It didn't take long for the two best players in Group B to emerge, as SKT_FanTaSy and 8th_Savage managed to end the proceedings with just seven games played out of a potential ten. Both players quickly accumulated 3 - 0 records, with Zerg-Protoss-Terran triple kills against ST_Golden, CJ_Trust, and IEM World Champion LG-IM_YoDa. This removed the necessity for the final three matches of the night that had been scheduled, including a head to head match between Fantasy and Savage.
Fantasy got a chance to give a well-rounded performances, defeating YoDa in true HotS style with almost purely hellbats, beating Golden after defending solidly against an all-in baneling attack, and also winning a late-game TvP thriller against Trust. Savage's games were a bit more one note. After out-roaching Golden in a ZvZ, he scouted out and defended well against cheeses from YoDa and Trust to book his ticket out of the group.
Quick Hits on the Rest
ST_Golden: Golden didn't look particularly bad, but it was clear the other players were better than him on the day.
CJ_Trust: Trust played Fantasy pretty tight in an extended TvP on Whirlwind, which was the best game of the night. Had he taken that game the group would have fallen into chaos, but unfortunately he threw it away with a terrible engagement into an entrenched Terran position at the end.
LG-IM_YoDa: It's hard to imagine how things could have gone worse for YoDa. Not only was he eliminated from his group, but the matches played out in an order that meant he only got to play two out of a potential four matches. Even the same elimination would have looked a little bit better if he went 2 - 2 and not 0 - 2, but in the end YoDa barely got to show people his skills in defeat.
Coming in last place for the group is Hurricane. Usually this is a knock against the player as being the weakest link in the group, but this particular group is full of players that are just bad news for him. MKP and Bang have superior PvT. TRUE plays an aggressive style that has always matched well against Hurricane. And while True has good PvP, it's still PvP and his match against First can go either way. While I placed him last in this group, the gap between first and last in this group is much closer than most others and he could still pull through on his best night.
How the times have changed. While he is still a perpetual fixture in Code S (at least until this season), MarineKing is no longer a dominant force that opponents seek to avoid at all costs, but rather another player desperately clinging on the edge of the Ro32 cliff. Going into HotS, a lot of his fans were hoping his TvZ woes would be fixed as the infestor was nerfed and Terran was given turbovacs, mines and hellbats. The reality couldn't have been any more different as MKP continued his abysmal form against Zerg that started with the BL-infestor era. On top of that his once vaunted TvP is no longer the most feared in the world, and his place as the ace of Prime has been taken by Byun. Still MKP has moments where he shows some of his past brilliance and he will have to hope it's one of those days if he wants to get out of this group.
In third is the runner-up of the HotS beta IEM, LG-IM's First. The ensuing months have proved that the results of that early HotS tournament were not the best predictor of who would actually be good in the future, with champion YoDa falling out of Code S. First hasn't done that well in the GSL, but he did make it through his Code B qualifier and has been on form in the GSTL, all-killing Azubu. His PvP and PvT are good, but the problem for First is that he has sub-par PvZ. He's also particularly weak against all-ins from other players, having died to everything from ling all-ins to waaaaay past expiration date 1-1-1’s in GSL matches. First has the skills to make it through, but only if the games break his way.
Coming in second is a player who didn’t qualify for Code A at all. Instead he went to the Up/Down tourney which gathered 117 Code B Kespa and ESF players to battle it out in a massive battle royale. Arguably, that tournament was way harder than making it through Code B and Code A, and only two players survived the ordeal.
The first one was Bang. He made his way through the bracket on the strength of his TvP and TvT, most notably beating Last, Brown, Hero[join] and then Vines in the finals. On top of that, he's been doing rather nicely for himself in the online Acer TeamStory Cup, as a part of the main Terran duo alongside Dream.
While completely untested in the actual GomTV booth, you can’t help but think a player who qualified by destroying only Terrans and Protosses is favored in a group made up of mostly Terrans and Protosses.
The Up/Down groups are hell, no doubt about that. In terms of pure stress, they are are one of the hardest things a player can go through, especially for a Korean player who has never had a real chance, to whom victory means entry into the most prestigious league in the world. A loss means you're one bo3 away from becoming more invisible than aLive. But for TRUE, he should be in his element. TRUE is an extremely aggressive zerg player who loves roach busts, baneling busts, and nydus busts. He then moves on to an aggressive mid and late game that focuses on counters, runbys, burrowed lings and crazy dramatic attacks that constantly puts the opponent and the viewers on their toes. Up/Down groups always favor the cheesier players who will do anything to win a bo1, and TRUE is that kind of guy. On top of that he is the only Zerg in the group and a very strange one to prepare for. With these advantages, TRUE is the favorite to make it out of this group.
Nice to see Fanta make it, hopefully we'll see him in the upper reaches of Code S soon. Desperately hoping for MKP to make it, but not sure I'd be surprised if he didn't, even in this group.
On May 30 2013 05:01 BlackWaste wrote: Won't MKP get his Nestea award if he makes it back into Code S this time?
#MKP2013
Next season isn't considered to be Code S, since it's hosted by OGN and goes under the name WCS Korea OnGameNet Starleague. The season after that, however? Maybe. I guess so.
On May 30 2013 04:27 jubil wrote: Nice to see Fanta make it, hopefully we'll see him in the upper reaches of Code S soon. Desperately hoping for MKP to make it, but not sure I'd be surprised if he didn't, even in this group.
Who is Fanta? I think I remember that name from the "Former Players" part of StarTale's Liquipedia page...?
EDIT: it seems to be July. Which doesn't make me less confused.
On May 30 2013 04:27 jubil wrote: Nice to see Fanta make it, hopefully we'll see him in the upper reaches of Code S soon. Desperately hoping for MKP to make it, but not sure I'd be surprised if he didn't, even in this group.
Who is Fanta? I think I remember that name from the "Former Players" part of StarTale's Liquipedia page...?
EDIT: it seems to be July. Which doesn't make me less confused.
July briefly used the name Fanta in SC2 but they are referring to Fantasy
On May 30 2013 04:27 jubil wrote: Nice to see Fanta make it, hopefully we'll see him in the upper reaches of Code S soon. Desperately hoping for MKP to make it, but not sure I'd be surprised if he didn't, even in this group.
Who is Fanta? I think I remember that name from the "Former Players" part of StarTale's Liquipedia page...?
EDIT: it seems to be July. Which doesn't make me less confused.
July briefly used the name Fanta in SC2 but they are referring to Fantasy
I'm betting it all on this, I'll stop playing Starcraft 2 if MarineKing drops from Code A (so, that's not exactly now but it could happen in the next few weeks...) You can quote me on this later. THAT'S MY WAY OF TERRAN! GODDAMMIT MKP, PULL YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!
Interesting that MKP chose to start laddering on his own ID before the up-and-down matches. Even more interesting is that according to his ladder history, most of his losses are in TvP and TvZ is his best matchup.
On May 30 2013 06:23 sitromit wrote: Interesting that MKP chose to start laddering on his own ID before the up-and-down matches. Even more interesting is that according to his ladder history, most of his losses are in TvP and TvZ is his best matchup.
wow it's been so long since i checked ladder he's literally the highest ranked terran there atm wat
On May 30 2013 06:23 sitromit wrote: Interesting that MKP chose to start laddering on his own ID before the up-and-down matches. Even more interesting is that according to his ladder history, most of his losses are in TvP and TvZ is his best matchup.
wow it's been so long since i checked ladder he's literally the highest ranked terran there atm wat
mindgames. It's BoxeR using MarineKing's ID preparing for his glorious return
On May 30 2013 06:23 sitromit wrote: Interesting that MKP chose to start laddering on his own ID before the up-and-down matches. Even more interesting is that according to his ladder history, most of his losses are in TvP and TvZ is his best matchup.
wow it's been so long since i checked ladder he's literally the highest ranked terran there atm wat
Do people generally don't take into consideration that MKP is the TOP terran (#8) on ladder atm? Especially since Up/Down is Bo1.
On May 30 2013 06:23 sitromit wrote: Interesting that MKP chose to start laddering on his own ID before the up-and-down matches. Even more interesting is that according to his ladder history, most of his losses are in TvP and TvZ is his best matchup.
wow it's been so long since i checked ladder he's literally the highest ranked terran there atm wat
mindgames. It's BoxeR using MarineKing's ID preparing for his glorious return
Or MKP paid Innovation to boost his account to make it seem that he's actually good and make his opponents play scared.
On May 30 2013 08:53 GolemMadness wrote: Really, True is #1? The guy with a 35% win rate who doesn't even get sent out in Proleague anymore?
They probably have no idea and have decided to go with the common all-Kespa heuristic (TM). Seems to work well enough these days. That's how I usually liquibet. :D
Hurricane is the best player in the group if he doesn't choke, don't know how MKP is favored over him when Hurricane has already all-killed prime easily, PvT is his best matchup IMO. First is also beastly, I think them 2 are getting out unless Hurricane choked like he did last match
On May 30 2013 12:59 Benzzro wrote: Hurricane is the best player in the group if he doesn't choke, don't know how MKP is favored over him when Hurricane has already all-killed prime easily, PvT is his best matchup IMO. First is also beastly, I think them 2 are getting out unless Hurricane choked like he did last match
On May 30 2013 12:59 Benzzro wrote: Hurricane is the best player in the group if he doesn't choke, don't know how MKP is favored over him when Hurricane has already all-killed prime easily, PvT is his best matchup IMO. First is also beastly, I think them 2 are getting out unless Hurricane choked like he did last match
hurricane has never all killed prime lol
Uhh crap must of been thinking of First, switch Hurricane with First in my post . I still think Hurricane is getting out though.
This is an interesting group where the gap between first and last doesn't appear to be too wide. But I'm not sure how much I agree with the preview. TL thinks a guy (MVP.Bang) who's never played a game in the GOMtv booth is going to go straight up to code S, nearly two years from his first attempt? I'm sorry I don't see that happening.
True and MKP are the only two players in this group who've played in code S. In theory, they should be your two favourites to advance. But T8's True is far removed from the elite. He got knocked out in the first round this GSL and is a bit player in Proleague. That said, although his zvz is pretty bad, his zvp is alright and his zvt is pretty good. With no zergs to face, he looks like he could be set to renew his code S membership another season.
In MKP's case, he's one win away from the Nestea award. With his consistency, this code S seat is reserved for MKP's bum until proven otherwise. However, MKP it has to be said, has looked like shit lately. Luckily, this WCS-Korea (Starleague) doesn't count for or against the Nestea award. Like the previewers, I don't think he's going to make it over the line this time. Only one thing's for certain in this group: MKP will open with a low-ground cc-first and/or fast triple-orbital and True will chump him with a baneling or roach all-in.
If not MKP, which of the remaining 3 will achieve their first breakthrough into code S? Will it be Bang, the guy who's just broken into GSL for the first time ever? Will it be Hurricane, aka Tear, the guy who's spent most of his career on the margins of code A and code B? Or will it be First, the guy who won IEM Katowice, came 2nd at IEM Worlds, who's shown a formidable PvT if nothing else, including his all-kill of MKP's team just a couple weeks ago?
Yeah, I'm gonna go with True and First, but it won't be much of a surprise to see MKP pull himself together long enough to reclaim that code S seat reserved for him.
On May 30 2013 06:23 sitromit wrote: Interesting that MKP chose to start laddering on his own ID before the up-and-down matches. Even more interesting is that according to his ladder history, most of his losses are in TvP and TvZ is his best matchup.
wow it's been so long since i checked ladder he's literally the highest ranked terran there atm wat
Do people generally don't take into consideration that MKP is the TOP terran (#8) on ladder atm? Especially since Up/Down is Bo1.
Yeah, I think if he manages to be so strong on ladder that should imply he'll be fine with BO1s.
But as Artosis said in a cast some time ago, his micro early game is often so good that he reaches a position in the midgame where he isn't supposed to be which in turn leads him to become overconfident and derp around the map with a handful of bio and then get wiped out. I'm not saying this happens every game but this is what has defined most of his tournament play as of late.
This is shaping up to be the worst prediction ever. But really I have to thank you guys. People read those threads and make stupid bets because of them and I can get more money
On May 30 2013 12:59 Benzzro wrote: Hurricane is the best player in the group if he doesn't choke, don't know how MKP is favored over him when Hurricane has already all-killed prime easily, PvT is his best matchup IMO. First is also beastly, I think them 2 are getting out unless Hurricane choked like he did last match
Well I was right except Hurricane never all killed Prime which I thought he did . I also think First is way better then MKP, play a macro game please!
Completely wrong ranking, and numerous mistakes (Writing TRUE instead of Hurricane, thinking First all-killed Azubu instead of Prime, etc). Well done Stuchiu. ;o
EPT
Golden <Atlas> 
Trust
YoDa <Bel'Shir Vestige> 
. I also think First is way better then MKP, play a macro game please!
