The round-robin group stage is a wrap and eSport.fund have found themselves in pole position as the playoffs of AfreecaTV StarCraft Team League Season 2 loom on the horizon. Suffering all but one loss at the hands of LOGINmedia (who came in second with a likewise impressive 4-1 match score), the FlaSh-led team stand head and shoulders above the competition, locking in a +9 map difference at the end of the online part of the tournament.



Much to my chagrin I have to admit I seem to have overestimated LOGINmedia's reliance on ZerO to get ahead of the pack. While the reigning ASL champion certainly played a major part in their success (6-1 in maps, best performing player of the league), one would be amiss to dismiss his teammates' efforts to keep the whole roster afloat (MIsO going 3:2 in maps / Stork beating Bisu in an ace match despite having lost a ninja pyramid). Though, as I mentioned in the Power Rank, the updated league format (alongside issues of a logistical nature) did end up having a major impact on predictability and that likewise seems to have translated into a drop in overall viewership. We'll see if it picks up again as we move into the offline part of the tour.



With AfreecaTV and emTek Casters Inc. out of the picture, Karariyo and Socrates Tteokbokki will square off in the opening match of the playoffs. We're now moving into best-of-7 territory, which, since teams in ASTL2 consist of 4-6 players, means the rules allow for any person to be fielded out more than once (repeats from the 5th set onwards, regular Ace match rules apply). This only serves to strengthen the star-player narrative that already seems to have taken center stage - is the bo7 really between Karariyo and Socrates or rather Snow + Best vs Larva + Bisu? I'm quite curious to see how the teams interact in this setting, though I fear the predictability factor might straight-up ruin the fun. There are two sides to every story, though, as the format change is said to have been implemented in response to feedback AfreecaTV had received with the conclusion of ASTL1. It is reasonable to expect people will want to see the cream of the crop all day every day. One needs to find balance, though, lest the essence of what constitutes a team league be lost. The ASL used to do weird maps. Perchance that's a thought worth entertaining in future seasons. Either way, I'd venture a guess the playoffs will be a rather straightforward affair that is likely to come down to how the ZerO vs Flash maps turn out.



18/02, 1900KST Socrates Tteokbokki vs Karariyo



As previously mentioned, the teams are moving into best-of-7 territory, which should by and large change the dynamics of the tournament. As a refresher (since I can't recall us ever having dealt with a similar format): teams submit lineups for the first 6 games, for sets #5 & #6 teams are allowed to once again send out a player who has played before (only once, no chance of sending the same person out for both #5 and #6) and then if they're still tied they move onto the ACE match, though with a catch - same rules apply as to #5 and #6, meaning if any player has already played twice they can't be sent out again for the ACE.

I reckon it's safe to assume that, should sets #5 and #6 be required, we'll see Karariyo and Socrates send out Snow + Best and Larva + Bisu respectively. If the teams are still tied and they move to the ACE, that takes a number of options off the table for Socrates. True, Karariyo would likewise be working with a reduced headcount, but they've got Shuttle. Who do Socrates have? The 1:3 sSak? The 0:3 Baxter? Sure, Beast is 1:1 and he actually outperformed his team in ASTL1, but he's not the first person to spring to mind when an ACE match is on the cards. I believe Socrates (if they want to win that is) will have to aim for 2 set losses at most (unless they risk holding onto Bisu for the ACE and sending someone else out for #5 and #6, however, knowing the other team are working with Snow and Best, Bisu and Larva might be the only counters. What else can they do. They can't send out sSak, cause he's Terran, and they can't really rely on Baxter / Beast either, cause they're that outclassed by the Protoss duo.) Tough nut to crack.