HerO Becomes First Protoss Player to Lift a GSL Trophy in Three Years

After an extended dry spell for the race, Kim "herO" Joon-ho has single handedly brought the Protoss race back to glory in South Korea after coming away with the 2025 Global StarCraft II League (GSL) Season 1 trophy. The path to the top was no easy road for the veteran player, who ultimately became the last man standing after a thrilling seven-game-long Grand Finals.

With the win, herO also secured himself a spot at the upcoming Esports World Cup 2025 StarCraft II tournament, where he will measure up against some of the best players from all over the world.

HerO: Savior of the Protoss

It's not been an easy couple of years for professional Protoss players, at least not as far as South Korea is concerned. The last time a Protoss player won a GSL tournament came all the way back in 2022, when herO himself defeated none other than perhaps the greatest Terran player of all time in Maru.

After Zest was able to claim a GSL victory earlier that same year, 2022 saw the Protoss enjoy their time in the sun. Unfortunately, the sunlight wouldn't last. Following herO's win in July of 2022, the Protoss would go on to see how tournament after tournament, year after year, the GSL trophy would remain just out of reach. That is, until now.

Almost three years later, herO has managed to get the race out of the shadows and back towards winning ways at GSL. With the passing of time, herO has grown to become the sole Protoss hope in South Korea. Now, the veteran player has single handedly put the race on the map once more at the historic tournament in StarCraft II for the region: GSL.

The winning moment: herO takes the trophy. (Credit: GSL)

An Epic Grand Finals

The road to the title was no easy feat, particularly towards the very end. After herO managed to top Group A in Stage 2 of the tournament, the player went on to take down GuMiho in a comfortable 3-1 win in the Semifinals.

Waiting on the other end as the final GSL hurdle stood Cure, a vastly experienced player who had his eyes set on the trophy. HerO carried his fiery run of form into the Grand Finals, taking the first two games of the series to set himself comfortably in the lead. That, however, was exactly when Cure woke up.

The Terran player quickly evened up the series before the two stars began a frantic race for the title, filled with back and forth trades and skirmishes. After pushing each other to the very limit of their strategic capabilities, herO was ultimately capable of denying Cure's siege attempt in the final game of the series to secure himself, and the Protoss race, the 2025 GSL Season 1 trophy.

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Feature image credit: GSL

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