a seemingly effortless path to the finals, as he defeated 2-0 Bly, SaSe (whom he admitted beforehand to be a threatening opponent, due to him taking the upper hand on their previous encounters),[14][15] and the upset of the tournament TargA (who had eliminated LucifroN and HerO in the previous rounds). He got off to a terrible start in the finals though, as his competitor for the title, ForGG, took a 2-0 lead and stood one game away from the victory. TaeJa nonetheless achieved a spectacular recovery, winning the last three games in a row in order to beat ForGG to the punch, winning the DreamHack and being awarded a $10,400 prize.

In early October, TaeJa met Leenock, regarded as an expert in the Zerg-versus-Terran match-up and reigning MLG champion,in the GSL quarterfinals.[16] TaeJa overwhelmed him 3-1, and made it to the semifinals of the South Korean league for the first time of his career. The next day, he lost to VortiX in the RSL Season 2 playoffs, dropping into the losers' bracket where he eventually forfeited the tournament. On October 9, Team Liquid's run in the IGN Pro Team League Season 1 Premier Division came to a premature end as the team placed last in its group. Compared to his outstanding 23-3 record in the previous season (the IPL Team Arena Challenge 3), TaeJa's performance in the league was quite unimpressive with two wins and three losses. The next day, he went on to play his GSL semifinals against Life, whom he had swiftly beaten every