While not quite as epic as yesterday’s matches, the WCS EU Round Of 16 Group B competition today held some similar surprises. Finnish newcomer Welmu ended up winning the day, knocking out veteran competitors Lucifron and Duckdeok on his way to the round of 8. In the lower bracket, Lucifron knocked out last year’s WCS champion, Stephano in an exciting match, but fell to Korean Duckdeok in the following series. It’s notable that, of the four players who will be moving on the round of 8, three of them are Protoss players. This is a stark contrast to last year’s competition where only one Protoss player made it beyond the round of 16.

Today’s results were especially important as Stephano has announced that this will be his last professional Starcraft II competition, and that he is retiring from eSports. His elimination in this round ends his pro gamer career. Ever the controversial figure, Stephano has been polarizing the eSports community with those who decry his wild partying, outspoken personality, and dismissive demeanor, coming up against those who feel that he added much needed attitude to a sport where players typically have very quiet dispositions. Whether you love him or hate him, it’s hard to deny his impact on eSports as a whole. He was the first non-Korean to gain real recognition in professional eSports, and his offscreen antics brought a lot of attention to a sport that was struggling to get attention. His abilities were impressive to say the least, and today, eSports loses one of it’s original icons.

The full replay of today’s matches can be seen here

Stephano’s final words on his pro gaming career can be seen here