Table of Contents

Round 6 Week 1 Review
Spoiler Alert!

Close but No Cigar
CBNC

Leapfrog
STX leaps over SKT

Games of the week
Jangbi vs Flash

Round 6 Week 2 Preview
Matches that Matter

Samsung's TurN
to Shine

Trust the Bunny
CJ Entus vs EG-TL

Match of the Week
SK Telecom T1 vs KT Rolster

SK Planet Proleague table and results at Liquipedia

By: Wunder

Due to factors such as the WCS Season 1 Finals and LoL, the past few weeks have been strange to say the least. Nevertheless Proleague recaps continue on as we review the last half-week and the next half-week in this week's recap/preview combo. For this final round of Proleague this season, everything will be on the line as each match will actually mean something.

Round 6 Week 1 Matches

Standings

Close But No Cigar

Because this is indeed the final round of Proleague before the playoffs, we want to reiterate the importance of each match this round and how heavily things could swing from one match, or even one game if it comes down to the wire. This week Samsung attempted to make their ascent back into the top four, with a win against KT being a huge boon. Most of the pieces fell into place, with JangBi taking a nail biting PvT out from under Flash and Shine beating out Stats. Unfortunately, with Stork losing to Crazy, it forced the ace match and while Jangbi attempted to pull the rug out from Flash with a 2 base allin, Flash was more than capable of handling it with a multitude of bunkers and SCVs to repair.

While Samsung KHAN was dangerously close to overthrowing KT Rolster and upsetting the balance of the top four, it’s set a precedent for future opponents of Samsung as they seem to be the one team that can oppose the top teams above them. Unfortunately though, this sets them back further, now being 2 wins away from the 4th place holder, SKT1.

On the topic of close games, CJ Entus tried to cause a stir as well, going 2-4 against Woongjin Stars in a series that was much closer than one might think, looking at the score. With Woongjin’s full armada coming out to defend their 1st place standing, it was initially looking grim for CJ, as Bong started the match with a failed all-in. However, though ZerO defended it, there were moments where the second string Woongjin Zerg looked determined to throw the game away, engaging in terrible positions and almost allowing Bong to come back into the game. It was all for naught though, as ZerO crashed through the Protoss’ forces and took the game.

The rest of the series played out as one might expect, with the better player winning the game. While EffOrt and SonGDuri tried their best to win their games, sOs and Light both played solidly and neither player could find an opening and though they were decent macro games, it was simply a matter of time before both players moved out and crushed the Zerg army. With only six more games to go and CJ at a four game deficit from the playoff spot, they are rapidly running out of time. Without consistent performances from at least four players, CJ cannot hope to make the playoffs in the state they are in.

Leapfrog

While the bottom four teams are squirming and trying to worm their way into the top four, the top four teams are duking it out and battling for a prime spot in the playoffs. STX vs SKT1 was that exact match this week, with STX taking it 4-2. In the preview we had said that STX Soul vs SK Telecom T1 would be one of the most important matches this round and while we may not see the full repercussions of this match till we near the end of this round, it is already evident by the updated standings what STX Soul achieved with that win.

Starting the round off, both teams were tied 19-16, with SKT1 leading in map score. Now, STX Soul is but one win away from tying with KT Rolster and a chance to grab an even further placing in the playoff bracket. The match itself was interesting, due to the obvious fact that INnoVation could only contribute a finite amount. So how did STX manage to pull off a win against SKT1? It comes down to three factors: the reliability of Innovation, the evolution of Classic and the blunder of Brown. First and foremost, Innovation’s reliability - having just come off a heartbreaker of a finals, he’s instantly bounced back and has retaken his seat as STX’s anchor. Taking out FanTaSy in an intense TvT, Innovation has proved that even a finals loss won’t faze him when it comes to taking wins for his team.

With the security of starting most matches up 1-0, STX Soul has used their resources elsewhere and as a result boast a huge Protoss roster. Though Dear, Trap and Mini all have their wins here and there, the most interesting Protoss and the one that I feel should receive the most attention is Classic. A player that started the season as Terran evolved into a Protoss player when Heart of the Swarm was released and has only continued to improve and impress. This time was no different. Though he suffered a crushing loss to Rain in the previous round, whereby Classic took an early lead but lost to the SKT1 Protoss while he was transitioning to voidrays, he took that loss and learned the intricacies of PvP so that should the two players ever meet again, he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. It definitely showed, as after the two players clashed in the final and pivotal game of the match, Classic brought out a unit out and used it in a way that is rarely seen.



Not only did he use a warp prism to drop flanking zealots and to tank colossus shots, he also didn’t make the same mistake as he did last round. That is, he stayed on the appropriate ground tech and crushed Rain with it. This win not only symbolizes Classic’s total transformation as a Protoss player, but also sealed STX’s win over SKT1.

However, though both Innovation and Classic played an integral role in where STX Soul is today, there is one important factor that could have changed the outcome of the entire match. It was the game between Mini and Brown, whereby Mini attempted to take a free win by proxy gating Brown inside Brown’s main. Brown miraculously scouted it and correctly put down a second gateway before his gas and things were looking fantastic for the ex-SlayerS player. It was written over Mini’s face the second the proxy was scouted - this was over. But Brown panicked. When Mini’s zealots ran toward Brown’s mineral line, he pulled massive amounts of probes and followed Mini all the way back to where Mini’s zealots had squeezed into a choke and were allowed to attack freely. Flustered, Brown put down his core much later than Mini, who was smartly teching as fast as he could. Then, Mini simply warped in stalkers with his much faster warpgate tech and waltzed into Brown’s base.

This singular blunder from Brown changed what would have been a won game for SKT1 to a worrying catch-up game for the team. What was Classic’s amazing closing game against Rain, would have been Classic’s clutch save and the match would have continued on to an ace match whereby we might have seen Innovation clash with Rain. Though it’s easy to say that Innovation would have bested a defeated and demoralized Rain, it’s never as simple as that, especially in Proleague. This mistake from Brown will haunt him for the rest of his days, especially if SKT1 somehow get knocked out of their playoff spot. Everything can be traced back to this one moment, where instead of continuing to micro his probes away to wait for more zealots, he panicked and lost the game.

Writers: kollin, Wunder.
Graphics: HawaiianPig
Editors: monk.