Much like its individual members who have gained significant notoriety without actually having won very much, Startale continues to seem like a team of underachievers. A second place finish in the very first GSTL was the best result the team has ever achieved in team leagues, being consigned to mid-high table finishes ever since (much like their GSL players). Much of this stems from a lack of consistency from their key players, and their lack of an ace. While they possess many players who can all-kill on a good day, guys like as Bomber, Curious, Squirtle, and PartinG, but they're capable of being all-killed by a single player as well.

In that respect, MVP is actually quite similar to Startale in terms of composition. They have impressive all-around talent, with a hot Genius, sC, or Keen easily capable of taking down three or more members of the other the team. The difference, however, between being a team that doesn't live up to its talent and being the defending champions and one of the scariest teams is one player: DongRaeGu. DongRaeGu is capable of stringing together kills, doing it reliably, and is the definition of a closer. While the other MVP members have certainly gotten the job done in the clutch – like in last season's GSTL finals – DongRaeGu has always been there to carry them when they fell.

Looking at the rosters on paper, nothing says that MVP has a huge advantage. However, the mystical DongRaeGu factor puts them over the top in a huge way. StarTale should be able to compete with them evenly, but everyone will be betting on the DRG led MVP.



Looks like there's no ace conflict for Startale, despite Parting's strong performances in the GSL and MLG. With Entombed Valley as the first map, Startale seemed content to send out their strongest Protoss and save Bomber for last. PartinG's PvP has looked relatively weak compared to his other matchups, but we've yet to see him bring his individual brilliance to the GSTL, so this will be a good test.

As for TAiLS, I thought he had lost his position after finale stepped up to 3-kill Leenock, Oz, and GuMiho. We haven't seen much of TAiLS lately, but he is the owner of the most clutch GSTL performance ever when he beat Mvp and Nestea to rescue his team from disaster. Months of doing nothing in the GSL has ate away at some of the credit earned then, but he still has enough left for us to never question his deployment in GSTL.

Side note: The selection of TAiLS on Entombed seems like a 90% guarantee that MVP intends to preserve Genius for use on Calm Before The Storm, which would leave finale as a curious odd man out (unless finale plays on Calm instead).

Key players – Startale

Squirtle: Squirtle competes with Bomber for the title of streakiest streak player on an already streaky team. They just can't figure out whether to be good or bad on any given day. Bomber at his best is obviously better than Squirtle at his best, but they are about equal in terms of being utterly unpredictable. I'm not kidding when I say Squirtle could actually all-kill MVP if he gets hot, but he could also just fold without putting up a fight.

Virus: Virus has been a mystery for months. He's a seemingly mediocre player who always manages to put up better results than anyone expects. To the dismay of some, this has made him a regular Code S presence. To others, he's an endearingly plucky competitor in a dog eat dog league. Whatever your opinion of Virus might be, he's an important Terran card that backs up Bomber, yet he's pretty much guaranteed to not be accounted for properly by MVP (because no one does, to be honest). Thus, he will be in a a position to do some damage.

July: After looking rather washed up towards the end of 2011, July Zerg woke up one day in 2012 and decided that he would prefer to be in Code S, and that he preferred his team to win, rather than lose, team league games. He could yet influence the course of the GSTL.

Curious: Oddly enough, Curious' ZvT is looking a lot more scary than his ZvP in the last month. Whatever the cause is, Curious is the other more reliable player in Startale's line-up, whose performances don't vary as much on any given day. Alongside PartinG, Curious will have to secure a win or two, or else Startale will be relying on their streaky players to make up for 4+ wins.

Key players – MVP

Genius: Though Genius choked in the finals, with his indecision costing him two crucial games, he definitely earned the right to be there. While his macro and micro lagged behind some of the other Protoss stars, Genius was the most intelligent in the last GSL (up to the finals, anyway), making good decisions, choosing when to engage and retreat wisely, and always thinking about the best positioning for his armies. Hopefully, he will have gotten over any post-defeat depression by now, and returned to practicing 100%. He was a proven GSTL card even before his Code S run, and if he can keep up that form, he and DRG can create the deadliest one-two punch in the GSTL.

sC: Because of poor health, too much League of Legends, and whatever other reasons, sC has fallen off greatly. Perhaps it's more accurate to say that he looks the same, while everyone else around him has gotten better. However, sC was so good to begin, that falling off only means he's become a borderline Code A/S player. Hey, isn't that what the entirety of Startale minus PartinG has been for months?

Keen: The most Startale-ish of the MVP players, Keen's ability to win games comes and goes like your feelings for your ex when you're reading their facebook timeline (yes, I realize some of you are stoic, MANLY MEN/WOMEN). Despite this, he's usually favored over sC as MVP's Terran card, suggesting that at least internally, he's regarded as their #1 Terran. While Noblesse and sC should be back him up adequately, Keen will have to prove that MvP's faith in him is not misplaced after some poor performances this season.

Monster: It's been important since the Brood War days to have a player of the same race as your ace to back him up *cough cough* KTFlash *cough*, and MVP has a decent card in Monster. His GSL luck hasn't been the best in the world, but MVP has given him a regular starting spot in their team league line-ups over more well known players like sC, Noblesse, and Tails (who have oddly enough, barely figured into their plans in 2012). He's rewarded them with some very nice showings for a Code B player, including a three kill against oGs.

The Aces

Startale have been flexible about deploying Bomber at various positions in the line-up during non-elimination games, but when it's do or die time, he's always been their ace player. With PartinG starting for Startale since Entombed was drawn as the first map, it feels pretty much confirmed that Bomber will be the caboose of this StarTale train.

Now, more than ever, this seems like a risky idea. Bomber has been even more absurdly up and down these days, all-killing NS Hoseo, taking the Code B express, then clearing the Code B qualifiers like they weren't anything. Bomber has only been a mediocre closer in the past, and it seems like a better idea to play him early and get see what you'll get out of him on that given day, rather than save him until the end and hope he can bring his S game.

As for DongRaeGu... There's not much to say. GSTL has existed for less than a year, and he's already some kind of mythic entity, a super-closer demi-god who can rescue his team from any situation. His failings against MKP at MLG, and his recent fall from Code S have done a lot to hurt his reputation as an individual league player, but team leagues exist in their own, only partially connected bubble. There, DongRaeGu is still the dragon that protects the greatest prize, and will remain so until he is slain.

Overall

If everyone is on their game, Startale has the firepower to beat MVP three times over. Only one or two of their wild cards really have to get going, and it's lights out for their top-heavy opponent. It's absurd that a team with such a notable roster hasn't had more success, but Startale is just that unreliable.

In the end, I believe MVP has the edge. Forget the fact that DRG has looked weak in the past few days – he takes it to another level in the GSTL. This is his original kingdom, before he ever hopped on a flight to the USA or took a shot at Code A.

When it comes down to it, every single time, I will take the man who always delivers over a team of guys who never have.

Prime, after getting lucky to make it to the playoff stages last season and reel of an underdog run to the finals, has made sure no one could think their runner-up position was a fluke. With a deep line-up that has had copious amount of heroes step up through the past two seasons, Prime's teamwork and strength at every race has given them the opportunity to be one step away from the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas and the Grand Finals.

FXO, on the other hand, can have the same things said about them. From the early days when they were known as fOu, they've always been a mid-table team, not having the best line-up, but getting farther than people expected due to smart snipes and good coaching. Even with the loss of their former ace sC to MVP a few months ago, FXO has looked stronger than ever since merging the FXO and fOu clans.

With these two deep line-ups, let's have a quick breakdown on how they stack up.

Key Players

Terran: Prime has a strong Terran line-up even if MarineKing isn't in the equation. MaruPrime was able to qualify in Code S as the youngest player in history and then get first in his group when he got there, and GhostKingPrime is a former Code S semifinalist who three-killed Startale and is almost always atop the Korean Grandmaster ladder. FXO has FXOGuMiho, a semifinalist from last season, but he didn't look particularly on point in his Code S group, going 0-2 and even losing a series to Prime's Maru. Gumiho is an amazing player who has the ability to beat anyone when he's at his best, but I can't look past his disappointing results in Code S and have to give the edge to the Prime Prodigy and the Player Formerly Known as Byun.

P.S: I am warning you now to watch out for FXOasd and FXOXD. asd was able to take down Supernova last week to put his team in the position to win, and its a strong possibility that these two will be used in conjunction to take down MarineKing. They might not be as strong as a Gumiho, Maru, or GhostKing, but they very well could be the key to unseating Prime.

Zerg: Prime has BBoongBBoongPrime, AnnYeongPrime and TeriousPrime while FXO, if not counting Leenock due to being their ace, will have FXOLucky and FXOSirius as their Zergs in the early and mid-point of the series. No offense to anyone of the other players, but I expect to only be seeing B4 and Lucky from the five players I just named. B4 might have been in Code S this season while Lucky wasn't able to qualify, but overall Lucky is the better player. His victory against Fin in last week's Ro6 match-up against oGsTL turned the tide for the entire series after it looked like Fin might be going for an all kill. For FXO to win this series, Lucky will need to come up big with a win or two, and I believe he has the talent to get it done.

Protoss: FXOz vs. CreatorPrime. Sure, FXOChoya has come up big this season with some gigantic upsets like his game against MMA, but the battle of Aiur will come down to Oz and Creator for their teams. Creator loves to play greedy and was punished for it in his Up and Down groups, losing to two Terran cheeses and not being able to qualify into Code S like B4 or Maru. Creator is a great up-and-coming player and if he can become less predictable with his love of double forges and late-game play, he could become the best Protoss in the world, but right now? Oz is already one of the best Protosses in the world and has a much more varied play style. Behind Creator, Prime don't real have much in terms of Protoss with the departure of HongUn and the vanishing act of Anypro, while FXO has Oz, Choya, and the surprisingly high ELO ranked FXOTear.

The Aces

The two best players from these teams haven't always been the best in the GSTL format, but both have come up big this season to clinch important matches. Leenock looked dominating in his Up and Down group, not dropping a single map, but his major flaw is against Protoss. He has the ability to be sniped against a strong Protoss like Creator, but I expect Leenock to be used at the end when they need to close the deal. MarineKing has been on fire, winning the MLG Winter and MLG Winter Championship before having an encore performance back in Korea where he topped a difficult Code S group.

Leenock is an amazing player and one of the best Zergs in the world, but MarineKing has momentum of a launching spaceship heading to the moon. He's won his first major championship, has round of sixteen in Code S already wrapped up, and he only needs a Prime victory over FXO to make the perfect week. FXO's best chance of sniping MarineKing would have been Gumiho, but with him going out first, they must have the Alphabet Terran Duo of XD and asd preparing a build of taking out MKP, or they'll rely on Leenock to kill the king,

Prediction

FXO have the second and third strongest players in this series with Oz and Leenock, but Prime possess the best player who has never had more confidence in his skill. It's going to be a close series, Choya being one of the smartest coaches in the GSTL, always finding the perfect spots to slot his players, but Prime's new Terran Trio with MKP, Maru and GhostKing is too scary to pick against. They have experience from last season's finals and while FXO could very well take the trip to Las Vegas, you can't bet against the King of Marines when he is destroying absolutely everyone in his path the last two weeks.

We have been through a year and nearly five seasons of GSTL, and while the teams have all played each other head-to-head many times, we have no real way to determine which team is better than another. Players have come and gone and the metagame has shifted so dramatically that it’s impossible to rank them objectively.

Until now.

What follows is the most comprehensive, objective, and statistically sound ranking of Korean SC2 teams to date: my opinion of their clothes.

10. NewStar Ho Seo. With all due respect to oGs/Liquid, NSHS has the best logo in the GSTL. The three letters put together work really well, and are instantly recognizable. Their outfits, however, leave a bit to be desired. The top is a standard warm-up jacket, and I even like the colors, but when in their first match I saw Sage get up and walk to the booth, I recoiled in horror:



Are those . . . no break, tapered-leg track pants? Where do you even get those? Tell me it’s because he’s tall and they couldn’t get a pair to fit him properly. I love Sage, and I think NSHS’s players are fantastic, but those pants are inexcusable.

9. Prime. Here’s a strange one. They have a nice logo and I like the colors (grey and red), but the design is . . . unorthodox. Which I suppose is fitting for an eSports team that doubles as a men's clothier. I like the idea of going really “out there” with their choice, but what they came up with is just not to my taste. You might think I’d like it because it’s a hoodie (sort of), but the faux leather cowl looks just a little too Star Wars for me, and the giant backpacks feel out of place. To be honest, I could rank them anywhere from ten to one. I completely understand if you think that they look awesome and that I’m completely wrong. I’m not wrong, of course, but I understand and accept that some people will think that.

8. MVP. MVP’s look isn’t too distinctive, with black hoodies over T-Shirts. Interestingly the players seem to have some control over what t-shirt to wear, sometimes there’s white peeking out, though they usually feature the team logo. But, like Prime, the hoodies are avant garde, with a series of metallic fasteners (buttons or snaps) holding the front panels together. It’s a little unusual, and I’m not entirely sure whether to rank them above or below Prime. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that MVP’s star player knows how to add his own style. That white jacket DRG wore at Columbus last weekend is fantastic, and bumps them over Prime.

5, 6, 7. FXOpen, ZeNEX, StarTale. These teams are the “ordinary track suit” group. Am I grouping these together because I’m too lazy to come up with things to say about teams with substantially identical uniforms? Yes. But they actually are quite similar. FXO’s shirts are recognizable, but don’t bring anything special to the table, and the jacket and pants are standard. ZeNEX uses turquoise, which I prefer more than some other enthusiasts of athletics aesthetics, but they’re pretty much wearing the same thing as everyone else. StarTale is my particular favorite from this group – I think the prominent sponsor on their collar makes the suits look a little more motorsports-influenced – but there’s still no major difference.

Now generally, this should work. Basketball players wear tracksuits, and basketball players are cool. But the track suit by itself doesn't do much for me. When I see a bunch of guys in them I think less Tony Parker and more Tony Soprano.

4. Incredible Miracle. For a long time defined aesthetically as “terrifyingly good Starcraft players wearing McDonald's uniforms,” IM has switched out to a much better outfit. Their long sleeve T-Shirts are unobtrusive, and their down jackets are pretty appealing. Most notably, however, IM appears to be the only team with baseball caps. Every time Nestea shows up with that IM hat, people ask where they can get one. It’s also Nestea, of course, and if he wore a bright pink bowler there would be nerds crawling over one another to get their hands on them, but the IM hat is cool on its own merits.

3. Old Generations. For the longest time they wore polo shirts most closely associated with MC’s travels across the globe, first white and then with that dreadful blue pattern, terrorizing foreign gamers and losing at poker. But with MC’s departure, they’ve adopted new, vaguely military jackets, which I think look great. They’re distinctive and look strong without trying to make a bunch of professional gamers look intimidating. As an aside, I detest in all sports the trend of teams that try to look intimidating by adding black to their traditional colors. It seems much better to let your play show how tough you are. And Liquid – what can we say? It’s only a T-Shirt, but it looks great, the colors are fantastic, and it doesn’t look garish.

2. SlayerS. With SlayerS, it begins and ends with the jacket. Their T-Shirts are recognizable and their track pants inoffensive, but the jacket is what makes the SlayerS uniform. It was first widely recognized in that now-iconic image of BoxeR practicing long into the night at MLG Anaheim. As a result, threads were started (and have recently been raised from the archives) and the jacket was hunted down, available for only 218,000 won (around $200). The SlayerS jacket was really the first notable and desirable SC2 uniform element – and, you know, it's BoxeR. With time, it’s no less so. That single article puts them at #2.

1. Team SCV Life. I know this may be controversial, but I sincerely think that TSL has the best uniforms. It’s not just because they’re sponsored by [Name Redacted Until They Send Me Free Stuff]. It’s because of these hoodies:



It might not be the standard elsewhere in the world, but the hoodie has completely dominated American casual style for a decade. Team Dignitas look great with them, people would kill for the Liquid one that Hot_Bid is always seen wearin, and old people can’t stand them. It’s a fantastic look that combines youth and coolness, and TSL wore them straight to the top of the first objective 2012 GSTL power rankings (and unfortunately straight out of the league, going 3-10 in games).

But in just one week, two of these teams are going to be heading to Las Vegas, Nevada, to face off in the first GSTL Final in North America. Whichever team wins the actual Starcraft matches, how are they going to look doing it? It’s Sin City, and they’re going to have some serious competition.