Rogue has completed the task. With his 4-2 victory over Creator in the 37th season of Code S, he has become the second player with four Code S titles, joining Maru among the legends of StarCraft II.
Unlike the most successful Terran in StarCraft II, who won his first premier tournament three years after making his GSL debut, Rogue had to wait more than a decade to raise his first trophy.
Let’s take a look at how Season 1 of GSL ended.
When people think of Legacy of the Void's defining characters, they frequently think of Dark, Maru, Serral. However, unlike the other players who have left their mark, Rogue is the only player to have won an IEM tournament twice. It had been a long time coming for him to be a GSL Champion and take his position among the elite in his 10-year career.
Rogue, while being one of the more consistent players in Proleague since 2015, did not win a title until IEM Shanghai in late July of 2017. Rogue has reached 11 individual finals in Liquipedia premier-tier events. He has only lost once in online finals, to Maru in the 2021 DH Masters Winter Finals. He has won practically every imaginable tournament event, such as the WCS Global Finals, the IEM World Championship (twice), the GSL Super Tournament and finally the coveted GSL Code S.
Even more astonishing than his amount of tournament triumphs is his absolute invincibility once he reaches the final stage. Rogue is an unusual player. He's quite uneven in relation to individual maps. But when it comes to real tournament victories, he's one of the most consistent players in the game.
Recap
With the score 3-2, Creator appeared to have the upper hand. But if there is one thing Rogue has been known for, it is his detached attitude to StarCraft. Every game represents a new opportunity to win. Every game is a new chance to entangle your opponent is the motto when it comes to StarCraft.
In StarCraft, like other strategy games, with the amount of multitasking required the one who wins the psychological battle, wins the game too and Rogue is an expert when it comes to staying relaxed.
Rogue proceeded to interrupt Creator's mining with hit and run tactics and Mutalisks at the finish of this very lengthy match, with total control of the ground. Creator tried all he could to save the situation, including returning his whole army back to his main, but it was a no-win position because it only gave Rogue more time to max out on Corruptors, Queens, Infestors, and Vipers.
Creator stayed in the game for a little longer, but the player camera revealed that he was fully aware of his fate. Creator accepted his destiny, and wrote the final GG to end the series and award Rogue his fourth Code S title.
The moment when a pro decides that they lost, and gives up the game is always sad in its own terms.
The last game was a wonderful example of why Rogue has been so powerful since his debut in Shanghai. Rogue's imaginative, even humorous approach to StarCraft II was shown in the eight Queen drop as a mid-game harassing move.
The Mutalisk swap that followed demonstrated Rogue's eagerness to seize the initiative whenever feasible, while the continuous hit and run harassment and backdoor assaults demonstrated his top-tier multitasking.
Finally, the game-ending onslaught of Corruptors supported by spellcasters and Spore Crawlers demonstrated Rogue's ruthlessness and surgical execution after he had identified a way to win.
Maru, another 'Greatest of All Time' contender who doesn't even have his own World Championship, has lost ground to Rogue in the home arena where he was thought to be unbeatable.
It's reasonable to say that Rogue has established a unique legacy. He's done it by winning title after championship, defeating every type of competitor in high-pressure scenarios.
Rogue, unlike others, does not change through time and time and again has shown that becoming a legend is not a matter of skill but consistency. Whereas others have won and lost finals in similar proportion, Rogue has yet to play a game seven in a final.
Rogue is the ultimate SC2 player ever to date, and will be remembered more than Maru in the years to come. By winning the GSL Code S he took home the one of the most coveted titles in SC esports, $30,000, 800 EPT Korea Points and a name for himself and for Dragon Phoenix Gaming.
