Seed crowned GSL Champion

The third season of the GomTV StarLeague 2012 Code S Championships wrapped up this morning by the beaches of Busan, South Korea. In the end, Korean Protoss player Ahn "Seed" Sahng Won of Incredible Miracle took out SK Gaming's Jang "MC" Min Chu, a fellow Korean Protoss player, 4-1 in a surprisingly quick grand final set. With the win, Seed earns his first GSL Code S Championship and 50 million Korean won (roughly $43,900). It was his first major event victory in Starcraft II, and it also made him the first Protoss GSL Champion in 10 seasons, breaking a long streak of Terran and Zerg domination.

"I hear some players play just to earn money, but for myself I play because I enjoy it," Seed said after his victory. "I think this is the reason I was able to win, to come so far, because of my passion for gaming."

Seed set the tone of the series in the very first game with a one-base all-in, dropping on MC's main base with Zealots and Stalkers. MC defended well with two Immortals, but some dexterous juggling of Stalkers gave Seed an early 1-0 lead. Surprising everyone--including MC--Seed would repeat this nearly identically the next two games, giving him a quick 3-0 lead, and putting the GSL championship in sight. MC bounced back in Game 4 with a one-base push of his own, keeping his chances of winning a third GSL title alive. The fifth game ended up the longest of the series, and the only large-scale multiple-base game, ending in a huge Colossus vs. Colossus battle. Seed's micromanagement and decision-making came out on top, earning him the victory and the title.

"I think Seed came into the series more prepared mentally with his build choice," Starcraft broadcast analyst Shaun "Apollo" Clark told GameSpot. "The way he would execute everything, I think his series went perfectly to plan and caught MC off guard, who may not have expected a fast, aggressive-style approach. I think MC could have provided a better fight but I think he was caught by surprise and wasn't expecting this, especially in a matchup that can be very difficult to come from behind in."

Along with Seed's personal achievements, it was the eighth GSL title for the Incredible Miracle team, which includes four-time Terran Champion Jung "MVP" Jong Hyun and three-time Zerg Champion Lim "NesTea" Jae Duk. Incredible Miracle is now the first Starcraft II team to have a GSL Code S title with all three factions.

"I think IM have a great team, coach, and set of players, which creates a well-prepared player for the finals," Apollo said. "I think it's a great achievement that in IM, there are eight GSL titles now, even two runners-up. [They are a] great all-around team, which shows in winning the GSL with three races."

At the end of the ceremony, Seed was asked if he had anything to say to his family that came to watch him play, a family that had not totally supported his decision to pursue pro-gaming. Of all his answers afterwards, there was no hesitation here, as he grabbed the microphone, looked at his family and screamed "I love you," closing out the night.