Heart of the Swarm Launch events

• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series Oceania Finals: 1st place, cash prize of $6,000
• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series Australia Nationals: 2nd place, cash prize of $2,000
• 2011: Southeast Asian Battle.net Invitational: 1st place, cash prize of $5,000
• 2011: Intel Extreme Masters Season V World Championship: 4th place, cash prize of $2,500
• 2011: Intel Extreme Masters Season V Southeast Asia Championship: 1st place, cash prize of $5,000

After starting his professional gaming career in WarCraft III, Andrew “mOOnGLaDe” Pender transitioned to StarCraft II in 2010. Known for his strong roach timings, mOOnGLaDe became one of the first non-Korean players to compete in the Global StarCraft II League. With his large fan base and aggressive play, mOOnGLaDe is one of the best StarCraft II players from Australia. He has competed in a number of international tournaments including the IEM Season V World Championship, BlizzCon 2011 and the 2012 Battle.net World Championship Series in Shanghai.

• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series Australia Finals: 12th place

With a number of strong finishes at Australian Cyber League events, Mark “yang” Richardson was considered the top StarCraft II player in Western Australia. He was one of sixteen players to compete in the 2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series Australia Nationals last August. Representing Team Immunity, yang now resides in Victoria.

• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series Australia Finals: 12th place

Daniel “deth” Haynes is one of four active players on the Australian StarCraft II team Nv. deth is an avid RTS player who has played a number of titles competitively. In StarCraft II, he has competed and placed at a number of local events including the Melbourne MC LAN and the City Hunter Anniversary Event and was one of 16 players to compete in the 2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series Australia Nationals.

• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series Oceania Finals: 5th place, cash prize of $600
• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series Australia Nationals: 1st place, cash prize of $4,000
• 2011: World Cyber Games Australia: 1st place

With an impressive and growing resume of results, Jared “PiG” Krensel has put himself on the map as one of the best players in Australia. In the past two years, PiG has competed in IEM events in Germany and China, and won the 2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series Australia Nationals. In 2013, PiG joined Exile 5 and currently resides in Sydney.

Arguably the best player in the Starcraft: Brood War league, Flash is busy trying to be considered the same in Starcraft 2. Dominating recently played games, Flash is poised to incorporate his success into Heart of the Swarm as well.

Bisu made a name for himself as a revolutionary in the StarCraft: Brood War league through brilliant displays of multitasking and a whole new approach to playing against zerg. He became one of the best through endless effort, and now Bisu is set to take off again with Heart of the Swarm.

By winning the recent Hyper-X tournament and getting through the IPL6 Korea preliminaries, JD is showing signs of bringing back the aggressive game style that he was famous for in Brood War. The future is bright for JD as he is set to infest others with his gameplay in Heart of the Swarm.

When we talk about StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, we surely can’t forget Mvp. Becoming a four-time GSL champion and winning endless other championships, Mvp is gearing up for Heart of the Swarm. With strong game management and new strategies, MVP’s reign is set to continue.

Becoming the WCS Korea Nationals Champion and runner-up in the Battle.net World Championship last year, Creator has recently shown what he is made of and what potential he has. Living up to his nickname, Creator continues to study the game and devise new protoss strategies, so his future looks very good indeed.

There have been many zerg players who have shown amazing talent before now, but if you were to pick the best zerg player today, Life would probably be at the top of your list. With an amazing micro of endless Zergling attacks, at only age 16 Life has put in steady and strong performances at various recent tournaments. Many are expecting Life to make another 'evolution' once Heart of the Swarm is released.

• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series Europe Finals: 1st place, cash prize of $24,000
• 2012: North American Star League Season 3: 1st place, cash prize of $30,000
• 2011: Electronic Sports World Cup 2011: 1st place, cash prize of $26,000
• 2011: IGN ProLeague Season 3: 1st place, cash prize of $30,000

Stephano is a player who scarcely needs introducing. He discovered StarCraft II shortly after its release in 2010, and began his rise to fame by winning several major tournaments the following year. Since then he has reached superstar status, winning against several of the very best Korean pros along the way. His play style – studied by many, successfully imitated by few – is devastatingly effective, relying as it does on constant pressure on his adversary to cripple their economy. Whether his opponents will be ready for him at the Heart of the Swarm launch event remains to be seen…

• 2013: Alienware Arena North America and Europe: 1st place, cash prize of $2,000
• 2012: IEM Global Challenge Singapore, Season VII: 2nd place, cash prize of $3,300
• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series Europe Finals: 5th/6th place, cash prize of $1,200
• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series Netherlands: 1st place, cash prize of $800
• 2011: Electronic Sports World Cup 2011: 4th place, cash prize of $4,000

Originally known as the “King of Orcs” in Warcraft III, winning several world championships, Grubby began making a name for himself on the StarCraft II scene in various tournaments during 2011. He gradually progressed and eventually gave a good showing in the Battle.net World Championship Series Europe Finals. He’s well known for a slow play style, matched to a very witty and effective strategy: he’s a “tranquil force” who can think and adapt on the run. Will his quiet and calm temperament lead him to another victory?

• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series Ukraine: 2nd place, cash prize of $1,000
• 2011: Major League Gaming Europe: 2nd place, cash prize of $1,000
• 2011: IGN ProLeague 2: 1st place, cash prize of $15,000
• 2011: IEM Europe Season V: 2nd place, cash prize of $3,500
• 2010: BlizzCon 2010 StarCraft II Invitational: 3rd place, cash prize of $5,000

Formerly a Brood War player, White-Ra was already well known during the StarCraft II beta and quickly achieved success in various tournaments. Known for his very good manners and sportsmanship, he uses extremely precise builds to confuse his opponents and gain complete control of the map. His expert use of Warp Prisms and Gateway units has surprised many top-class players, and he may very well bewilder us again with his “special tactics”.

• 2012: The Gathering: 1st place, cash prize of $10,000
• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series Europe Finals: 3rd place, cash prize of $3,600
• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series Spain: 1st place, cash prize of $4,000
• 2012: MSI Pro Cup Worldwide: 3rd place, cash prize of $1,100
• 2012: PokerStrategy.com League: 1st place, cash prize of $2,500

LucifroN is another player who managed to translate a successful career in Warcraft III to StarCraft II. The Terran player has had his ups and downs, but came back explosively at the WCS Spain. His remarkable micromanagement skills and aggressive play style leave no doubt about his past as a Warcraft III player. His multitasking abilities with mech armies give him the chance to crush even his most experienced opponents, including his well-known brother VortiX. His unique style will, as always, make for matches you simply can’t miss.

• 2012: North American Star League Season 4: 3rd place, cash prize of $10,000
• 2012: IGN ProLeague Season 5: 3rd place, cash prize of $11,000
• 2012: DreamHack Open Stockholm: 2nd place, cash prize of $6,000
• 2012: ASUS RoG Winter 2012; 1st place, cash prize of $10,000
• 2011: Global StarCraft II League Super Tournament; 1st place, cash prize of $93,000

In the months following the launch of StarCraft II, Choi “Polt” Seong Hoon qualified for all three seasons of the GOMTV Global StarCraft II League. Polt’s breakout performance came in June, 2011, when he beat top tier professional players to become the 2011 GSL Super Tournament champion. With major tournament results from Korea, Finland, Sweden and the United States, Polt is no stranger to the international stage and travel. In December, 2012, Polt left Team SCV Life and moved to Austin, Texas to study but has no plans to slow down with StarCraft II.

• 2012: Red Bull Batthegrounds Austin: 1st place, cash prize of $15,000
• 2012: Intel Extreme Masters Season VI World Championship: 1st place, cash prize of $35,000
• 2012: HomeStory Cup IV; 1st place, cash prize of $7,500
• 2011: North American Star League Season 1: 2nd place, cash prize of $25,000
• 2011: Global StarCraft II League March: 1st place, cash prize of $44,480
• 2010: Global StarCraft II League Sony Ericsson Open Season 3: 1st place, cash prize of $89,000

There are very few StarCraft II progamers as accomplished as Jang “MC” Min Chul. Since 2010, MC has made it to the round of four in fifteen major tournaments. His impressive roster of victories includes two Global StarCraft II League wins and the IEM Season VI World Champion title. With over $350,000 in prize winnings since the launch of StarCraft II, MC is the highest earning player from tournament winnings in the game. He is affectionately known as the “Protoss President” by his fans.

• 2012: StarCraft II Battle.net World Championship: 5th place, cash prize of $5,500
• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series North America Finals: 10th place, cash prize of $1,000
• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series USA Nationals: 9th place, cash prize of $300

Conan “Suppy” Liu earned the Bic Flex 4 MLG Breakout Player Award at the MLG Spring Championship after having the highest placing of any American at the event. The powerhouse eSports team, Evil Geniuses, announced Suppy as its newest recruit shortly after. Proving himself as a player to beat, this young Zerg was the top placing North American player at both the MLG Fall Championships and the 2012 Battle.net World Championship. When he isn’t taking on the international StarCraft II scene, Suppy is the head coordinator and ace for Berkeley’s Collegiate StarLeague team, which recently won the Azubu Collegiate Starleague championship.

• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series North America Finals: 2nd place, cash prize of $9,000
• 2012: StarCraft II World Championship Series USA Nationals: 1st place, cash prize of $12,000

In May 2012, Dan “ViBE” Scherlong joined ROOT Gaming and soon after, won the 2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series USA Nationals. Based off that performance, ViBE earned a reputation as one of the strongest StarCraft II players in the country. His second place finish at the 2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series North America Finals only further secured his position as one of the best Zerg players in North America.

• 2013: Iron Squid – Chapter II: 3rd place, cash prize of $3,750
• 2012: Iron Squid – Chapter I: 3rd place, cash prize of $3,750
• 2012: IGN ProLeague Season 4: 3rd place, cash prize of $7,000
• 2011: BlizzCon 2011: 2nd place, cash prize of $25,000
• 2011: Global StarCraft II League July Code S: 1st place, cash prize of $46,000
• 2011: Global StarCraft II League May Code S: 1st place, cash prize of $46,000
• 2011: Global StarCraft II League January Code S: 3rd place, cash prize of $4,500
• 2010: Global StarCraft II League Open Season 2: 1st place, cash prize of $89,000

Lim "NesTea" Jae Duk is a Zerg player from South Korea, who is currently playing for Incredible Miracle. Following his third GSL championship, he was widely considered the best Zerg player in the world. NesTea has competed and placed in a number of international events including the IGN ProLeague Season 4, Iron Squid Chapter I and Chapter II, and BlizzCon 2011. Known for his excellent decision making, NesTea is a consistent force in the competitive StarCraft II scene.

• 2012: StarCraft II Battle.net World Championship: 4th place, cash prize of $8,000
• 2011: North American Star League Season 2: 3rd place, cash prize of $12,000
• 2011: BlizzCon 2011: 3rd place, cash prize of $10,000
• 2011: Taiwanese Battle.net Invitational: 1st place, cash prize of $10,000
• 2011: North American Star League Season 1: 3rd place, cash prize of $10,000

Yang “Sen” Chia Cheng has been Taiwan’s best Brood War and StarCraft II player for nearly a decade. He was one of the top non-Korean Brood War players, taking first place in WCG Taiwan 2004 and 2005, and third place in the 2009 Poker Strategy Team Liquid Starleague. Sen entered StarCraft II with high expectations and has managed to live up to those expectations, earning third place at the North American Star League Season 1, Season 2, and BlizzCon 2011. More recently, he battled his way to a surprisingly strong 4th place finish at the 2012 Battle.net World Championship. Sen is also one of the few non-Korean players to have competed in the Global StarCraft II League in South Korea.