End Of The Beginning

For those you don’t know, The OnGameNet Starleague was a Starcraft tournament that has been held 3 times a year since 2000. OnGameNet is a cable gaming channel in Korea that specializes in Starcraft content. The OSL has been the most prestigious and renowned tournament in the community.

Only time will tell if the magic will carry over, but we can look back on the OSL with a smile and realize that what OSL meant to the Starcraft community was something special and should never be forgotten or taken for granted. Thank you OnGameNet Starleague for the past 12 years of memories, and cheers to the bright future.

In 1999, the Tooniverse Progamer Korea Open tournament was held by OGN. It was the company’s free foray into a televised Starcraft tournament. The event was generally well received and planted a seed in OGN, that there could be something more worth exploring.

The Hanaro OnGameNet Starleague began on Feb. 16, 2000. 16 players played in the 2 stage tournament, with the French-Canadian Protoss, Grrrr...., taking the title. Grrr... remains the only foreign player to ever win a professional Korean tournament. The ratings continued to grow throughout the event and set the stage for the event to be continued to be held. The OSL eventually evolved into a 40 player, 4 stage event that takes around 4 months to complete.

Including the Tooniverse Open, there have been 34 OSL tournaments spanning from 1999-2012. Each one providing new games, new memories, and sometimes even new stars. The OSL became the stage for legendary names. From Boxer to Flash and everything in between players shined in the spotlight and performed at a level that pushed Starcraft and E-sports in general to new heights.

The community coined terms that coincide with the OSL. The Legend of the Fall, a routine that a Protoss player will win the OSL in the Fall, has held true since 2001. A player who wins in their first OSL is known as a Royal Roader. Garimto, Boxer, Nada, July, Anytime, Savior and Jaedong have all received that name. The greatest honor was the Golden Mouse, awarded to any player who wins 3 career OSLs. Nada, July, Jaedong, and Flash are the only players to receive the trophy.

Each of Brood War’s legendary names and brightest have all competed in the OSL, so it is fitting that the last major individual Brood War tournament is the 2012 Tving OSL. The pre-game showmatch was played between Boxer and Yellow, bringing back the most legendary rivalry in history. And with Jangbi taking down Fantasy 3-1, winning his second OSL and completing the Legend of the Fall, we end the Brood War era with OSL and look toward the future with Starcraft 2.