[FPL R2] My king will stands atop

Initial Team

Team : SK Telecom T1 - 4p

I really wanted to take Woongjin this round too but I couldn't managed to feel satisfied with my main team so I choose to downgrade. SKT might not win this round but they certainly have a lot of strong points here. They have the best one-two ace combo of all KeSPA teams (Rain & FanTaSy), and a strong third man in soO.

The issues they have come from the last player that they'll need to field. Among the remaining players only s2 has a winning record in R1, ParalyzE is 1-1 and the rest lost some games. We haven't seen sSak yet and since he qualified for Code A once, one can expect him to be fielded.

Captain : sOs - 8p

Players :

• Wooki - 5p
  
• Bbyong - 3p
  
• Revival - 3p
  
• BeSt - 3p
  
• Light - 3p

My captain choice was really obvious. I'm a very rational in my choices (aka I don't pick KT and pray for the best) so I knew I had to pick a reliable protoss player. Why a protoss ? Well the match-ups are hugely favoring of them right now and KeSPA zergs struggles in the ProLeague format. Thus I had to pick someone among {Rain, sOs, herO, HerO, Stats}. Rain is way too costly, herO is inconsistent, Stats is good but Wooki was chosen over him in Week 1 and HerO is setting up for another year of crying on stage until he finally wins DHW13 again. sOs is a reliable player who played all matches for WJS. He was the natural choice for me.

Winner's League is a wierd format, one very difficult to predict and once you've picked your reliable ace, you are left with a few possibilities. I decided to go for a week by week approach in that I will pick players that I am confident will bring me point on the week I have them. This is obviously very tricky because I don't know the line-ups; as such I have to bet on starters and on players that will play a lot despite not being the best out there especially since there is a lack of good 4p players (aside from Cure).

First of all I need a cheap Zerg. Revival is the one I am going for. He plays for EG-TL a team that despite the plethora of its stars has a lot of commitment to honor - contrary to KeSPA teams, he is better and more well-rounded than Zenio and will play more the first week than Stephano or Jaedong will. He is also starting like Light, BeSt. I think both of them can win at least one game.

I then I had 8 points remaining. I needed another reliable players, one that would give me points no matter what happens. Wooki was my choice here. KT's streak is almost indecent and one cannot hope to see them continue like that for much longer but Wooki is a terrific PvP sniper. He starts against Dear this week and despite the latter being one of STX stronger player, he stands no chance against Wooki. Lastly I picked Bbyong, I don't expect a lot of him but he is the only terran on CJ that isn't a huge liability. He is bound to play games from time to time.

Anti - team :

• Jaedong - 7p
  
• hyvaa - 4p
  
• Major - 2p

For a long time, my Anti-Team was bound to be {Stork, JangBi, hyvaa} but Stork and JangBi are actually the only viable players on Khan (RorO remains in let-down land) and they will play each game. Being Protosses they will win sometimes ... Furthermore there is a lot of risks involved since you have 2 (3) players that need not to perform.

As such I decided to pick Jaedong as the central point of my Anti. He won't play during the first week because he needs to prepare for other tournaments. hyvaa is a terrible player who boasts a terrible 35% win in SC2 in a team that I think is the worst (yes they are behind Khan). Lastly I pick Major, for the first few weeks, he won't play and he is on a weak team.

1st Week Review

Team : SK Telecom T1 (3p)

Traditionally one can expect a team like SKT to do well in Winner's League due to their aces. What they lack in depths compare to WJS, EG-TL or KT they make up by having a very strong 3-man team with soO, FanTaSy and Rain. Still they got their asses handed to themselves by EG-TL. Now it's not a huge upset as EG-TL is still one of the stronger team around but in my FPL team, it's a huge deal. Until KT finally comes back to earth (having a +21 map score is indecent), I am competing against those whose faith will never stop. As such it was a bad week.

It's unlikely I will ever trade them because it would mean that either Team 8 becomes so reliable it starts rolling over everyone or WJS starts falling down so hard they hit rock bottom. I am starting to regret being greedy for my first week and not picking Stars. We'll see ...

Captain : sOs (10p) - sOs got the job done this week. I am still wondering why he didn't get more wins against CJ but his closing against Khan was clutch despite not being flashy. Soulkey has lost his only game so far and it might shaped the form of the WJS team for this round : Opener, free (or another sniper), Soulkey (or ZerO) and sOs.

Players :

• Wooki (11p) - I don't know what to say. KT players are doing extremely good this PL and Wooki might even be ranked ahead of Stats in their internal rankings. Kept
  
• Bbyong (3p) - I didn't picked Bbyong so that he can rack me points but he is, until further notice, the top terran on CJ which means he will play a reasonable amount of time. I think he may open next week as Entus faces EG-TL with Neo Planet S as the first map. I could find someone who could win more but not likely someone who will play more for his price. Kept
  
• Revival (7p) - I knew Jaedong and Stephano wouldn't be there the first week and I choose Revival as he was the only all-around zerg in the line-up. He failed against Flash but managed to defeat both soO and Rain to claim EG-TL win. Opportunity Trade
  
• BeSt (1p) - He had one job, beating Last and increasing in value. I only picked him because he started this week but it may have been a mistake. sSak was played over him this week but he also lost. Among the untested and still somewhat reliable SKT players this week, there is s2. Possible Trade
  
• Light (2p) - monk had his doubt, I was betting on him still being sufficiently good at SC2. I still don't know where he stands, but with the presence of BrAvO as a sniper, I think he won't play next week. I believe he still got it but the competition he faces on WJS might be too hard to overcome. Likely Traded

Anti - team :

• Jaedong (1p) - As predicted, Jaedong didn't play. Now I have evaluate the likeliness of him playing next week. EG-TL have a rather quiet week but they might not have the room to take a break. Possible Trade
  
• hyvaa (0p) - A bad player on a bad team. Kept
  
• Major (1p) - Team 8 won once but I don't think MajOr is ready yet plus Team 8 faces KT and SKT this week. Kept

2nd Week Preview & Trades

Team : SK Telecom T1

• After seeing the starting match-ups, I am a bit worried about this week. soO versus ZerO isn't terribly bad but ZvZ isn't soO strong point. After that it's likely that we will see both FanTaSy and Rain but I am wondering about the 4th man. sSak was played once already, s2 is starting next match, sacsri and JyJ have losing records, BeSt played (and lost) last week so I'm not sure he will be put out this week. Bisu is left but ... I don't know, I am cheering for Woongjin Stars and I now officially regret not picking them; it was a mistake.
  
• The 2nd match is easier. TY is starting against s2 and the rest of the line-up is almost written. Team 8 won't win this game despite being better than people thought.

Captain : sOs - Despite a terrible result during the Up and Down, sOs didn't play bad. He almost won against Bomber but the latter decided to dissapoint in Code S instead of in the Up and Down. sOs will certainly play against SKT as they will need their ace to face FanTaSy and Rain but I'm not sure he will get out against KT as I think Soulkey is a better choice given KT line-ups (Action being the only sniper and he will lose against free)

Players :

• Wooki - Even though it might seem foolish, I am considering a trade this week for Stephano.
  
• Bbyong - He is bad, he still will play.
  
• Revival He is opening once again against a weak team. EffOrt is actually really good so I don't want to call it too early but I trust Revival on this one.
  
• BeSt for s2 - This is one of the best trade I could have hoped for. BeSt is exactly the same price as s2, isn't more likely to come out and s2 has in virtual value ramped up because he starts a match. Granted it's against T8 but you never know. Accidents happens in PL and I'm betting on one with this trade.
  
• Light for Last - Another low risk, low reward trade, Light has a lot of competition inside of his team and Last has way less. I rank Light above the latter but this week could be good for STX.

Anti - team :

• Jaedong - Had anyone but Revival and Stephano started this week, I would have traded Jaedong for HerO on the firm belief that HerO has fallen once again. But with both zergs starting, there is a lot of chance that they win enough so that a lesser player might close it before it is necessary to send an ace. TaeJa also has priority over JD in that department. It's likely that I won't trade this week despite the likeliness of EG-TL winning twice.
  
• hyvaa - hyvaa is bad, he is terrible in everything but ZvZ and he faces someone who is also terrible but even more so in ZvZ. I orignally wanted to trade him to Hydra but failed.
  
• Major - Tough week for T8. MajOr isn't ready yet but T8 is better than expected, a good middle of the pack team.

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Trades I was considering this week on my Main Team :

• Wooki for Stephano - Very risky obviously but I believe that Stephano can all-kill Samsung Khan. unlikely
  
• Revival for Crazy - Both of them are starting and I believe Cure to be less of a challenge to Crazy than EffOrt will be to Revival. so-so
  
• BeSt for s2 - One of the best trade I could do since both have equal value and s2 is starting. very likely
  
• Light for Last - Last is so-so but he can probably get rid of stork granting me a few points. His TvP stats look bad but it is due to the last OSL where he crumbled under the pressure. so-so

On my Anti Team :

• hyvaa for Hydra - hyvaa is less worse than Hydra in ZvZ, it's simple as that. But it might no be worth the fee. so-so

2nd Week Review

Team : SK Telecom T1 (2p)

Things look grim for SKT, they understandably lost against the better Stars team but also failed against Samsung Khan. Their only win comes from beating STX, arguably the worse team this round. The trading possibility are gone and I'm stuck with this mediocre team for the rest of round. I have made some small mistakes in my choice before but choosing SKT over WJS was a bigger one. Next week they face CJ and Khan, it's up to them to step up. Their failure is entirely Rain's responsibility and he better step up before people view him as another 1 hit wonder like jjakji and Seed before him.

Captain : sOs (7p) - sOs didn't get that much play time this week with the all-kill of free but he is assuming the ace position right now until Soulkey gets his shit together. I expect the latter to start next week probably on Arkanoid against STX. Nonetheless sOs got me 7p which is the most of all my players, he is definitely my ace.

Players :

• P7GAB (0p) - P7GAB didn't get any points this week as KT got all-kill by WJS and bitch-slapped by Team 8. The more surprising fact was that he lost a PvP against free, considering it's his best matchup by far - he is 6-1 now - it's worrisome. I normally wouldn't want to trade a player like him but he is worth a lot and I need points. Possible Trade
  
• Bbyong (2p) - Oh Bbyong ! I thought he was the best 3pointer on CJ but Hydra has claim his spot and I doubt Bbyong will ever regain it. It's unlikely I can trade him for anyone worth mentioning in the same sentence as "competent player" so ... Whatever
  
• Revival (2p) - Revival played and lost. He is a streaky competent player but not an ace and with I don't know how the next weeks will pan out for him. Still among the players that aren't valued that much he can hold his own. Likely Kept
  
• s2 (2p) - He did what I expected from him : he won a game. It's a worthwhile trade though a very minor one. Opportunity Trade
  
• Last (0p) - This was a bad trade. Light won the ace match against FanTaSy breaking his streak in the mean time. Last however lost, again, and STX is now 0-4. See now how it was a terrible trade ? I believe he could have beaten Stork but Khan Protosses resurgence got me by surprise. Like Bbyong, I don't know how I will get rid of him. He will still play from time to time... Whatever

Anti - team :

• Jaedong (0p) - As predicted, Jaedong didn't play. and EG-TL lost (correlation ?) I thought about a trade to HerO but the latter got 3 Wins and might not be dead yet, however TaeJa seems to be preserved right now and with EG-TL atrocious results so far, that would be a perfect opportunity. Likely Trade
  
• hyvaa (4p) - hyvaa is still a terrible player despite winning 2 ZvP, I thought of trading him to Hydra but thank god I didn't or I would be in the depths of hell right now. Kept
  
• MajOr (2p) - Team 8 won twice this week carried by Argo and Cure, MajOr won't play and there is little to no reason not to accept the fact that 8th Team is better than foreseen. Kept

3rd Week Preview & Trades

Team : SK Telecom T1
This week is a bit quieter but seeing how CJ actually regained momentum and how Khan Protosses are rolling over everyone, it could be more difficult than expected :

• For the first game, Rain has to step up and start crushing faces. herO is good at PvP but so is Rain and the latter has to stand his ground. Hydra made a big splash last week with a closing performance and an all-kill but I'm not really convinced by his performance. In any case, FanTaSy should be able to close things up. If a 4th man is needed, I think it's going to be either BeSt against a EffOrt or Hydra or s2 against Bbyong.
  
• The unknown starting line-up of the week ! Last week was full of it so let's appreciate that teams decided to put back strong players as starters. I can't favor anyone in the starting matchup but Samsung Khan is riding a good momentum and it could prove difficult for SKT.

Captain : sOs - He think he will be the ace against EG-TL but won't play against STX Soul.

Players :

• Wooki for Soulkey - I'm not doing so good so I have to make risky bets. P7GAB will probably play against Khan seeing he is the dedicated Protoss sniper but I believe Soulkey will bring more points this week.
  
• Bbyong - He actually opens a match, one can pray he can beat Stats but I wouldn't bet on it.
  
• Revival for Jaedong - Another ballsy trade but I need points to climb up the rankings and you don't get points from trading Last to Reality. Jaedong is back, and I hope he will bring his fighting spirit too.
  
• s2 - I'm keeping him with the hope he will play against CJ.
  
• Last - Like Bbyong, I'm not hoping a lot from him but I need points so he will fill the roster.

Anti - team :

• Jaedong for TaeJa - Wrist Issues confirmed by Bumblebee. I'd rather take the -2p than risk anything on anyone else. I could have chosen BrAvO too but WJS is on its way to a 7-0 in this WJS on its way to a 7-0 in this WL. BrAvO could have been a good choice too (and he has the same value as JD) but I don't really feel the vibe with Sin so I went with TaeJa.
  
• hyvaa - hyvaa did managed to win 2 games last week which is blessing from the gods for the terrible STX Soul team. Still there is no reason to believe he can do it again.
  
• MajOr - RAS

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Trades I was considering this week on my Main Team :

• Wooki for Soulkey - Wooki didn't bring me enough points last week to consider letting him stay on my lineup. Soulkey had a bad start this round but I doubt anyone consider that a problem especially since his teammates (and sOs) have been doing so well. As I predicted in my last post, he is starting on Arkanoid. I don't think Classic will be able to beat him there but (probably Dear and Trap) will be sent on both Entombed Valley and Cloud Kingdom, let's hope Soulkey fixed his ZvP already. Likely
  
• Revival for Jaedong - The Tyrant is finally back from his other mandatory activities. He is starting against Team 8 in a ZvZ versus Savage. This should prove fairly easy for him but the Cure / Argo combo is way better than people expected so JD series might not last long, still Revival and Stephano got their chances so we should see more of JD this week. so-so
  
• Revival for Light - I am ashamed of writing this but this could be a good trade. WJS is over the big names and they have a 5-mean team that seems to perform well enough to even win all games while their primary ace is losing. This might be an opportunity to correct my mistake. so-so
  
• Last and/or s2 for ? - Many possibilities here : {Reality, Sacsri, HoeJJa} I am more likely to trade s2 because he isn't likely to play this week than Last who could win this week (if God listen to me). The possibilities aren't that great but these players are at the bottom of the pile and I can't expect miracles. meh

On my Anti Team :

• Jaedong for TaeJa - I was initially looking to trade JD for HerO, but with TaeJa not playing anymore because of his treatment, this is a better and safer choice. I am confident that neither Nazgul nor Bumblebee are foolish enough to allow TaeJa to be fielded while he is under treatment. ProLeague might be important but it's a 16 years old we are talking about. So the only doubt remains, his TaeJa's treatment finished yet Done

3rd Week Review

Team : SK Telecom T1 (1p)

The inconsistency of their top 3 players and the inability to get some win from their support cast is simply too much to overcome. They have no excuses at this point and getting a meager 1p isn't enough.

Captain : sOs (1p) - A point for a team win, with losses against Stephano and Dear. I can excuse the first loss as Stephano went back to his dreaded 12min max roach but the game again st Dear was underwhelming.

Players :

• Soulkey (5p) - That was a good trade but I am worried about Soulkey, he isn't showing the same kind of dominant play as in R1. Possible Trade
  
• Bbyong (1p) - Sometimes I just don't know what to write. There is nothing to say here, CJ is adamant on playing him but he fails miserably every time. Whatever
  
• Jaedong (6p) - After the horrible mistakes I made with trading in Week 1, I'm happy to see some success here. It could have been better but at this point anyone bringing me more than 2 points is a welcome sight. Possible Trade
  
• s2 (0p) - What can SKT do at this point ? If players like s2 can't managed to take a game, they'll have trouble each and every Winner's League. Opportunity Trade
  
• Last (1p) - He brought me 1p. Rejoice ! Whatever

Anti - team :

• TaeJa (2p) - I could have chosen a better swap (like BrAvO) but I went the safe route and took the 2 points hit. TaeJa is sick unfortunately. Kept
  
• hyvaa (1p) - He lost again \o/ But it's a bit worrying that they sent him as an ace against WJS. Kept
  
• MajOr (0p) - He isn't ready to play yet and with Argo and Cure crushing faces, I don't see it changing for this round. Kept