South Korean legend Lee "Jaedong" Jae Dong has announced his retirement from professional StarCraft. The 26-year-old, who has been playing StarCraft professionally for over a decade, will wear his pro player jersey one final time during BlizzCon this coming weekend.
A true legend of the StarCraft: Brood War era, Jaedong was an innovator in Zerg strategy throughout the late 2000's. From the 2 Hatch-Muta build, to Zerg mirror timing attacks and his infamous Mutalisk micromanagement, Jaedong was considered a god of Brood War. Though his gamer ID was simply his first name, Jaedong would also often be referred to as "The Tyrant," coined by OGN commentator Um Jae Kyung to signify the hyper-aggressive strategies that defined his Zerg play.
For 43 months straight from 2008-2011, Jaedong held the top rank Zerg player spot in the Korean Esports Association rankings. According to Esports Earnings, Jaedong won the second highest amount of prize pool earnings of any StarCraft player during his Brood War tenure.
Though his StarCraft II days were less illustrious, often falling to players like Yun "TaeJa" Young Seo and struggling to break top eight in more recent events, Jae Dong still remains a titan of the Brood War era, and one of the players who shaped the early StarCraft scene and became a pillar of esports history.