This should be the finals of this season. No offense to the Polt and the Swarm, our defending champions FXO, Slayers, MarineKing's Model Academy, or the team MVP (not the player Mvp or the tournament MvP), but these are the two best teams in the world. Loaded with talent from the very bottom to the top, these two teams are the jewels of the Starcraft 2 scene in Korea. A final between these two would bring excitement, fans, and a million different dream matches that people would pay to see.
Sadly, almost like they're teasing us, if we want to see a showdown between these two with their full rosters, we'll have to hope they meet in the finals. With Mvp and Nestea playing in China currently, LG-IM will be short two of their four GSL champions on their GSTL roster. So for anyone hoping to see a rematch of the GSL finals and see if Mvp can get a bit of revenge for Life denying him his G5L trophy, you'll have to cross your fingers for them to meet in the grand finals.
Still, even without two of their best players, LG-IM still has a line-up that can compete with anyone in the world. In the clash of the Korean titans, only one will get a direct seeding into the semifinals. The loser will have to then face MVP in the last match of Group A to see who will have to go up against the undefeated TSL squad who was the first team to book their ticket for the semis.
StartaleQ
LG-IM
by Fionn
The Rosters:
The Bench (LG-IM):
Terran: Depth for LG-IM in the Terran department will come from dreamertt. While he isn't expected to crack the roster even without Mvp there, he still has been important in online team matches when IM doesn't feel like using their A-team.
Zerg: True and Horror have seen some mild success in GSL, qualifying for Code A a few times, but never having a breakthrough performance. On a lot of teams these two could be fielded on a semi-regular basis, but with Losira on the roster, it'll be hard to see either of these two called out tonight.
Protoss: Is Ready ready for action? Is First ready to become number one? Yeah, probably not, but both have some of the best ID to team combos in SC2 history, so that's something, right? Kudos to them for their name picking skills. First is a very good player, but with his weak PvZ, it's hard to think he'll be picked over the top three Protoss on LG-IM.
The Bench (Startale):
Terran: Harrier, Sparta and Virus are the three back-up Terran players for Startale. Harrier showed a lot of potential on ZeNex, but didn't know how to close games he had big leads in. Sparta, also known as the Boy Who Killed the God of Zerg, didn't do so hot in the Up/Downs, but could be a good psychological weapon if these two teams meet in the final for a match against Nestea. Virus was once known as the player no one really knew how to keep out of Code S, but somehow they found the cure. Now out entirely of the GSL, we haven't seen or heard of him in a long while.
Zerg: July is somewhere off in the army trying to command an army to roll directly into the enemy's base a thousand times over until they did, and SuHoSin is still a part-time progamer that will probably play even less now that he is out of the GSL.
Protoss: Avenge, TREME, and AcE are the depth in the Protoss category. Isn't it crazy to think Ace was actually in Code S a few seasons ago by beating MarineKing in the Up/Downs? It looked like a resurgence of his career and finally putting himself on the same level as his comrades Parting and Squirtle, but it all came crashing down the very next season. All Ace can hope for now is that Mr. Chae feels a bit of pity and gives him the ceremony award again at this year's award ceremony.
The Core (LG-IM):
YoDa/Happy: Yoda and Happy are in the middle of the greatest back-up Terran battle of all-time. Neither will come close to being the top Terran on LG-IM until Mvp's body breaks down entirely or he quits SC2, so the two Code S players continue go back and forth with decent results. Both qualified for the fifth season's Code S with results in the Up/Down matches, so we'll have to see which one can win the title of Mvp's back-up in tonight's match.
LosirA: Remember when Losira was in the Code S finals? Yeah, that actually happened. Don't believe me? Go on Liquipedia. While he still hasn't made it back to GSL or had any singles success since that GSL July final, he is still the best Zerg on LG-IM when it comes to team league. Currently 4th on the Korean GM ladder, Losira appears to be in good shape, and is historically one of the best players in GSTL.
MC: Having his five straight season streak of being in Code S ended last night in a group that was pretty much made for him to dominate, the most successful Protoss in SC2 history will have to look at GSTL as his only chance to pick up some Korean hardware in 2012. We'll see if his falling from Code S will make him an angry, smashing MC bent on an all-kill, or if he'll revert into a sad, mopey slump mode that some players have gone through after tough losses.
Seed: Seed is still crafting his legacy. Some people still believe he could end up like jjakji, but Seed was able to power through his Up/Down matches and clinch his fourth straight season in Code S. He is a reliable player that can be counted on in any match-up, and he'll have to come up big if this shorthanded LG-IM team wants to topple a fully loaded Startale behemoth.
The Core (Startale):
Bomber/Hack What's this? Could this be an actual passing of the torch moment in the Startale team? Bomber, Startale's unquestioned #1 Terran since he came out of nowhere and took the title from Rainbow's hands, is finally not the highest placing Terran in Startale's roster. With his disappointing performance in the Up/Down matches, Hack is now the Code S Terran for the Startale team. Bomber has still been Startale's hero again and again in team league, so the torch isn't passed completely, but Hack is right in Bomber's rear-view mirror and waiting for his chance to shine.
Curious: The hero for their series against MVP, Curious is someone that can be counted on to put a good performance any time he is put out in team league. While Life has become Startale's savior with his recent GSL title victory, Curious is still the backbone that keeps Startale standing. He'll never be the most talked about member on a team of uber personalities, but you can't have Startale without Curious. Stone faced, quiet, and reliable, he is one of the scariest pieces to this puzzle.
PartinG: Always entertaining, Parting seemed to be in position to become the face of Startale. With Curious' silent personality, Bomber's slumping, and Squirtle's quiet confidence, it all seemed like the perfect team for Parting to become the personality of. He was a strong player, had an engaging personality, and was becoming one of the most popular players after his hilarious interviews at the OSL group selections. Then in came Life, a younger, cockier and better player, someone who would conquer Code S in his first try. At least Parting has more silver medals than he does.
Squirtle: Speaking of silver medals, you have Squirtle. Ever since losing to Hero in Code S last season, Squirtle has been in a slump. Yeah, he was able to get through the third stage of Code A, but he's done terribly in the past two foreign tournaments he attended. With how stacked his team is, Squirtle doesn't need to do it all himself, but it'd be a good sign for the fifth season if he can get back on track against LG-IM.
The Ace (LG-IM)
YongHwa: Yonghwa is on the verge of breaking GSTL records tonight. Coming in with two straight all-kills, Yonghwa only needs one more win to surpass DongRaeGu in terms of longestwin streak in GSTL history with 11. He can also surpass DRG in the most wins in GSTL history with that win, putting him at 22 to DRG's 21. Yonghwa has been on a mission this season, slaying nerd left and right, putting him one win away from the biggest streak in history. He might not be called out last for LG-IM, but he is their ace. As a team that hadn't done very well in team league since the very first season, Yonghwa has come in and taken it into his own hands to make LG-IM a champion. We'll either see history tonight with Yonghwa, or we'll see him go down in flames like he has done so many times in Code A qualifiers as the king of Code B.
The Ace (Startale)
Life: Startale had gone to three GSL finals and two GSTL finals. All five times they came out with a silver medal. Startale then decided to absorb ZeNex, Life came on board, and won Code S in his first try, breaking all Kongtale curses and becoming the hero of his new team. Having made his first breakthrough last season with ZeNex, having a long win streak of his very own before getting stopped by Puzzle, Life is no stranger to the GSTL or being an ace of a team at the age of 15-years-old. With a GSL title already in one hand, he wants a GSTL championship to put in the other. Already qualified for IPL5 and MLG Dallas, Life has a chance to make history in the month of November.
Prediction
Even if Nestea and Mvp were here, Startale is the best team in the world. Life just won the GSL, Hack is finally realizing his Code S potential, and the rest are good enough to beat anyone in the world at their very best. LG-IM is a team filled with stars, but they got through the first two rounds with Yonghwa destroying everyone. If Yonghwa can continue his streak of terror or at least pick up a game or two, LG-IM has a chance, but Startale are the odds on favorite to take this season with the addition of Life and the added depth ZeNex gives them.
I don't see why Startale is favored over LG-IM, but I guess we'll see what happens. I think it'll be 5-4 either way unless Life or Yonghwa all-kill for their respective teams.
Edit: Mvp & Nestea wouldn't really matter even if they were here maybe Mvp would but this should be really close.
On October 27 2012 09:45 FrostedMiniWheats wrote: oh bs Fionn
IM is by far the best team in the world.
IM is the best collection of players in the world.
Startale is the best team in the world.
why? they have 0 team league gold medals
actually I take that back, they have one from like January 2011.
Probably becuase they are only really getting into the swing of things now. Parting is looking as strong as ever, they have a new super ace in life, squirtle can still beat just about anyone, expecially in a Bo1 format, curious has shown some super good play (beating MC and Marineking last GSL) and Bomber can still take at least a couple games off of any team.
On October 27 2012 09:45 FrostedMiniWheats wrote: oh bs Fionn
IM is by far the best team in the world.
IM is the best collection of players in the world.
Startale is the best team in the world.
why? they have 0 team league gold medals
actually I take that back, they have one from like January 2011.
Probably becuase they are only really getting into the swing of things now. Parting is looking as strong as ever, they have a new super ace in life, squirtle can still beat just about anyone, expecially in a Bo1 format, curious has shown some super good play (beating MC and Marineking last GSL) and Bomber can still take at least a couple games off of any team.
sure you can make a case for them having a lot of strong players but I fail to see how you make the distinction between " the best collection of players " and " the best team " when Startale is clearly not the best team in terms of achievements, IM went 3-0 in the IPTL group stages and Startale went 2-1, IM also beat Startale 5-2 in IPL TAC3.
for every strong player on Startale IM has an equally strong player, they have more strong players even. Hell IM beat TSL in IPTL with only DreamerTT and True, the team has unmatched depth. Startale falls off a lot after their top 5 while IM does not, you can't field all their good players in one bo9 because they have too many.
On October 27 2012 09:45 FrostedMiniWheats wrote: oh bs Fionn
IM is by far the best team in the world.
IM is the best collection of players in the world.
Startale is the best team in the world.
why? they have 0 team league gold medals
actually I take that back, they have one from like January 2011.
Probably becuase they are only really getting into the swing of things now. Parting is looking as strong as ever, they have a new super ace in life, squirtle can still beat just about anyone, expecially in a Bo1 format, curious has shown some super good play (beating MC and Marineking last GSL) and Bomber can still take at least a couple games off of any team.
sure you can make a case for them having a lot of strong players but I fail to see how you make the distinction between " the best collection of players " and " the best team " when Startale is clearly not the best team in terms of achievements, IM went 3-0 in the IPTL group stages and Startale went 2-1, IM also beat Startale 5-2 in IPL TAC3.
for every strong player on Startale IM has an equally strong player, they have more strong players even. Hell IM beat TSL in IPTL with only DreamerTT and True, the team has unmatched depth. Startale falls off a lot after their top 5 while IM does not, you can't field all their good players in one bo9 because they have too many.
That series meant zilch. TSL had nothing to fight for.
On October 27 2012 09:45 FrostedMiniWheats wrote: oh bs Fionn
IM is by far the best team in the world.
IM is the best collection of players in the world.
Startale is the best team in the world.
why? they have 0 team league gold medals
actually I take that back, they have one from like January 2011.
Probably becuase they are only really getting into the swing of things now. Parting is looking as strong as ever, they have a new super ace in life, squirtle can still beat just about anyone, expecially in a Bo1 format, curious has shown some super good play (beating MC and Marineking last GSL) and Bomber can still take at least a couple games off of any team.
sure you can make a case for them having a lot of strong players but I fail to see how you make the distinction between " the best collection of players " and " the best team " when Startale is clearly not the best team in terms of achievements, IM went 3-0 in the IPTL group stages and Startale went 2-1, IM also beat Startale 5-2 in IPL TAC3.
for every strong player on Startale IM has an equally strong player, they have more strong players even. Hell IM beat TSL in IPTL with only DreamerTT and True, the team has unmatched depth. Startale falls off a lot after their top 5 while IM does not, you can't field all their good players in one bo9 because they have too many.
That series meant zilch. TSL had nothing to fight for.
Ridiculous, they could have forfeited if they really didn't care, It's exposure for their players to an international audience.
They used their best lineup besides Symbol who was likely preparing for GSL ro8 at the time.
On October 27 2012 09:45 FrostedMiniWheats wrote: oh bs Fionn
IM is by far the best team in the world.
IM is the best collection of players in the world.
Startale is the best team in the world.
why? they have 0 team league gold medals
actually I take that back, they have one from like January 2011.
Probably becuase they are only really getting into the swing of things now. Parting is looking as strong as ever, they have a new super ace in life, squirtle can still beat just about anyone, expecially in a Bo1 format, curious has shown some super good play (beating MC and Marineking last GSL) and Bomber can still take at least a couple games off of any team.
sure you can make a case for them having a lot of strong players but I fail to see how you make the distinction between " the best collection of players " and " the best team " when Startale is clearly not the best team in terms of achievements, IM went 3-0 in the IPTL group stages and Startale went 2-1, IM also beat Startale 5-2 in IPL TAC3.
for every strong player on Startale IM has an equally strong player, they have more strong players even. Hell IM beat TSL in IPTL with only DreamerTT and True, the team has unmatched depth. Startale falls off a lot after their top 5 while IM does not, you can't field all their good players in one bo9 because they have too many.
That series meant zilch. TSL had nothing to fight for.
Ridiculous, they could have forfeited if they really didn't care, It's exposure for their players to an international audience.
They used their best lineup besides Symbol who was likely preparing for GSL ro8 at the time.
And Startale is on an entirely different level than TSL.
And I don't see how you go down the lineup and don't see a one-for-one advantage for Startale until you get to 7 or 8 deep, ESPECIALLY without Nestea and MvP.
On October 27 2012 09:45 FrostedMiniWheats wrote: oh bs Fionn
IM is by far the best team in the world.
IM is the best collection of players in the world.
Startale is the best team in the world.
Going to have to expand on that one because I'm not following you.
Even with IM going through that terribly disappointing patch in team league, at the end of the day they have 3 golds in all the team leagues they've participated in, including 1 from GSTL that they beat Startale to get. Startale has 1. IM has beaten them in their last 2 encounters as well.
Overall results, they blow every team out of the water. It's not even close. Even in terms of more recent results, they've scored 2 consecutive championship wins this year. 1 of which was with their third race and someone who isn't Nestea/MVP, who rapidly rose from obscurity while on the team.
The teams are tied in code S spots atm.
^ edit: my mistake Startale wins this with 5 to 4 (get it together Nestea...)
IM has probably the best sponsorship of the ESF teams.
Possibly the best coach (hard to defend him in team league though...). Has an award to back this up.
I'd say their lineups on paper are about even at this point. Mainly through the recent acquisition of Life.
All in all. I fail to see how Startale ends up the better team.
On October 27 2012 09:45 FrostedMiniWheats wrote: oh bs Fionn
IM is by far the best team in the world.
IM is the best collection of players in the world.
Startale is the best team in the world.
why? they have 0 team league gold medals
actually I take that back, they have one from like January 2011.
Probably becuase they are only really getting into the swing of things now. Parting is looking as strong as ever, they have a new super ace in life, squirtle can still beat just about anyone, expecially in a Bo1 format, curious has shown some super good play (beating MC and Marineking last GSL) and Bomber can still take at least a couple games off of any team.
sure you can make a case for them having a lot of strong players but I fail to see how you make the distinction between " the best collection of players " and " the best team " when Startale is clearly not the best team in terms of achievements, IM went 3-0 in the IPTL group stages and Startale went 2-1, IM also beat Startale 5-2 in IPL TAC3.
for every strong player on Startale IM has an equally strong player, they have more strong players even. Hell IM beat TSL in IPTL with only DreamerTT and True, the team has unmatched depth. Startale falls off a lot after their top 5 while IM does not, you can't field all their good players in one bo9 because they have too many.
That series meant zilch. TSL had nothing to fight for.
Ridiculous, they could have forfeited if they really didn't care, It's exposure for their players to an international audience.
They used their best lineup besides Symbol who was likely preparing for GSL ro8 at the time.
And Startale is on an entirely different level than TSL.
And I don't see how you go down the lineup and don't see a one-for-one advantage for Startale until you get to 7 or 8 deep, ESPECIALLY without Nestea and MvP.
I would be perfectly fine with admitting Startale has a better 5 man lineup than IM without Mvp or Nestea, but Fionn said " IM has a better collection of players, but Startale is a better team " I'm just trying to understand this because to me it makes no sense whatsoever, they haven't earned the right to be called the best team in the world.
So, personally I think IM has a stronger Protoss and Terran lineup, while Startale clearly has a better Zerg lineup. Top 5 of both teams are just about the same. IM's top 5 would be Yonghwa, Seed, Mvp, First/Losira, MC. Startale's would be Parting, Squirtle, Life, Hack/Bomber depending who is better that day and Curious.
If the match were a bo15 instead of bo9 I think IM clearly has the better quality players although fewer players.
Without Life on the team Startale wouldn't even have an edge over IM in the Zerg lineup, they are lucky they absorbed Zenex. ( not their own homegrown talent )
So IM is not really a team, but a bunch of individuals. Mostly based on the fact that Yonghwa has killed nerds left and right. Yonghwa should be a more considerate team player and lose.
This is gonna be so close either way. The big factors to me seem like they'll be: 1. How Bomber and Happy do should they be played. 2. If StarTale can force YongHwa out early enough to snipe him. 3. What MC is able to accomplish. 4. If Life goes insane beast mode on every one of them, or if he gets too cheesy and gets exploited by someone patient like LosirA or Seed
Heh, this match is so hard to call because there are multiple players on both sides with all kill potential. It's going to come down to who gets on a roll. With winners format, it is almost pointless to go through each player from both sides and try to compare them. It usually comes down to who has the 'best' player for that day.
On October 27 2012 11:07 MCDayC wrote: T_T I'ma miss this, and this will probably be one of the most intense matches of the season, imo one of these 2 is gonna win it the whole thing.
Agree, regardless of who wins here, there is a high probability we will get these 2 teams in the finals.
On October 27 2012 09:45 FrostedMiniWheats wrote: oh bs Fionn
IM is by far the best team in the world.
IM is the best collection of players in the world.
Startale is the best team in the world.
Startale team results: 2nd in GSTL, 2nd in GSTL IM results: 1st in GSTL, 2nd in GSTL, 1st in IPL TAC. IM even has more success in live team tournaments in which their coach is supposedly bad. How are they not the best when even in their weakest aspect they are superior to startale?
On October 27 2012 09:45 FrostedMiniWheats wrote: oh bs Fionn
IM is by far the best team in the world.
IM is the best collection of players in the world.
Startale is the best team in the world.
why? they have 0 team league gold medals
actually I take that back, they have one from like January 2011.
Probably becuase they are only really getting into the swing of things now. Parting is looking as strong as ever, they have a new super ace in life, squirtle can still beat just about anyone, expecially in a Bo1 format, curious has shown some super good play (beating MC and Marineking last GSL) and Bomber can still take at least a couple games off of any team.
sure you can make a case for them having a lot of strong players but I fail to see how you make the distinction between " the best collection of players " and " the best team " when Startale is clearly not the best team in terms of achievements, IM went 3-0 in the IPTL group stages and Startale went 2-1, IM also beat Startale 5-2 in IPL TAC3.
for every strong player on Startale IM has an equally strong player, they have more strong players even. Hell IM beat TSL in IPTL with only DreamerTT and True, the team has unmatched depth. Startale falls off a lot after their top 5 while IM does not, you can't field all their good players in one bo9 because they have too many.
That series meant zilch. TSL had nothing to fight for.
Ridiculous, they could have forfeited if they really didn't care, It's exposure for their players to an international audience.
They used their best lineup besides Symbol who was likely preparing for GSL ro8 at the time.
And Startale is on an entirely different level than TSL.
And I don't see how you go down the lineup and don't see a one-for-one advantage for Startale until you get to 7 or 8 deep, ESPECIALLY without Nestea and MvP.
The ratio of startale to TSL is a smaller ratio than the ratio of Seed/yonghwa/Losira/Happy to true/dreamertt.
On October 27 2012 09:45 FrostedMiniWheats wrote: oh bs Fionn
IM is by far the best team in the world.
IM is the best collection of players in the world.
Startale is the best team in the world.
Startale team results: 2nd in GSTL, 2nd in GSTL IM results: 1st in GSTL, 2nd in GSTL, 1st in IPL TAC. IM even has more success in live team tournaments in which their coach is supposedly bad. How are they not the best when even in their weakest aspect they are superior to startale?
I believe the logic behind it is, that the skills and accomplishments of the IM players are so great, that it must be a lack of team ability that hinders them winning more, or something like that. And truth be told, IM players have dominated the individual leagues(with different players), whereas ST hasn't really, and has remained a force to be reckoned with in team league - in spite of not having as accomplished players - such as the IM team. This is my best offer to the logic behind it, and is often viewed as an acceptable reasoning for players of lesser skill, performing up to par with those of greater skills - or accomplishments, if you will in this particular case.
I do not share it, but there could be a minor truth to it. Especially in the light of that the coach you so speak of, does indeed take into consideration the players individual tasks at the individual league over the team effort - on the other hand that could also be translated into a plus of recognition of depth, and placing faith on the rest of the team.
The reason I do not really share it, is because that the team league is not really a team sport, and therefore the logic seems a bit far fetched, and is probably given by one that likes ST more than IM.
The prediction statements, I can only hope is a deliberate troll, or coming from someone loving ST, rather than being objective and in touch with some kind of validity to their claim. The reasoning was just - meh.
On October 27 2012 10:16 Gamegene wrote: I would love it if Illusion somehow got played. He said he actually has a winning record for the in house ranking games.
Not in the ranking games, just practice games. They haven't had ranking games in a while to prepare for gstl/gsl
EPT
Terran: Depth for LG-IM in the Terran department will come from 
dreamertt. While he isn't expected to crack the roster even without Mvp there, he still has been important in online team matches when IM doesn't feel like using their A-team. 
Zerg: 
True and 
Protoss: Is 
Ready ready for action? Is 
