The IEM World Championships couldn’t be coming at a better time. Just after MLG, NASL, Dreamhack and others have announced their increasing prize pools and just as Idra has come home to signal the boom in Western e-sports, IEM represents the first major event of a new era.

Each player brings with him a worthwhile story to keep in mind as the games begin.

The Koreans in the West

Get ready. Big name Koreans are going to become a more familiar sight in the West.

As our tournaments rise in skill, prominence and financial success, they will attract the attention of the very best players in the world. The TSL will showcase the top talent from all over the world. Even better will be the the increasing number of Koreans that will show up to major tournaments across the world.

Ace, Squirtle and Moon are an interesting trio to start off with. All three were recently knocked out of Code A and will have to qualify next season. However, Ace put on a respectable performance in the GSTL while Squirtle played in a couple of the most talked about games of all time. Taking down MVP means that he’s a threat to anyone he plays. Getting knocked out early in Code A means he’s inconsistent at best.

In truth, the hierarchy in Korea has yet to be established. The Brood War fans among us will remember a time when one could predict top matches with some certainty: “Of course Savior will win this! Jaedong has this!”

This is no longer the case. Champions are first round fodder, Code A can outshine Code S at best or seem like a bad Platinum game at worst. The Korean StarCraft world is a topsy turvy place.

One thing we can be sure of is that Korea is still home to the best players in the world. As they step out of their comfort zone and meet Westerners on their home turf more often, will the gap close?

Swedish Gold (and blue)

What is going on in the deep, dark recesses of Sweden?

There’s something in the cold air of this Scandinavian nation, something that has led them to one of the most impressive e-sports scenes in history. Swedish strength has spanned all of the major competitive games. The highest levels of Counter-Strike, Quake and StarCraft are colored with Swedish blue and gold. Among others, Heaton, Potti, Spawn, Zet, f0rest and Toxic are names that loom large over the last decade of e-sports.

StarCraft 2 has seen its fair share moments of Swedish excellence. Madfrog, Naniwa, ThorZaIN, Morrow, Sjow and most of all Jinro have risen to the top on various occasions. The latter three have been respected as among the best in the land at different times: Morrow last year, Sjow more recently and Jinro for several months now.

After reaching the finals at Assembly, Morrow’s newly celebrated Zerg was exposed by Ret’s superior ZvZ. Morrow will face an even tougher Zerg opponent in Idra (not to mention the relatively long standing grudge between the two). Whether through Idra or by circumventing him, will Morrow be able to take the next step and finally win a major championship with his new race?

Sjow’s recent results have been uneven but at his best, he is among the very top in Europe. His win at the IEM European Championships -- the most competitive qualifier of the bunch -- affirmed his quality. Will Sjow be able to reassert himself at the top tier?

The TSL’s top two represented countries are Korea and Sweden at five players each. Let’s see what happens when the two countries meet.

Idra’s big test

Idra’s announcement that he was leaving Korea for the West came on the crest of a wave of exciting new developments for Western e-sports. The NASL, MLG, Dreamhack and more are raising the level of e-sports here to heights never before seen.

The IEM World Championships will be Idra’s first major competition since he announced his departure from the mecca of e-sports, Korea. His performance here may very well set the tone for the near future.

Idra is the most accomplished and able player at this event. He is the favorite to take the $13,000 - not that being the favorite has stopped him from losing before.

With the more numerous and lucrative events that the West has to offer, Idra may enter six figures in earnings this year. Winning in Germany will be the ideal start of this new phase of the American Zerg’s career. Will Idra pass his first test?

Will Moonglade bounce back?

A few weeks ago, Moonglade was the talk of the town. He’d just beaten Loner to qualify for the IEM World Championships and was on his way to Code A to compete.

After his Code A performance, Loner looks like an incompetent player. Moonglade fared better but not by much, losing convincingly in the first round and entering into Code A qualifier limbo.

Moonglade’s future in Korea is full of questions. Qualifying for Code A is a herculean task, especially when compared with the softer Western tournaments. Surely the West will look attractive to player on the bubble in Korea. Meanwhile, Moonglade’s team, FXO, has recently announced their intent to open a team house in Kuala Lumpur. What will this mean for his future?

These are questions with no answers at the moment. Moonglade’s future will depend on many things, not least of all his performance in the Western circuit. His matches here are a significant test after a severe failure in Seoul. Will Moonglade pass?

QXC en España

QXC is juggling real life with StarCraft and doing it quite well. For the last two months, he’s been studying abroad in Madrid.

Prior to leaving America, the Terran was one of the hottest players in the West, racking up well over a dozen medals toward the end of 2010. The beginning of 2011 saw a cold streak hit as StarCraft 2 became a secondary focus.

It would seem that QXC has recently refocused. His Assembly finish left fans wanting but his recent TL Open win is a significant acheivement.

QXC has his sights set on Korea during the summer. If he expects to succeed, he should be able to take games off of competition at this level. On the surface, it would seem that he matches up poorly with his competitors - so poorly, in fact, that he probably won’t make it out of his group.

If, on the other hand, QXC does advance deep into this tournament, expectations will have been raised for his pilgrimage to Seoul.

The big picture

The IEM World Championships bring some of the most interesting personalities in the game to bear. In the end, the biggest attraction will be the games themselves. Five figures are up for grabs and these players have earned their spots.

Let the games begin.