and varied from quick walkaway to drawn - out , mapping - draining affairs , but it ’s arduous to paint a picture that there were any surprises . If someone were ask to place the three best players heading into the tournament , they ’d have in all probability indicated the top 3 performer , even if the club might have changed around a little . The only surprise came when Dark was eliminate in the Round of 8 , but that was in a match against Serral . Scarlett , another strange players with a pedigree for success , saw her stock rise slightly as she finished fourth and closely thrum Maru in the consolation final examination .
If 2018 was the rising of a dynasty , 2019 could be the offset of one of the most fell battle for relevanceStarCraft 2has ever seen . The watershed between the undecomposed and everyone else seems to be widening as thegame acquire old , but it ’s an incredibly taut pack vying for first place in every Major tourney , and there might not be any obvious deary like there were last class . INoVation , Serral , and Maru defend a hellhound of talented , power - thirsty athlete at the top of their game , but a resurgent TY , acurse - innocent soO , and an on - physique Dark are all terror in every tourney they compete in . 2018 was a engagement between Serral and Maru , but 2019 could be even more exciting .