The Liquid Terran was the first to qualify for the HomeStory Cup VIII grand finals and gets the chance to defend his crown.
The returning HSC champion had a smooth run throughout the group stage. By Saturday evening, Taeja was sitting on two top 1 group finishes and an aggregate score of 8-2 and he entered the playoffs as one of the heavy favorites for the HSC title.
The quarter finals paired him with fellow Liquid player HerO and Taeja used this opportunity to get a revenge on the Protoss for the DHW '12 finals. The Terran steamrolled through HerO 3-0 and moved on to meet his semi-final opponent in Symbol.
As the match began, Symbol channeled his momentum from his 3-0 quarter-final victory against BabyKnight into an early series lead but the scored turned around as Taeja scored back-to-back wins on Yeonsu and Newkirk Precinct. A great late-game performance by Symbol pushed the game into a fifth and final set and it was on Frost where Taeja's victory was complete.
Taeja's success guarantees him at least $6,500 in prizes with $3,500 more waiting if he prevails in the grand final. His opponent is still unknown as the bottom half of the bracket is still being played. At the moment of this newsposts, Jjakji and Leenock are tied 2-2, the winner to play HyuN for the second grand final spot.
Frontpage photo: TLPro
