EPT- History Of Success -
sas is one of those teams which you can simply always count on performing at the top level when it really matters. Regardless how beat up or inactive their line up appears to be, when push comes to shove, they always surprise. No more surprises, the stage is set and sas is the absolute favorite to win Gambit's Cup season 3. Their biggest rival from the previous season which inevitably cost them the title is gone and in doing so, contributed to strengthening the sas line up. There is really no two ways about it... sas is a Juggernaut and with a 2-0 start on the season, they are looking fairly unstoppable. It will be a huge shock if they were to drop a single game in round 1.
SzikyTwo season, two finals, two decisive showdowns. When it has come to the end, sas has always counted on one man, that man is Sziky. There is no doubt that he will play a huge role in the success of his team this time around as well. Sziky was the deciding factor in Gambit's Cup 1 and his loss in the nail biting game against SneazeL in season 2 ultimately sealed sas' fate. Right now, there is no other player in sight which a team would be more confident to have to rely on than Sziky.
MichaelIf a two time ISL winner was not enough already, sas also has Michael who can beat anyone on their best day. His play style allows him to tread through entire teams without wearing him down. And, while Sziky is still the top dog here, Michael proves to be the factor which will push sas over the edge in the event that Sziky doesn't pull through. He is all in all, one of the best players of the Gambit's Cup and pretty much seals the deal for sas. Michael was also the player who set the final nail in the coffin for sas while he was playing for Gt last season.
DraWWhile DraW is not a consistent player, nor is he a very reliable player... He can be there when it really counts and if sas turns up against a team such as LRM who are very Zerg heavy, DraW can pay dividends, however, this is very game dependent as there's no guarantee which DraW will show up. One game, he can take down the top Zerg players in the scene and the next he's eliminated from a major tournament without taking a single game of the series. DraW has the potential to be a deciding factor as much as Michael and Sziky, but it is not as consistent and likely they will not want to be counting on it to as much of an extent. Though, It is important to note that DraW kept sas in the playoffs of Season two with a crucial win over Michael in match 1 of game 2.
Bizzy, FleSsBizzy and FleSs are both terrific players which if committed, can be as much of a deciding factor as anyone else, which taking count, if sas can get these guys in line... That's 5 top players who can consistently take games off of anyone. These players are very good, but lack commitment issues and while it already seems like sas is a sure thing, these two players being active would simply seal the deal.
CuteMini-Michael, Cute's play is not quite as impressive as many of the other players on this list, however, he's important to note that he can take games off of anyone. It is accurate to say that Cute would likely have highest success rate against a team like China given that their players will not be as prepared to react to his cheese builds as other more familiar players would be. However, Cute has taken wins in every clan war which he has participated in during the Twitch.TV Gambit's Cup. So, it is pretty clear that he can be a great producing factor against mostly unsuspecting opponents.
Skzlime, dsaqwe, ZarakiThese players can almost be considered the secondary support players on this roster, and don't get the wrong idea, these players are very strong and can take games off of anyone on a good day and have all had great showings in certain events, however, they are not consistent, they don't have as many good days as they have average days and that simply won't cut it against some of the top line ups of other teams. While sas won't want to be looking at relying on these players, they are definitely better players to rely on than the secondary line ups of just about any other team.
v0rti, LuMiX, nonSimply put, these players are unlikely to see the clan war games. They are not championship players and are not likely to win games that really count against the top teams. Only thing is, when teams dig down this deep into their roster, they are not going to survive no matter how deep their roster is.
PezFearless leader with a great history of success. Two final appearances out of two, one title, one second place finish... Pez is a great clan war leader and has performed greatly in terms of recruiting players between seasons and having them ready for clan wars. He is unlikely to play, however, there is no reason to count him out as a great contributor to their success.
All in all, sas has 5 players competing for that top spot on the team and on any day, each one of them can step up to that position, if that's not enough, they have a great supporting cast which can take games off of anyone on a good day. They are the clear favorites to win it all and it will be no surprise to see a third Final appearance.
*Bonus Note: Michael and Sziky have the two highest all-kill counts in the Gambit's Cup. They combine for a total of 4 ALL-KILLs, two a piece.
Oh well, there is always post-winner's league I guess.
