mijobooks Chapter 218 The Final Moment
Chapter 218 The Final Moment
At 7 p.m., half an hour before the start of the final.
The stands were full, with people even standing in the aisles. The number of camera positions in the media area had increased to eight. ESPN ratings showed a 1.2 at this point—a record-breaking figure for a non-sporting event on cable.
The finalists were 'Boxer' (Korea, Terran) and 'July' (Korea, Zerg). Both defeated their opponents in the afternoon to advance to the finals.
Before the match, Tom went on stage to interview the two players.
"Boxer, this is your first time participating in an international competition, and you've already made it to the finals. How does it feel?"
Boxer answered in Korean, with a translator beside him: "I'm nervous, but also very excited. I'm sure I'll win the championship."
"Where's July?"
July was a baby-faced boy with fangs when he smiled: "Boxer is strong, but I have prepared tactics against the human race, and I will definitely defeat him."
Applause erupted from the audience.
The final match officially began at 7:30. It was a best-of-five (BO5) format, with the first team to win three games advancing to the final victory.
In the first game, Boxer opted for a mechanized advance, setting up tanks and supporting them with marines and medics. July, on the other hand, constantly harassed the enemy with a mixed force of dogs and hydras while simultaneously expanding his base.
"Boxer's tank formation is complete! They're pushing forward! July's Hydralisks are targeting the tanks, but they're protected by Marines... Oh! July's Mutalisks are here! They're flanking! They're targeting the Marines! A whole bunch of Marines are dead!"
"Boxer is retreating! Tanks are being stowed and mounted, fighting and retreating! July is in pursuit! But Boxer's reinforcements have arrived! A new wave of marines has joined the battle!"
"July doesn't have enough Hydralisks! He's retreating! Boxer, push! Push to July's expansion! The expansion is down!"
The first game ended in 18 minutes, with Boxer winning.
The thunderous applause from the audience lasted for a minute.
In the second game, July changed his strategy, opting for Lurker pressure. He used Zerglings and Hydralisks to suppress Boxer's second base early on, then switched to Lurkers for burrowing and pushing.
"Boxer's riflemen didn't have medics! He forgot to spawn medics! The Lurkers are buried! The riflemen are trampling on them! The riflemen are all dead! Boxer's main force is wiped out!"
"July's dogs and hydralisks are charging straight to Boxer's base! Boxer's base is undefended! GG!"
The second game only took twelve minutes, and July won it back.
Cheers erupted from the audience, with someone shouting "July! July!"
In the third game, Boxer started cautiously, steadily developing both bases and producing a large number of tanks and science vessels. July attempted to harass with Mutalisks, but Boxer's air defenses and science vessels countered his efforts.
"Boxer has an economic lead! He's expanding to three bases! July only has two! The force disparity is widening!"
"Boxer is advancing! Tanks, Marines, Medics, Science Vessels, a mixed force! July is defending with Zerglings, Hydralisks, and Lurkers, but not enough! Tanks are up! Hydralisks are falling!"
"July's base has been destroyed! He's trying to switch bases, but Boxer has left defenses at his base! July has no chance!"
Boxer won the third game.
With a score of 2-1, Boxer has reached match point.
The atmosphere was extremely tense. Almost no one in the audience spoke; everyone was staring at the big screen.
The fourth game begins.
July, in a desperate gamble, opted for an extreme fast attack. Six early-game Zerglings charged directly into Boxer's base, attacking his workers. Boxer reacted quickly, using his workers to surround and kill the Zerglings, but his economy was disrupted.
"July's harassment was successful! Boxer is down four farmers! His economy is lagging behind!"
"July is expanding to a second base! Boxer is still building up his workers! July's Hydralisks are out! They're pushing right up to Boxer's base!"
"Boxer doesn't have enough Marines! He's struggling! Oh! A tank's coming out! A tank's been set up! Hydralisks are targeting the tank! But the tank's protected by Marines!"
"July's Hydralisks are all dead! He's retreating! Boxer, push! Marines and Tanks, advance to July's expansion!"
"July's expansion is down! His economy is collapsing! He's making a last-ditch effort, all the Zerglings and Hydralisks are charging out... but they can't win! Marines are firing in short bursts! The Hydralisks are falling!"
"GG! July typed GG! Match over!"
In the fourth game, at 22 minutes, Boxer won the championship 3-1.
The audience erupted instantly. Applause, cheers, and whistles nearly lifted the roof off.
Boxer stood up from his chair and took off his headphones. His face was expressionless, but his hands were trembling. He walked over to his opponent, July, and the two shook hands. July patted him on the shoulder.
Tom went on stage, holding a huge model check that read: $50,000.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let's congratulate Boxer on the champion of the first StarCraft offline championship!"
He handed the check to Boxer, who took it, held it up, and a flurry of camera flashes went off.
Following the awards ceremony, Tom announced, "That concludes today's competition! Thank you to all the viewers, thank you to the players, and thank you to our sponsors, Xingchen Technology, Xinghuo Internet Cafe, and Alienware! See you next year!"
The audience began to leave, but many were still caught up in the excitement, gathering together to discuss the details of the match.
"The Boxer tank's advance is too steady."
"July's attacking tactics in the second game were brilliant."
"I want to sign up next year too..."
In the media area, reporters were making the most of their time to conduct post-match interviews.
An ESPN reporter stopped Boxer and handed him the microphone:
"Boxer, congratulations! How do you plan to use the $50,000 prize money?"
After being translated, Boxer replied in Korean: "I'll save it and keep practicing. I want to become a professional StarCraft player."
Will you participate in next year's competition?
"Yes, it will. This competition is fantastic; it's the best in the world in every aspect."
Meanwhile, TechTV interviewed Blizzard designer James:
"James, does this success mean that the future of esports is getting brighter?"
James nodded: "Absolutely. The enthusiasm of the audience, the skill level of the players, and the media attention all prove this is the right direction. StarCraft can definitely become a true competitive sport."
Will Blizzard continue to support these kinds of tournaments?
"Of course. We already have plans to hold a larger-scale global tour next year."
Will the release of the Windows version affect the tournament planning?
"No. The Windows version of StarCraft will be released next March. Regardless of the platform, the core of competition is fairness and fun. We will ensure that all players have a good experience."
The interview continued until 9 p.m.