EPT![[image loading]](http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/4223/ro8groups.jpg)
1.4.2 Protoss.
I know we’re all sick of hearing this phrase, but prepare to hear it more often. With four protoss advancing to the Ro8 and no protoss-killers in sight, I think it’s a safe bet that there’s going to be a protoss in the Hot6IX GSL 2012 Season 1 grand finals. With Jjakji recently humbled by Parting’s brilliant PvT, the protoss road to the finals has never been more open. None of the remaining non-protoss players are really comfortable playing against protoss, and this matchup also happens to be the weakest one for MMA and DRG. I don’t think anybody should be surprised if we have a PvP finals, so prepare your lucky coins.
Will the protoss rise in the GSL and usher in an era of protoss dominance similar to the reign of the Six Dragons in BW? It’s too early to tell, but it’s worth keeping in mind as we travel down the road to the Hot6IX GSL 2012 Season 1 finals.
Fnatic_aLive vs SlayerS_MMA![[image loading]](http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/6297/ro8previewmma.jpg)
You can bet this won't be the only thing MMA has up his sleeve versus Alive
Before we start our wild fantasizing, let’s revisit MMA’s TvT stats shall we?
GSL Blizzard Cup December: MMA 3>0 MVP
GSL Code S October: MMA 4>1 MVP
2011 MLG Korean Invitational: MMA 2<4 MVP
2011 GeForce Pro-AM: MMA 3>1 MVP
Hmm, I guess we can stop there. Statistics never tell the whole story, but they do illustrate overarching trends, and the trend that MMA’s TvT stats show that he is a TvT monster who has managed to be consistent at the professional level in one of the most mentally taxing matchups in SC2. Watching his games reveals another side of MMA, a brilliant tactician that has ruthless efficiency in macro and micro.
It’s an understatement to say that Alive has an uphill battle ahead of him; he will need to climb a vertical cliff to beat MMA.
Alive didn’t get to the Ro8 on just luck, as he showed some very solid TvT versus Gumiho in the Ro16 and against Happy in the Ro32. However, against MKP in the Ro32 he fell apart, completely misreading MKP aggressive timings and letting MKP walk all over him. Maybe Alive’s infamous nerves were affecting him in that series, but regardless having potential nerve issues is yet another obstacle among many that Alive needs overcome versus MMA. Alive needs to play the best TvT he has ever played to be a match for MMA, and having to play at 110% in a high-pressure pro-match is not something Alive is great at.
Even assuming that Alive plays without any nerve issues, it’s hard to see him overcoming MMA’s knack for picking his opponents apart with superb multi-tasking. Alive will try to play his standard and safe macro style that has gotten him this far, and MMA will pounce on this predictability and use one or two builds that will exploit this. MMA is king of forcing elite players to play on their back foot, and Alive unfortunately happens to have a history of falling apart under pressure.
Alive will need to take risks to exploit defensive weaknesses in MMA’s highly-aggressive and greedy builds. MVP learned this the hard way, as MMA showed him and the entire Korean scene that the smothering macro TvT style is no longer reliable at high levels. Unfortunately, all Alive has shown us so far have been macro TvT styles similar to what MVP tried against MMA, and it is unlikely he’ll do something he hasn’t done before and break out a risky build against MMA. On the flip side though, Alive did show that he is fully capable of using mech in the matchup against Happy, and it will be Alive’s main weapon against MMA as MMA has historically shown and has admitted to having a slight weakness against mech.
It will be MMA’s series to lose. Alive isn’t someone to take lightly, but MMA’s superb mental control and experience taking out the world’s best TvT players should be too much for Alive. MMA should advance to the Ro4.
FXOGuMiho vs 
SlayerS_Puzzle![[image loading]](http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/788/ro8previewpuzzle.jpg)
As Supernova found out, it takes more than quirky two-base all-ins to defeat Puzzle
While the rest of the protoss in the Ro8 have gotten all the hype, it is interesting to see Puzzle flying so far under the radar. Puzzle has shown us excellent use of unusual strategies in past GSLs, has used a diverse range of strategies in all matchups, and he also wears the SlayerS badge on his uniform. All of these qualities would normally be hype-worthy, but thanks to Puzzle’s inconsistent GSL history, this may be Puzzle’s last chance to prove that he deserves as much attention as the other protosses.
Gumiho similarly has seen most of his hyped days pass by, having a history just as spotted as Puzzles’ thanks to his nerve issues and weakness in TvT. Gumiho barely got through the Ro32 as he and Yugioh played some of the worst games in recent GSL history, and arguably got a bit lucky as he caught MVP on a bad day in the Ro16. Gumiho did play very well in the Ro16, but everything that he has shown us so far has been somewhat underwhelming, so there’s no denying that he is the weakest player playing in the Ro8.
With two of the more inconsistent players going up against each other, on the surface it seems foolish to make any solid predictions. Analyzing the statistics and playstyles though, Puzzle definitely has the advantage. Gumiho has beaten Puzzle multiple times in the ESV Korean Weekly #3, but Puzzle has shown more recent PvT results eliminating Supernova, Nada, Keen, and MMA in convincing fashion so far this GSL season. Puzzle also has a diverse library of PvT builds and excellent control, which he can more efficiently leverage against Gumiho in a Bo5.
Another strike against Gumiho is that he hasn’t played a TvP in the GSL since beating Tassadar and Killer the GSL November Up-Down matches, and his victories then were handed to him as both Tassadar and Killer made some fundamental mistakes. Puzzle isn’t immune to making mistakes, as Puzzle’s tendencies to be overly-aggressive hurt his earlier GSL runs, but given the way Puzzle has been playing PvT recently it’s clear that Puzzle has matured in the matchup.
It’s not all doom and gloom for Gumiho though. Looking at Gumiho’s past matches, his PvT is very solid, and combined with his capacity for well-executed aggression Gumiho is still very dangerous. Add on the fact that Gumiho knows how to get under Puzzle’s skin thanks to his numerous past victories over Puzzle, it is impossible to count Gumiho out. As weird as it sounds, it’s also hard to count out Gumiho’s luck, as Lady Luck has been on his side so far this season.
At the end of the day however, all signs point towards Puzzle advancing to the Ro4. Gumiho might have gotten over his nerve issues in the Ro16, but Puzzle has too momentum going into this match thanks to his recent GSL victories over Supernova and Nada. It’s Puzzle’s chance at redemption after so many disappointing GSL runs, and he will do everything he can to advance.
![[image loading]](http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/421/quarterk.jpg)
I really wish I had more to say about this match.
Genius hasn’t played a PvP in recent memory, with his most recent PvP being a rather one-sided loss to Puzzle in the GSL October Up-Down matches. On the other hand, MC is a veteran of countless PvPs on the international and Korean stages, and has an astonishing 85.7% PvP win rate in the GSL. If MC doesn’t choke, the outcome should be obvious even given how volatile and unpredictable PvP is.
Genius might be the comeback kid with his stellar GSL run proving that he is a force to be reckoned with after showing poor results in so many of the previous GSL seasons, but it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to take down MC. In terms of experience, understanding of the matchup, decision making, and even momentum going into the match Genius is at a distinct disadvantage. Genius might be able to take a match or two off of MC, but MC should definitely advance to the semi-finals.
![[image loading]](http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/7993/mlgkrwinterpartingneste.jpg)
This is the long-anticipated match that everyone is looking forward to. DRG has long since proven he deserves to be mentioned as one of the top Korean SC2 players, having also dethroned Nestea in the Ro16 to become King of Zergs, and is hungry for a GSL championship to cement his legacy. Parting is the Protoss Hope, destroying countless veteran GSL players with fearless tactics and brilliant play on his path towards the GSL finals. Both players have been looking for a chance to prove that all the hype around them has been justified, and the only way they can do so is with a GSL championship.
Unfortunately for Parting, it looks like his amazing run will end here.
Parting hasn’t played a PvZ in the GSL yet, but in the matches he played against Losira and Nestea in the 2012 MLG Winter Arena Korean Qualifiers, he looked surprisingly mediocre. Thanks to overall poor positioning and some questionable decisions, he almost let Losira make a comeback in an extended series and lost outright to Nestea in four games across two matches. In the grand finals of the qualifiers against Nestea, Parting fell apart to some standard muta pressure in game one and in game two Parting made the mistake of giving Nestea precious time to set up defenses to defend his four-gate. It’s safe to say that this was hardly the sort of play people expected from Parting.
Online tournaments aren’t the best way to judge how players will do in the GSL (otherwise Taeja would be a GSL champion already), but Parting’s performance in the MLG Winter Arena Korean Qualifiers did show how uncomfortable he is in the matchup. He was caught completely unprepared for common zerg timings at multiple times, flubbed the execution of his builds in several games, and generally let Losira and Nestea pick him apart. Parting will most likely play better versus DRG in the Ro8, but he won’t be playing at the same level he played versus Jjakji.
On the other hand DRG has shown almost nothing but rock-solid results in PvZ recently, almost always having an answer for whatever his protoss opponents could throw at him and always forcing his opponents to make mistakes. In the Ro32 DRG went 2-0 versus JYP despite JYP’s comfort in the matchup, and he took out MC in a Bo5 during the GSL Blizzard Cup. DRG did drop two games to Genius in the Ro32, but that was a clash between two close teammates who undoubtedly have practiced many times together, so it’s hard draw any conclusions from those matches.
Parting’s victory over Jjakji gave us the best PvT matches in GSL history, and in those matches Parting showed some great intelligent decisions and excellent micro. However DRG has all of Parting’s intelligence and micro, and can back it with experience and past results as well. When Parting played against Jjakji, Parting was playing someone who was roughly equal to him, but against DRG Parting is definitely at a disadvantage. Parting’s lack of experience and knowledge of the matchup will cost him dearly, and DRG will give Parting very few opportunities to exploit.
One thing that is in Parting’s favor is that DRG will find it hard to prepare specifically for Parting, whereas Parting has a wealth of VODs to analyze. DRG has also recently shown a preference for opening with a quick third expansion before even getting gas against forge-fast-expanding protosses, and Parting can definitely take advantage of that sort of greedy play. Parting has the resources and the time to prepare for DRG, but even so it’s highly unlikely that Parting will have enough time to overhaul his PvZ in time for his match against DRG.
Parting might be fearless, but DRG is simply too dominant. Despite the fact that ZvP isn’t his best matchup, DRG should advance to the Ro4, but expect the games to be close as Parting will definitely try to exploit DRG’s greedier builds. Of course it’s also hard to count out the protoss in this matchup, as many Korean zergs have famously discussed, but the experience gap should work in DRG’s favor.
GSL images credit GOMTV. Any feedback and opinions are welcome. Thanks!
I will rate your blog 5/5 for good work. 
