Results from Live Report Thread by Shellshock1122.
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Code S this season has seemed rather strange. Not only has it gone at a breakneck speed due to time constraints, but there has been a likewise rapid elimination of both fan and odds on favorites. It feels like there hasn't been a single major upset, with the slight underdogs having chipped away at the GSL's upper crust until only they are the only ones left. The top eight looked slightly anaemic in terms of star power, and for IPL and GSL's sake, they'll hope it's balanced out by the tournament’s inherent ability to create new stars.

With a round of eight featuring an equal amount of royal roaders as it did repeat competitors, the scene has seen some shake-ups. But in contrast to last season, where it was a story of the old guard facing new opposition which was expected to rise to the top eventually, this season has been the coming of age of the professional with a lower profile. While Leenock is an established name, he pales in comparison to Mvp. While Innovation has been thought to be a potential new KeSPA star, he has not seemed to match up to the Rain of last season. However, Code S has been the reason for the prominence we now attribute to the old names. And Code S will continue to be the reason why others will ascend to join the current stars in the StarCraft heavens.

Innovation 3 - 0 Soulkey

Praise us as we are tasted, allow us as we prove.

STX_Innovation and Woongjin_Soulkey were a strange matchup for the round of eight. Looking at the KeSPA talent pool in terms of expectations for players, it seemed unlikely that the STX and Woongjin pair would be the ones facing off for a chance to go to Las Vegas and be in the semi-finals of Code S.

Innovation’s play this season has been a real step up from his Code A performance of last. He has looked a more mature, well rounded and decidedly dangerous Terran. Meanwhile, Soulkey still has looked shaky. Lucky to get out of his first group, he then looked solid but not spectacular in his second, defeating Life emphatically but looking mediocre versus Leenock.

While most Terran have gone through an odd transformation of looking good to looking lost to once again looking respectable against Zerg, Innovation has been progressively looking better and better. While he was defeated by Leenock in the round of 32, his defeat of Sniper in the following round was both unexpected and impressive. His aggressive play, evident from his first day of Code A, has been harnessed combine well with good mechanical macro play. Meanwhile, Soulkey has looked rather dubious since making his Mokdong debut in WCS Korea for his ZvT. Being in the round of eight often changes our perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of players, a solid playoff performance often enough to sway our beliefs.

The day started out on Cloud Kingdom and with an early roach push by Soulkey. It set the trend for the entire match when Innovation calmly built a simcity of bunkers and supply depots between his natural and his own ramp, continued to tech up to banshees while taking next to no damage in economy, trading a few hellions and marines for Soulkey’s early attack force. The game developed with strong macro play for the Terran, while the Zerg countered with baneling aggression. This inflicted a lot more economical damage, but with Innovation going up to triple command center while Soulkey was struggling to establish a third base, the long game still looked in favor of the STX player. Indeed, Innovation was able to continue to accrue incremental advantages, spreading Soulkey thin and setting up favorable engagements mid-map while defending the ling/baneling/muta counter-aggression. The game was finally decided when Soulkey sought to set up a flank behind the Terran army at his fourth, but Bogus’ patience and careful army positioning turned the potential rout into a game winning army advantage.

While the first game was a rather beautiful iteration of standard Terran play against ling/baneling/mutalisk play into late hive, the following two were more like a train having achieved full speed and running over whatever was in its path. On Antiga, Innovation went for a double factory with blue flame build that caught Soulkey without roaches and with too few queens and spines. While the first attack merely crippled the Zerg economy, the follow up was devastating and when banshees followed up to take out the already weakened queens in the main, Soulkey was out of any reasonable answer. The third game on Entombed Valley followed the same logic of Terran aggression hitting before Soulkey was ready. Innovation went for two non-proxy barracks and simply ran over his opponent. With a late spine crawler not quite making a difference, the sheer marine production and solid micro was able to inflict too much economical damage for Soulkey ever to recover. He tried to tech to lair for mutalisks, but when he failed to snipe stim before completion it was all over.

Sometimes one has to wonder what the name change from Bogus to Innovation actually has done for the STX Terran. For foreigners watching Code S, it has certainly made it so that instead of hearing commentators talk about how he made it to the top eight, how he was almost uniformly overlooked and brushed aside when picking favorites, we are constantly regaled with stories of how he should have stuck with his former id. It rather fits with his introduction to the GSL. When he made it through Code A, it was impossible to know whether he was any good; the data we had seemed to suggest he was decidedly mediocre but murmurs among professionals in Korea would lead us to believe otherwise. Then he made it through two Code S groups, and yet no-one seems to give him much credit. Would Bogus the Code S player have fared better in the perception of the public and of analysts? At some point credit has to be given to a player who has looked like the premier Terran of the season, but somehow one feels that the name change will continue to draw more attention in the first four minutes of any StarCraft game he plays than any of his accomplishments until he is crowned a Code S champion.


Sniper 3 - 1 Leenock

All things are ready, if our minds be so.

Mini-DRG vs. the uncrowned successor to the throne of July seemed like it would be an exciting ZvZ. In terms of skill in the matchup, everyone knew that FXOLeenock was very capable while MVP.Sniper has a very good reputation without having shown much of the matchup in terms of televised games.

What we were treated to were two players who wanted the midgame. It seemed a reasonable expectation and it was indeed where both must have thought themselves the biggest edge. We have become quite accustomed to seeing Leenock run over opponents with his brilliant combination of aggression, teching up and gaining small leads through simply being better at the game than his opponents. Likewise, Sniper is a player that never quite looks lost at this stage, but likes to command the tempo of the game to be in control while still staying on the offensive.

As such, this turned out to be quite the treat for spectators interested in seeing how similar but slightly divergent styles would match up. In the two first games, this was highlighted neatly as early aggression from either side was narrowly defended and with the defender taking tech leads going into the midgame. Rather counter-intuitively, both games ended up with the initial defender not being able to follow up on his immaculate initial defense. In game one, Leenock looked to be in control after deflecting the early attack, but while he was about to finalize his transition to hive and ultralisks, Sniper found the one moment of weakness and struck. With ultralisks not quite ready, an infestor count not quite able to deflect the roaches and out of counter-aggression measures, Leenock had to see his bases ravaged as ultralisks spawned to no avail.

The second game saw a reversal of these fortunes, with Sniper apparently able to tech up to mutalisks after defending the initial ling pressure. However, once again the defending player had miscalculated his relative strength, and Leenock punished him harshly before mutalisks were able to change the course of the game.

At 1-1, it looked like the series would continue to ebb and flow between the two. The two first games had looked like games between equals, where either player was able to punish errors in judgments, either player able to fashion comebacks out of his opponent’s greed. What followed was instead a tour de force of Sniper’s ZvZ abilities. Throughout the series, he stayed on the offensive in terms of taking tech leads. While it worked against him in game two, the signal effect was quite strong. He continued to build on gas advantages, taking map control against a player not used to operate without it for himself. Stylistically he made Leenock look counterfeited, out strategized and inferior.

It bears mentioning that Sniper looked incredible in this series overall, but that he looked dominant in the last two games. It is not quite clear what percentages of this comes down to natural talent, superior planning or if indeed Leenock once again failed to come up with builds for a playoff match that accentuated his own strengths enough. All told, this was all about showing just how good Sniper was. Through being slightly greedier early on, he took tech advantages while also taking tempo advantages and controlled the flow of the game beautifully. It is a rare occasion to see Leenock look lost in a game of StarCraft. However, when such an occasion arises, it usually happens in a Bo5 where the preparation of the opponent can shine.

To the Victors Belong the Spoils

Things won are done, joy's soul lies in the doing.

With Innovation and Sniper moving on, we see even less of a clear cut favorite to win stay in the race. Two royal roaders are still left in the semi-finals and none of the remaining players have even been in a previous top eight. But as this season progresses, it needs not mean that there is a lack of big names. Certainly, the names in the top four should be on any list of players capable to making their own name one to be remembered. As the season continues its march forward, it forces us to always re-evaluate who deserves to stay on as a Code S legend and who should be mentioned in the same vein. If anything, giving dominant performances at this stage of the game carries a merit that will continue to be with the Code S victors.