Seoul Dynasty: The Perfect Storm

What is being a fan other than having blind faith in any match up? The words ‘underdogs’ or ‘favored to win’ create a narrative for the community who aren’t personally invested in the match to grasp onto. It has been three seasons of “underperforming”, “disappointment” and “won’t go far in the playoffs” that have been slung around by the community, desks, and analysts in respect to the Dynasty. The feeling as a fan to see their team pull through everything and prove everyone wrong is euphoric.

How to structure an article that seems to be an oped of all the emotions and feelings without being a stale recap? Yes, easy enough this could be a blow by blow account of how the two teams battled it out taking maps from each other in a close fashion. It could be the story of the DPS. How it was Dongeon ‘FITS’ Kim and Junyoung ‘Profit’ Park who put their foot down to losing. There ought to be a whole article just on the amazing hooks that Jaehui ‘Gesture’ Hong was able to connect on.

This moment feels like even more than all of that. Though how does one put it into words. It will have to be an article highlighting how the team got to this point.

The Players

There’s a sense of what could’ve been. The presence of these players right here, right now making it is a great achievement. The memories of Season 1, Season 2 and what didn’t linger. The Seoul Dynasty may win their first Championship without Jehong ‘Ryujehong’ Jehong, Joonhyuk ‘Zunba’ Kim, Jinhyuk ‘Miro’ Gong, Byungsun ‘Fleta’ Kim and the list could go on to all the old tigers. But it is these four that hit the hardest. The Lunatic-Hai members that became Seoul.

Courtesy of Seoul Dynasty Instagram

The fact that Ryujehong is at GenG. gives a little bit of solace. The moments in which the team comes and peaks their heads in before the match, or the fact that Profit stopped in see Ryujehong right after their win and before his interview.

That being said, it is also a time to celebrate the players. All the players. Even when a player is not in a match they provide something for the team. Their contributions may go unsung as it can’t be seen on the broadcast. Though it is tough to be in match knowing every decision could make or break a series, sitting on the bench feeling helpless must be even worse.

It was a combination of all the old players who led the way to this point as well as all the current players who picked up the mantle that created an environment in which the Seoul Dynasty being in the Grand Finals is a reality.

The Coaches

The coaches are another part of the team that are rarely commended for all their work. It was obvious that the coaching staff had put in the effort to prepare the players for these matches. Some fans might think that the Shock or the Dragons would be the most emotional match for the Dynasty. Donggun ‘KDG’ Kim was the Seoul Dynasty head coach last year with Changgeun ‘Changgoon’ Park as an assistant coach. The players that were with the Seoul Dynasty last season was going up against their old coach. Jinmo ‘Tobi’ Yang mentioned in an interview that he wanted to face the Fusion because of KDG. It was also the battle of the two head coaches.

Work Ethic

This team not only prepared but executed their strategies in two back to back matches. The mental strain and exhaustion alone would grind down any squad. It is not the days of old when the original roster was used to seven-plus map series. This took dedication. Not just from the player or the coaches but from the staff too. The players continued on, despite what was being said. They continued to work hard to gain the position they knew they could earn. Nothing was given to the Dynasty, as they came into playoffs the lowest ranked of the current Final Four.

The team has proven that hard work and effort pays off. Of all the teams in the final four, all of the other three had role stars from this season. Seoul did not. But it is obvious that all the players between the four teams are highly skilled mechanically. It came down to the preparation that the Seoul Dynasty put in, which helped them edge past the Philadelphia Fusion and Shanghai Dragons.

The Seoul Dynasty

At the beginning of the season the Seoul Dynasty were looking for a fan cheer. Changgoon put “2020 서울 슬로건 공개합니다 지면 다같이 죽자” which fans have referenced throughout this whole season. It is more relevant than ever and has fans feeling that ‘almost’ that hangs in the air which is just about ready to be grabbed.

Injae ‘Esca’ Kim would be telling the team to not let their guard down. That it isn’t finished yet. There is one more match. The most important match for the Grand Champion title. No doubt the game will bring tears, whether it is from sadness or happiness only time will tell.

Follow The Game Haus for more sports and esports coverage:

Twitter: TGH Esports
Facebook: The Game Haus

For more esports posts and memes, check out Lauren’s twitter, @Daebakowl

“From Our Haus to Yours”