Table of Contents

Round 5 Week 3 Preview
Lineups


Risk Takers
Samsung KHAN


Ground Shakers
SK Telecom T1


Match of the Week
EG-TL vs KT Rolster


SK Planet Proleague table and results at Liquipedia

By: Wunder

The Proleague train stops for no one, as we near the halfway mark for the round, there are more excellent matches in store for you this week! With Samsung getting the two weakest teams in Proleague this week, they're looking to make a push for the top. Meanwhile, SKT T1 continues on their war path, taking on the leader, Woongjin Stars as well as the once-great CJ Entus. Finally, we have the all-important rematch of KT vs EG-TL, the match that kicked off the season and the rivalry that has been mostly one-sided. Can EG-TL break their curse and finally beat KT? Or will Flash show his dominance once again, by sweeping the Unholy Alliance? Tune in to find out!

Round 5 Week 3 Matches

Risk Takers

As we go over the hump for the penultimate round of Proleague, the rankings are slowly stabilizing. Sure, there will still be a lot of jostling in the middle of the pack for those teams that want to squeeze in an entrance into the playoffs, but for most teams, their fate is set. Samsung KHAN is one of the teams that have been stuck in the relative middle for a while, starting the season off very poorly but managing to claw their way out of the pit and started this round in the playoff spot. However, now they’re smack in the middle of the pack, and if they want to make it back in the green, they need to take some risks.

While JangBi and RorO have been their anchors throughout the season, Samsung has not had a solid and reliable line-up for a while. With Stork underperforming and Shine and Solar both failing to step up to the plate, that mantle finally gets passed to the Terrans. While Reality and TurN have both appeared throughout the season, they have only recently pulling their weight, picking up a few wins here and there. However, the new star of Samsung is most definitely Kop, who burst out near the end of the last round and won both his matches. It’s a real wonder why no one decided to field him until Samsung was backed into a corner, but nevertheless he performed admirably against Savage and Oz.

Fast forward to this week, with KHAN down 1-3, and they decide to start with both Kop and Reality. Now, Samsung is up against EG-TL and Team 8, statistically the two worst teams this season, so this may be an attempt to give the Terrans more experience. Or it may be a show of confidence for the Terrans to finally show their stuff and grab a few mutli-kills in the process. Whatever the reason, Samsung needs to pull these wins out if they want to remain competitive in the standings.

Ground Shakers

While Samsung tries to work to stay in the game, the titans of Proleague, SKT T1 continue their rampage, this time facing Woongjin Stars and CJ Entus. After the performance that Bisu gave last week, SKT T1 must be over the moon and beaming with confidence, as they’ve decided to field yet another Protoss that has been down on his luck, BeSt. The captain of SKT T1 hasn’t really been seen much and whenever he does get fielded he usually loses in a poor fashion. Under the shadows of colossus such as PartinG and Rain, it is obvious that BeSt and the other Protoss players must be feeling a crushing pressure to perform and show their skill.

In any case, SKT1 will employ a similar strategy as when they sent out Bisu If BeSt were to lose early, they will have a bevy of players to choose from, ranging from the reformed Bisu, to the stoic Rain. FanTaSy or one of the many Zergs could take their place as well, as SKT T1 is absolutely filled with capable players. However, this will be a turning point in BeSt’s Proleague career, as an early loss here could spell more absences for the next games, or even spill over to the next round.

While SKT T1 is playing it fast and loose against Woongjin, they aren’t pulling any punches against CJ Entus, fielding PartinG against CJ’s star Zerg, EffOrt. While the match against Woongjin will sure have a few stellar PvZs, this match promises to be electric from the start, with two excellent players going head to head in what could be a clutch match for CJ. With PartinG getting knocked out of WCS Korea after displaying some fantastic PvZ, EffOrt will be hard pressed to find holes in his opponent’s play that he can exploit as well as Soulkey did. Unfortunately for CJ, they do not possess the same depth as SKT T1 and can’t simply pull out a multitude of players ready to snipe the Protoss Powerhouse. They do have Hydra, who is looking sharper than ever in the current round, having bounced back after an abysmal performance in round 4, so they do have at least one player to fall back on if EffOrt doesn’t pull through.

Writers: Wunder.
Graphics: HawaiianPig
Editors: monk.