by Waxangel

What is Azubu?

It's undeniable that at this point in time, Azubu the entity, is more intriguing than Azubu the professional StarCraft II team. After all, we still don't know what Azubu is even now, nearly a year after they made themselves known by sponsoring OnGameNet's League of Legends tournament, under the pretense of being some sort of 'gaming social media site' or whatever. One comically poorly made streaming site, one CSL sponsorship, and one abandoned League of Legends team later, we can't say we've really learned much more about them. Still, it's not like we dislike them for being so shrouded, considering the kind of money they're pumping into the scene. Azubu is like the rich friend you appreciate always picking up the tab at the bar, but are secretly wondering if he's actually a drug dealer.

But, uh, yeah. Azubu the StarCraft team. Azubu made it quite clear that they had considerable wealth when they created their team, picking up viOLet, the ex-oGs survivors (TOP, jookTo, SuperNova, InCa, VINES), Sleep, GanZi and Genius as their initial members. Not only that, but they have a star-studded coaching staff as well, with Brood War greats IntoTheRain and Iris on board as coaches, and the legendary NaDa signed as the team manager.

Yet, it appears their wealth isn't at the "money is no object" level, as they let marquee free agents like PartinG and Squirtle go to SKT and LG-IM respectively. However, they did some impressive last-second roster bolstering, picking up San, BBoongBBoong and Symbol a few months before the GSTL started. Considering that they already have a top class Zerg in viOLet, it's a bit strange that they went for Symbol instead of Squirtle or PartinG.... but then again, expecting Azubu to act in an explainable manner doesn't seem to have a point.


The Roster

Zerg: Symbol, viOLet, BBoongBBoong, Sleep

Azubu's Zerg line is definitely their strongest. We all know Symbol was last season's Code S runner-up, but what's more relevant to this competition is be the fact that he was an all-killing, super-ace class player for Team SCV Life (TSL) in 2012. He played a huge part in bringing the team to the semi-finals for two consecutive seasons, and with an even stronger supporting cast on Azubu, he could lead his new team even further.

viOLet hasn't proven himself in the GSTL yet, but we do know he's a top class Zerg player in international competition. He did do rather well in the pre-season, even earning an all-kill, but I feel like he's still one step behind Symbol on the ladder here. Of course, then there's BBoongBBoong, a steady-slow riser through the GSL ranks who reached the Code S Ro16 last season. While BBoongBBoong would be a sure starter on many other teams, he's going to have to fight for starts on a team like this (it vaguely resembles the DRG - Sniper - Monster trio on team MVP). Finally, we have Sleep, who isn't a bad player by any means... but given the depth of the team, and of the Zerg line in particular, it seems unlikely we'll see much of him in the GSTL unless he improves massively.

Protoss: San, Genius, VINES, InCa, Eve

This might be the most underrated part of the Azubu team line-up, considering that none of the players have really been in the spotlight for the last nine months or so. Genius is definitely the most well-known player, having made a Code S final over a year ago. But the real Protoss ace of the team could actually be San the Man, a player who always performs well in online qualifiers and gets a lot of plaudits from his peers for his online play. However, he can't ever seem to bring his best play to the GSL booth, at least not since he made the semi-finals nearly two years ago. San is probably the 'better' player in a general sense, but Genius is the guy who has the intangibles to get it done in a live setting.

The oGs duo of VINES and InCa are wild cards, as we haven't seen them play in what seems like forever. I get the feeling they'll both be sent out for a spin at least once, and then we'll get to see what they've really got. InCa will certainly be pleased with the cheaper Dark Shrine in Heart of the Swarm, and coach IntoTheRain owes us at least once InCa appearance.

Terran: SuperNova, GanZi, TOP

The Terran line is definitely Azubu's weakest, being just three members deep and none of the players having had a particularly notable 2012. Indeed, they all seemed to get completely buried by the brood lord-infestor waves that dominated the year, but with HotS it might be time for a comeback. MMA and Jjakji are two great examples of players who just could not figure out how to play late-WoL TvZ to save their lives, and were pretty much anonymous for the last year or so. However, they've almost instantly returned to relevance with HotS, where the new style of play fits them much better.

SuperNoVa is the player who stands to benefit from HotS the most, having always enjoyed playing an extremely chaotic, harassment based style in WoL. The faster medivacs combined with widow mines are a godsend for him, and he's surely going to drive a few opponents insane with his incessant harassment. TOP and GanZi were also good players in the past, but their peaks are even further behind than SuperNoVa's. At least SuperNoVa was still showing us he was pretty good in 2012, whereas we haven't seen TOP and GanZi play at a high level since 2011. Their return to form is going to be crucial if Azubu doesn't want to be hamstrung by their Terran line.

The Ace: Symbol

viOLet has seniority on Symbol, in both age and time on Azubu. But I've still got to go with Symbol here as the true ace of the team, because he's a player who has taken on the burden of being his team's last man many times in the past, and come through with flying colors.

Return to Prime Time?

Of all the teams in the GomTV-sphere, Prime has had the most ups and downs. At first they were a decent, unremarkable team, with only the presence of perennial runner-up MarineKing to distinguish them. They started sinking towards the bottom of the barrel in the autumn of 2011 when MarineKing stopped looking like a championship contender, and Polt decided to abscond the team for greener pastures. Yet, that was when they magically pulled together a GSTL finals run, riding multi-kill performances from breakout star Creator before they were thwarted by team MVP in the finals.

First half 2012 saw Prime build on that improbable run and reach their peak, maybe even becoming the best team in the world for a brief period. MarineKing had a renaissance, winning two MLG titles and acclaim as the best Terran player in the world. Creator, Maru, ByuN all started to realize their potential around the same time, giving Prime an unstoppable power quartet that won their first GSTL championship. It looked like Prime had nowhere to go but up, but it turned out that they couldn't continue their growth, with some of their players even regressing. MarineKing and Maru couldn't deal with post-patch TvZ well enough to rise above mid-level Code S. ByuN had one great semi-final run, but never really recovered after his nerves betrayed him against the soul-stealer Seed, losing a series where he was up 2 - 0. Creator's continued growth was one bright spot during an unremarkable period for Prime, but he wasn't able to deliver as an ace-class player in the GSTL. Even worse, their only reliable Zerg and fifth starter in BBoongBBoong decided leave the team, leaving their roster very thin.

Heading into HotS, Prime is in a strange spot, possessing a number of underperforming stars. MarineKing and Creator were very disappointing so far in their limited HotS appearances. ByuN has continued to decline after losing his soul to Seed, and now he's stuck starting the season off in Code A. We all know they are players who have the potential to be huge contributors to a championship team, but they've yet to show that they can reach that level in HotS just yet. On a positive note for Prime, Maru is showing some signs of life again. Not only did he re-qualify for Code S, but he finished second in a recent HotS mini-cup, defeating San and SuperNoVa while losing 2 - 3 to Monster in the final.

This Prime team definitely has the potential to be great again, and we'll have to see if they can pull things together in the first GSTL season of 2013.


The Roster

Protoss: Creator, Classic, Lucy, Barbie

There's almost as much riding on Creator as there is on MarineKing this season. At the top of his game, he's an incredibly safe and steady macro monster, capable of shrugging off every attack before he erases his opponent from the map with a deathball. He's exactly the kind of player you want to sweep through the weaker members of the opposing team and draw out their key players. However, his defenses looked worryingly porous against Polt at MLG Dallas, leaving one to wonder if HotS has taken away his ability to play his trademark, solid macro game.

Classic was a pleasant surprise for Prime last season, showing he could partially make up for BBoongBBoong's departure by being something like a poor man's TAiLS. He's probably not going to play much given the move to best of seven, but he's certainly a useful cheeser/cannon-rusher/sniper to have on the bench.

Zerg: Emir, TerrOr

Well, I guess it's good for Prime that many people think Zerg in the worst race. Not only did Prime lose their best Zerg in BBoongBBoong (who proceeded to lose weight and get way better at StarCraft, like a spiteful ex), but they proceeded to even lose their replacement player Salmosa to retirement. Salmosa was a player that most Prime fans would have described as "well, at least he's not terrible," which tells you what kind of dire situation the Prime Zerg line is in now.

Terran: MarineKing, Maru, ByuN

On the other hand, it's great news for Prime that many players and fans consider Terran to be the strongest race in HotS. Sure, MKP was never the best dropping Terran in the world, but HotS has turned even reluctant droppers into 2011 MMA's. The fact that their Terrans don't have to fight brood-lord infestor anymore is perhaps the biggest thing HotS has given to team Prime. Without BL-Infestor to worry about, MKP can go back to winning TvZ in the way that's most suited to him: with superior macro, relentless attacks, and cost-efficient trades powered by his great micro. In addition, MKP was already winning around 75% of his TvP games in WoL anyway, and he didn't even need to drop much to do that. Similarly, it was mostly TvZ that was holding Maru and ByuN back as well, and they're sure to be even more formidable now.

The Ace: MarineKing

All non-Zergs are rejoicing the death of BL-infestor, but MKP might be the player with the most to gain from HotS. The patch sent him hurtling down from championship contender to mid-level Code S player. Now, it wouldn't be surprising to see MarineKing challenge for championships once more. One worry for MKP is how he adjusts to HotS TvT, given his 0 - 3 loss to Jjakji at MLG Dallas.

Head to Head

Starters: ByuNPrime vs. Azubu.SuperNova

Drop centered HotS TvT is certainly interesting, but it's hard to say yet who's going to be good at it. After seeing TaeJa get utterly crushed by Bomber's drops at MLG Winter, you have to open your mind to the possibility that the previous TvT world order might have been shaken up. I want to say it favors SuperNoVa in this case, as he favored a more aggressive, active style compared to other Terrans who preferred to play more methodically. But ByuN is no slouch at multi-tasking, and he could out-micro and out-engage SuperNoVa yet.

Overall outlook and prediction

Like the other new GSTL team in Axiom-Acer, Azubu is huge mystery. We know a little bit about their more famous players, but with so many players on their bench that we've barely seen play WoL in the last few months, let alone HotS, there's no telling what their ceiling is.

Prime, though their roster is awfully short, has four players that we're very familiar with and know to be Code S level in MKP, ByuN, Maru, and Creator. None of them have done particularly well in their first few forays into HotS, that's true. But all three Terrans have the mechanics to abuse the new Terran to its fullest, and there's a good chance they'll keep Terran at the top of the win rankings in this GSTL season.

Prime 4 - 3 Azubu