WCS Korea Season 1 - GSL

Code S Ro32 Group D
Recap: TaeJa and Losira advance


Winner Interviews
TaeJa and Losira


Brackets and standings on Liquipedia

by Waxangel

Results via Live Report Thread by Karasaki.
+ Show Spoiler [Results] +


TaeJa and LosirA progress, while TRUE and FanTaSy entertain.

By the results alone, the story of Group D was KeSPA facing a reality check after the elation of Group C, with two of The Association's players being eliminated just a day after two had booked their Ro16 spots. Liquid`TaeJa and LG-IM_LosirA, tried and true veterans of the GSL stage, proved to be far too much for Code S newcomers TRUE and Fantasy to handle and dropped them down to the Challenger League.

But looking at the content of the games, there's a different story: it was the most entertaining day of WCS Korea this season. The two eliminated players, SKT_FanTaSy and 8th_TRUE, proved that they were more than capable of playing wildly entertaining styles, even if they lacked the refinement to stay in Code S. TRUE might have even been the real star of the night in terms of in-game content, playing a relentlessly aggressive style reminiscent of KeSPA Zergs like Kwanro or JulyZerg before him.

There was another subplot still, as TaeJa attracted the most attention outside the game with his post-victory interview. Not only did he reveal the possibility of a long break due to his wrists, and early forfeiture of Code S due to that, but he also expressed his dissatisfaction with the WCS system and compared Blizzard unfavorably to competitor Riot Games. (Interview Below)

Initial Matches: TaeJa vs. Fantasy || TRUE vs. Losira

The first match of the night was a battle between Crown Princes, one self-named and the other the de facto heir to the SK Telecom empire. FanTaSy successor of Boxer and iloveoov, took the upper hand early on, using hellbat drops to great effect to wear down and topple Liquid`TaeJa in a macro game. However, TaeJa ('crown prince' in Korean) tied the series up almost immediately, as his FE with 2 rax-reaper crippled Fantasy's banshee rush before it even got started.

While the first two games were somewhat anti-climatic, the deciding game turned out to be one of the most exciting TvT HotS has seen yet. TaeJa's bio-tank locked horns against Fantasy's pure mech, with both players refusing to budge as they traded blows. The game ended up being decided in a close finish, with a half-base trade reducing both players' economies and armies severely. This ended up being to the bio player's benefit, and TaeJa exploited his mobility and better efficiency in small-to-mid scale engagements to deny Fantasy resources and earn a hard fought victory.

The ZvZ match between TRUE and LosirA proved to be uninteresting in comparison, although it had the added twist that both players had previously been teammates and friends on the Brood War team Hwaseung Oz. TRUE decided to bring aggressive builds in every single game, and their success or failure decided the outcome. While he was successful in game one, he failed to do sufficient damage in games two and three, giving Losira a 2 – 1 victory.

Still Korean, for a few more weeks

While TaeJa said his worsening wrist condition, his WCS Season 2 region switch, and the possibility of having to take an extended rest made him okay with Ro32 elimination, it didn't seem to matter as he took out LosirA 2 – 1 to reach the Ro16 once more.

All three games against Losira played out in a similar way, with TaeJa playing a the standard bio-mine-medivac composition, while Losira pulled out an interesting solution by opening muta-ling-bane and then teching quickly to ultras and infestors. The new HotS features ended up being a key part of TaeJa's victory, as drops crippled Losira's economy in game one, and massive widow mine shots clinched victory in game three. To Losira's credit, he played masterfully all-around to take the second map, Bel'Shir vestige.

In the losers match, a desperate struggle to avoid elimination

The highlight series of the night – and of the GSL so far – was the losers match between 8th_TRUE and FanTaSy as they both sought to keep their hopes alive. Fantasy's infamy for refusing to surrender until the last moment was a key contributing factor to the excitement of the matches, as well as TRUE's fascinatingly aggressive style.

The first match was one of the best of the year. The game started off unusually, with TRUE showing his aggressive colors yet again by hurling speedbane bust after speedbane bust at Fantasy's defenses, despite the many mines that lay in his path. While at first it seemed futile, Fantasy seemed to get taken off-guard by how relentless TRUE was, reloading and attacking again when most Zergs would have decided to make a transition. The non-stop attacks crippled Fantasy's economy, and he seemed to be down for the count with over 80 SCVs dead within the first fifteen minutes of the game.

However, that was just the setup for the truly interesting part of the game. Even without SCVs, Fantasy still had marines and medivacs, which were all he needed to get him back in the game. A doom drop in TRUE's main got Fantasy right back in it, thanks to his stellar micro (TRUE bet that Fantasy couldn't possibly focus fire down six banelings in the middle of a speedling pack; Fantasy proved him wrong). On top of that, having lost all of his SCVs actually proved to be a weird advantage for Fantasy, as he still had minerals left to mine at his natural and third, while TRUE's unhampered drones had quickly mined out his main and natural. When Fantasy went on to drop and kill TRUE's only remaining base, the game fell into total disarray.

Too much happened to lay out completely what occured in the bizarre, low-resource situation scenario that followed. I hope it might suffice to say that the ending sequence featured a single dropship and two marines trying to hunt down a single mutalisk so that a banshee could win the game. In the end, TRUE's use of burrowed zerglings to disrupt enemy mining, and long-distance drone mining to make single mutalisks was enough to shut down Fantasy's desperate efforts and seal the deal.

The second game could only be a disappointment after the unusual and unique entertainment the first had provided, but it furthered TRUE's credentials as an offense-first player. Another baneling bust was attempted, but this time Fantasy defended successfully and took the game.

The final game between TRUE and Fantasy was another entertaining one, though it was more of a showcase for TRUE than a truly competitive match. TRUE decided to go for a Nydus all-in with zerglings and roaches, but had his plans revealed at the last second by a pesky reaper. With nothing to do but go for it anyway, TRUE forced the attack against an enemy with complete forewarning, going through the front door instead of the back. Through some miracle, TRUE managed to make the attack work to some degree, and put himself in a manageable, though disadvantageous spot.

And manage TRUE did, as he transitioned into a standard game and slowly got the better of his opponent. He responded deftly to Fantasy's drops, protected his bases, defused mines expertly, and slowly built himself an insurmountable lead. Fantasy stayed in the game until the bitter end in the hope of making another near comeback, but it was not to be, and he surrendered the series to TRUE.

And like that, poof. He's gone.

While TRUE put on the star performance of the night, he had his Code S debut brought to an end by Losira who awoke from his catnap to finally play again. The rematch was almost comically short compared to the long series that had come before, as Losira took the remaining Ro16 spot with a quick 2 – 0. Early baneling-ling attacks figured in again, except this time it was from Losira's side, and TRUE could not defend.


In Conclusion

TaeJa: TaeJa has officially joined the club of players who do so well in spite of wrist problems that you wonder if it's just an elaborate fake (other members: Flash and Mvp). All kidding aside, TaeJa does look worse than he was at his prime, but even a diminished TaeJa is a player who has a great chance to reach the Code S Ro8 every season. His decision to pick NA next season was an interesting one, and we will have to see how that plays out.

LosirA: Like soO yesterday, it's hard to know what to make of Losira since he advanced by winning two ZvZs. He looked quite good in his one winning game against TaeJa, but that might not be enough against Terrans who are even more relentless droppers.

TRUE: Wow, what a debut performance in Code S. Not only did TRUE play well, but he played with panache, showing a uniquely aggressive style. Even the things he didn't do well were fun to watch, like his seven failed nydus attempts before he finally managed to make one in Fantasy's main (it did no damage).

FanTaSy: Fantasy is stuck in the same zone he was back in November of 2012, where we're all raving about his potential to be amazing in SC2. However, he's still rough around the edges, and has the same issues with supply blocks and keeping up with his macro. His TvT is up at a high level, but his other match-ups need work if he's going to challenge in Code S.

Winner Interviews

Liquid`TaeJa

Q: How you feel about topping your group?
A: Before the games the condition of my wrists suddenly got worse so I showed up without being able to practice much. I came thinking it was okay to lose, but surprisingly I won.

Q: You decided to go to NA next season anyway, did that help you stay calm and not get nervous?
A: I might have to take a break because of my wrists, so I had a situation where I might have had to forfeit Code S. I felt I could play NA later even if I rested one season.

Q: Against Fantasy, his hellbat drops did a ton of damage to you in game one.
A: In the first game, I just played the game as it came to me, I just played without thinking. In the third game I made turrets thinking not to get hurt by that again.

Q: Fantasy used mech play while you went for bio-tank. What do you think of those compositions, and do you play mech styles as well?
A: I don't think Mech is better than bio in HotS. It's good for building on a lead you have, but the games I had against Fantasy were pretty even, so bio was better in those situations.

Q: Have you seen the NA player list? What do you think?
A: A lot of not well-known players got seeds. I'll make Blizzard regret giving the seeds to other players instead of me. I didn't like Blizzard that much before, so I dislike even more (laughs). Compared to riot, they don't seem to really be considerate of people who play the games.

Q: How bad is the state of your wrists?
A: I can't fully put strength into my fingers. It got worse after it got slightly better in season one. I'll go to the hospital tomorrow to get a detailed examination.

Q: Well now that you're in the Ro16, what's your goal?
A: I didn't expect to advance, but now that I'm here I want to go to the Ro4.

Q: The Ro4 has been your limit in the GSL so far.
A: I don't practice focusing on one race, I practice on the ladder. So I think I'm lacking in preparation against a specific opponent.

Q: Would you stay in the KR region if you got a good result and another seed, like Ro4+?
A: It would depend on how my wrists are. I think even if I reached the Ro8 I would have had to give up the spot.

Q: What do you think of the WCS format in general?
A: It's great to the players on top, but it's very poor for players in the mid level of their teams or below. They can't go to other tournaments, and all they have is the GSL.

Q: How did the Nazgul feel about your choice?
A: It didn't seem like he liked it so much, because it meant giving up Code S.

Q: Anyone you want to face in the Ro16?
A: I don't have any plans. I'll pick anyone who asks to be picked.

Q: Final comments?
A: Thanks to our sponsors ShinyThings, Razer, Twitch, and Barracuda. Thanks to San, Daisy, Yongsu (Dragon?) Hyung, and Cheonjae Hyung from the NoS clan who came to cheer for me in this match.


LG-IM_LosirA

Q: How do you feel advancing?
A: (Long silence) I feel really good, but I feel bad because I had to beat a friend and teammate in TRUE.

Q: Did you feel bad getting in the same group?
A: I felt good on one hand getting to play against a player I had friendly competition against, in a real tournament. On the other hand, I felt bad that I was in a situation where one of us could eliminate the other.

Q: It's your birthday today. If you were unlucky, the matches could have ended after midnight.
A: I'm very happy I won, so I don't really even think about that.

Q: TRUE played a lot of early aggression strategies in your series. Did you expect it?
A: I had it in mind, but I didn't know he would go to such extremes.

Q: You went muta-bane-ling into fast ultras against TaeJa, is that the answer you've found for ZvT?
A: I think it's one of the solutions.... But Terran is strong...

Q: What did you think while watching the games between TRUE and Fantasy?
A: I thought wow, TRUE is really good. That he can play that way, not even doing damage and getting behind, but somehow evening things up and actually winning. I thought TRUE was really amazing.

Q: Your teammates, Nestea and Mvp decided to go the EU and America regions.
A: I'm not at that stage to think about it yet. They are great players, and it's their choice, and I think they will do well whatever they do.

Q: Your goal this season?
A: Championship.

Q: You returned to Code S last season, but it didn't go so well.
A: Practice is the only answer, that's all I can do. Find solutions in practice and get stronger.

Q: Any preferred races or opponents in the Ro16?
A: No, nothing of that sort. I'd like an even mix. Something I can practice for while raising my overall skill.

Q: Lots of people say ZvP is hard, so were you happy you got no Protoss opponents in this group?
A: I thought it would be fine if I had Protoss opponents. I like Protoss.

Q: What are your thoughts on the new system with WCS in place?
A: I think it's good for players in high places, and they can get fame and fortune commensurate to their skill. But in terms of all players getting a shot, I think that's that's gone. It's very disappointing.

Q: What do your fellow players say about it?
A: I don't think they liked it.

Q: Squirtle is the only LG-IM player left who has Code S matches now.
A: I think he can do well.

Q: You lost against Axiom-Acer in the GSTL, your thoughts on that?
A: I am practicing for GSTL as much as individual leagues, I don't doubt that the team will get good results. I'm confident.

Q: Final comments?
A: Thanks to our head coach, coach, and Seed for coming to the game. Also thanks to our coaches' wife and the players who practiced with me. Also, I want to tell TRUE good game, and that he really did well. Also, thanks to one of the GomTV writers for giving me chocolates on my birthday.

Writers: Waxangel.
Graphics: Shiroiusagi
Editor: Waxangel.