INnoVation wins StarCraft II HomeStory Cup XVII

Professional gamers are frequently teenagers and in the competitive MOBA arena, a 24-year-old player is considered a veteran. When it comes to StarCraft II however, this is the age to shine the brightest. One of the best-known and most respectable Korean pro-gamers, INnoVation found it worthwhile to participate in the 15th edition of the StarCraft II HomeStory Cup XVII.

This tournament is organized by Dennis Gehlen and over the years, the event gained popularity. This explains how it was possible for so many well-known players to sign up and compete for a prize pool of only $10,000. For the offline tournament, pro-gamers got together in Krefeld, Germany and as expected, South Koreans dominated the event. One German and one French player made it into the top eight.

HomeStory Cup XVII Format

32 players were invited to participate in this year’s tournament and they were divided into four groups. During the Ro32 stage games were played in a round-robin best-of-three format, with two players advancing to the playoffs. The next two were moved into the first round of the lower bracket, where they continued their adventure. The map pool featured all the classic maps such as 16-Bit, Acid Plant, Catalyst, Darkness Sanctuary, Dreamcatcher, Lost and Found and Redshift.

The lineup included nine players from South Korea and as expected, all qualified to the next phase of the tournament. Group D was the most difficult one, as it featured four Europeans and four players from Korea including INnoVation. The latter advanced to the next stage together, but INnoVation finished in the second place, with two defeats. In Group A, Lambo and Stephano finished ahead of Zest, while groups B and C were won by Solar and soO with perfect records.

Prize pool and HomeStory Cup winners

In the playoffs, Lambo and Stephano won the opening round and then the Frenchman bowed graciously out of the competition at the hands of soO. INnoVation was sent to the lower half of the playoffs after he was swept by Solar in the winner’s brackets. He returned the favor by eliminating Patience in straight games before sending home Bunny and Stefano in 3-1 victories. He was again on the brink of elimination against Solar who won back-to-back games, but in the end he finished his countrymen’s winning streak.

The stage was set for an epic confrontation between INnoVation and soO, with the latter losing just six games in the entire tournament. He came out firing on all cylinders and won the opening two matches, before losing the next three. After a dramatic match on Dreamcatcher the two South Korean titans played a decisive match on 16-Bit. INnoVation won the match and secured the first prize worth $4000. The runner-up had to settle for $2500, while Lambo got the third-place and a prize of $1250.

After a stellar performance in the group phase and the early stages of the playoffs, Solar had to settle for the fourth place and a check worth $750. Stephano and Zest were rewarded with $350, while PartinG and Bunny got consolation prizes worth $150.

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