EPTThe Scarlett Letter, authored by Nathaniel Hawthorne, takes us on a journey through the eyes of Hester Prynne. Why was she so unique? Was it her greatness? Was it her achievements? Hester Prynne was a house hold name because of a failure in her past. If you saw her walking, you’d recognize her not as “just” Hester, but Hester with the ‘A’. This Sunday two young men will stand next to each other. One will be victorious, hoisting a trophy above his head. The second will be marked with the letter ‘K’. Who will become the next Kong?
This Sunday, ![[image loading]](/staff/prech/files/RaceIcons/Ticon_pastel_Hyde.png)
Mind and 
Kwanro will battle for champion of the HungryApp Kongdoo Starz League. The battle for third and fourth will take place the day before, between hero and ZerO. The finals will be a best of 7 and take place at GOM eXP Studio in Gangnam, South Korea. This is the same stage that Starcraft 2’s GSL championships take place. The prize pool for the final four players is W40,000,000 ($36,358).
Mind and Kwanro will battle for champion of the HungryApp Kongdoo Starz League. The battle for third and fourth will take place the day before, between hero and ZerO. The finals will be a best of 7 and take place at GOM eXP Studio in Gangnam, South Korea. This is the same stage that Starcraft 2’s GSL championships take place. The prize pool for the final four players is W40,000,000 ($36,358). Some of you may have missed out on some of this tournament. While you can read our recaps in previous news articles, here is a brief recap of the tournament statistics.
- Forty-one total games have been played.
- Zerg went undefeated against Protoss in nine games across five different maps.
- Zerg also had 9 mirror matches, the highest among all mirrors.
- Maps Avalon and Demian were the most played, both reaching 10 games each.
- Protoss is the only race not to take a win on Avalon.
- Demian proved the most balanced map among all matchups.
- Terran players have not won a game on Circuit Breaker in this tournament.
The games are played at Saturday, Feb 28 5:00am GMT (GMT+00:00). Star KPop group Stellar will be performing along with the games. Their music can be found here Stellar. Join Hong YellOw Jin-Ho and his casting posse live as the world experiences the best Korean Brood War has to offer!
YellOw Jin-Ho and his casting posse live as the world experiences the best Korean Brood War has to offer!The games start in
Kwanro versus ZerO was not the series viewers expected to see. The Kwanro /Killer series was a quick thrashing and one sided victory for Kwanro. This match up would be incredibly hard to predict. The hearts of many fans were placed in the hands of ZerO. ZerO is a ZvT master and would be a Great competitor against the expected qualification of Mind. Kwanro, on the other hand, was the villain. He had the easiest group in the round of 16 and now only is challenged by Zerg versus Zerg mirrors.Game 1
Kwanro Z7 <Demian> Z3 ZerO
Game 1 begins on 3 player map Demian. This is the first ZvZ played on this map since its premier. Both players gamble and went for 12 hatch opening. Playing more economically, the game would head to a good place for Zero. Both players poked and prodded with lings, but found no success. Spires would finish and this game would move from ground to air play. Mutas and scourge are rallied into high volume groups for both players. Finally, Zero forces an engagement with Kwanro. The battle was easily won by Zero as you can see Kwanro’s refusal to micro in the gfy below.
Game 2
Kwanro Z1 <La Mancha> Z7 ZerO
Game 2 begins a string of very odd games in this series. Kwanro opens up 9 pool speed. With cross spawn position, he would unfortunately not scout Zero who had opened up 12 hatch again. Kwanro’s ling head to the 11 o’clock base where no creep nor hatch would be found. Panic mode kicks in as Kwanro must send his lings to the furthest corner of the map in hopes to do damage.
The lings make it to Zero’s base, but the spawning pool finished and Zero hung to life by a hair. Zero recognized he was behind now and was forced to spore up. Between having an additional hatchery (Kwanro still on one base) and spores, Zero was able to start muta production. Kwanro refused to make catching up easy. He found a hole in Zero’s spore placement at the ramp and picked off transfer drones and lings being transferred between bases. Behind all this harassment, Kwanro finally grabbed a second and third base. Zero’s muta flock also grew extremely strong. Leaving behind spores to defend, Zero sent waves of mutas to pick off Kwanro drones. As all Zerg mirrors end, a final mutalisk battle occurred and Zero won against Kwanro’s unmicro-ed mutalisks.
Game 3
Kwanro Z1 <Avalon> Z11 ZerO
Game 3 was the shortest game of the night. Zero is one game away from advancing and decides to play the cheese game. Opting for 5 pool, Zero was safe against any build except 9 pool speed. Blessed with horizontal spawns on 4 player map Avalon, Zero ran his lings to Kwanro’s base. This was the moment where Zero discovers Kwanro did go 9 pool speed and loses the game shortly after.
Game 4
Kwanro Z7 <Circuit Breaker> Z5 ZerO
The build order roulette for game 4 was spun. Both players land on 9pool gas before hatch openings! Kwanro plays very clever this game. He sends out many scouting lings to find all open pathways to Zero’s base. Kwanro then initiates attacks against Zero. At this moment, Kwanro knows he will lose if mutas come into play. Zero underestimates the ling production Kwanro dedicated himself too and ends up outnumbered. Another short game occurs as Zero hits his second“GG”.
Game 5
Kwanro Z5 <Fighting Spirit> Z1 ZerO
The final battle begins. Somehow Kwanro managed to take this series to the rubber match. Spawning at the bottom right, Kwanro decided to open up with a fast hidden hatchery at the 6 o’clock position. This misleads Zero into thinking 9 pool speed was Kwanro’s opening. Zero had opened 12 hatch and finds himself in trouble as lings make their way into his main.
The damage was severe. Zero’s survival was something of a miracle and the game started to look similar to game 2. Zero was stuck on one base with mutas and Kwanro was on two bases with spores. Zero attempts to find a weakness in Kwanro’s spore placement, but damage could not be done. Mutaliks were finally out for Kwanro. Kwanro’s home base was secured from air harassment and he had lings to defend the gound. At this moment he sent counter attacking mutas to pick off drones. Even with many mutas being killed, every drone killed just pushed the dagger deeper into Zero. The damage was eventually to great and Zero had to force one final muta battle. Kwanro prevails and wins with the reverse all kill!
Kwanro
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Hyde/SSL/SSLX/grades/Bplus.png)
Kwanro showed amazing resilience in this series. Whenever Kwanro sticks to his core gameplay, he wins. Being able to focus after a 2-0 deficit is incredibly difficult. Kwanro may not have play flawless, but deserves high marks for pulling off the comeback.
ZerO
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Hyde/SSL/SSLX/grades/C.png)
Zero threw this series. His irrational decision to five pool failed horribly and it took his mind out of the game. Games 1 and 2 were deserving of high marks, but Zero titled hard and so does his score. Zero's once again reminds us why we never see him advance pass the round of 4
Game 1
hero <Avalon> Mind
hero eases into the semifinals with a hatchery before pool build and sends off a fearless Drone scout to see Mind's two Barracks under construction. Mind aggressively moves in with 6 SCV’s and a bunker is constructed outside Hero’s natural Hatchery. 6 Lings are out and ready to fight for Hero. They dive straight into action and a Creep Colony is started. Two Marines are clawed to a brutal death before the Bunker finishes, but with more marines are arriving and all 7 SCV’s alive and grinding away at the Sunken.
Mind has this game.
Game 2
hero <La Mancha> Mind
The war moves onto the next battlefield, the sweltering deserts of La Mancha. Hero again goes Hatchery before Pool and Mind goes for just the 1 Barracks before Expanding. Hero elects to go for Lurkers rather than the probably more standard Mutalisks. A choice that is unfortunately scouted by a SCV that just happily walked into Hero’s main. Seeing everything there is to see. Mind decides the time is right for aggression.
Hero sees the army leave Mind’s base and then again sees it continuing towards him in the middle of the map. It’s a tough call for the Zerg players at moments like this because they have little time to get a line of Sunkens built. It’s always worth applying pressure as the Terran because whether you commit to an attack or not the Zerg has to build Sunkens to defend or it’s often just a free win for the Terran. Hero chooses to build only 1 Sunken Colony.
It is not enough.
Hero does manage to defeat that initial attack but at the cost of all his army and far to many Drones. The next attacking wave of Medics and marines finishes of hero’s natural and Hero GG’s out of the game.
It’s a fine art of Zerg players to build the absolute minimum needed to defend and get their economies really swinging. This is exactly the element of play I feel the great Jaedong did so well. Somehow defending with what doesn't look enough whilst getting a scarier and scarier economy. But it is a fine calculation to make and it looks terrible when it is got wrong.
Game 3
hero <Demian> Mind
On the Wastelands of Demian, Hero decides to expand and risk a Extractor before pool. Whilst Mind builds just one Barracks and scouts the correct direction. Again Mind knows everything Hero is doing and continues and takes the opportunity to apply some more early pressure. Hero’s options are few. Wait for his delayed lings or attack now with Drones. He chooses the latter. But the Bunker finishes and two Marines clamber in and secure the blast doors. Hero’s forced to try and intercept any reinforcement marines and this leaves Mind free to build a more offensive Bunker.
Some nice micro from Mind forces Hero to lose more than he should in the defense, losing too many drones to an attack that barely delayed Mind’s Economy at all.
This Bunker must die
Hero puts up a mightily impressive defense from this point onwards but ultimately it was the opening that decided the game. Mind is smart to stay aggressive and slowly grind down Hero. This makes sure there is no chance Hero to really recover. Mind 3:0 Hero. Mind progresses to the final.
hero
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Hyde/SSL/SSLX/grades/Dplus.png)
hero played some glorious engagements and has some of the best micro around. But he seems to be far to vulnerable to early attacks that one would have thought he must have to routinely defend on Fish. Dying so easily is just not good enough and he needs to concentrate on improving his vulnerabilities if he wants to get to the latter parts of the game and show us how good he really is.
Mind
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Hyde/SSL/SSLX/grades/A.png)
Mind played very well. He particularly played his proponent superbly and really exploited Hero’s tendency to be under prepared for early game attacks. I do not know whether this was his plan all along or whether he just saw opportunities and took them. Either way solid play and good micro.
Game 3
hero <Demian> Mind
Let's set the stage for a bit: By the time this match was played, hero has lost not one but two games. One in record time to a two rax SCV all-in and the other one to mistiming his sunken and other small but significant factors. This could potentially be his final KSL game or he can live to play another game or two so the amount of pressure he's under is huge. Compare that to Mind whose's up 2-0 in a matchup that he's very dominant in and considered one of the best at. With that in mind, let's get starcrafting! On Demian, Mind spawned in the top position at 11 o'clock and hero at 7 o'clock. To vary things up, Mind opened with a forward rax while hero decided on a slightly tweaked standard build, expansion gas into pool. Upon scouting this, Mind tried to bunker contain hero almost managing to take down his expansion which was saved by a combination of smart decisions by hero and many drone lives.
Bunker contain
As this attack was going on, Mind grabbed his own expansion to try and maintain his economical lead. Realizing that he's behind, hero decided to go for a mass zergling attack which was easily stopped by Mind's building placement and SCV/marine blocks. Mind eventually moved out losing several marines+firebat to hero's zerglings but he also killed many zerglings in the process. As the action winded down just a bit, Mind added more rax while hero opted for lair and a spire for mutalisks. After macroing up a large MnM force, Mind decided to go for a sunken bust. Aware of this, hero made several sunkens and miraculously survived against what seemed like surefire death.
Failed sunken bust
Though he was still behind, hero slowly recovered grabbing a third while teching to hive for defilers. Mind kept exerting his dominance though through a strong attack on hero's expansion with a massive MnM army with 4 tanks and vessel support. He almost succeeded in reaching the hatchery if it wasn't for hero getting darkswarm researched in the nick of time. Of course, this wasn't the only thing Mind had in mind. He also attacked hero's barely defended third (some mutalisks+sunken) who was able to hold off the first wave losing a drone in the process. Mind tried again killing a good portion of hero's army, several drones, taking down the nydus canal, the extractor and delaying mining for a bit but he still could not break hero's defense.
Dropship Snipe
Mind kept up the pressure by going for drops however hero stopped several drops with the first drop snipe drawing loud applause from the audience. He continued his assault on hero's third as hero grabbed a fourth near Mind's base. This time around, he succeeded in taking the third down, even managing to retreat with half of his army. His constant aggression against hero made it easier for him to grab his fourth base while hero struggled to hold on to three bases. As more time progressed, Mind eventually discovered hero's fourth base and took it down with little resistance. With a much better economy, strong macro and a science vessel count climbing ever so high, Mind mustered a strong army and irradiated his way to the finals after taking down hero's re-established third.
hero to zero just like that!
Winner Interviews by HungryApp
Translated by Seeker
![[image loading]](/staff/prech/files/KSL_Preview/Ro2_Preview/Ro4_Mind_interview.jpg)
Mind
We asked Mind about his preparations in regards to the semi-finals, and he revealed that he received a lot of help. Mind stated that, “With only a few days remaining until the semi-finals, I was practicing until I realized that there really wasn’t anyone that I could practice with. So I tried to find some Afreeca BJs or some clans and asked players for their help. Because I prepared this way, I wasn’t able to practice a lot.”
Mind also went on to reveal that he did not try to predict what the opponent was going to do, but rather just focused on what he wanted to do. “As I prepared for my match, rather than be aware of my opponent’s looming presence, I just kind of pondered to myself as to what he could end up doing. Once I stopped pondering, then I knew what I was going to do build order wise. As I was preparing for my match however, I saw just how cumbersome game one was going to be. Honestly, I even considered just giving game one away since I hate the map Avalon, but the cheese rush that I showed today is a rush that has a 50% chance of success so I decided to implement it and it ended up working out. I’m sure the rest of the match would have been a lot more difficult had I lost game one.”
Mind then went on to tell us that, “A lot of people around me told me that they really wanted to see a TvZ finals rather than a ZvZ finals. But rather than let those expectations affect me, I just focused on winning the match ahead of me. Because of that, in order to properly maintain my health, I controlled what I ate, controlled how much I slept, and I watched replays so I could review what I had done. And lastly, I put a spell upon myself that I would win no matter what.”
Lastly, we asked Mind to say some words in regards to facing Kwanro. Mind told us that, “Kwanro is the kind of player who really enjoys early game plays. He has a tendency to not let the game drag out to the late game stages so it’s going to be a nuisance preparing for him. But I think I can win the championship if I just prepare well. Especially because I advanced to the finals in this league without a defeat, I will work hard so that I can win the championship without losing a single game as well.”
![[image loading]](/staff/prech/files/KSL_Preview/Ro2_Preview/Ro4_Kwanro_interview.jpg)
Kwanro
HungryApp met up with finalist Kwanro. When asked about how he felt about advancing into the finals he said, “I feel a little dazed. I think I feel moreso this way because the victory was so difficult.”
In his previous interview, Kwanro stated that he did not feel greedy about winning the championship. Now that he’s in the finals, we asked him again about how he felt. Kwanro stated that, “Recently, I grabbed ahold of my entire mindset as I desired to get stronger in regard to my mentality. So my habits these days really helped me out there. I am working hard right now In order to strengthen my mentality upwards towards a new dimension. It’s disappointing to say this but I’m afraid it’s going to be difficult for me to give away my secrets in regards to this.”
Since Kwanro lost in both games one and two, we asked him how he felt about the deciding third game. He said, “It was really difficult. Honestly, I was thinking about going for a 5 pool in game three. But when it came to actually implementing it, I realized that there was a psychological pressure apparent. So I grabbed ahold of myself and told myself to focus as I decided to play normal. Thankfully a good result followed from that decision.”
When asked about the driving force behind winning game three, Kwanro stated that, “Honestly, the kind of game that occurred for map three on Avalon was the kind of experience I dealt with in the past during a previous tournament. I all of a sudden remembered how I defeated ZerO 3-0 during that league. I think I was able to loosen up my nerves a little through that.”
We then asked Kwanro how he felt about the fierce build order battles that went on. Kwanro let us knew that, “My head felt so complex. ZerO came with a build prepared just like I presumed he would. But I ended up falling behind in the macro aspect of the game. My hands also got tangled up so I even thought to myself that perhaps today wasn’t my day. Thankfully though, my hands loosened up after game three.”
Finally, we asked Kwanro to please say something in regards to the upcoming finals. Kwanro told us that, “These days, I tell myself to enjoy things as I play. Rather than tell myself that I need to make winning the championship my goal, I just focus on doing my absolute best with every game that is before me. What I want to show everyone is that I can focus on every single game ahead of me as I put on fun and fierce performances.”
Definition: Mind - noun: (in a human or other conscious being) the element, part, substance, or process that reasons, thinks, feels, wills, perceives, judges.
Mind - noun: (in a human or other conscious being) the element, part, substance, or process that reasons, thinks, feels, wills, perceives, judges.“A mind needs Brood War as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.”
The career of Mind started its journey in 2006. As a young Terran whippersnapper, Mind participated in few games. The first year of his career served as a warmup as Mind would learn and evolve. Just one year later, he would qualify for his first individual league. The road through GOMTV MSL Season 3 was an incredibly challenging one. Mind’s first challenge in the round of 16 was defeating iloveoov in a TvT. The series went the full length. Next up was Memory, another TvT matchup. Mind won that matchup more easily with a 3-1 victory. In the semifinals, Mind’s TvZ would be tested against sAviOr. With a map score of 3-2, Mind was victorious. Mind’s final challenge was against 
Bisu where he dominated and won 3-1.
Mind started its journey in 2006. As a young Terran whippersnapper, Mind participated in few games. The first year of his career served as a warmup as Mind would learn and evolve. Just one year later, he would qualify for his first individual league. The road through GOMTV MSL Season 3 was an incredibly challenging one. Mind’s first challenge in the round of 16 was defeating iloveoov in a TvT. The series went the full length. Next up was Memory, another TvT matchup. Mind won that matchup more easily with a 3-1 victory. In the semifinals, Mind’s TvZ would be tested against sAviOr. With a map score of 3-2, Mind was victorious. Mind’s final challenge was against Bisu where he dominated and won 3-1.By the end of 2007, Mind was touted the best Terran on the scene. This came after a poll carried out among Brood War experts. Mind became a staple player for (Wiki)WeMadeFox over the next few years. He also achieved a semifinals appearance in the following MSL where he was defeated by Jaedong.
As Brood War aged, Mind slowly faded to the back of our memories. He was never a player to be counted out, but his results stopped being noteworthy after 2010. Eventually his team, WeMadeFox, would be disbanded and KT Rolster would recruit him. Mind would remain a bench player on this roster.
Even though Mind’s achievements lessened over the years, his stats remain quite amazing. Playing 324 games in his KESPA career, Mind maintained a 50% win rate in all 3 matchups. His zerg win percentage just a shy above the others means that Mind is one of the most balanced Terran players of all time.
Looking at individual leagues Alone, Mind has a 52% win rate versus zerg. This matchup has indeed been a problem for him. He’s been knocked out by the majority of his MSL runs by zerg players including Jaedong, HoGiL, and soO. These loses were fuel to the flame. Since KESPA disbanded, Mind has returned with a spectacular 83% win rate versus Zerg players. The only explanation is that he went to the pits and participated in underground fighting in order to improve his play. Mind is on his best win streak ever against zerg players. Previously it was eight (in Kespa), but now Mind has won 10 consecutive matches against by.hero, Killer, Larva, and Modesty (the Greater Spire king). Yes, these wins come against four of the top five zerg players in the world.
Jaedong, HoGiL, and soO. These loses were fuel to the flame. Since KESPA disbanded, Mind has returned with a spectacular 83% win rate versus Zerg players. The only explanation is that he went to the pits and participated in underground fighting in order to improve his play. Mind is on his best win streak ever against zerg players. Previously it was eight (in Kespa), but now Mind has won 10 consecutive matches against by.hero, Killer, Larva, and Modesty (the Greater Spire king). Yes, these wins come against four of the top five zerg players in the world. Mind cannot be mistaken for a mediocre Terran at this time. If Mind solves his TvT matchup then he will be easily considered the best player in the world. His opportunity to become what Flash was to KESPA Starcraft in the SOSPA era begins with a victory in the KSL on March 1st.Definition: Kwanrolled - Verb/Adjective/Noun/Humiliation: A common celebration or cheer of support of Kwanro if he heavily overruns an opponent.
"KWANROLLLLLLLLLED"
Team Suma G.O. was in for a treat as they acquired young Kwanro. At age 15, Kwanro had already built a reputation among the amateur scene as a “hyper-aggressive” player. These skills would accompany him on the team bench as he sat behind the Maestro Zerg, sAviOr. Over that time the team had changed names and became 
CJ Entus. Kwanro’s first individual tournament was through GOMTV MSL Season 3. Sound familiar? This was the same exact tournament that Mind premiered in and eventually won! Well, Kwanro did nearly as good. Kwanro defeated OversKy and Sea in the round of 32. He then went on to wreck TvZ expert Light in the round of 16. Only in the round 8 was Kwanro eliminated by 2nd place finisher Bisu 0-3.
Kwanro. At age 15, Kwanro had already built a reputation among the amateur scene as a “hyper-aggressive” player. These skills would accompany him on the team bench as he sat behind the Maestro Zerg, sAviOr. Over that time the team had changed names and became CJ Entus. Kwanro’s first individual tournament was through GOMTV MSL Season 3. Sound familiar? This was the same exact tournament that Mind premiered in and eventually won! Well, Kwanro did nearly as good. Kwanro defeated OversKy and Sea in the round of 32. He then went on to wreck TvZ expert Light in the round of 16. Only in the round 8 was Kwanro eliminated by 2nd place finisher Bisu 0-3.Kwanro’s success in the GomTV tournament, like Mind, propelled him into the Proleague roster. Performing very consistently over the next year, Kwanro had earned a name in the KESPA era. Since then, Kwanro’s career was similar to that of a sine wave. He was either performing well below the mark of acceptable or excelling. This roller coaster career peaked in 2009 where he defeated Flash, ZerO, and Iris. He advanced to the finals where a ZvZ battle against Calm ends in a 1-3 loss.
Mind, propelled him into the Proleague roster. Performing very consistently over the next year, Kwanro had earned a name in the KESPA era. Since then, Kwanro’s career was similar to that of a sine wave. He was either performing well below the mark of acceptable or excelling. This roller coaster career peaked in 2009 where he defeated Flash, ZerO, and Iris. He advanced to the finals where a ZvZ battle against Calm ends in a 1-3 loss.Statistically, you could say Kwanro’s career was as consistent has mind’s. The KESPA stats show winrates over 50% in all matchups. Kwanro’s best matchup was ZvZ at a 59% winrate. The transition has been nearly equal in his successes. Kwanro has exactly a 50% win rate versus Zerg and Protoss. He nearly misses the mark against Terran with a 6-8 record. Kwanro’s success also continues as a sine wave. He played extremely well in the ninth SSL placing fourth. He then lost in the round of 32 group stages of the tenth SSL. Finally he peaks again in the KSL as he becomes the finalist!
Bitter sweet revenge and irony. That defines the experience of the KSL for Kwanro. His first tournament run in the KESPA era was ended by Bisu 0-3. His first tournament in the SOSPA era was ended by Bisu 0-3. Now, Kwanro has finally defeated Bisu. Bisu then loses to Mind in the same fashion he lost to Mind in GomTV Season 3 MSL. It is all connected! Now Kwanro must face Mind. The opponent he could have faced in his first major tournament. It is time for Kwanro to show the world he can win a major tournament!
Bisu 0-3. His first tournament in the SOSPA era was ended by Bisu 0-3. Now, Kwanro has finally defeated Bisu. Bisu then loses to Mind in the same fashion he lost to Mind in GomTV Season 3 MSL. It is all connected! Now Kwanro must face Mind. The opponent he could have faced in his first major tournament. It is time for Kwanro to show the world he can win a major tournament!
Kwanro versus Mind can be compared to the hornet versus the honeybees. A Japanese giant hornet (Kwanro) is a very lethal predator. The hornet is capable of killing forty honeybees per minute. The hornet’s scissor-like teeth can decimate honeybees so quickly they were forced to adapt. The honeybees (Mind) are patient. They allow the hornet to enter their territory. Biding their time, they wait for the hornet to walk into their trap. Sending a signal to attack, the entire colony will swarm the hornet. Vibrating constantly, they turn the crush of their bodies into a convection over that cooks the hornet at 47.8 degrees Celsius.
Honeybees versus a hornet
![[image loading]](/tlpd/images/maps/404_Circuit%20Breaker_thumbnail.jpg)
This first map is obviously the tone setter for both players. Kwanro has shown a variety of play on this map. Unfortunately most of the data comes from his ZvZs. His 12 hatch, 12 pool build variation was very strong and proved Kwanro’s in depth thought on builds against his opponent killer. No doubt, Mind will appreciate the size of Circuit Breaker. Spawn positions won’t play a major role as Mind can do a standard rax expand and still hold off 9 pool speed level of aggression.
The next stage of the game gets more complicated for Kwanro. He can go aggressively for three hatch lurkers or give into ZvT meta with a 3 hatch muta transition. Mind’s goal has to be map control and constant scouting. As long as Mind is informed, Kwanro will have little chance of taking this map.
Winner: Mind 1-0
Mind 1-0![[image loading]](/tlpd/images/maps/418_La%20Mancha_thumbnail.jpg)
La Mancha’s unique map style and close horizontal spawn positions make up for the fact that it is a four player map. This is the first map that Kwanro has a real good shot of winning on. An aggressive opening for Kwanro might pay off depending on spawn positions, but this map is really going to be about muta control. Ultimately, this map needs to played the way Modesty would play it. Teching to lair and using guardians to siege the natural would work beautifully. This build has worked on Mind before, but is Kwanro capable of pulling it off. Of the first three maps, this is the one Kwanro is most likely to take.
Winner: Kwanro 1-1
Kwanro 1-1![[image loading]](/tlpd/images/maps/237_Fighting%20Spirit_thumbnail.jpg)
The most balanced map is not relevant in the SOSPA era. Whether you blame the current pool of zergs or the map, this is clearly Terran favored. Mind and Kwanro have near equal experience on this map, but stats heavily favor Mind. Kwanro has a paltry record of 3-9 while Mind is 5-4. The last time Kwanro beat a Terran on this map was over a year ago against Mong. If you can’t choose with your heart, choose with Mind.
Winner: Mind 2-1
Mind 2-1![[image loading]](/tlpd/images/maps/678_Avalon_thumbnail.jpg)
Avalon is one of two new maps premiering in this tournament. With very little data, it can be noted that Mind has defeated a Zerg on this map in a match against hero. In both the round of 8 and the round of 4, Mind has chosen to rush his opponent with 2rax builds. Whether it is refusal to learn the map or that Mind enjoys his cheese, expect this to remain a constant. This 4 player map is small and kwanro will most definitely use kwanlings to tear down mind. If it comes down to a battle of cheesers, the king of cheese will prevail.
Winner: Kwanro 2-2
Kwanro 2-2![[image loading]](/tlpd/images/maps/679_Demian_thumbnail.jpg)
Three player map Demian is the second map to premier in the KSL. This map has also shown very short and fast paced games. Hero was able to defeat hiya with brilliant muta play in the round of 16. Since then, Mind has gone 2-0 against both hero and killer. Mind studied Hiya’s mistake and immediately knew turret placement was extremely important to winning versus zerg. Kwanro’s ZvZ was enough of an education to learn that he is not very skilled with his mutalisk play. This is a map he must either rush on or plan a very strategic doom drop. Mind is too solid with scouting and mechanics to lose to either strategy.
Winner: Mind 3-2
Mind 3-2Fate returns these finalist to the starting map. This is a very unfortunate circumstance for Kwanro. Mind has a proven record of 9-3 against Zergs. Kwanro is 1-1 against SSL10 champion sSak on this map. The fact remains, Kwanro has little opportunity to be aggressive with lings early in this matchup. The main and natural for a safe Terran player cannot be penetrated. Mind’s mid and late game is far stronger then Kwanro’s. The victory point will go to Mind on this map.
Winner: Mind 4-2
Mind 4-2Not played!
Champion: Mind 4-2!!!
Mind 4-2!!!| Result | Staff Picks |
|---|---|
| 4-0 Mind (2) | ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/writers.png) ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/user_wiki.png) |
| itsjustatank, FO-nTTaX | |
| 4-1 Mind (3) | ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/113294.png) ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/banling.png) |
| Sayle, N.geNuity, Shellshock | |
| 4-2 Mind (6) | ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/24065.png) ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/54280.png) ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/84127.png) ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/44253.png) ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/T7.gif) |
| 2Pacalypse-, CaucasianAsian, BisuDagger, TheEmulator, Ares[Effort], Elyvilon | |
| 4-3 Mind (2) | ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/15435.png) |
| Seeker, amazingxkcd | |
| 4-0 Kwanro (2) | ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/tr_cn.png) |
| Sn0_Man, Carnivorous Sheep | |
| 4-1 Kwanro (2) | ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/226941.png) ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/81015.png) |
| Zealously, stuchiu | |
| 4-2 Kwanro (2) | ![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/images/usericons/53654.png) |
| NovemberstOrm, SirJolt | |
| 4-3 Kwanro (3) | |
| v1, BigFan, Nyvone |
Notable staff quotes
On February 27 2015 04:47 Zealously wrote:
Kwanro beat Bisu therefore he has earned the right to win this ezpz like the god he is
Kwanro 4-1 Mind
Kwanro beat Bisu therefore he has earned the right to win this ezpz like the god he is
Kwanro 4-1 Mind
On February 27 2015 10:22 Elyvilon wrote:
what, 30 minutes?
+ Show Spoiler +
Mind 4-2
what, 30 minutes?
+ Show Spoiler +
get it it's a joke about how kwanro ling allins all the time
Mind 4-2
On February 27 2015 10:25 Nyovne wrote:
Gah, mind says Mind 4-1 with those maps, but the heart CALLS IT 4-3 FOR KWAMROOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gah, mind says Mind 4-1 with those maps, but the heart CALLS IT 4-3 FOR KWAMROOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writers: BisuDagger, Greg_J, Seeker, BigFan
Graphics: v1
Editors: prech
Images: Game Donga, HungryApp Youtube
