Wait, it's not over yet?

Code S may have ended last week in Las Vegas, but there's still two more rounds of Code A to be played. The GomTV crew had one week of well-deserved rest after their return from IPL5, but now they're headed right back into their famously jam packed schedule, with nearly non-stop games from now until the 22nd (and god knows what their schedule for 2013 will look like).

When we left off, the Code A Ro48 had finished, with the losers falling to Code B while the winners progressed to the next round with Up/Down tickets in tow. It's less of a do or die situation in this round, with the losers guaranteed to play in the Up/Downs anyway. But to reach the final round of Code A, where direct tickets to Code S are available, this is the only way through.


Early Games – 04:10 GMT (+00:00)

MVP.Noblesse vs. LG-IM_Happy
MJ_BBoongBBoong vs. MVP.Dream

In a night full of mega-stars, the first two matches fall a bit short in terms of star power. But for the monocled elitist fan, they are intriguing matches between four players who we wouldn't be surprised to see in Code S.

Happy and BBoongBboong have already been in Code S this year, though their runs once there have been fairly mediocre. Happy is the new face of the generic "Code S" Terran, playing well but not well enough to stand out above his peers. But as a Ryung showed last season, those seemingly nondescript Code S Terrans can cause a lot of damage if they get hot.

BBoongBBoong may have looked poor in Code S, but his IPL5 run reaffirmed the skills that let him break though the Up/Downs and Code A. He beat Sea, Golden, Seed, Leiya, Crank, and Xigua in his top 12 run, proving that he certainly deserved to be in Code S, and perhaps he could do better if he got another chance. ZvP was what held him back in the GSL this season, but wins over Seed and Crank suggest he might have gotten over that hurdle.

Also lurking in the shadows are the MVP Terran duo of Dream and Noblesse, two players who have been banished to Code B and A for 2012. These two might be the best examples of how there's a ton of talent still bottled up in Code B, just looking for an opportunity to break free. Noblesse lost to Creator 0 – 2 in the last Code A, but they were narrow games where he played extremely well. It was no surprise he crushed JYP to make it to the second round this time around.

And of course, most will have heard of Dream's shocking 2 – 0 over OSL champ Rain in the first round of Code A. Undoubtedly, some of it can be attributed to Rain's own poor play, but Dream deserves a ton of credit. Combined with some self-qualified runs at MLG earlier this year, the sixteen year old Dream is definitely a hot prospect in SC2, and someone worth looking out for.

Noblesse 2 – 1 Happy
BBoongBBoong 2 – 0 Dream


ST_Bomber vs. FXOGuMiho

Bomber and Gumiho have followed similar paths of enjoying the spotlight in Code S, falling into obscurity, and then redeeming themselves outside of the GSL. In Bomber's case, it's been impressive finishes at foreign tournaments like MLG, LSC5, and IPL5 that have rehabilitated his image, while for Gumiho, it's his monster 8 – 0 record in GSTL finals.

As with any match featuring Bomber, the king of inconsistency, it's extremely hard to tell how this will go. Bomber's great foreign results have gotten people's hopes up for an imminent return to greatness in Code S as well, which is a terribly foreboding sign given Bomber's knack for disappointment. He's a player you want to believe in, but his multiple Code A and Code S eliminations force us to be cautious.

Gumiho is another player who deserves the faith of the fans, but his constant struggles in solo leagues since a break-out Code S top four run in March are worrisome. However, unlike Bomber, Gumiho has at least shown the consistency to grind out six consecutive Code S appearances, looking a class above when facing Code A and Up/Down opposition. Even if Bomber should show up on form in this match, Gumiho is very likely to find a way through the Up/Downs.

Bomber 2 – 1 Gumiho


ByuNPrime vs. TSL_Center

The previously anonymous Center made a statement in the first round of Code A, taking out former Code S champion Seed in a series where it was hard to tell if Center played well, or Seed played poorly. He's definitely the feel-good underdog story of the season, as he's the closest thing to a player who totally came out of nowhere.

ByuN, a multiple time Code S veteran, will be a tough opponent for him, but there's a great chance Center could make a competitive series of it. He's had pretty much forever to prepare for this match, which is also the most important one he's ever had to play in his career. He'll be hungrier than ByuN, and the motivation to eke out a few dozen more games of practice can do a lot to make up for any difference in name value, experience, or skill.

ByuN 2 – 1 Center


Late Games – 09:10 GMT (+00:00)

LG-IM_LosirA vs. EG.Jaedong.RC

The tyrant plays his first solo match after being signed/loaned (the correct terminology depends on whether you ask KeSPA or EG) to Evil Geniuses, and he's drawn an opponent who's almost as enigmatic as himself. No one knows what to make of Jaedong's skill right now, with his good Proleague record appearing terribly meaningless when he loses games where he looks just lost, for the lack of a better word. Last weekend's Proleague match against KT's Stats was a good example, where Jaedong realized a two base immortal all-in was coming on Ohana, but didn't have much of a plan except to impale himself on force-fields.

Losira's a similar figure, looking rehabilitated this summer when he played as LG-IM's main Zerg in team leagues. But since then he's once again fallen back into looking like a fairly generic Zerg. You could say he's a bit lucky to be here, winning a three-game series against Maru in the first round, which was just a succession of cheeses. Losira admitted that it was a lack of effort and laziness that saw him drop off after he made his Code S runner-up finish in July of last year, and practicing harder was what brought him back up to spec in the Summer of 2012. Like Jaedong, we know he's capable of reaching a higher level, but until he steps into the booth tonight, we won't know how close he is to getting there.

Jaedong 2 – 1 Losira


CJ_Bbyong vs. LG-IM_NesTea
Woongjin_Flying vs LG-IM_Mvp

The twin titans of LG-IM are stuck down in Code A, and no doubt they'll be trying to make their stay as short as possible.

In Nestea's case, he's already been out of the top flight for an awkwardly long time. This season, he punched his way out of the grave, tore through Code B qualifiers and broke Heart in the first round of Code A. Qualified for the Up/Downs at least, Nestea is halfway back towards Code S, the tournament that has an award named after him. However, it's too early to say if he's anywhere close to full power. 2012 as a whole has been pretty bad for Nestea, and even when he was playing his best, he never looked like a player who could contend for a fourth Code S title. That makes Bbyong the perfect check-up opponent for Nestea.

Last season, Bbyong already achieved what Nestea seeks to do this season – going straight from Code B to Code S. It was a pretty impressive run from Bbyong, as he defeated First, Genius, and Heart to make it to Code S. He did get kicked straight down to Code B by Mvp and Creator, but come on, that's Mvp and Creator. It means he's no championship contender yet, but he's an interesting Code A/S level opponent level that will test Nestea well.

While Mvp has done much better than Nestea this year, winning a Code S final and placing runner-up in another, he could have a surprisingly difficult match against Flying. Mvp's forte is best of five and above, but conversely he's looked vulnerable in best of threes and below. In fact, Flying is one of the opponents who handed Mvp an upset loss, defeating him in the Ro16 of the Auction OSL and contributing to his embarrassingly quick elimination. Mvp will want to avenge that loss tonight, but the right combination of cheeses could give the KeSPA player an unlikely winning record against the four-time GSL champion.

Bbyong 2 - 1 Nestea
Mvp 2 - 1 Flying


KT_Flash vs 8th_BaBy

The signal to noise ratio for all the talk that goes on about Flash is always going to be hopelessly skewed. That's just the way it is for people who are living legends. If we had to give an honest assessment right now, it's that Flash is a mid-high tier Code S player, but still falls behind the very best players in the GSL. While his overwhelming macro, combined with a great sense of timing allows him to hammer Protoss and Zerg opponents to death, TvT is an area where he's found to be surprisingly lacking. Not only did he blow a 2 – 0 lead to Last in the OSL, but he also lost to Ryung and Supernova in the previous Up/Down matches to keep him out of Code S.

Even so, he should be able to take care of Baby. Baby is a good player, worthy of being Team Eight's ace, but you have to remember he's only here due to two seeds worth of charity from GomTV. The unheralded ST_Brain is the only player he's been able to beat in the GSL, and that doesn't bode well for him as he faces one of KeSPA's best. Throw in the fact that Baby prepared all week for yesterday's Proleague match, and it doesn't look good at all for him. Yeah, he did prepare for a TvT, but that was on Arkanoid, a map so absurdly different from GSL maps he may as well have been practicing WarCraft III.

Flash 2 - 0 Baby