Results from Live Report Thread by Seeker.

Match 1
aLive <Dual Sight 1.1> July
aLive <Entombed Valley> July
aLive <Daybreak> July

Match 2
Zenio <Daybreak> MKP
Zenio <Atlantis Spaceship> MKP
Zenio <> MKP

Match 3
July <Metropolis> MKP
July <Entombed Valley> MKP
July <Daybreak> MKP

Match 4
aLive <Metropolis> Zenio
aLive <Entombed Valley> Zenio
aLive <Dual Sight 1.1> Zenio

Match 5
July <Atlantis Spaceship> Zenio
July <Dual Sight> Zenio
July <ESV ClouD Kingdom> Zenio

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MKP advances to Code S Ro16
July advances to Code S Ro16

Zenio aLive falls to Code A Ro32
aLive falls to Code A Ro48

Return of the King

There was much pomp and ceremony around MarineKing's return to the GSL. Apparently, the GSL considered the Kong-curse to be broken with the MLG Winter Championship victory, as they allowed the King to dispense boiled soybeans and soy milk to his loyal subjects in the audience in celebration of his escape from that ignominious club.

MarineKing was no empty soybean pod, and there was substance to his return as well. As many expected him to do, he won two straight series in his group to advance to the RO16. With July scoring an upset against aLive, MarineKing had the fortune of playing a Zerg opponent in the winners match after he easily dealt with a hapless Zenio in his initial series. Having already beaten DRG – the best ZvT player in the world – by a score of 5 – 2 just a few days earlier, there was no question as to the eventual outcome.

God of War

Gods, by and large, tend to be immortal. And so, JulyZerg proved that he was indeed very much non-dead, pulling off a series of huge upsets to reach the RO16. The other tendency of gods is that they dislike compromise. And so it was for JulyZerg, who refused to let changing times affect his insanely aggressive style.

July opened the night by upsetting aLive in a three game series, where aLive seemed shocked at the fact that a Zerg actually wanted to fight him head on in the mid-game. With so many Zerg players doing all they can to avoid a head on fight until they get hive units out, it didn't seem like a style aLive was well prepared to face.

Even MarineKing was taken aback by JulyZerg's aggression, as many troop advances that would have been 'safe' against any other opponent were simply ripped to shreds by July's deathcloud of muta-ling-bane. However, MarineKing managed to make a few adjustments on the fly, dialed down the aggression and turned up the patience, and weathered the storm to come back from a game down to win the series.

In the last match of the night, July showed some greatly improved ZvZ play to defeat Zenio in yet another upset, moving on to the RO16 where he will attempt to terrorize more victims.

aLive Follows Gumiho Out

With the results aLive and Gumiho are achieving in other leagues, no one can say their semi-final runs last season were flukes. Yet, Code S has become such a merciless beast that the previous two semi-finalists can be eliminated in the first three days of the tournament. Not only were aLive and Gumiho eliminated, but they were eliminated in last place and sent to the Code A 48 where they are one series loss away from being banished to Code B.

Game of the Night: July vs MarineKing – Game One

Hiding, dodging, rolling with the punches, pestering, buying time. That's not Zerg.

Zerg is the swarm, meant for, well... SWARMING. Playing an aesthetically pleasing game rarely means playing a winning game, but when the two do match up, it's f***ing glorious.

MvPDongRaeGu, oGs.TheStC, NSH_Jjakji, TaeJa

Finally, the champion has arrived. After voyaging all the way to America, hoping to bank another $25,000 and add another shiny trophy to pair with the one from his GSL championship, MvPDongRaeGu returns with the bittersweet feeling of having come up just a few inches short. Now, DRG will try to put his American disappointment behind him and begin his quest to be the first player since Nestea to win back-to-back Code S.

Known as the undisputed best ZvT player in the world, it might seem that a group with three Terrans is the best possible draw he could have hoped for. However, it's going to be anything but easy. MarineKing was able to prove at MLG Winter Arena and the MLG Winter Championship that the way to defeat DRG is to hit him before the late game. By using some good early-to-mid game timings and mixing up his builds, MKP showed that it was possible to beat the GSL champion in TvZ. Not all of DRG's groupmates have MarineKing's nearly flawless mechanics – which played a large part in his victory over DRG – but watching five DRG losses will have given them some hints on how to take him down.

The first victim player to take on the champion will be oGsTheStC. For a player who has finally made it into Code S after nearly a year of trying, TheStC will face a very cruel reception. DongRaeGu specifically picked TheStC as his first opponent, so it's not hard to guess what TheStC's weakest match-up is. Not at all his strong suit, TheStC's only GSL TvZ series win came against Losira, a player who has a similar weakness in ZvT. It's a tall order to beat DongRaeGu in his debut series in Code S, so the key to TheStC's survival will be his TvT games. Fortunately for TheStC, that's something he can be optimistic about.

TheStC has been on a roll in TvT in 2012, beating an impressive list of opponents including Maru, Jjakji, sC and even his teammate Fin. Compared to the other two Terrans in his group who show a preference towards bio and marine-tank play in TvT, TheStC is a strong mech player. If his opponents aren't ready to deal with this style, then TheStC might have a good shot of going through, even if he does lose to DRG.

There's more than one champion in this group – Code S November winner NSH_Jjakji also resides here. He had a decent outing last season, making the round of the sixteen but having the misfortune of facing ST_Parting twice in his group. It's no shame to go out to possibly the best PvT player in the world, especially if you put up a great fight and become a part of two of the best GSL TvPs ever seen in the process. JJakji's fall from champion to RO16 player wasn't a sign of any decline in skill – it just showed how stacked Code S is. However, it's going to be hard for Jjakji to match his finish from the last tournament, much less improve on it.

On one hand, he might get to play his best match-up in TvZ. He's has gone 9-1 in his last ten sets, and famously won the GSL November champiosnhip against Leenock in an epic series. However, the opponent he would face in a TvZ happens to be the best ZvT player in the world (if not THE best player in the world) in DongRaeGu. Jjakji is a favorite against every other Zerg in the world, and he had the misfortune to draw the one opponent against whom he is an underdog.

On the other hand, he is guaranteed to play his worst match-up in TvT, as there are two Terran players in the group. Jjakji is by no means a bad Terran player, but it's definitely the match-up in which he's looked the most vulnerable. However, he does have some good cheeses, and has been showing some pretty impressive mech play in his most recent games, so it's hard to tell how well he will do.

The final member of the group is also the only player in Code S without a team. TaeJa, one of the fastest rising stars in Starcraft 2 is also the hottest free agent on the market. Whatever foreign team he ends up on, he's practically guaranteed to become their ace. It's surprising that he's been a free agent this long without signing with a team, so this will be a great chance to put in a great job interview in a group with two GSL champions. You can imagine the wads of cash an impressed foreign employer might throw his way if he makes it out of this group.

By dominating another ESV event and going on a successful Code A run, Taeja has captured the #1 TLPD elo spot yet again. He's a perfect 10 – 0 in his last ten games, where he beat Squirtle, Lucky, and Jjakji in series. The last series defeat he had was at Assembly Winter, where it took the best marine-tank TvTer on earth in Polt to just barely take him out.

Now, with a golden opportunity to not only prove he is more than an online tournament player, but to make his monster talent pay off with a lucrative foreign contract, this is the most important night in Taeja's young career. If he could beat two GSL champions in a row and advance to the round of sixteen, records might be broken as teams fight to get his signature.


Overall outlook and prediction

DongRaeGu should make it out of his group, especially since his first opponent is currently weak against Zerg. However, a victory against Jjakji or Taeja is not assured, as both players are very skilled in TvZ. All four have a lot of the line in tonight's group. DongRaeGu wants to prove that he is capable of matching Nestea in back-to-back championships and prove his losses to MKP weren't holes in his game. TheStC, after months and months of trying to get into Code S, has finally arrived and will do anything to not go back to Code A. Jjakji, a Code S champion, was ignored in this season's GSL intro, even having Bomber, a Code A player, included in front of him. He can't possibly have not noticed this snub, and will want to make GSL look foolish for their mistake. Finally, Taeja, who must have scouts watching his every move like a sixteen year old pitcher with a 98 mph fastball, will be trying to maximize the number of cash filled suitcases that arrive at his door in the upcoming week.

DRG > TheStC
Taeja > Jjakji
DRG > Taeja
TheStC > Jjakji
Taeja > TheStC[/b]

DongRaeGu and Taeja advance.