• TSL_HyuN
  
  What's on the line: Finally living up to the hype.
  
  Strengths
  - The highest peak skill level displayed in recent memory.
  - Extremely good at standard, straight up play.
  - Riding momentum from both online results and finally breaking through in Code S.
  
  Weaknesses
  - Doubts still linger about his ability in a live environment.
  - Unproven in a preparation based format in SC2.
  
  
• STX_Innovation
  
  What's on the line: The first GSL championship for KeSPA.
  
  Strengths
  - Quietly proving himself as one of the very top KeSPA pros.
  - Is unpredictable, hard to prepare for.
  - By reputation, one of the best players in the world.
  
  Weaknesses
  - Might have some exploitable weaknesses versus Zerg.
  - Has yet to show the caliber of play that looks as dominating as the competition.
  
  

by Porcelina


HyuN: On the Origins of Elephants

Throught the history of SC2, there's been a strong correlation between Brood War background and hype. Mvp may have proven himself as the best player in Wings of Liberty by his sheer number of trophies, but his initial reputation was greatly enhanced by him being the best Brood War Pro to make the transition to SC2 early on. Before his reign of supremacy, the big names were those of July, of BoxeR and of NaDa, Brood War legends who took it upon themselves to test new waters in a new game. They retained some of their brilliance, but everyone always knew that they had passed their peaks, with their reputations being a large part of what made them exciting. Then finally there was the era of the mastodons (the predecessors to 'true' elephants), heralded by ForGG absolutely slaughtering a difficult Code A bracket to revive old arguments about the state of the competition in Brood War’s younger sibling. Now we are at the final stage of the Brood War to StarCraft II transition, with KeSPA progamers fully involved in the new game.

Hyun arrived somewhere between the middle and final age. Retiring from Brood War after the competition in StarCraft II was already underway; his reputation upon entering was enhanced just as his peers. But whereas ForGG took the scene by storm with two base play and inspiring macro, Hyun lay dormant for a considerable amount of time.

The Ascension

It all started with online cups. Befitting the implied strengths of a KeSPA professional, Hyun was definitely a player who excelled through mass gaming. A brief look at his SC2 earnings paint a picture of what he has come to encapsulate online; a diligent monster who grinds out wins over and over again.

But while Hyun’s talent never really went unnoticed, his lack of success in the GSL painted a different picture. As soon as it was clear that he won everything he entered online and he started his reign of terror in the IPL Fight Club, expectations for a Code S debut was fast on his heels. With wins over players like Squirtle, Gumiho, Life, and PartinG, there was no doubt that he was an upper echelon competitor. Yet, it took up until this season for him to overcome the hurdle of Code A, at the end of several failed attempts that began earlier this year. And even in his long awaited rise through the GSL we've seen a less than complete version of HyuN, still somewhat lacking compared to player that dominates online competition.

The silver lining to that observation is that it reveals a sense of resilience in HyuN. It is one thing to win convincingly and demonstrate that you know how to beat players by completely outplaying them. But what is sometimes very much needed to succeed in the GSL is to win dirty, scrappy games. That's exactly what HyuN had to rely on as he made it through the Ro32 against, and against YoDa and Hack in the Ro16. Not until he played Creator in the semi-finals did the hyper-dominant, online version of HyuN show up. In Mokdong and now in Las Vegas, it's good to be able to win both ways.

A player who makes it this far in Code S without realizing half of his potential might be considered lucky to get there, but he might also be a few steps away from being even scarier than online.

The Coming Together of Worlds

‘I'll be playing in the semi-finals at Las Vegas, and I feel that the results will depend on how well I adapt to the Vegas atmosphere. I don't know whether it's because of Fight Club, but I'm looking forward to the IPL, too, because it feels like I'm at home there.’

It seems fitting that Hyun will be going to Las Vegas and playing in IPL5 for his inaugural Code S semi-finals and possible grand finals. In some ways, this is his tournament. Not only in terms of being a favorite based on the remaining competition and not only in terms of IPL being his home. But GSL S5 and IPL5 represent what Hyun has needed to compete on the highest level, which is to bring his online success to the biggest stage. The flaw in his performance has been the divide between the two. Just like IPL and GSL will come together to host a tournament, Hyun will hope to come together as the player he has every potential to be.


STX_Innovation: The Nature of Momentum

Innovation started out his SC2 career as one of the poorest converts on the KeSPA side, and it seemed even aspiring to win anything major would be beyond him. Just changing your ID from Bogus to Innovation shouldn't be enough to change this, but what felt contrived and even annoying at the time has turned out to be portentous. It is not often you see someone looking so mediocre turn into a legitimate tournament contender; to do it in the most prestigious SC2 tournaments is even more impressive.

It is no secret that Bogus, an average Terran on a team sponsored by a shipmaking company makes for a strange royal roader. He is however starting to look more and more like the most probably candidate. What is clear is that Innovation is the one going into the semi-finals with momentum. Not only has he already defeated one of the others in group play, he has gone from being a faceless Terran to a player mentioned by other professionals with fearful breath.

The Eccentric Terran

Innovation's rapid improvement isn't the only thing raises eyebrows. Of course his rise is impressive, but he's also a player with fascinatingly unique play. In some ways, just like Hyun was related but opposite to ForGG, some of Innovation’s developments share a history with the former oGs player. His run through Code A last season was certainly reminiscent of ForGG’s rampage through his first Code A run.

But whereas the first mastodon failed to develop his play much outside the realm of punishing timing attacks and bludgeoning opponents to death with excellent macro, Innovation has certainly come up with new ways to play to his strengths. He remains unafraid of pulling substantial amounts of scvs to break otherwise impenetrable defenses, but in getting to the semi-finals he also looked very comfortable in the late game. However, at no fault of his own, he hasn't shown us at truly impressive macro game yet, leaving people wondering as to where his peak might be. In any case, it means his opponents, and spectators must be on edge when watching Bogus' games, because even after more than a dozen games, no one is quite sure what he's capable of.

Calling Innovation eccentric is a double edged sword. If he comes out of this season of Code S triumphant, it can only be coined as genius. If he should fall, still relying on non-standard play and timings that only really make sense to him, it will not be as brightly colored. But whereas other timing attack kings have come and gone, there is more to Innovation. There is clear method to the madness and there is no question that he is equally unafraid to go into a long game and back it up with his mechanics. But there will always be an Innovation quality to his games,

An Unlikely Contender, the Most Unlikely KeSPA Pro

Last season was the first with KeSPA participation in the GSL. As it progressed, it became clear that KeSPA had a real contender for taking it all on their first try as Rain looked unstoppable. He was ultimately taken out by Mvp in a close semi-final, but it was a rather strong declaration of intent from the old guard of Korean StarCraft. With more and more KeSPA professionals coming into Code S through Code A and seeding, it looked like chances were good to see another top eight with a solid KeSPA representation.

But as the Protoss contingent fell to the wayside, RorO lost his ways in a nydus canal and Rain went to play in MLG, it fell to Innovation to be the torch bearer. Unlike his peers, he was not celebrated, he was not glamorous and he was least of all expected. But in the end, he has triumphed where others have fallen.

A lot of what has been awkward about the KeSPA players’ first steps into SC2 has dealt with a very narrow focus. It is easy to see that Flash has supreme macro, what is sometimes forgotten is that it is only really Rain we have seen come close to looking like a complete player. With Innovation, it is possible that we are seeing a second contender rise through the ranks to approach that. However, whereas Rain is a player that looks complete because of his confidence in his macro play and his impeccable defense, Innovation has approached it from the opposite end. He has been a poignant example of how the ability to switch gears remains a potent skill. Never looking set in his ways, Innovation’s early game cannot be underestimated, but neither should his super late game.

Overall thoughts and prediction

A lot will undoubtedly will come down to who will be able to control the tempo of the games. Both Hyun and Innovation seem to excel when they are able to dictate pace and flow while also seeming more likely to suffer when unable to enforce their will. For Innovation, that was the real difference in his defeat to Leenock's own array of timing attacks in the round of 32, and his victories over Sniper and Soulkey in the following round. For Hyun, that's basically been why there's a divide in his online and offline play. Mentality will have a significant impact as well as the specific preparation for the match. It would be natural to predict a lot of aggression from either player, not being comfortable in adopting the passive role.

Another core component of the match will be the test of consistency. For Hyun, we have seen what can only be called breakdowns in his play in previous seasons. It is hard to say that the player who lost against finale in the round of 24 of last season’s Code A after blowing massive leads has the mental fortitude and consistency to not be upset at this level. On the other hand, Innovation is still occupying the space between genius and disaster waiting to happen in terms of his unorthodox aggression. The match is going to answer some serious questions concerning this issue one way or the other.

Stylistically, the two players are at odds. As such, it would not be surprising to see a blowout in either direction. We have little to go on in terms of seeing who has the stronger early and midgame, but neither have any qualms about ending the game before the end game stage. In general, Hyun looks to be favored if it goes super late, but it is unclear whether Innovation really has a similar edge prior to that. What does seem intuitive is that the Terran player might profit from ending up in unorthodox game states, something he naturally creates through his general play style. We saw it instrumental in getting him to the semi-finals, but Hyun represents a more complete threat than his previous opponents.

In the end, the players fall into the roles they have adopted all season. Hyun goes into it a favorite, on the edge of realizing his full potential but with the chance that his play will still fail to live up to expectations. On the other side you have Innovation, still the underdog even looking improved at each step of the way.

Prediction: Hyun 3 - 1 Innovation

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• AX.Ryung
  
  What's on the line: Stepping out of the shadows, once and for all.
  
  Strengths
  - The player with the most experience out of the final four.
  - During a time when Terran are struggling against Zerg, Ryung is playing the best TvZ of his career.
  - Will have the support of the American crowd.
  
  
  Weaknesses
  - Has never been able to make it over the hump from very good Terran to elite Terran
  - Boxer still can't remember what his name is
  
  
• MVP.Sniper
  
  What's on the line: Proving that entertainment is no substitute for sheer skill.
  
  Strengths
  - In the midst of an incredible 24-6 run since October in Korea.
  - Sound in all facets of the game.
  - Fun is no match for him.
  
  Weaknesses
  - ZvT is statistically his worst match-up with a 4-4 map score this season.
  - First time going abroad and might have trouble adapting to playing in two tournaments.
  
  
  

by Fionn

Sniper: The Misunderstood Villain

"A lot of people have said that the semifinal games will be boring if I advance, but at any rate, I won. My victory felt bittersweet because of such talk, but I hope that people still keep their eyes on me. I want to send my thanks to my manager and his dad for coming with me to the studio today, as well as my family and relatives for always cheering me on. - Sniper after beating Leenock in the Ro8

Sniper is one of the most vanilla, overlooked and under-hyped players to ever make a Code S semifinals, but also possibly the most fascinating player in the semifinals we've ever had. He, without doing anything wrong, has somehow become a villain in the eyes of the Korean and foreign community, people crossing their fingers and hoping that someone would knock him out before he makes the finals. With a blistering 24-6 record since the start of October, Sniper record-wise is clearly one of the best players in the world, but almost no one wants to admit it. If a popular player like MMA, Nestea, or DRG were on this kind of streak across online and offline competitions, fans would be claiming them to be the best player in the world and excited at the prospect of them claiming that title with a finals victory in the GSL. For Sniper, all he gets is hate for his conquests and safe gameplay.

We've seen our share of villains in SC2. BitByBit, Puma, and Heart have all gained infamy for their partial reliance on early game cheeses and "cheap" strategies to get victories; there is nothing wrong with doing anything to win, but you can see where people come from when they say they dislike how they play. There have also been players like Naniwa and Idra who get their share of hate for how they conduct interviews and talk about their colleagues. You even have guys like Yoda who drops manner mules every single game he is on, or players who like to dance their units in victory when they know they've won.

Sniper does none of these things. He loves to go into the late game and play a strong, defensive macro style most of the time. Every time he talks about other players, he always gives them credit and says they're very good at the game. Even when his upcoming opponents say he'll be easy, he says he keeps confidence in himself and believes he can do it. He isn't overly cocky in the booth, and he doesn't do anything outwardly evil to anyone to make people dislike him. All he does is sit down in his booth, start the game, and kicks ass.

Before the quarter-finals, I had a small survey and asked TeamLiquid who they wanted to win the tournament. Out of the 700 results I got back, only five people wanted Sniper to win the title. Even the seventh placed player, Soulkey, had 38 fans hoping he could capture the crown. To see how Sniper has somehow become Korea's Most Wanted by a pure victim of circumstance, let's look at some of his recent victories:

Eliminated Naniwa from Code S: Naniwa was coming off two straight Ro8 appearances and was looking like he could reach the semifinal if he could get back into the knockout rounds. Sniper, after losing to Squirtle in the first match of the evening, faced Naniwa to see who would drop all the way down to Code A. Sniper took Naniwa out in two straight games, kicking the foreigner hope down to Code A and then out of the GSL entirely with a loss in the first round.

Came to Slayers Funeral and All-Killed: It was Slayers final night as a team, and YuGiOh was playing the games of his life, already on a three game kill streak. Riding high on emotion, YuGiOh looked like a man possessed, wanting to end Slayers legacy on a high note. Sniper then entered his booth, destroyed YuGiOh and the rest of Slayers without much trouble, ending the night on a bittersweet note. Slayers tried to send out players who didn't get much booth experience in the past, and Sniper devoured them like the fresh meat they were.

The highlight of the night was when Slayers finally sent out Eve for her first official match. Nervous and trying her best to stay composed in the booth, she went for a hellion all-in that Sniper caught before she could even move out of her own base. Rolling over her without breaking a sweat, Sniper picked up another win for his team and made Eve cry in the booth. While it's never the nicest thing to make a girl cry, what was Sniper supposed to do? Let her win? If MVP lost the series, they would have to win a tough match against a not-dead team to advance to the playoffs. Sniper played the best he could, stomped her, and mowed through the rest of the inexperienced Slayers players to get into the next round.

Ending the Won-Won-Won: Parting's storyline was simple but brilliant. Usually when you tell your friends who don't watch Starcraft about a build or a game, you need to fire up Liquipedia and show them what is going on. With Parting's games against Zerg, the story was easy that even your grandparents who don't own a computer could understand. This guy built up his army, moved out around the nine minute mark, and never lost. It was the unstoppable build that every Zerg tried to defend, but couldn't stop against Parting. Everyone wondered who would be the first to end it.

Sniper did. Parting, facing a Zerg for the first time in the season, went for the immortal/sentry all-in on the first map in the series and went in for the kill. Sniper knew it was coming, planned out his response perfectly, and crushed it with his immaculate defense. The storyline was dead and the unbeatable build filled with soul was nothing more than another all-in that had been figured out.

Again, not Sniper's fault. Parting even told him in the chat before the game that he was going to use the build. It would have been nice if the most spiritual storyline in SC2 could have lasted a bit longer, but Parting finally ran into a player who had done enough homework to stop the build dead in its tracks.

Those are Sniper's biggest offenses, but he also has the honor of eliminating fan favorites like Leenock, Polt, and Seed out of the tournament as well, adding to his kill list. He doesn't play the most exciting brand of Starcraft, but it hasn't stopped him from taking out every player who people consider fun or innovative on his path. He has been knocked down to the loser's match twice this tournament, but like a monster in a horror movie, he would dig himself out of the grave and come back to advance 2nd in both groups.

So what can Sniper do to change everyone's opinion of him? It's quite simple, really. He needs to come to Las Vegas and have a defining moment in his career. Not every player can have the unique play style of Life, the domination Squirtle showed during season two, or the engaging personality Parting has. Symbol was really nothing more than a pretty good Zerg in the eyes of people, but he became one of the most talked about players in the world after having his career defining moment in reverse all-killing LG-IM. Same with Seed, who was seen as a very good, but not championship-level Protoss, going into the Ro8 of the season he won. He fell down 0-2 against Symbol, came back to win three straight games, and made himself into someone people talked about and wanted to cheer for.

After this weekend, we might see Sniper turn himself into a hero with an epic series in the semifinals or finals, or he could turn into the ultimate villain, taking the title in two boring series that make people remember the GSL finals of old. Whatever outcome occurs, this is the weekend that will change this seventeen year old's life forever. People might not have predicted him to get this far or want him to get any farther, but Sniper is one of the best players in the world, and he's ready to prove that in Las Vegas.



Ryung: The Forgotten Hero

MMA and Ryung used to be similar in skill at the start of 2011. MMA was used as an ace in team league matches, but Ryung was just as important, being used to snipe Terrans and help MMA come in at the end to get all the glory. It was always Ryung who would do the dirty work at the start and middle of games, and MMA, the Son of Boxer, the ace of Slayers, who would ride in on his white horse at end of games to gain the final wins to get his team the victory.

Their legacies forever changed when MMA went to Columbus, took home the title with thousands of foreigner fans chanting his name. He followed that by beating Ryung in the quarterfinals of the Super Tournament to get into the semifinals. After that turning point, MMA would go on to make three GSL finals (winning two), become one of the most popular players in the world, and leave Ryung behind to wallow in the outskirts of Code S. MMA was the pride and joy of Slayers, the crown jewel of the empire, and Ryung was nothing more than the goofy sidekick who was good, but was never seen as an equal to MMA.

The downfall of Slayers saw the same MMA fall from grace, get disowned by Boxer and Jessica, and recently fall out of the GSL entirely in his first official games on his new team Acer. Ryung, who never had the highs of MMA, never had the same lows, kept his place as a Code S stalwart – a contender to get to the Ro16 but no further. After leaving Slayers, Ryung got picked up by Axiom, teaming up with friend Crank and allowing himself to be represented by the foreigners Genna Bain, TotalBiscuit and Husky. For the first time in his career, he was the face of the franchise and the player that people expected to lead his team to greatness.

A lot of players would have faltered at being given keys to the new car. When a player switches teams, they can either reach new heights and reinvent themselves (Violet), or their promising career that was on the upswing can come back crashing down to earth (Alive). Axiom put their faith in Ryung, and he's done everything and more to repay it. He made it through the first two rounds of Code S, albeit in 2nd place for both stages, and then was able to show off his always reliable TvT that took out favorite MarineKing in the quarterfinals.

Ryung is everything you want in an hero. He's humble, has a sense of humor, and does his job without ever complaining. Other players would have wanted to switch teams to get more exposure or get out of their friend's shadow, but Ryung stuck with SlayerS until the bitter end, outlasting Ganzi, Taeja, and even the founder Boxer. He did his duty to SlayerS as long as he was asked, not moving to Axiom until Slayers was finally put to rest by none other than his opponent in the semifinals, MVP's Sniper.

Not being used in the final match of Slayers, Ryung can exact some revenge for his old team and excite his new team by getting to his first finals. Sniper killed the corporeal SlayerS, eliminating YuGiOh, Eve, Arthur, Miso and Brown without really trying, but if he wants to exorcise their spirit completely, he has to take out their oldest, most reliable, and forgotten player. Ryung played in the first official Slayers match against ZeNex, and he isn't going to be easy to kill as some of the B-teamers Sniper destroyed during the MVP vs. Slayers match.

MMA might have the popularity, Ganzi the dance moves, and Taeja the foreign tournament money, but this is Ryung's time to finally shine. He has waited his entire career for this moment, and he will do anything in his power to win the championship for his new team at Axiom.

If he can complete his journey this weekend, maybe Boxer will finally remember his name. Everyone will know his name. He will not be Ryung the second son or Ryung the Forgotten any longer. He will be Ryung the GSL champion, the leader of Axiom e-Sports.


Overall thoughts and prediction.

Ryung will almost assuredly have the home crowd advantage with his foreign affiliation and Sniper's villainous ways, but the question is if Ryung can finally take the jump from reliable, very good Terran to the upper echelon Terran players in the world. With Wings of Liberty coming to a close, we'll remember the champions like Mvp, MMA, Polt, and even jjakji, along with top performers like MarineKing, but can Ryung put his name down on that list?

Sniper might not win any beauty contests when it comes to his play, but he gets the job done. He is a ZvZ master, amazing against Protoss, and his worst match-up, ZvT, is still very good. He doesn't have many weaknesses, and it is going to be a daunting task for Ryung to take out the hottest player on the planet. He was able to take out Curious in the Ro16, but if we gave a medal to everyone who beat Curious in the Ro16, then we'd have to give half of the GSL an award.

My heart wants Ryung to finally get his moment in the sun, but with how well Zerg is doing against Terran lately, and Sniper playing as good as anyone on the planet, it's hard to pick against the MVP Zerg. Ryung's late-game versus Zerg is the best we've seen in the past few months, but Sniper will be the toughest Zerg he's had to face up to this point.

Prediction: Sniper 3 - 2 Ryung