EPT
Fantasy Proleague Awards
This round of Fantasy Proleague was filled with ups and downs as the entrance of Heart of the Swarm threw teams into disarray, as top teams such as CJ Entus and KT Rolster fail to transition and continue to spiral downwards, while teams like STX Soul and Samsung KHAN took the opportunity to rise through the ranks of Proleague. As the dust settles on round 4, we take a look back at some of the breakout players and stars of the round, as well as some other players that might not have performed as well as they should have.
Best Value
Dear: Coming into Heart of the Swarm, this STX Protoss was doing poorly, going 1-3 in round 3 and netting Fantasy leaguers a measly 9 points for the 5 point value he was worth. The expansion seemed to have reinvigorated him though, as STX Soul burst back onto the league, and as Innovation was ripping up his opponents, Dear was right there next to him, tying the Terran in wins and even having one less loss than him when all was said and done. Dear racked up a total of 23 points for his 3 point value, an insane ratio of almost 8 points for every point he was worth. His Terran counterpart pales in comparison, also netting 23 points, but with a trade value of 8, the ratio is essentially reversed. But, how will Dear fare in round 4? The main reason why Dear was so invaluable as a player this round was the fact that he was able to be slotted into almost any star studded team. Next round, when he might be 5 or even 6 points, will he find a place in people’s teams? Or will he be cast to the wayside, forced to prove himself through his results once again?
Worst Performer
With CJ and KT spiralling further downwards, it’s no surprise that the two biggest disappointments were CJ’s Hydra and KT’s Flash. With over 1,000 people choosing to blow 10 points on Flash at the start of the round, he rewarded them, and another 300 people who traded for him over the course of the round, with a par score. The beast who went 24 and 27 in the first two rounds actually fell off in round 3, having the same score as he did now, but yet people decided to place their faith in him one last time. With the next round looming, it may be no surprise that people decide to forgo the Ultimate Weapon for something more sturdy, like a nice Woongjin player.
We turn our eyes to Hydra next, with the CJ Zerg coming off an explosive round 3, going 5-1 and netting 21 points for anyone who picked him up. Unfortunately for Hydra supporters the CJ Zerg also hit par, going 7 for 7, a ratio that would have been acceptable for someone that was worth 2 or 3 points, but not once you start considering the other options possible.
Rookie of the Round
While the high rollers of the league disappointed many a fantasy leaguer this round, there was many a diamond in the rough, where the single pointers resided. Normally only reserved for playing coaches, foreigners and benched players, the one pointers shone brightly this round, with players like Kop and Brown netting double digit points, hell, Kop even tied Flash in points this round!
Though a lot of their points came from their team winning, it isn’t as if they didn’t help contribute to those wins, with Kop making a last minute contribution in the the fourth week, winning both his matches against Savage and Oz, making us all wonder what Coach January was thinking hiding this Terran from our sights for so long. Meanwhile Brown debuted and managed to wrest away from the bevy of older Protoss players in SKT1 and make a name for himself this round, going 2-3 and grabbing 10 points in FPL, which made the 6 people who put him on their anti, extremely sad.
Most Improved
HerO: While it is weird to be giving the two-time Dreamhack Winter champion the ‘most improved’ award, this round was very special for HerO. First, he beat his ID rival twice in one day, netting his team a two game winning streak and an amazing first week for Proleague. Then, at Yongsan, whereby he had a 7 game losing streak in that stadium, that started since the first round of Proleague, he lost to the SKT1 ace, Rain. But, JYP brought it to the ace, and while many might have been expecting Taeja or maybe even JYP or Jaedong, no one was expecting HerO to come out. Having had nerves affect him deeply before, it was surprising and shocking to see Coach Park send out HerO, as he had almost everything riding against him; a loss against the ace Rain in the previous match, a now-8 game losing streak in the stadium, and the pressure of his entire team, with each loss a damning blow towards both EG and Team Liquid combined, and yet, he did it. He won the game, against all odds and broke his curse at Yongsan, won the game for his team and conquered his emotions.
MVP
Soulkey: The reason that Soulkey is the MVP of this round is simple - it isn’t just that he has the most points this round, or that he’s been performing well in both individual and team leagues combined, it’s the fact that he is the best player of the best team in Proleague. If you look at the wins of Soulkey this round, compared to the rest of his team, he has a 3 win lead over the next player. No other ace player from the other teams has that kind of lead on the other teams, and it’s that fact that makes Soulkey the MVP of this round. His sheer strength and skill as a player managed to keep Woongjin afloat this round and his tenacity as the ace has allowed his team to have a 5 game lead over the second place, all but securing their place in the playoffs.
Interview with Sunnata, the winner of FPL Round 4
1) Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your history with TL.net
Hey TL! My name is Dmitriy, I'm 24yo guy from Far Eastern part of Russia (namely, Sakha Republic). My history with TL started sometime in 2005/2006 - since my english skills were basically non-existent, I occasionally visited site, lurking for results, VODs & progamer photos. Towards the end of 2007, after Mind won MSL, I became WeMade FOX supporter and more active user.
2) How does it feel to have won FPL this round after finishing just outside the top 500 the previous rounds?
Feels good, man But I think it was all due to luck. I'm still very new to the whole fantasy league shebang.. Maybe I should try watching The League after this..
3) You were ahead for a little bit but Hall0wed made a sprint for the finish line during the last week and almost caught up with you, finishing 2nd place with a 1 point difference. Were you scared you were going to lose?
Yeah, I was a bit nervous but I was going to be pleased even with top2 actually :D Hall0wed had Flash & Jangbi playing on the last day, and if any of their team matches have gone all the way to ACE, they would perform (almost jinxed myself). Lucky me, I guess, winning by 1 team win point by Wooki...
4) What was your secret to winning this round? Do you have any tips for the newcomers coming into Proleague that may not know the Kespa teams and some lesser known players?
I don't think I did anything too much different from my previous FPL rounds... Just picked solid team, made obvious trades and here I am ^^ Main team worked as I intended, I think all my players was fielded every round and my anti didn't bite me in the ass.
As to my tip to newcomers, just don't be afraid to try it and test your luck, seems like every new FPL round the number of participants is decreasing... #saveFPL
On a more serious note, you can't go wrong with picking any of the 3 big terrans: Flash, Fantasy (both approved by BoxeR) and Bogus (approved by Flash). Also, don't pick RorO on anti
5) Going into Round 5, it's an all-kill format, how does your strategy differ from the standard Proleague format?
Not much actually. Gonna try to go for well-rounded team and pick my anti VERY carefully..
6) What are your expectations for Round 5, are you aiming for the top spot again, or will you be content to finish top 100 or top 10?
Luck is such a huge factor in FPL, I think. I will be satisfied if my team makes 100+ pts
7) How do you feel about Fantasy GSTL? You're currently #218 this season, how do you like it compared to Proleague?
I've all but given up on my GSTL team (Mvp & Sting, I'm disappoint) :\ Will try to trade if it will be appropriate...
8) Do you have any last words?
Just going to say thanks to TL staff and it's wonderful global community. Extra shoutout to Corinthos for his streams back in the day! Good luck to everyone in the next FPL!!
