How Sang-woo Coldly Betrayed Ali‘s Trust in Squid Game‘s Deadly Marble Game
In one of Squid Game‘s most shocking moments, Sang-woo tricked his friend Ali into ultimately forfeiting his life in the high-stakes marble game. After building a strong bond and promising to support each other, Sang-woo deceived gentle Ali by swapping out his marbles for worthless rocks when Ali wasn‘t looking. This calculated backstab allowed Sang-woo to progress while Ali faced elimination.
As a passionate gamer and Squid Game expert, I‘ll analyze what exactly went down in this tragic betrayal of trust between friends. Strap in for a deep dive on how the marble game and Sang-woo‘s cunning deception decided poor Ali‘s fate!
Building Bonds Among Desperate Souls
After joining the games along with 455 other cash-strapped players, Sang-woo and Ali built an unlikely bond despite their very different backgrounds:
Ali Abdul: Pakistani migrant worker struggling to support wife and baby daughter in Seoul. Known for his guileless kindness.
Cho Sang-woo: Shrewd former banker hiding massive personal debt. Ruthlessly clever and determined to win.
Though both desperate for money, Ali retained his principles while Sang-woo quickly adopted an "end justifies the means" attitude.
In life-or-death games where players are eliminated every round, cooperation can mean survival. As "Game bromances" formed, Sang-woo and Ali looked out for each other:
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With 204 players killed in just Round 1, mutual support fostered trust among the frightened contestants. Little did Ali know Sang-woo‘s kindness masked a brewing betrayal.
The Marble Game‘s Rules
In Round 4‘s marble game, players split into pairs with their fate in each other‘s hands. The rules were simple:
- Partners played 1-on-1 marbles matches
- One secretly had a bag of marbles; the other had rocks
- Partners sat back-to-back, unable to see each other‘s marbles
- They took turns shooting from a triangle drawn in the dirt
- The player to completely eliminate his opponent‘s marbles won
The winner earned their life and advanced. The loser was immediately dragged off and killed.
Out of 32 entering this round, only 16 would survive – making players especially desperate and cunning.
Statistics on Average Survival Rate
| Round | Number of Players Entering | Number Surviving | Survival Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 456 | 252 | 55% |
| 2 | 252 | 200 | 79% |
| 3 | 200 | 64 | 32% |
| 4 (Marble Game) | 64 | 32 | 50% |
With a 50% mortality rate, players were more on-edge entering Round 4 than any previous game – besides the very first round which eliminated over half the contestants upfront in "Red Light, Green Light."
The Anatomy of Sang-woo‘s Betrayal
When Sang-woo and Ali paired up as marble game partners, Ali was overjoyed while Sang-woo hid a sly smile. Though seeming to strategize equally, Sang-woo‘s priority was exploiting Ali‘s total trust to ensure his own survival.
The deception unfolded across 3 key phases:
1. Gaining Trust
Sang-woo elevated Ali‘s hopes with strategic advice and encouragement:
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Buoying Ali‘s hopes, Sang-woo deliberately used bonding gestures and encouraging words to goose Ali‘s confidence and lull him into complacency.
2. Executing the Trap
Sang-woo suggested they stand back-to-back and take turns shooting marbles without looking.
 | Once Ali turned away, Sang-woo secretly slipped Ali‘s pouch of marbles off his waist and replaced it with his own pouch filled with rocks. Hands shaking, he quickly returned to position just as Ali turned back around none the wiser. |
Cold and calculating, Sang-woo used Ali‘s total faith against him, committing the ultimate betrayal.
3. Reaping the Spoils
With Ali‘s "marbles" quickly depleted, a panicking Ali realized too late Sang-woo‘s elaborate trick. Helpless, he was dragged away begging for mercy.
| Now secured as winner of the marble game, relief washed over Sang-woo: "I‘m sorry Ali. I‘m really sorry. But… I want to live too!" |  |
Faced with a 50/50 shot at survival, Sang-woo‘s self-preservation instincts overrode all pretense of fellowship. His so-called "marble strategy" was actually an elaborate distraction allowing him to single-handedly seal his advancement and Ali‘s gruesome demise.
Sang-woo‘s Win-At-All-Costs Mentality
Recognize this betrayal‘s cold brutality, but understand Sang-woo‘s motivations.
A former elite banker, he joined the games drowning in debt and his mother‘s only hope. Like a cornered rat, Sang-woo snapped – no price was too high if winning meant security for his mother.
Up against the games‘ 50% survival odds, Sang-woo resorted to dirty tricks insurance. Other signs of his desperation:
- Sang-woo pocketed his teammates‘ Egg Money, adding ₩30M to his winnings
- He broke Player 111‘s nose to buy hints for Round 3
- Ultimately stabbed Sae-byeok when she blocked his exit in Round 6
Where Ali clung to his selfless humanity in the games‘ darkness, Sang-woo descended into ruthless selfishness embodied by his appalling deceit towards trusting Ali.
This riveting scene distilled a key Squid Game theme – how good people turn evil when survival is at stake – earning Ali‘s death scene ranking among Korea‘s Most Shocking Betrayals along with these examples:
| Show | Betrayed | Betrayer | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squid Game | Ali | Sang-woo | Embodied the lengths players would go to win |
| Breaking Bad | Jesse | Walter White | Cemente Walt‘s metamorphosis into Heisenberg |
The Aftermath: A Bittersweet Reckoning
Following his vicious betrayal, a clearly conflicted Sang-woo went on to win the ₩45.6 billion prize. But the means by which he won continued corroding his conscience.
Ultimately, wracked with guilt over Ali, Sae-byeok and others, Sang-woo took his own life – leaving Gi-hun as the winner by default. Yet as with armed forces veterans with PTSD, Gi-hun remains haunted by memories of deceitful "friends" from the games like Sang-woo.
For countless fans worldwide, this scene also haunts as a shocking cautionary tale about trust. Ali‘s unconditional friendship contrasted the cruel cunning of Sang-woo‘s self-serving trick stands out as one of Squid Game‘s most impactful moments.
While many reality shows feature betrayal, something about deceiving gentle Ali – who could‘ve used the money to support his young family – crossed a moral line rarely seen. As the games transform players into desperate animals, we realize that in the quest for money and status, human decency seems low on the priority list high up the economic food chain.
So while Sang-woo may have won the battle by condemning Ali to a nightmarish fate, he ultimately lost himself – and with it, the very humanity he sacrificed Ali for in the first place.
