Well it’s over. Everyone has made their trek home. Instead of seeing each other in the WCG main room we’re finding each other on bnet, AIM, MSN, SCL, GG.net and TL.net. The USA finals are over and the excitement is dissipating. But it’s a trip I will personally never forget and I hope that the friends I made here are friends that I keep for a long time to come.
I have updated all of the replays and pictures. You can get replays for every game played on the replay page now. That way you guys without WCG accounts can nab em. I also put up pictures of some WC3 players and the closing ceremony. There are a few good ones in there that aren’t in any other galleries that I’ve seen so check it out.
Riding the A train out to JFK gave me a lot of thinking time, and I kept going back to my impressions of all of the players. So I decided I would write them out for everyone to read. I know that when I used to be the one reading the reports about these events I always wondered what the players were really like. So here’s my attempt to share that with you. I probably was too kind, but I had such a good time that it’s hard to say anything bad about them.Dan Stemkoski (iD.Artosis)
Dan was a bit uptight, a bit nerdy, and a bit of a shit talker... but I liked him. He was confident and was completely comfortable with being himself. I respect that. He also took the event very seriously. I wish it had paid off and he would of made it further.
Sean Plott (rS.Day[9])
Sean's a bit of a prick, but in a very good way, a way that makes you laugh. He's not as hyper as his brother but he's got the same quirky sense of humor. He's got a witty comment for every situation and it's a lot of fun to hang around him. He's more serious than Tasteless and I think that may be why he won their match. He was also one of the few guys that had the balls to chat it up with the "WCG Girls" AND he has a girlfriend. I'd definitely hang out with him any day outside of bnet.
Nick Plott (rS.Tasteless[9])
This guy is a stud. He's also someone I wouldn't want to see on speed... cause he's bad enough while sober. He's a jumpy wiry guy but he's also pretty tall. He's got a great sense of humor and is far far far from being a StarCraft nerd. I'm hunting him down and going partying with him because I know it would be a good time. He was also really great about supporting his brother and his team. A very impressive guy.
Richard Almand (Future[Light])
Without a doubt the nicest person I met at WCG. Completely approachable, extremely well composed, and cool to talk with. He's got a very all American look to him. After chatting with him a few times my respect for [LighT] has increased ten fold. Any team that has Future on it is definitely a quality team.
Aaron Deir (iD.CocoA)
He's a little guy. Short, skinny... but he stands out. He has a fire to him and if you took a guy his size and put the two of em into a ring, I'd put my money on Cocoa. He'll fight hard and won't give up. I think that's part of what took him so far in the tournament. I didn't talk with him much but he was always polite and confident. I definitely like the guy.
John Weber (JelloPud)
He showed up, played his games, disappeared. I saw him once from afar. My impression -- distant ghost.
Andrew An (SLoG4[TmG])
Slog takes the runner up spot behind Future for nicest guy at WCG. He helped me out a lot when I was updating results and he was always willing to answer a question. If I had to describe him with 1 word it would be "goofy". He's just a goofy guy. He laughs a lot, he smiles a lot, he smokes a lot of cigs. He's manner and shy, nice but nerdy. I'd love to take Slog out on the town and get him laid.
Daniel Eidson (iG.Nyoken)
Didn't get to know him that well, but whenever I needed help he was willing to give it. Nice guy and was always polite when I talked to him. People seem to think he's weird looking, but I never really felt that way. He and Artosis seemed like twins to me. They both had those damn hats on all the time.
Tom Whittier (FroZ[TmG])
Without a doubt the most unapproachable player. It seemed like his years of StarCraft fame had left him with a bit of a protective wall built around himself to deal with all the random people who tried to talk to him. He also seems like a shy guy. But once he opened up he was a fun guy to hang out around. I'd definitely like to hang out with Tom outside of the BW scene.
Cody Thompson (NerO)
Without a doubt my favorite person at WCG! I mean cmon, we had just met and he offered my a place to sleep on his hotel room floor. That's a nice guy. He's a big kid who's a top notch baseball player that grew up in some slums in Florida (for those who don't know, Florida slums are pretty damn nasty). He's a really, really, really nice guy... which may shock some of you to hear cause he has a reputation for BM. That's because he's also brutally honest and extremely blunt. But that doesn't make someone BM in my book. He was always trying to help people out, give advice, watch out for other people. He also has some great StarCraft knowledge and is very good at analyzing maps and strategy. He's a great guy. Ok, I'll wipe the brown off my nose and move on now.
Bryan Kerr (rS.Wisdom[9])
He's not someone I'd want with me if I was rolling to a fight, but if I was gonna go out and get really drunk I'd like to have him there cause I'm sure he'd be a laugh. He's a smart guy and very well mannered. I didn't get to know him very well but I can't think of a single bad thing to say about him.
Sherwin Mahbod (rS.Yosh)
Yosh really impressed me. He's a very composed guy, very smart, very nice, and was just... cool. He's got a good way of telling stories that always keeps me interested. He also handled himself very well the entire tournament. Good manner and good preparation. I just wish I coulda partied with him.
Thanks to all of the StarCraft players at WCG for being gracious with their time to help a NewB get some good coverage of the USA WCG Finals!
On another note, I would like to thank Colbi and GG.net for offering me a full time position here at GG.net. I am honored by the offer and happily accept! So I guess everyone will be seeing a bit more of me in the future. Hope you guys are as excited as I am!
Links
Pictures - Event Pictures
Replays - All Games Played
mnm's Pictures - mnm's StarCraft Gallery
