Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
Killer	Larva	TBA	Pusan
Onicle	-_-	Sea	Ample
Hint	Mae.pOse	Cola	`iOps]..SenSe
ErOs_Lucifer	kkong	HiyA	ZergMaN

The opening group of the itemBay SSL forms the first stage of SSL7 champion Killer’s title defense. While Hint ought to be at least vaguely familiar to those who follow SOSPA tournaments closely, Onicle and Lucifer are almost complete unknowns.

Since his return to Afreeca earlier this month, Killer has wasted little time getting back into the swing of things, most notably with a five kill in a recent King of the Hill, beating the likes of Mong and Sea. While Killer doesn’t appear to be back to the kind of form that carried him to victory in the last SSL, he’s still an easy favourite to advance from this group and will have ample opportunity to sharpen his skills before facing tougher opposition later in the tournament.


Of the three journeymen Protoss that make up the remainder of the group, the only one that really stands out is Hint, who made it to the Ro16 of the last SSL before losing out to KangTaeWan and HiyA. Hint’s credentials as the most likely to advance alongside Killer are supported by his seeding match results, where he ended up 2-1, with his only loss coming against Mong.

There’s not a great deal of information available about either Lucifer or Onicle other than the latter’s less than encouraging 0-3 record in his seeding group. Both players float around the 1500 mark on Fish ladder, and as such are clearly capable of beating any ex-pro in a one off game. With that said, barring an exceptional performance or a particularly well prepared PvP series, neither should threaten the more well established pair of Killer and Hint.

Killer and Hint to advance.


With Larva’s form having dipped slightly since his run to the final of SSL7, the outcome of this group is slightly less certain than it might have been late last year. Fortunately for Larva, his privilege as second place getter from the last SSL allowed him to assemble one of the weakest groups in the Ro32 in last Friday’s group selection ceremony. Still, his place in the Ro16 is much less assured than his fellow finalist Killer’s, and a potential winners’ match series versus kkong could trip him up.


Kkong’s career as a progamer suggests that he should be able to compete at a reasonable level in SOSPA competition, and this group stage represents his foray into a major Afreeca Tournament. With over 300 games on his main Fish ladder account this season, kkong appears to be working hard on improving his game, something that is probably well advised given his seeding group performance that saw him go 0-2 versus Perfectman and Force[Name].

-_- and Mae.pOse form the amateur contingent for group B and again, we have little to go on when it comes to judging their overall skill level, aside from their ladder ratings and a handful of replays. Neither player should threaten Larva in a best of three but given both of them lie a little over 100 points below kkong on Fish ladder at the time of writing, it’s not a huge stretch to imagine one of them advancing to the Ro16 alongside Larva.

Larva and kkong to advance.


Even with Sky having dropped out to be replaced by a currently unknown ex-pro Terran, this is clearly the most difficult group of the Ro32. A product of some group selection ceremony mischief from Killer and Larva, all three of the players we know for sure are in this group would, in other circumstances, be clear favourites for a place in the Ro16 or beyond.


The constantly fluctuating form and fortunes of Afreeca’s two best Terrans makes this group especially hard to predict. At the start of this year HiyA looked completely out of sorts, losing in the Ro16 of SRT11 and appearing less and less interested in practicing for competition. Meanwhile, Sea was untouchable, dropping only three maps on his way to an easy debut tournament victory. In the next SRT, their positions almost completely reversed, with HiyA falling one game short of a finals match-up that he almost certainly would have won, while Sea was eliminated in the Ro16. Neither player’s performance in the seeding groups were particularly inspiring, with Sea losing in two frustrating games versus beast and Sexy.

After returning from a short break that followed his elimination from SSL7, Cola has made a handful of appearances so far in 2013 and appears to be still a little short of his best form.
In the past Cola’s ZvT match-up was one of the best around, and against someone like Shinee, Sexy or even perhaps Mong, he’s produced some brilliant management games that bear all the hallmarks of a CJ Zerg. The best of Cola’s play however, has never been able to match the level of HiyA or, by extension, Sea and he shouldn’t pose a serious threat to either.


The elephant in the room here (no, not that elephant) is the mystery fourth player. At the time of writing all we know is that it’s an ex-pro Terran, which given that there’s at least 1000 retired Korean progamers doesn’t really tell us much. It will be a real surprise if Sonic does manage to find a player who is of a level that can challenge the three already in this group, which makes the possibility of this preview being completely invalidated slightly easier to take.

Sea versus HiyA is what will probably decide this group, although Cola is capable of capitalising if either player is not on their game. While HiyA appears to have the advantage in terms of recent tournament performances, Sea’s TvT, both in his pro career and now on Afreeca, exists on a higher plane. Sea’s tendency to lose silly games against much worse players isn’t completely out of his system, but in a Bo3 his quality should win out.

Sea and HiyA to advance.


The final group of the itemBay SSL’s opening week belongs to SSL7 fourth place getter Pusan. Another player who is returning from a post-SSL7 break, Pusan will perhaps not be at the top of his game and could be caught out by long time SSL competitor Ample. Elsewhere in the group ZergMaN is making his return from a much longer absence from SOSPA competition, while amateur Sense has his work cut out for him, up against a trio of real Afreeca veterans.

While the final swaps from Larva and Killer upset his selection a little, Pusan certainly could have done worse when it comes to opponents (for an example of worse, see group C). While he hasn’t been playing much Starcraft as of late, Pusan’s style is hardly one that relies on meticulously practiced mechanical crispness and, as such, a short break is likely to have affected his ability to compete too badly.


Ample’s TvP is far from perfect, but he retains the ability to beat the best PvT players around when he’s in the mood. His most recent PvT victory came against Sky in the SRT11 Ro16, followed up by a narrow loss to Shuttle in SRT12 a few weeks later. Unless Pusan is really badly out of sorts, he’s the definite favourite for the group but Ample is good enough to take him out if he shows any signs of rust.

ZergMaN has struggled to make an impact in Afreeca tournaments for some time now, having been overtaken by the likes of Larva and beast during 2012. While it would be wrong to completely write him off, there’s little in his play from the last six months that suggests he can beat either Pusan or Ample in a Bo3. Sense is probably the best known of the amateurs in the SSL8 Ro32, having participated in multiple Defiler Tournaments. His Fish ladder rating suggests that he’s likely of a level where he can take games off ex-pros but this appearance is likely to be a platform for improvement, rather than a springboard to instant succes.


This group is likely to be decided in the opening match, with Pusan’s consecutive SSL semi-final appearances making him strong favourite to advance in first. Ample should have enough to beat whoever emerges from Sense versus ZergMaN, although the old ex-Samsung pro might have a few tricks that could cause trouble for his less experienced opponents.

Pusan and Ample to advance.

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WRITER: kjwcj
GRAPHICS: Hyde
PHOTOS: kimbilly, dailyesports