With BarrackS surviving Mini we are ending up with a fairly balanced Ro4, but maybe this week zergs tip it completely in their favor? Both Soma and Larva have been having an excellent return run in the ASL thus far. Are they destined to collide? or the former SKTelecom T1's 1-2 punch of BeSt and Bisu up to stopping them and possibly collide themselves in the Ro4?

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Soma

Soma’s near perfect run in his return to the ASL has taken the following names: sSak, Mini, Larva, and Light. Quite an impressive roster of players if I do say so myself. His play has been like he’s never left, completely dismantling and outplaying his opponents left and right. And his ELOBoard rating speaks for itself, as since his return, he’s immediately climbed back into the top 10 and currently sits 3rd, the best online Zerg at the moment only behind FlaSh and Rain. Oh, and he had a nice Major Proleague 5 win all-kill just a few days ago. Oh, and add a 4-2 win over Mini in a Bo7 sponmatch to his resume.

Soma’s play has been really inspirational and solid. As I’ve said before, it almost feels like the combination of Soulkey’s understanding of the game with EffOrt’s decisiveness and micro. He very rarely makes the wrong decision, and it’s incredibly tough to outplay him when he’s just better at micro than you. His pressure overwhelms Protoss players and he’s not scared to throw in weird cheese as well. In his 5 game sweep, he did all sorts of builds, both defending against cheese, and throwing in some cheese of his own. So in a long Bo7 series, I don’t expect soma to be thrown off or feel under pressure from opponents who may try to cheese him. And with how Best looked in his Ro16 group, he’s going to have to resort to creative cheese builds to overcome soma.

Soma’s unique spire and hydra den at the same time off 3 hatch lair style has really thrown off several players, not knowing if he’s going to go for the ee-han timing 5 muta scourge trap or just go into mass hydra and bust through the front. But his normal macro style is still rock solid, so don’t expect him to rely just on catching his opponents offguard, soma can still macro with the best of them, although going into a macro game may be exactly what BeSt is looking for.

BeSt

BeSt’s performance in his Ro16 group left A LOT to be desired. It never really felt that he actually outplayed his opponents, more that his opponents would get an advantage… then squander it with poor play of their own. BeSt wasn’t even doing anything that spectacular, failing on simple basics like not making a 2nd cannon for the potential of a hydra bust, or needing to get away with proxy in-base gateway making DTs to win against Queen. As a friend of mine would say, “It’s just Protoss.”

Against an opponent like Soma, BeSt needs to find ways to improve his play if he wants to advance. Queen and BTS, while fine opponents, are a whole tier below the monster that is Soma. Perhaps going into zealot man with 3, 4, or 6 gate timings are going to be what he needs to pull out of his bag, as 2 stargate builds have not worked out for BeSt, and also not worked out against soma in his online games. His tendency to want to make dark archons for anti-muta is also something that soma is likely to be prepared for, and he won’t dive in too deep with his muta flock until he confirms the presence of the dark archon or if BeSt wastes some maelstrom. We’ll see how many gateways and zealots BeSt decides to make in order to try to pull this series out, but if I were BeSt, he’s really going to need to reach deep into his bag of builds to find the win.

Soma Advances To the Ro4 4-1.

The quarterfinal clash between Bisu and Larva brings two former SKT T1 teammates back into the spotlight. Once long-time practice partners, they now meet on opposite sides of the stage with a semifinal berth on the line. The history between them carries an added wrinkle: Bisu has built a stellar win rate against his fellow SKT alumni over the years, making this matchup more than just another Protoss versus Zerg showdown.

Bisu has shown flashes of brilliance in recent seasons but has struggled to turn those into deep playoff runs. In ASL17 he reached the quarterfinals before being swept by SnOw in a Protoss mirror. The following season, at the 2024 SSL Autumn event, Bisu advanced to the Round of 16 but fell short with a 1–2 series record, beating Jaedong in his opening match but losing a close 1–2 to hero in the deciding set. His most recent appearance in ASL19 was even more difficult, as he failed to escape the Round of 16 after back-to-back losses to Queen and Action. Across those three seasons, Bisu’s PvZ record in series stood at 1–3, with his lone win coming against Jaedong in ASL18. The numbers highlight his ongoing struggle against top Zergs, a weakness that continues to shape his modern legacy.

Larva, meanwhile, has had a much different path. After his famous ASL11 championship in 2021, where he stunned the world by beating Mini 4–3 in the finals, Larva endured a drought of results. He has chosen not to compete in recent ASLs leaving his ZvP record untouched in those years. His return in ASL20 has reenergized his fan base, as he fought his way back to the Round of 8 and earned another shot at a historic opponent. Larva’s reputation in ZvP remains formidable, and while his absence left him with little to show during recent seasons, his track record in the matchup makes him a dangerous threat to any Protoss.

Head-to-head history adds another layer to this series. Back in ASL4, Bisu bested Larva 3–1 in the semifinals, only to see Larva get his revenge years later in ASL11 with a group stage upset that contributed to Bisu’s elimination. That split record sets the stage for their first high-stakes meeting in years, with Bisu looking to reclaim the upper hand and Larva aiming to extend his reputation as a player who thrives when the lights are brightest.

With a place in the semifinals at stake, this battle is as much about pride as progress. For Bisu, it is another chance to prove that his dominance over former teammates extends into the modern ASL era and that he can still overcome the Zerg matchup that has caused him so much trouble. For Larva, it is the perfect opportunity to show that he can upset expectations and topple the very player he once prepared alongside. In the very end, we must compare Larva’s scary momentum and energy he brings to this ASL versus the highest level of play we’ve seen from Bisu in the past 10 ASLs. The series is going to totally rock and looks to go all 7 games, but the edge goes to Bisu.

Bisu Advances To The Ro4!

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Writers: FlashFTW, BisuDagger
Graphics: v1
Editors: BLinD-RawR