As the mercury dips and the Autumn of Terrans gives way to winter, the race balance in Code A is starting to go back to normal. The new format brings a draft of fresh air to Code A, and players old and new are ready to fight it out for greater rewards than before. Though there are some returning players like Monster and FruitDealer who are simply trying to eck their way into the Up-Down matches, there are others who could immediately make a splash in Code S as well. Here are the sixteen players and eight match-ups to be played on the very first day of the new Code A.


November 7th: Code A – RO48, Day One


MVP_Keen vs TSL_RevivaL
Interesting. Both players saw their stocks rise earlier this year, only to experience a precipitous fall. Keen got his share of hype during his run into the Code S RO8, while Revival received a lot of attention frequently playing as the ace of the TSL team in GSTL. Since then, Keen suffered a career nose dive, and is now in danger of being eliminated from GSL tournaments entirely. Revival lost his share of the limelight after the GSTL season ended, and blew his chances to open new avenues for himself both in last month's Code A and at IEM Guangzhou (as a disapproving Zenio shook his head). It's a shame that the two players seeking redemption have to meet here, as it's such a long way back to relevance, and just one short slip to the abyss.


IMMinSeOk vs SlayerS_YuGiOh
MinSeOk, also known as Yeah, is a unsung Zerg gentleman from IM who's age is only rivaled by his teammate Nestea. The 29 year old Korean stepped over Jinro 2-1 in the final bracket of the preliminaries, and now he faces an important test against ex-Code S player YuGiOh. If Yeah cannot keep down a Zerg with an unimpressive 40% win rate, he will leave GSL November the same way he left his only other TV appearance in March: immediately and without fanfare. Everyone loves the story of an older player fighting off progamers who are a decade younger, and I personally hope Yeah shows up and puts an end to the trap card jokes early this month. However, while never truly impressing, YuGiOh has shown an uncanny ability to remain in Code A throughout the seasons, and MinSeOk is definitely the underdog going into this match-up.


Liquid`HerO vs iSCrazymovING
Infinity Seven is being represented for the first time in the GSL. This is quite incredible, considering that even the wealthier teams in Western scene have had trouble making a splash in the GSL. iSCrazymoviNG, a 20 year old Korean unknown, broke through the preliminaries for his first tournament appearance. After defeating more well-known opponents in SlayerS`Min and IMTrue in the qualifiers, he has been placed against the fan favorite HerO. I'm hesitant to tell you any more without gushing bias for HerO but let's just say Song Hyeon Deok has much better... hair. I mean track record. HerO may have disappointed many of us by falling to the deadly one base roach rush last season but in the down time he kept himself busy in NASL, IPL and MLG, all with solid performances. As long as he avoids being too greedy against one base Zerg play (CrazymoviNG is an admitted all-in'er when the situation calls for it), HerO will be as unstoppable as an ice storm.


FXOasd vs MVP_GuineaPig
What kind of insane person switches to Protoss before the 1.4.2 patch, when the race was at the lowest point in the history of the game? Apparently that's how tough it is to try to play random, as GuineaPig decided he'd be best off playing Protoss entirely instead of trying to master all three races. Even with the Protoss situation appearing to be recovering, I don't think GuineaPig will be happy with his first test in the form of FXOasd, aka Nuclear. According to players at the FXO house, he is one of the very best players on the team, and everyone knows that most good Terrans make a snack of Protoss players before moving onto more substantial courses in Zerg and fellow Terran. At the same time, it will be nice to see GuineaPig play his best race again, as his last few appearances on GomTV saw him get torn apart while playing Zerg and Terran. We haven't seen the Protoss side of GuineaPig for a while, and perhaps it will surprise us yet.


ST_SUPERSTAR vs SlayerS_Brown
Remember the last Round of Sixteen, when all Zergs went temporarily insane and cheesed their way out of the running? This is their chance to return to the fold with safe, sane and credible play. By chance, I mean their last chance. SUPERSTAR has been given a chance to make up for his loss against Oz with an early ZvP against the untested Brown. Brown, most notable for beating oGs.HerO in GSL May, is back in the GSL after a 7 month absence and has a lot to prove with a 1-2 all time record. However he did defeat the proven IMYoDa to claim his spot, which goes to show that every progamer qualified for Code A is a threat. SUPERSTAR, notable in equal parts for his solid performance against Tassadar (repeatedly) and comical antics, has three times as many appearances but the same 40% win rate. That is not to say that this is a battle of the bad, but no matter who wins, he will have a long and difficult season ahead.


ST_Curious vs oGs.TheStC
That brings us to our winter storm warning: Curious versus TheStC. Coming off an undefeated 9-0 run last month, it looked like Curious had finally found his way into the spotlight. However, Curious looked strangely lost in his Code S November group, and was harshly cast back down into Code A. It was strangely reminiscent of Taeja's performance in the previous Code S, where a leviathan of the lower leagues became a minnow on the grandest stage. Curious didn't play anywhere near as well as he played during his undefeated run, proving once again, that nerves play a large part in the competitive world.

In this battle of top five ELOs, TheStC brings his experience, with both an astounding 78% win rate in the match-up internationally and nearly 100 games played in the Korean theater. Curious may have impressed us all last month by shredding his competitors, but TheStC represents a greater challenge than any of those from last season. He has proved at MLG and IPL that he is a relentless snowstorm of medivac drops and flawless macro.

TheStC has waited a very long time to finally play in the GSL, and he's warmed up on some of the grandest stages. His results prior to this meeting are a harrowing warning to Curious: bring your best or you can spend a chilly December in the Code-A qualifiers.


MVP_Dream vs SlayerS_BoxeR
You need a remarkably frigid heart to root against Boxer. Lim Yo Hwan has been entertaining us for over a decade, and some of the most memorable games in ESPORTS history bear his signature. However, the last time BoxeR took the gold was... well, against Yellow. In fact, the last time Boxer won more than 3 TvTs in a row was January. But he has still managed to keep a 60% win rate in his mirror match-up, easily making it his best chance of advancing in an SC II tournament. Dream, on the other hand has given us plenty of good puns thanks to his name but little else. MVP fans may not like it but let's face the facts: Dream is 10-14, a 15 year old Terran in a league of the best Terrans in the game and hasn't made it past the round of 16 in the last 5 months. I'd like to get you excited about his sensible marine tank play, and he's definitely going to get better in the future. But this time around, Dream will be sent home before frost.


oGs.TOP vs ST_Parting
TOP was a GSL finalist just two months ago, and he's looking to make short work of PartinG, a young Protoss who's goal is to make spectators stop asking who the hell Parting is. However, after his 0-3 loss to a previous unheralded Gatored at IEM New York, I'm willing to give any Protoss player a fighting chance against the silver medalist.