Ryung once rode his strong mirror match ability to a top eight finish in the days of GomTvT, but has since then fell by the wayside as the other races reestablished themselves. He must have mixed feelings going up against SuperNova, who is a Terran, but another Terran who is good at the mirror matchup. Still, he must be happy on the whole. Sure, he would prefer to get TvT hamstrung MKP or Jjakji, but at least he didn't get Oz or Nestea.

SuperNoVa has been a very good Terran vs Terran player since his late 2011's revival, although his TvT record isn't as good as it could be due to unfortunate run-ins with Mvp at the peak of his power. We would say he's slightly favored as the veteran, and the player who's been in better form as of late... if not for his IEM Sao Paulo performance.

It shouldn't really affect our opinion of his TvT, since his best series at Sao Paulo actually was a 2 – 0 win over Illusion, but he just looked so shaky, so un-Korean during the entire tournament (if you were wondering, a textbook Korean performance is what happened at Assembly and MLG this weekend). You know, it was probably just nerves, maladjustment to the local environment, and unfamiliarity with new styles. But even then... He gets our vote of faith this time around.

Prediction: SuperNoVa 2 – 1 Ryung

Slayers_Taeja vs. ST_Squirtle

Taeja joins the rest of the Jet Lag Crew tonight, with at least two days of extra rest before his all important match against Squirtle for qualification into Code S. He's coming out of Winter Assembly where he failed to meet expectations, getting first in his group but falling to eventual winner Polt in the round of sixteen, at the end of a three game series that showcased both players' high level marine-tank play. Now, returning to Korea empty handed for the Emperor and Jessica, Taeja still has a chance to make Boxer proud by getting into the most prestigious SC2 league in the world.

Slayers has many Terrans, and we all know that MMA is the best they have, but if you had to pick who was the second most talented, Taeja might very well be it. He has only been to Code S once, losing in an amazingly tough group where he had to go up against both DongRaeGu and Polt in back-to-back sets. As fast as Taeja's stock rose, he fell straight back into Code A where he's remained since. He's been able to keep up his impressive online tournament records, especially in the Korean Weekly tournament where he has become the king and ruler, but none of his talent will matter if he can't live up to his potential in the GSL.

Squirtle, on the other hand, has been on a gigantic tear of late, getting four kills against IM in the GSTL and getting through the second round of Code A against Inca. His PvZ might be some of the best currently in the Korea, holding an almost 70% win percentage in the match-up, but it'll be his weakest match-up that he'll need to use to get past Taeja and finally make his debut in Code S. Similar to Taeja, Squirtle has been hyped up to be one of the better Protosses since his stunning upset of MVP in the first ever GSTL finals. He was able to play like a Code S player in team league, but when it came to the individual tournaments, he's never been able to get that far.

This should be a great series, and whoever loses this series should not fret. Both Squirtle and Taeja are talented enough to make it through the Up-and-Downs. If there had to be a favorite, I would side with Taeja, but with fatigue from long travel and Squirtle having more time to prepare solely for this match, it could be a wild series.

Prediction: Taeja 2 - 1 Squirtle




How does Virus do it? The guy doesn't give up. When it feels like you've forgotten he existed and think he's not even in the GSL anymore, you look at the schedule and realize he's one game away from being back in Code S. At a 43% overall win rate and not having a match-up over 50%, Virus is one of the most fascinating players in the entire GSL. While players such as Bomber, Polt, Losira have fallen out of the GSL entirely, the player voted as having the best complexion during last year's GSL awards is still staying alive. His road, just like his play, hasn't been perfect. He's had to go to three sets in both series and shown that even though his micro might not be the sharpest, he can get it done when it counts. In the end, it doesn't matter how you got to Code S, it's that you made it there.

Facing off against enigma known as Virus is our champion from the last regular Code S season, the ace of NS Hoseo, Jjakji, a player who could be considered in a slump lately. He was able to get out of the round of thirty two against Boxer, but let's be truthful here, he got lucky. Boxer had the series won in the final set of the series, he messed up and gave Jjakji the chance to overcome an almost checkmate position to make the next round. His TvT has been very unimpressive of late and is clearly his weakest match-up compared to his championship winning TvZ and strong TvP.

Looking solely on skill, Jjakji should breeze through this. He's the reigning Code S champion until March 3rd and Virus is a player that scratches, claws and does whatever he can to make it round to round. But, with the champion slumping, and Virus, seemingly, with the odds always against him, winning series after series in the final set, would you really be surprised if he could do it again?

Virus doesn't do anything specifically amazing, and I've called him the Vanilla Terran before for that very reason, but the guy is literally a virus. You can try and create whatever kinda wacky GSL tournament vaccine you want Mr. Chae, and it might be able to eliminate the Ensnare's and LegalMind's of the world, but in 2045, when the Legacy of the Void beta is finally released, Virus will still be in the GSL, clawing his way to Code S for the ninety-eighth time and we'll still have no explanation how he does it.

Prediction: Jjakji 2 - 1 Virus




After nearly a year of failed attempts, the path to Code S seems to be finally opening up for HerO. Against Line and JYP, he played the way everyone hoped he might one day, with his micro living up to his reputation in particular. Luck seems to be going his way as well, with Ganzi being one of the more manageable Code S RO16 drop-downs HerO might have hoped for.

Ganzi's TvT and TvZ are truly top tier, but his TvP is not quite on that level. He is good at managing the game, macroing, and using a variety of build orders to gain the advantage, but he's not one of those marine-marauder-medivac savants who have the will to kite across the entire map, and run around picking ridiculous battles against colossi and high templars and win anyway.

HerO's PvT is overshadowed by his PvZ, and his tendency to get pulverized by Polt (an example of the aforementioned MMM savant), but it's still pretty good. He has some of that MC aggressive streak so he gets some easy wins, but is also very good at that deathball stuff as well. All-around, he seems like a more solid player at the matchup than Ganzi.

Prediction: HerO 2 – 1 Ganzi