Terrans Placed on Endangered Species List in South Korea
— February 7, 2014With an estimated 1-2 Terrans remaining in the Global StarCraft League Code S, the struggling race has now been placed on the Endangered Species List in South Korea.
In 2011, Terrans made up nearly 40-50% of the GSL Code S round of 32 participants, but that number has dropped precipitously due to several factors including habitat destruction and heavy poaching by Protoss players.
“At this rate, all Terrans in Korea could potentially be extinct by WCS Season 3,” said Professor Grack, a former marine biologist at EGU.
Scientists attribute part of the problem to the destruction of several key Terran habitats like Xel’Naga Fortress and Antiga Shipyards, forcing the race to migrate toward maps filled with Protoss apex predators like the Northern Yeonsu herOraptor and Partingsaurus Rex.
In addition, Terran players appear to have more difficulty breeding, as Terran production typically requires far more Actions Per Minute (APM). Korean wildlife experts hope that Cho “Maru” Sung Choo, one of the few remaining GSL Terrans alive in the wild, can help combat this problem now that he has recently reached sexual maturity.
Amid pressure from Terran lobbyists David J.C. “Avilo” Blowe and Yun “TaeJa” Young Seo, Blizzard, in cooperation with KeSPA and GomTV, have outlined an extensive plan to combat this phenomenon, authored by Senator David Kim:
25 S.K. Code § 193(c) Blizzard Global Endangered Terran Initiative
* Bunker build time reduced
However, many conservationists believe the proposed legislation is not enough, as the “Terran problem” in South Korea has broader worldwide implications.
“Korean Terrans are migrating to Europe and America,” said Dr. Artur “Nerchio” Bloch, PhD in Race Relations. “They are screwing up the local ecosystem and driving indigenous Terrans extinct with their better mechanics and decision making.”
Statistics support Bloch’s argument, as nomadic, migratory Korean Terrans have won six of the seven WCS events held outside Korea in 2013 (86%) and seem to quickly consume all the WCS points, leaving none for domestic players.