For this being the first time I’ve attended a MLG event while covering it as a member of the press, I have to say… it’s pretty overwhelming.

The chances of being close to a random StarCraft pro player is greater than I had ever expected. I swear, when I’m in the front row of the main stage section, I feel like I’ve become a StarTales Bomber magnet.

Ice cream—the secret reason Koreans did well in Raleigh.

I even got Coca and Nada to pose for a picture while eating ice cream. How crazy is that?

He comes out to watch other competitors play to prepare for his remaining games, but he does it with this unreal focus.

Moments like those are unreal. I would not have thought that the Korean guests would be allowed to wonder the general area by themselves for the most part. I thought they’d be inside this giant bubble the entire time with limited interaction with the main venue. But I guess I was wrong.

We have gotten pretty good access to most of the players, too. I had my doubts after some of the miscommunications of Friday, but overall, it’s been better than expected.

Maybe that’s the theme for this event. Just how everything has turned out. The drive down wasn’t that bad, and the accommodations are better than I had been led to believe (many thanks to Bjorn for his hospitality). Even though this big hurricane threatened the event the entire time, the event hasn’t missed a beat at all.

Hats off to MLG on this one. They’ve made the most out of a smaller space, and it shows.