After three days of intensive group-stage battles, MaNa has been crowned Dreamhack Summer 2012 Champion. It was a dramatic day that saw the remaining Korean and Swedish players eliminated, leaving only two Ukrainians, a Frenchman and a Pole.
Whittling downsixteen exhaustedplayers to find one champion was a long and painful process for all the losers. Advancing through from Ro16to Ro8 was Stephano, Nerchio, HerO, MaNa, NaNiwa DIMAGA, SaSeand fraer.
In the first match, StephanodefeatedNerchio 2 – 0 giving him the push he needed to get through to the final four competitors. Following hot on his heels was MaNa, probably the most consistentplayer ofDreamhack Summer 2012, after defeating HerO,the last Korean player in the competition.
The Ukraine and Sweden went head-to head asDIMAGA finished NaNiwa two games to one and fraer took out SaSe.Host countrySweden’s chances were now lost: twoUkrainians advanced into the semis.
In a dramatic 2 – 0 defeat, Protoss playerMaNabestedStephano, arguably the best ZvP player in the world,in the semi-finals leading Mana into the best of five finals.
After facing off in group stage 1, the two Ukrainians met once again in the second semi-final and indeed, the second ZvP match leading the victor to the final. DIMAGA started strong and took a 1 – 0 lead against the Protoss player. freyer adjusted his tactics and snuck across the map to finish DIMAGA in the second game and in game three, fraer reluctantly GG’d after being stretched out beyond his means.
Then,the final. DIMAGA vs. MaNa. The first game was quickly taken by the Protoss player. Game 2 saw DIMAGA push forward and attack with lings and banelings. He was looking strong until the Protoss’ Zealots won MaNa the second game. Game three was all or nothing for DIMAGA in this best of five. In a last ditch effort,he pooled his resources, ran MaNa’s economy into the groundand took the game by raining banelings from the sky. Game four saw both players start well, butMaNa built up an army enough to take out DIMAGA for the third and final time, winning him the title of Eizo Dreamhack Starcraft IIChampion.
Before going into the match with DIMAGA, MaNa said,”After I beat Stephano, I felt like, why not win Dreamhack Summer?”
Why not indeed.