Will the age of Mvp finally come to pass? Back in Code S Season Two, where Mvp was heading in after a disappointing MLG Winter Arena and Code S Season One, many thought he was crippled and done. Yet, he managed to prove his doubters wrong, overcoming younger, rising stars in every round to win his fourth GSL championship. While that victory certainly showed everyone that Mvp should never be counted out, recent results are sending a more mixed message. Mvp showed his class once more by making it to the finals of Code S Season Four, but was defeated in the end by the prodigy ST_Life.
Had time finally caught up to Mvp?
The 2012 Blizzard Cup will be a crucial test for the legend of Mvp going forward. Players like PartinG, Rain, Leenock and Life are some the fastest rising players in StarCraft II, and they're bound to be top stars in 2013. Mvp's performance against them this tournament will tell us if he can still be a championship player in 2013. Already the greatest WoL player of all time, Mvp has a chance to chastise the up and comers, telling them they are going to need to work a lot harder if they don't want his shadow looming over HotS and 2013 as well. With a Code S championship and a runner-up finish in 2012, Mvp already has a strong case to be called the best player of 2012. A championship in the Blizzard cup would lock it up, making him the best player of 2011 and 2012.
The race composition of this group is a mixed blessing and curse for Mvp. TvT has been Mvp's best match-up, but he won't have a chance to play it at all as the lone Terran. On the other hand, he gets to prepare for just two match-ups, compared to the other players who have to prepare for all three. While late game TvZ was a major problem for him in previous tournaments, the raven buff should be a huge boon. Mvp was already experimenting with ravens before other players, and no doubt, he'll have found better ways to use them in TvZ since we last saw him. As for TvP, he's facing two Protoss players who are dangerous all-iners in HerO and PartinG, but against sOs in Code A, Mvp showed he can read and prepare for such builds as well as anyone.