This past week Pandemic's Brian “Assem” Fransioli traveled back to Korea for the first time since his pro-gaming prime in 2005. His return made for quite a stir with the Asians, and the local gaming press flocked to see the American do battle on stage at IEF.
Assem is the only non-Korean player who's ever won the prestigious Courage Tournament to earn his official 'pro-gaming license' from KeSPA (the Korean eSports Association). He was also one of the only non-Koreans ever to play for his team in KeSPA's proleague, defeating the then-powerful YellOw and the rising star AnyTime in SKY network televised matches.
During IEF Assem once again had the chance to take to the main stage, going up against one of the best Protoss players in the world, Stork.
Assem returns to the main stage in his first televised match since 2005
Stork, IEF’s eventual champion, was able to defeat Assem in a short but nonetheless exciting display of Starcraft mastery. Stork would go undefeated in the group stage and lose only one round throughout the entire tournament.
It was a solid performance by Assem, and overall a great trip! Stay tuned for more IEF coverage in the coming days as the players return from their trips and pictures are collected.
Brian “Assem” Fransioli traveled back to Korea for the first time since his pro-gaming prime in 2005. His return made for quite a stir with the Asians, and the local gaming press flocked to see the American do battle on stage at IEF.
Stork.
