BenQ GSTL
Season One

Week 6 Recap
Mad Bull Charges into the GSTL


Week 7 Preview
NSH vs. FXOpen
Prime vs. Axiom-Acer

Brackets and results on Liquipedia

As we approach the halfway point of the GSTL, things are still extremely tight with the teams being only separated by a game a piece. Even NS HoSeo managed to drag themselves out of last place and back into the playoff mix, suggesting that the fighting will only grow more intense as we approach the final, fourteenth week.

Week 6 in Review: The Mad God Rules

Star-studded teams like LG-IM, Mvp and Prime were playing in week six, but all of them were overshadowed by one single player on NS HoSeo: MadBull. NSH looked deader than dead heading into their match with Prime after having been all killed by two Terrans already, and ByuN seemed more than qualified to make it all-kill number three.

Instead, Madbull came out as the starter and totally crushed ByuN, showing awesome overall strategic management skills in late game PvT. Madbull wasn't really able to match the Ghost King in engagement efficiency, but it didn't matter as Madbull was always ahead in the big picture, able to lose battles without being in danger of losing the war. While beating ByuN was already awesome enough, the Mad God even blessed his worshippers with a ceremony.


After wiping the floor with Maru, the Mad God even came close to defeating MarineKing as well, clobbering him with a two base colossus rush. However, MadBull lost focus just moments away from victory, with his colossi firing on buildings instead of units in the final battle, allowing MarineKing to pull out the victory. It didn't matter in the end, however, as jjakji quickly made the save for NSH and secured their 4 - 1 victory with wins over MKP and Creator.

In other news, Team MVP wiped an LG-IM team that played a combined 0 of their GSL champions. If that surprises you, we're please to inform you that passes for normal in the GSTL.

Upcoming Matches

This is a battle to escape from the bottom. With both teams below the fifth place cutline for the playoffs, this will be a turning point for both teams to see if they can reach the playoffs with some room to spare, or if they will be fighting tooth and nail until the very end. For FXO, getting the best map score possible is especially important, as they are already the team with the most warnings in the league (due to being late and unwarranted pausing). The map score difference between the teams is tiny so far, and a couple of points could very well be the difference between the playoffs and having a long vacation. Luckily for FXO, their definitive 4-man squad has finally been formed after sC achieved a monsterous all-kill two weeks ago, and he'll join the trio of Tear, GuMiho and Leenock.

NSH is on a high. On one hand it's sad that one win counts as a high for NSH, but they now have some real hope going forward. Yes, they are the bottom of the league and have been all-killed twice, but they're recovering their identity as the underdogs that can give anyone a good scrap. Before they had only jjakji to try to win the entire thing for them. Now they also have the mad god, MadBull. With that first win, the players will be less nervous and with luck they can get 1 or 2 more players to come off the bench and contribute in a big way like Madbull.

But this is NSH. Even if they were able to pull an upset against Prime last week, they are still considered the weakest team in the league. Unless they can get performances from more players than just MadBull and Jjakji, this match should go in the favor of FXO.

Prediction: FXO 4 - 2 NSH



The time for chilling and staying cool has passed. With both teams dropping in surprise losses to FXO and NSH last week, they will be trying to get redemption by pounding each other into dust. This is obvious with their first player picks as both teams have sent their big name players out first.

And it makes sense for both teams. MKP is a great momentum player and does better in the early positions where the pressure is off. For Axiom, Ryung was a smart choice because Prime is made up of 3 Terrans and Creator, with Creator often playing as the last man. So the chances were high that the first game was TvT, and Ryung's TvT is still extremely strong. He has the best chance to set the tone of the series in Axiom’s favor.

For Axiom, this match is important for them to advance to the playoffs, but most importantly for Axiom, it is also time to baptize Miya by fire. Miya looked broken as he once more lost in his match against FXO last week as he is now 0 - 6 in GSTL, putting in him the winless line alongside Inori and J. A player that often does well in practice and has the complete confidence from his team, but just cannot seem to bring it all together when it comes to televised matches. Because of that, he is the most interesting player to watch. Does he have the tenacity and strength to become the Zerg pillar his team needs, and does his team trust him enough to keep giving him chances with their playoffs lives on the line?

Prediction: Axiom 4 - 3 Prime

Writers:Stuchiu and Waxangel.
Graphics: Pathy.
Editor: Waxangel.