We have crowned eight contestants ahead of this weekend’s StarCraft II WCS ANZ Challenger 2017 season three finals action in Sydney. If you’re looking to find someone to cheer for during the main event, look no further.
Players are presented in alphabetical order according to surname.
Sheldon ‘Seither’ Barrow (Australia)
Seither exploded into the scene last year and wowed audiences with his results. Relatively unknown at the beginning of 2016, by the end of the year he was known and feared by all.
Seither shows a unique flair in his Terran play which separates him from his peers. He has a stylistic and aggressive approach to playing Terran. From the first time he has a unit under his control, he seeks to exact damage on his opponent and inflict a death by a thousand cuts.
Seither won the WCS Summer Regional Challengers last year and proved to everybody that he is one of the best in the region.
This year, he fell short in Season 1, but fought valiantly in Season 2 achieving second place, and attended WCS Jönköping alongside iaguz. While results overseas were not what he would have been striving for, now he’s had a taste of victory he’ll be out for blood once more.
Ashley ‘Frustration’ Cox (Australia)
Frustration has been the villain of the scene since WCS 2012. Relatively unknown at the time, he showed poor sportsmanship to the living Brood War legend Peter ‘Legionnaire’ Neate on stage.
Unperturbed by criticism, he has shown an abrasive and at times abusive attitude towards other players throughout his career.
While it appears he has made a concerted effort to improve his behaviour this year following his disciplinary ruling in Season 1, he is a wild card.
Whether you love to hate him, or hate to love him, if he produces the same calibre of play he displayed in the qualifier in the live arena, we all might find something to cheer for.
David ‘MightyKiwi’ Gore (New Zealand; SYF Gaming)
MightyKiwi has been making waves across the Tasman Sea since he began competing in New Zealand in 2013. He stayed in America to compete and hone his skills at the ‘ROOT Gaming’ team house.
The strengths of his play are defined by his excellent multitasking and a repertoire of builds – a full range from ‘cheesy’ (low economy, ‘rush’ strategies) to standard cookie-cutter openings.
MightyKiwi has shown consistent results this year culminating in fourth-place finishes throughout Season 1 and 2 of WCS ANZ. He’ll be looking to prove he’s capable of the main prize on Saturday.
Not just to his fans. To himself.
Tran ‘Meomaika’ Hong Phuc (Vietnam; 1F Pro Gaming)
Meomaika is a rising star in our scene. He began playing StarCraft II less than two years ago and emerged seemingly out of thin air this year in tournament play, cementing himself as a top contender.
He has a unique approach to zerg, favouring unorthodox builds of his own creation and a hyper-aggressive style supported by incredibly quickly upgraded units. While he has shot through the ranks and is comfortable in online formats, offline events are a new frontier with unique challenges.
Many in the scene, myself included, will be watching with baited breath to see if he thrives or crumbles under the pressure.
Hit the next page for the remaining four players.
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